Rating: Summary: Definitely Ginger! Review: If you never saw this show you must have been stranded on a deserted island. One interesting bit of trivia that might enhance your mind while watching this entertaining but seemingly lightweight show: The producer intended the island to represent the world and each character to represent a country. Their interaction was to represent world politics. Keeping that in mind when you view it will be a whole new experience. That could make for some lively discussions. The guys out there can also ponder the age old question: Ginger or Mary-Ann? And for the ladies, I don't know, Gilligan or Skipper? The first season of this charming show was in black and white, so let's hope they don't colorize it!
Rating: Summary: finally! Review: All 36 B&W episodes of the amazing series on on dvd boxset, althoguh I would like more info (cover artwork, features, etc.)
Rating: Summary: Finally Review: This is The First Season of Gilligan's Island on DVD. There has been no report as to whether it will be colorized or not yet. We'll see...
Rating: Summary: Another Television Landmark Review: Gilligan's Island is without a doubt one of the most recognizable classic television shows. Gilligan's island helped paved the way for many of todays great sitcoms. With the popularity of putting television shows on TV it is no wonder that Gilligan is going to be digitized. At the time of this review the DVD has not yet been released but I will give my input on the show. The first season of Gilligan's Island was in black and white. Later seasons are in color. The first season's theme song is slightly different because it never mentions Russel Johnson (The Proffessor) or Mary Ann. Gilligan's island today is still one of the most syndicated show in reruns and I will be glad to own a piece of television history. I am really hoping that the studio releasing this DVD will be kind enough to add some Bonus Features. Maybe show the E! True Hollywood story or Commentaries with the remaining cast members.
Rating: Summary: Seven stranded castaways Review: Sherwood Schwartz who would later create and produce "The Brady Bunch",created and produced this awesome series about seven stranded castaways on Gilligan's Island. Here are the episodes from the first season,1964-65. Bob Denver is Gilligan,a sailor. The late Alan Hale is the Skipper,who has a love/hate friendship with Gilligan. The late Jim Backus,famous for the voice of the animated Mr. Magoo,is a wealthy man named Thurston Howell III. The late Natalie Schaefer is Lovey Howell,Thurston's wife. Tina Louise is a young,beautiful film actress named Ginger Grant. This season,in which the episodes were black and white,featured recurring characters,a professor and a young girl named Mary Ann,respectively portrayed by Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells. Those characters were not mentioned in the theme song since they were recurring. They were part of "all the rest". Thurston is referred to as "the millionaire" and Ginger is "the movie star". One highlight from this season is the episode or few episodes where a young Kurt Russell guest-starred. He was then 13 years old. Colorized versions of these episodes aired on cable television's TNT(Turner Network Television). To the best of my knowledge,this series is the only one in which colorized versions of black and white episodes aired.
Rating: Summary: Gilligan rocks Review: Originaly aired in 1964 it was the highest rated show of that year. The box set includes 3 disc all three are double sided. Most people say they should not have made them double sided instead have 6 disc im about half way on that because yeah it would be eaiser to handle and stuff but it would also be a lot more expensive. There are 36 episodes plus the lost piloit. The dvd extras include Tropical Tidbits, facts, a commentary with the creater Sherwood Schwartz, and Gilligans Island survival guide.
Rating: Summary: Loving it in Beaverton Oregon Review: We bought the Gilligan's DVD's as soon as they were available and our whole family loves them. Our children, 10 and 7, just adore them and it is fun for us to remember the shows from when we were kids ourselves. The clarity of the black and white is amazing, much better than on television. Enjoy!
Rating: Summary: Garden of Eden Review: What a zany group of characters! And for the woman, where did all of those lovely outfits come from, they were on an afternoon cruise, I love it. How about Ginger living on a deserted island and always decked out with an evening gown and perfectly done hair and makeup. And Mary Ann, in her sexy halters and skimpy shorts, running around in the woods and sand in high heels. Was it considered too suggestive, back then, to have her in her bare feet? THe big issue with her outfits was the censors insisting that her belly button never show! Dawn Wells (who portrayed Mary Ann)admits she thought the whole issue was silly and managed to let it show every once in a while, knowing it would be too time-consuming and expensive to keep re-shooting scenes every time her shorts slipped below her navel. It may have been called "Gilligan's Island" but with Mary Ann, it seemed more like the Garden of Eden.
Rating: Summary: go buy it!!! Review: every fan of gilligan island must get season 1 and 2 all the episodes are remastered and have never look so good on dvd!! trust me you will not be disappointed!!!i got my sets at amazon at a lower price but its worth the retail price you will pay at best buy or any other store!!!go and get it gilligan fans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rating: Summary: The Beloved "Three Hour Tour" That Has Lasted 40 Years Review: What can I really say about this classic 1960's comedy series that I believe will end up outlasting us all? Loved by successive generations of television watchers, absolutely HATED by the critics both at its premiere and ever since this show has taken on near legendary status among viewers. After 40 years of endless reruns the characters of "Little Buddy", Gilligan, the Skipper, Kansas farm girl Mary Ann, sultry movie star Ginger Grant, the Professor, and mega rich Thurston Howell the third and his dizzy wife "Lovey" Howell, have become household names that need no introduction. Love it or hate it ,(and this viewer literally grew up with the seven castaways as part of his extended family!) "Gilligan's Island", is without a doubt one of televisions greatest success stories despite all the odds being laid up against it becoming that. What a joy it was to find out that Warner Brothers were finally giving this legendary series the proper DVD release it deserves with all the episodes of season one properly restored, reissued in their correct and original black and white photography, unedited, and in pristine condition. This set, the first of hopefully the full three seasons of the series to be released onto DVD is a television buffs delight and is essential in the collection of anyone like myself who loves classic television from the fantastic 1960's.
What is so unique about this boxed DVD set of the first season of "Gilligan's Island", is that it also contains among a selection of extra features the extremely rare pilot episode of the series that has three different characters on board the ill fated S.S. Minnow instead of Ginger, Mary Ann, and The Professor. This makes viewing this long lost episode most interesting as the pilot until the 1990's was never publically aired on television. This pilot episode also contains all the truly beautiful on location photography done in Hawaii where the pilot was filmed which because of the cast changes when the series got the green light was then never seen. Along with the pilot episode the set contains all 36 episodes of "Gilligan's Island", first season in their correct order and at their original unedited length. Of course any fan has their favourite episodes but particular favourites of mine are:
Episode 5: "Wrongway Feldman", guest starring wonderful character actor Hans Conried as a wacky aviator.
Episode 7: "The Sound of Quacking", where with food supplies low a duck is found on the island and a debate breaks out about whether to cook it.
Episode 8: "Goodbye Island", the last episode to use location shooting on a beach when the castaways try to repair the Minnow with some not so permanent glue.
Episode 10: "Waiting for Watubi", an hilarious episode and a tour de force for Alan Hale as the skipper when he believes he is cursed by an ancient god.
Episode 17: "Little Island, Big Gun", when a mobster hides out from the law on the island.
Episode 30: "Forget Me Not", where the Professor tries to cure the Skipper's amnesia with some surprising results.
Episode 36: "A Nose By Any Other Name",where after a fall Gilligan gets an swollen nose and the Professor pretends to "operate", on him to cheer him up about his appearance.
Never could "Gilligan's Island", be mistaken for Shakespeare but then again it never had to be and it is the great work by the extremely talented cast that makes "Gilligan's Island", the TV classic it is today. The amazing chemistry and physical give and take by Alan Hale and Bob Denver as the skipper and first mate Gilligan in their scenes together is one of the great comedy highlights of the show and I still feel this duo have never received the recognition that they so richly deserve as comedy greats. Alan Hale's repeated exasperated looks directly into the camera when he gets hit on the head by a falling coconut or gets whacked in the stomach by a bamboo pole courtesy of an always well meaning Gilligan are always guaranteed to break up this viewer with laughter. Hollywood veterans Jim Backus and Natalie Schafer as Mr. and Mrs. Howell were perfect casting in their roles and were so ideal together that they seemed to ACTUALLY BE the Howells to the extent that it was hard to imagine them ever as anyone else. Tina Louise, despite her mixed feelings about the show and her participation in it, is wonderful as movie star Ginger Grant who was always ready to turn on her obvious charms in the hope of being rescued and was best remembered for always wearing evening gowns throughout the shows run. Finally "the rest", (as they were billed on the credits for this first season), Dawn Wells as sweet Mary Ann and Russell Johnson as the brilliant Professor also made memorable characters. Mary Ann became the most popular character during the shows original run (and a dream girl for most young boys growing up in the 1960's like myself!!) , while Russell Johnson an actor I've long admired, tackled what was in a way a quite difficult role as the "straight man" to all the eccentric characters around him. The Professor was always the voice of reason on the Island who also created some amazing inventions to help the castaways live in reasonable "comfort" on the island during their three year run. His hilarious "explanations", of features or occurences on the island delivered in a deadpan style with incredible scientific detail always left the rest of the castaways wondering what on earth he was actually saying and was always a great source of humour on the show and makes the professor an integral character because of his "seriousness".
I'll always love "Gilligan's Island", and viewing these first season episodes in this DVD set is like revisiting old friends as the castaways always trying to get off the island where also like family during my growing up years. Today I appreciate the series for all the great talent that went into creating these episodes which is most often underappreciated by critics. A series that is still loved 40 years after it originally went to air has something special about it and I strongly recommend "Gilligan's Island: The Complete First Season", DVD to all lovers of classic television. Enjoy.
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