A Scholarly Critique of the Style, Symbolism and Sociopolitical Relevance of Gilligan's Island

Fight The Bias.Com ^ | 9/24/2003 | Lewis Napper

[ambrose]

Bump

[Paleo Conservative]

[Fraulein]

BTTT

[Movemout]

What a pantload of pretentios interpretation. This guy reminds me of an art museum tour guide who proclaims that he sees deep meaning in canvasses splashed with paint by monkeys.

[Movemout]

pretentios = pretentious

[strela]

=

Immediate wood

[Leroy S. Mort]

= Blue Wood?

[zarf]

Natalie Wood

[strela]

hehehe ... the ol' "blue diamond".

[50sDad]

bump

[doodad]

bump for lunch read

[aardvark1]

Soooooo...this guy either had a lot of time on his hands or spent a lot time smoking pot while watching TV.

[Brandon]

I read somewhere that Sherwood Schwartz said once that he deliberately designed the characters so that each one represented one of the Seven Deadly Sins:

The Skipper = anger
Gilligan = sloth
Ginger = lust
Mary Ann = envy
The Professor = pride
Mr. Howell = greed
Mrs. Howell = vanity

For what it's worth (which is to say, not much).

[kevkrom]

The Skipper = anger
Gilligan = sloth
Ginger = lust
Mary Ann = envy
The Professor = pride
Mr. Howell = greed
Mrs. Howell = vanity

I don't know if they were necessarily "designed" this way, but the (humorous) analysis I've seen lays them out like this, except that The Skipper is both anger and sloth (or gluttony).

So, if the other 6 characters represent the 7 deadly sins, then where does that leave Gilligan? Well, he is responsible for getting them stranded in the first place, and he's the one that always manages to keep them there. That means the island is Hell, and Gilligan, of course, is the Devil...

[yarddog]

I recall listening to an interview of Jim Backus on the radio many years ago.

He explained how they were trying to make all kind of social statements on the show. He also thought the whole idea was stupid.

The show was one of the dumbest ever made but I watched it anyway.

Part of the reason was I think eveyone likes the idea of surviving on a desert Isle ala Robinson Cruesoe. Also think the characters were fairly well chosen.

Of course the real reason I watched it was to see Mary Ann in those shorts. I still think she was one of the sexiest actresses around. I also am confident her real reason for being in the cast was as a T & A display.

[Jonah Hex]

While we're comparing and contrasting the nuances of "Gilligan's Island" ("Gilligan trivia for $50, Alex.")...

Have you ever noticed how many song lyrics ("Amazing Grace", "Yellow Rose in Texas", etc.) can be song to the Gilligan theme?

:-)

[50sDad]

People! You are becoming becalmed in the backwaters of a cerebral idea, and are overlooking the obvious locus of the zeitguist lies about three feet below there. You can nanner about socio-political overtones all you want, but the actual focus and function should be the real question....

Ginger or Maryanne?

[Jonah Hex]

Ginger or Maryanne?

Here are the candidates. (I threw in Mrs.Howell for the seasoned citizens.)

[yarddog]

I think Natalie Schaefer (sp?) was actually even older than they portrayed her on the show. I do bet she was pretty in her younger days.

As to Mary Ann or Ginger? I once read that Mary Ann got more fan mail than all the others combined.