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Gilligan's Island - The Complete First Season

Gilligan's Island - The Complete First Season

List Price: $39.98
Your Price: $29.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Finally, Gilligan's Island on DVD.
Review: I have been waiting for the Gilligan's Island episodes to come out on DVD. What a treat. I have all 98 episodes on VHS from TV. Such a great show it was. Too bad they were not able to do the 4th season as they had planned; what a network blunder. I hope seasons 2 and 3 on DVD will soon follow. This is my favorite TV series of all time. (I was in love with Mary Ann.)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Classic I couldn't fully appreciate until I grew up
Review: When I was a little kid I watched Gilligan's Island and felt guilty about it. I thought it was like junk food. Then after having not seen it in decades I stumbled across it and realized it was a masterpiece and that most of its surreal beauty went right over my head when I was a kid. I especially love the episode in which Mr. Howell is convinced everyone's conspiring to kill him, though I don't know if that's in the first season. This is the weirdest darned tv show ever made. If the makers of Twin Peaks or other self-consciously offbeat productions had had any sense of subtlety with respect the surreality of their work they would've made Gilligan's Island. This is a show that appears to be simply a fun silly comedy, but reveals itself to be, when viewed with more experienced eyes, a much stranger animal.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: This was the start of the Reality based shows.....
Review: I do laugh whenever a rerun of Gilligan's Island is on TV land, I laugh at how stupid and not funny it really was. Wither it was the corny acting or the fake art direction, or the worst scripts ever done on TV. This show had all that and more. They are not funny nor classic. They show what bad ideas commercial TV has had over the years and what a surprise, Warners is releasing it on DVD. The film company that makes cheap DVDs of cheap shows like this.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An All-time Classic
Review: This show doesn't get the credit it deserves. While panned by critics, it continues to endure nearly 40 years after it ended in re-runs and pop culture.

The story of a small touring boat getting lost in a storm and landing on a deserted pacific island is well known.
throughout the run of the show they would get a remarkable number of famous celebs doing guest appearances including: Kurt Russel, Phil Silvers, and more.

Among the first season episodes you may remember fondly:

Episode 8: "Goodbye Island" - Gilligan discovers a special tree sap that can be used to make a good tasting pancake syrup. Then the professor discovers that the same tree sap also makes a super glue, that may allow the castaways to repair the Minnow.

Episode 12: "Birds Gotta Fly, Fish Gotta Talk" - During Christmas, the Castaways get homesick and remember the first day they were shipwrecked. When Santa Claus "appears" on the island, many suspect he is the Skipper in costume. However, just as Santa departs while wishing the Castaways a Merry Christmas, the Skipper appears from the other direction. You don't see this one too often.

36 episodes in all...huge by today's standards. Plus bonus features. Wow! What a package!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Hoping for 5 stars, if B/W. 1 star for color.
Review: I've got all episodes on VHS off tv - B/W first season, color for season 2 and 3. I also have the soft cover book "The Unofficial Gilligan's Island Handbook" explaining each characters and actor as well as in depth description of each show with original air dates, etc... To say the least, I am an avid fan and have been waiting for dvd release for a long time. I am a bit concerned though as different retail sites list specifics differently about this set. I have read it will be made by Warner Studios in B/W and I have also read it'll be made by Turner Studios in (Turnerized) color. Even with no extras, if shows are remastered and in B/W, it will definately be worth owning and cherished for years. If colorized by Ted Turner and his company, it will ruin the shows just as they did when shown on Turner's tv station. I'd probably still buy it, just to have it, but it won't be cherished. Let's hope for glorious B/W!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: SUPER!!!
Review: This show is one of my favorites from the sixties. Yes it's silly and a little crazy...but it sure brings back some great memories of my youth. Growing up in the 60's was great, and they had some wild shows. A must for any collector of great tv.
#1."Two on a raft" 9/26/1964
#2."Home sweet hut" 10/3/1964
#3."Voodoo something to me" 10/10/1964
#4."Good night, sweet skiper" 10/17/1964
#5."Wrongway feldman" 10/24/1964
#6."President Gilligan" 10/31/1964
#7."Sound of quacking" 11/7/1964
#8."Good-bye island" 11/21/1964
#9."The big gold strike" 11/28/1964
#10."Waiting for watubi" 12/5/1964
#11."Angel on the island" 12/12/1964
#12."Birds gotta fly, fish gotta talk" 12/19/1964
#13."3 Million dollars, more or less" 12/26/1964
#14."Water, water everywhere" 1/2/1965
#15."So sorry, my island now" 1/9/1965
#16."Plant you now, dig you later" 1/16/1965
#17."Little island, big gun" 1/23/1965
#18."X marks the spot" 1/30/1965
#19."Gilligan meets jungle boy" 2/6/1965
#20."St. gilligan and the dragon" 2/13/1965
#21."Big man on a little stick" 2/20/1965
#22."Diamonds are an ape's best friend" 2/27/1965
#23."How to be a hero" 3/6/1965
#24."The return of wrongway feldman" 3/13/1965
#25."The matchmaker" 3/20/1965
#26."Music hath charm" 3/27/1965
#27."New neighbor Sam" 4/3/1965
#28."They're off and running" 4/10/1965
#29."Three to get ready" 4/17/1965
#30."Forget me not" 4/24/1965
#31."Diogenes, won't you please go home?" 5/1/1965
#32."Physical fatness" 5/8/1965
#33."It's magic" 5/15/1965
#34."Godd-bye, old paint" 5/22/1965
#35."My fair Gilligan" 6/5/1965
#36."A nose by any other name" 6/12/1965

Buy it...you'll love it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The History of Gilligan's Island 1964 to 1967 on CBS.
Review: The Cast
--------
Backus, Jim Thurston Howell III
Denver, Bob Gilligan (some say Willy Gilligan)
Hale Jr., Alan Skipper Jonas Grumby
Johnson, Russell Professor Roy Hinkley
Louise, Tina Ginger Grant
Schafer, Natalie Lovey Wentworth Howell
Wells, Dawn Mary Ann Summers
Maxwell, Charles radio announcer

A ship's captain, his first mate, an actress, a professor, a farm girl, a millionaire and his wife, all stranded on an uncharted desert island in the South Pacific. Seven random people thrown together by fate, united in search of an exit. A Twilight Zone episode, you say? An existential play by Jean Paul Sartre, perhaps? No, nothing quite so cerebral. It's the central plot line of Gilligan's Island, one of the most popular and most referenced sitcoms in television history.

In September of 1964 the S.S. Minnow set sail on a three-hour tour that would last three years in prime time. Although Gilligan's Island, the brainchild of Brady Bunch creator Sherwood Schwartz, was one of the worst reviewed shows ever broadcast, it was always a favorite with the viewing public. Millions of people tuned in to see the comic antics of the inept Gilligan and watch each week as the castaways inevitably failed to get off the island.

Gilligan was the boat's sole crew member, aside from the skipper. He was well-meaning but inept in his attempts to find a means of returning to civilization. As a result, and perhaps even more because this simple-minded farce became a top hit, the little band was stranded on that island for three full seasons. One question that never got answered, however, concerned the luggage. In the first episode, and in the theme song, it was pointed out that the cruise was only supposed to be for three hours. How, then, did the passengers have enough clothing to last three years?

Gilligan's biggest fans were kids, and when the series finally went into repeats on local stations and on cable TV such as Nick at Nite they made it one of the biggest rerun hits of all time. Even though the reruns were colorized, for a while, whereas they were all black and white when originally aired in the 60s. By the way, The Hallmark Channel now shows them in black and white as opposed to when they were on TNT. Anyways, an animated cartoon version called The New Adventures of Gilligan was produced for ABC, and ran on that network's weekend daytime schedule from 1974 to 1977.

Then in 1978 NBC had the bright idea of bringing the original cast back together for a reunion special, in which they were finally rescued. All agreed to appear except Tina Louise (who wanted too much money, and so was replaced by Judith Baldwin). "Rescue From Gilligan's Island" aired in October 1978 as a two-part special, and was a phenomenal hit. They did finally get off the island, and returned to a triumphant homecoming. But then they made the mistake of going on a reunion cruise on the Minnow II, only to wind up stranded back on the same island--the result of another freak storm! "Castaways on Gilligan's Island," a folow-up special aired in 1979, had them converting the island into a tourist resort. And in still another sequel in 1981, The Harlem Globetrotters dropped in! There was a talk of reviving the series, but audiences for the 1979 and 1981 sequels were not very large, and the plans never materialized.

One of TV's great bits of trivia is Gilligan's first name. None was ever revealed on the show, but years later on a talk show Bob Denver claimed that he had talked the matter over with the show's creator/producer Sherwood Schwartz, and they had decided that if Gilligan ever did need a first name it would be "Willie."

Also did you know that Jayne Mansfield turned down the role of "Ginger"; Carroll O'Connor tested for the role of The Skipper; Raquel Welch auditioned for the role of Mary Anne; Dabney Coleman tested for the role of The Professor and Jerry Van Dyke, Dick's Brother, turned down the role of Gilligan.

Bob Denver had a character on The Many Lives of Dobie Gillis playing Maynard G. Krebs.

Jim Backus,aka Thurston Howell III, appeared the year before Gilligan's debut in the 1963 movie It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World as the pilot of a plane which had Mickey Rooney and Buddy Hackett on board.

Natalie Schafer also was on the short lived drama series The Survivors with Lana Turner, Ralph Bellamy, Jan Micheal-Vincent, and George Hamilton in 1969-70.

The original pilot was filmed in November of 1963 but never aired until October of 1992 on TBS. In the original pilot, the characters of the Professor and Ginger were played by a different actor and actress. There was no character of Mary Ann. In the pilot, there was a character called Bunny. Bunny was the buxom blonde and Ginger was a practical brunette. In the pilot, Ginger and Bunny were both secretaries. The music for the original pilot's theme song was written by (a young) John Williams. This music had a Latin sound and the lyrics were sung with a Spanish accent. In the pilot, it was a six-hour trip, not a three-hour tour.

The three man folk singing group, The Wellingtons, sang the theme song for the first season, but were replaced by a similar sounding group, The Eligibles, for the following seasons. However, The Wellingtons (plus one) also portrayed 'The Mosquitoes' in a classic episode of the series.

Originally slated to return for the 1967-68 television season it was instead canceled at the last minute by CBS head William Paley, to make room for Gunsmoke.

The Music
---------
Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
a tale of a fateful trip.
That started from this tropic port,
aboard this tiny ship.
The mate was a mighty sailin' man,
the skipper brave and sure.
Five passengers set sail that day,
for a three hour tour, a three hour tour.
The weather started getting rough,
the tiny ship was tossed.
If not for the courage of the fearless crew,
the Minnow would be lost; the Minnow would be lost.
The ship set ground on the shore of this uncharted desert isle,
with Gilligan, the Skipper too,
the Millionaire, and his Wife,
the Movie Star, and the rest,
(the Movie Star, the Professor and Mary Ann,)
here on Gilligan's Isle.

So this is the tale of our castaways,
they're here for a long long time.
They'll have to make the best of things,
it's an uphill climb.
The first mate and his skipper too,
will do their very best,
to make the others comfortable,
in their tropic island nest.
No phones, no lights, no motor car,
not a single luxury.
Like Robinson Crusoe,
it's primitive as can be.
So join us here each week my friend,
you're sure to get a smile.
From seven stranded castaways,
Here on Gilligan's Isle.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: An annoyingly awful show
Review: I hated this show when it first aired and I still hate it today. The scripts are idiotic slapstick; the premise is absurd, the acting is annoying.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: looks great, cant wait! give us season 2 as well !!!!!!!!
Review: At last! Gilligan's has been rescued! ..errr.. digitized!

Look at the picture of the packaging, its 3 double-sided discs. Thats 6 episodes per side, for a total of 3 discs. If its black & white, the bitrate can be lower and the picture will still look great.

Hopefully its not those wretched colourized things they were showing on tv for a while. eccchh!

It will be nice to more seasons of this show too. And how about some Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea season sets!!!!!!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Pre-Review
Review: If you are reading this review, you should be aware that this review has been written before the release date, and therefore cannot depict the "actual product." It can, however, give a helpful insight.
"Gilligan's Island", an extremely popular sitcom since its first airing in 1964, has become a household name for many. I can say with great assurance that everyone is pleased that such an innocent 60s comedy like this is finally coming to DVD in complete season sets.
I can only review this set from the information I have acheived. Let's start out with the basics. 3 DVD set: first of all, what are 36 episodes, a pilot, and about 2 hours worth of bonus features doing on 3 DVDs? I will tell you. It calculates that some DVDs having as many as 13 episodes. This means that each DVD will have over 5 hours of footage. This is ridiculous. We all know that the more footage on a single disc, the lower the quality. This set better have dual-layer DVDs, or else the quality will be unbearable. Why couldn't they have made this a 5 disc set with only 7 or 8 episodes per disc? I will tell you why. The producers thought that if there were only 3 discs, they could make the price lower than if it had 5 discs. This maybe so. If it were 5 discs, the price would be close to 60 dollars. Does 60 dollars really matter to a 40-year fan that has waited on this set forever? NO! Infact, a fan would probably be dissappointed because the quality of these classic shows were sacraficed for the low price.
The packaging does look neat and well put together. The cover is rather catchy to the eye, and one can tell that this set was not thrown together in one night. Also, the bonus features do seem satisfying.
I cannot really give this DVD a fair review until it comes out, but I guarantee you that I will write a fair review the very day this long-awaited DVD comes out.


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