Gilligan’s Island was an iconic 1960s television series that has persevered in reruns
despite having only lasted for three seasons. In the years since the show’s initial debut,
the beloved stars of the show have become inseparable from the characters that they played
in the eyes of fans. However, some of the show’s main cast members almost didn’t make
it on the program! There are many stars that were considered for roles on the show but didn’t
end up making it, and they would’ve offered much different takes on the show’s beloved characters
than the ones we’ve become accustomed to in the many decades since. Join Facts Verse as
we explore actors that ALMOST starred in Gilligan’s Island.
Gilligan’s Island has remained one of the most memorable shows from the 1960s, despite the
fact that it only lasted for three seasons. The show has stayed in the minds of the audience for
a variety of reasons, from its novel premise of a bunch of castaways stuck on an island to
its talented ensemble cast. In addition to Bob Denver as the titular character of Gilligan,
the show also featured stars Russell Johnson, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Dawn Wells,
and Tina Louise as Gilligan’s fellow castaways on the island. While it’s hard to imagine anyone
besides these aforementioned stars playing their respective characters nowadays, there
were many other stars at the time that were considered for some of the show’s major roles.
Gilligan’s Island premiered in 1964 and lasted for three seasons before its untimely cancellation.
Still, the show remains one of the most fondly remembered sitcoms of its time. If any of these
following actors had been featured on the series,
it's hard to say how much differently the show would have been received! Let's take
a look at all of the actors that were almost featured on Gilligan’s Island.
Dabney Coleman Russell Johnson played
the role of the Professor on Gilligan’s Island, but there were other actors in talks to take on
the role before Russell was cast. One such actor was Dabney Coleman, who had screen-tested for
the part. Dabney was nowhere near the celebrity that he went on to become when he screen-tested
for the role of the Professor on Gilligan’s Island, and that is perhaps why he didn’t end
up getting the part. Dabney went on to achieve immense fame despite his loss of the role,
appearing in such successful series as Kojak and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
After Dabney’s success on television, he ventured into film work and has remained
a reliable character actor in the days since. Some of the actor’s most popular
films include Tootsie and 9 to 5. In Tootsie, Dabney starred alongside Dustin Hoffman,
while he got to star alongside Dolly Parton in 9 to 5. Both film appearances
proved successful for the character actor, who still acts today at the age of 89.
Jayne Mansfield It’s no secret that the character of Ginger was
meant to parody famous movie stars from around the time that Gilligan’s Island was being filmed, but
did you know that one such movie star was actually in talks to play the role?
If Jayne Mansfield had been given the role of Ginger, it certainly would’ve added some
authenticity to the idea that the character of Ginger was a legitimate Hollywood diva.
After Jayne turned down the role, actress Tina Louise certainly made the character her own.
Apparently, Jayne Mansfield turned down the role of Ginger because she didn’t want to get stuck
being a diva in the eyes of the public. Jayne’s decision was wise, as actress Tina Louise ended
up getting typecast because of the role after the series came to an end and had a hard time
finding work. Tina was infamously the only one of the main Gilligan’s Island cast members that
never returned for a reunion, and this was partly because she resented her character.
Jerry Van Dyke The Dick Van Dyke Show
was already a major success by the time that Gilligan’s Island came on the air,
and Dick Van Dyke’s younger brother wanted his own hit television series!
Dick’s younger brother was Jerry Van Dyke, who has since been survived by his older sibling.
Back in the day, Jerry was offered to play the titular role of Gilligan on Gilligan’s Island.
Since Jerry Van Dyke was looking for television work, he considered taking
the role of Gilligan. However, he ended up turning the part down due to his aversion
to becoming part of an ensemble cast. He wanted to be a star like his older brother,
but this never ended up happening for the younger sibling. His biggest role over the
course of his career ended up being in the 1989 television series Coach.
Although Bob Denver ended up getting the titular role of Gilligan on Gilligan’s Island, the
producers were initially hesitant to hire him onto the show. Prior to
his appearance on Gilligan’s Island, Bob had become popular for his portrayal of
a character by the name of Maynard G. Krebs on the 1959 series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.
The character of Maynard was a beatnik, and the producers of Gilligan’s Island didn’t
want a beatnik to play the character of Gilligan. Instead, they wanted someone with an
innocent charm. Bob insisted that he could play innocent, and the producers gave him a chance.
They were blown away by his take on the character, and he ended up getting the role.
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Raquel Welch
Before actress Dawn Wells ended up getting the part of the charming and innocent Mary Ann,
actress Raquel Welch had auditioned for the role! Raquel wasn’t famous at the time, but her breakout
turn in One Million Years B.C. was just around the corner. If Raquel had gotten the part of Mary Ann,
it arguably would’ve conflicted with the actress’s burgeoning film career. The character of Mary Ann
hadn’t been a part of Gilligan’s Island's pilot but was written in after the fact.
Given that Raquel Welch soon became a sex symbol after losing out on the part of Mary Ann,
it’s debatable that she would’ve brought the same innocent charm to the character
that Dawn Wells did. As with Tina Louise, Dawn Wells ended up being typecast after
Gilligan’s Island. Because of this, Raquel Welch probably has no regrets about losing the part.
Raquel is still alive today at the age of 81, while Dawn sadly passed away in 2020.
After Dawn’s passing, Tina Louise became the last surviving main cast member of the show.
Carroll O’Connor Carroll O’Connor was a television
actor that most audience members will instantly recognize for his time as Archie Bunker on the hit
show All in the Family. Before Carroll received his breakout turn on that successful series, he
was a fledgling star putting in his dues. During Carroll’s earlier days, he had tried to get the
role of the Skipper on Gilligan’s Island. After Carroll auditioned for the part, he ended up being
rejected by Sherwood Schwartz, the show's creator. Alan Hale Jr. was cast instead, and most fans of
the series can probably agree that Sherwood made the right choice! Although Carroll was
certainly a talented comedic actor, it’s hard to imagine him as the affable and optimistic Skipper.
Kit Smythe Before Gilligan’s
Island was picked up by the network to become a full series, it was just a pilot. The pilot
was a little bit different than the show that would eventually follow it. Not only were some
of the actors and actresses different, but some of the characters were a bit different,
as well. The character of Mary Ann wasn’t even present, and the character of Ginger
was a completely different character than the one she’d end up being.
The only things about the character of Ginger that remained the same across the
pilot and the subsequent series were the fact that she was an attractive woman with red hair
and the fact that she was named Ginger. In the pilot episode, actress Kit Smythe played Ginger.
Instead of being a movie star, the pilot depicted Ginger as a secretary.
Nancy McCarthy Although the character of Mary Ann
was missing from the pilot episode of Gilligan’s Island, there was another female character in her
place. That character was Bunny, who was another secretary. Gilligan’s Island went from having two
secretary castaways to none! Actress Nancy McCarthy played the character of Bunny.
Despite the fact that Nancy got to appear in the pilot episode of one of the most
successful television shows of the 1960s, it appears that she didn't end up getting to do
much else in her career after the character of Bunny was replaced by that of Mary Ann.
John Gabriel Besides the character of Ginger, the
character of the Professor was also played by a different star in Gilligan’s Island’s pilot
than the one that would go on to popularize the character on the series. In the pilot,
an actor by the name of John Gabriel played the character of the Professor. John’s portrayal
of the character wasn’t received very well when the pilot was tested with audiences,
so Russell Johnson was eventually brought on to spice up the role for the series. Nowadays,
John Gabriel is most fondly remembered for his time on the 1975 soap opera series Ryan’s Hope.
Although it would be interesting to see how any of these aforementioned actors would’ve
made their Gilligan’s Island roles their own over the course of the show’s three-season run,
it’s hard not to be happy with the castaways that we ended up getting! Now it’s time to
hear from you: are you curious how other stars would’ve fared on Gilligan’s Island,
or are you content with the show’s iconic main cast? As always,
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