Sherwood Schwartz, the brilliant creator and producer of the show, wrote that he received volumes of mail from people who “knew” the location of the island and how the castaways could be rescued. A definite percentage of the population, no doubt voters, in the 1960s beleived the show was real. There is little doubt that given the popularity of vampire shows, chain saw massacre and comic book films, that percentage has increased greatly and they vote. Trump cannot depend on logic alone to ensure his reelection.
There is some YouTube video out there by some guy who dissects old TV show flubs and gaffs.
In one Gilligan’s Island episode, a city water tower can be seen in the far distance.
Back then, no high definition TV and the like to see all the flaws.
I used to work as a directory assistance operator. We often got calls from customers wanting the phone number of a TV character. It’s frightening how many people really do believe that TV shows are real. They walk among us.
That’s a common phenomena.
I read an interview with Dan Blocker (who played Hoss Cartwright in Bonanza) years ago where he related an interaction he had with an older lady somewhere in LaLa land where he lived and she engaged him in a conversation about his family, life on the ranch, asked how (named characters) were doing and to give his best to his Pa from her.
He hadn’t known this was a thing.
The movie Galaxy Quest had fun playing with this concept, with young “Trekkie”-like adolescent geekazoids were - in their heart of hearts - convinced the show was based on reality only to find out that yes, it was.
The way I know things on TV are only play acting is, when I turn off the TV, I can’t find references to any of the things on it elsewhere - if I avoid tabloids at the grocer’s checkout stands or entertainment section of the local paper.