Posted on 04/08/2025 2:29:14 PM PDT by DallasBiff
You would think a hit show like Gilligan's Island would rake in the dough. Across three seasons, they received a ton of prestige and audiences still love it. The show currently resides at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, impressive for a show that's over 60 years old. However, according to Tina Louise, the legacy of the show doesn't exactly reflect the kind of pay they were getting at the time.
Recently, she spoke with Forbes to go over her illustrious career, particularly her time on Gilligan's Island. There, Tina says that across all 98 episodes, she didn't bring in much money, "like $1,500 an episode," as she puts it. Moreover, the streaming availability and cable reruns doesn't do Louise any favors either. You would think residuals would hold her over once she settled down from an acting career. Instead, it's quite the opposite. ""Nothing! Not a cent," she exclaims
(Excerpt) Read more at wideopencountry.com ...
Me too!
The first William Shatner memoir (of many) Star Trek Memories had a narrative of everyone assuming “You guys must be rolling in so much cash you can’t count it after Star Trek is still on TV in 50 states.” But they were broke and taking humiliating local summer stock play opportunities and hoping for bit parts on TV series as one shots. The money didn’t go to them at that phase.
Shatner was almost living in his car and feeding his Doberman meat ball subs. Much of his loss was to ex wife in a divorce that he admits “was all my fault.”
Later, he and the inner core made up a Most Favored Nation plan and got some money, followed by demands on future franchise earnings.
This pay disparity makes me want to Howell.
Making $1500 an episode for a show that ran from 1964 to 1967-—98 episodes-—
THAT was A LOT OF $$$$$$$$$ for those years.
I lived in SO CALIF & was paying $161 a month for a 2nd floor UNFURNISHED apartment.
MANY people like myself survived well, and we were making more like $100 a week when I moved to LA. WORKED AT SHELL OIL-—A very good job.
She made 10=15 X what most of us made.
CRY ME A RIVER.
Median US salary in 1964 was 6,600 bucks.
So every four weeks she earned a year’s salary for a normal family and did so for three years.
Net worth today, 6 million. Just STFU Tina...
Guess they weren’t brains...
Not all actors get residuals. It depends on how you write the deal.
I imagine the people actually made money from residuals were the creators of the show the producers.
Before 1960 nobody got any residuals for anything no movies no TV nothing.
So when Gilligans Island came on, that was kind of a new concept, if you had a good agent, then you may have gotten residuals.
It’s not like today where that’s a given for the stars is to be able to get residual let’s just take Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David pull in 10 of billions of dollars on residuals, some shows are like that
It would be interesting to know who exactly owns the rights to Gilligans Island at this point because whoever it is, they’ve got steady money coming in
The the original Lucy show from the early 1950s is still in syndication and is owned by CBS and it brings in a steady $12 million a year so if you’ve got a really good old show, it can still bring in good money.
First choice....
I never watched the show. If Raquel would have been on it I would have.
Naive as I was, it was years later when a magazine had the story she secretly had implants despite being born already great.
So she wasn’t all natural. Shocking to me in the 60s. She had even been asked about it by a reporter but denied it. “We’re born with what we have.”
Around 1960—
Actress Arlene Dahl: “Men still like to fantasize over women they go out with even when they discover they were aided by false padding on top. It shows what dreamers all men are.”
“like $1,500 an episode,”
So like 3 months pay for a normal family, for a few hours of make believe on a Hollywood sound stage?
Must have been so difficult on her.
The only two actors on that show that might have had residuals we’re bobbed Denver and Allan Hale Junior, and possibly Jim Bacus
Can you imagine getting 1500 bucks a week back then for a few hours of make believe in front of a camera? LOL!
Poor lady. She looks like gollum.
‘ Poor lady. She looks like gollum.’
She’s 91 years old for f’s sake.
What the hell is wrong with you.
Post a picture of yourself.
LOL.
Don’t we all?
91 year old woman being judged on her appearance.
You proud of that?
And Mission:Impossible was also shooting on the Desilu lot, so he kept it within the company.
Ironically, both shows were running at the same time. They shared some sets and used the same cast of extras.
Season 1 of Mannix (1967-1968) was also a Desilu show and used some of the same extras, too.
-PJ
Her plastic surgeon needs to go to jail.
nothing but the violent torpedoe of truth
She has been bitter about this for decades. In fact…as someone who “doesn’t like to talk about it…” it’s all she talked about.
She wanted to be taken seriously as an actress.
That ole chestnut.
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