But actually, it was no more inept or naive than other 1960s sitcoms. The Beverly Hillbillies lived as multi-millionaires in Beverly Hills for many years, yet continued to wear hillbilly outfits, eat possum stew, and refer to the swimming pool as a "cement pond."
In case Gilligan's Island and its endless reruns came before your time, the seven castaways are, according to the theme song:
Gilligan, a "mighty sailing man" (in red), and the Skipper, "brave and sure" (in blue). Color tv was brand new, so they used bright primary colors.
They became partners during the War, presumably the Korean War, and now ran an island tour service out of Honolulu.
Five passengers sign on for the "fateful trip" that was supposed to last for three hours, "lunch provided."
3-4. Mr. and Mrs. Howell, "the millionaire and his wife," who for some reason brought suitcases full of money on the tour.
5. Ginger (the redhead), a glamorous Marilyn Monroe-style "movie star," who has a huge number of acting credit in very bad movies.
"And the rest," until the rest complained and got a mention in the theme song.
7. "The Professor," who has a B.A. from USC, a B.S. from UCLA, an M.A. from SMU, and a Ph. D from TCU, and is an expert on the languages and cultures of the "savage" natives of the area, yet works as a high school science teacher.
Straight Boomer boys had endless debates about which they would prefer to date, Ginger or Mary Anne. But there was a lot for gay boys to like:
1. Beefcake First mate Gillian (Bob Denver, below) was slim, smooth, and occasionally shirtless.
Lithe, hard bodied Denny Miller, a 1959 Tarzan (top photo, appeared twice, as a "jungle man" and as as a surfer who rode a wild wave all the way in from Honolulu.
In February 1965, Kurt Russell appeared as a jungle boy, wearing only a loincloth (he counts as beefcake when you're five years old)
Even the Professor took off his shirt a couple of times.
2. Utter lack of heterosexual interest.
4. Gay hints
Even the Professor took off his shirt a couple of times.
2. Utter lack of heterosexual interest.
There was lots of heterosexism, of course. When the Professor wonders why headhunters would abduct only the girls, Gilligan quips “Because they’re boys!”
When Mrs. Howell becomes the recipient of anonymous love letters, she and her husband interrogate Gilligan, the Skipper, and the Professor. They all claim innocence. "But that's impossible!" she exclaims. "We've asked everyone on the island!" Ginger and Mary Anne are omitted.
More after the break
The Skipper occasionally bats his eyes at Ginger or Mary Anne, but the other two single men, Gilligan and the Professor, never display the least interest in girls.
(Incidentally, Russell Johnson's son was very active in gay politics in Los Angeles. After his death from AIDS in 1994, the elder Johnson devoted himself full-time to fundraising for AIDS research.)
3. Buddy-bonding.
When Gilligan and the Skipper fantasize about being rescued, they mention hamburgers and milkshakes, but never girls or “settling down.”
Perhaps they've already settled down.
4. Gay hints
Technically Bob Denver, who had previously played the "allergic to girls" Maynard on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, played Gilligan as a man-child with “arrested development,” excused from demonstrating heterosexual desire because he hasn’t “discovered” girls yet,
But occasionally we see a hint of an alternative explanation:. In “High Man on Totem Pole” (February 1967), headhunters capture the Professor, the Skipper, and Mr. Howell. The girls are disconsolate:
Ginger: All of the men are gone!
Gilligan: I’m still here!
Ginger: [Dryly.] I said, all of the men.
But what sort of man is not really a man?
In the last original episode of the series, “Gilligan the Goddess” (April 1967), savage tribesmen visit in search of a “white goddess” to throw into a volcano on their island. Gilligan pretends to be a girl, donning a wig and a sixties mod dress, so he will be selected (the plan is to go to the other island and call Hawaii for rescue).
Blustering King Killiwani (Stanley Adams) demonstrates an interest in Gilligan even when he is male, ignoring the other castaways while forcing him to dance, but when Gilligan becomes “Gilliana,” he becmes downright grabby. Unwilling to reveal the truth and ruin the rescue plan, but also unwilling to let Killiwani commit date rape, the castaways try to distract him with food and entertainment.
Mrs. Howell: Anybody for passion fruit?
Gilligan: No passion fruit! I think I’ll have a banana. [He grabs one and peels it, then feeds a piece to Killiwani.]
Girls: And now for your pleasure we present the great magician, Thurston Howell the Third!
Gilligan: [Applauds.] He’s great. He knows a thousand tricks, and I want to see them all.
Killiwani: [Places hand on Gilligan’s knee.] You the only trick I interested in!
Gilligan rejects the passion fruit because he is skittish about getting passionate, of course, but his choice of a phallic symbol-banana instead suggests another dimension, especially when he feeds it to Killiwani. His gesture is natural, almost unconscious, and surprisingly intimate; he behaves as if he really in a romantic relationship. (We should note that he objects to the ruse because he doesn’t want to dress like a girl, not because he dislikes Killiwani’s attention.)
Ginger: All of the men are gone!
Gilligan: I’m still here!
Ginger: [Dryly.] I said, all of the men.
But what sort of man is not really a man?
In the last original episode of the series, “Gilligan the Goddess” (April 1967), savage tribesmen visit in search of a “white goddess” to throw into a volcano on their island. Gilligan pretends to be a girl, donning a wig and a sixties mod dress, so he will be selected (the plan is to go to the other island and call Hawaii for rescue).Blustering King Killiwani (Stanley Adams) demonstrates an interest in Gilligan even when he is male, ignoring the other castaways while forcing him to dance, but when Gilligan becomes “Gilliana,” he becmes downright grabby. Unwilling to reveal the truth and ruin the rescue plan, but also unwilling to let Killiwani commit date rape, the castaways try to distract him with food and entertainment.
Gilligan: No passion fruit! I think I’ll have a banana. [He grabs one and peels it, then feeds a piece to Killiwani.]
Girls: And now for your pleasure we present the great magician, Thurston Howell the Third!
Gilligan: [Applauds.] He’s great. He knows a thousand tricks, and I want to see them all.
Killiwani: [Places hand on Gilligan’s knee.] You the only trick I interested in!
Gilligan rejects the passion fruit because he is skittish about getting passionate, of course, but his choice of a phallic symbol-banana instead suggests another dimension, especially when he feeds it to Killiwani. His gesture is natural, almost unconscious, and surprisingly intimate; he behaves as if he really in a romantic relationship. (We should note that he objects to the ruse because he doesn’t want to dress like a girl, not because he dislikes Killiwani’s attention.)
Maybe same-s*x desire was not beyond all imagining, even in 1967.
See also:Jason Maybaum: Is the gay-vague son on "Raven's Home" gay in real life? With some Disney Descendants and Jake Green's goods. Mentions Gilligan's Island.
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