Inside Gilligan's Island: From Creation to Syndication

by Sherwood Schwartz

Overview

While every new TV series has to face some problems, no show had to overcome greater obstacles than Gilligan's Island. In spite of that, no series has achieved greater success, as measured by the fact that Gilligan's Island has given rise to three TV movies, two animated series, and is the most rerun program in the entire history of television.

Now, Sherwood Schwartz, creator, writer, and producer of Gilligan's Island, tells the life story of the show: from the labor pains of scripting, casting, and production to its golden years of afternoon reruns. Fascinating history that could be known only by the show's creator is enhanced by wonderful photos, sketches, and other illustrations from the author's personal collection, as well as the guest forewords by all seven "Castaways." An appendix lists plots, writers and directors for every episode. All this behind-the-scenes information makes the book a special treat, not only for fans, but for anyone interested in an inside look at the television industry.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786484881
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	04/13/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	342
File size:	12 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

The late Sherwood Schwartz lived in Beverly Hills, California.
The late Sherwood Schwartz lived in Beverly Hills, California.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     
Preface     
Forewords      xiii
Introduction     

1. The Importance of Being Illiterate     
2. The Home Front     
3. The Longest Journey Starts with the Dreaded Blank Page     
4. One Ten-Cent Phone Call     
5. In the Beginning Was the Word     
6. The Songbird from Passaic     
7. Sometimes Smoke Gets in Your Eyes     
8. Where, When, How and with Whom     
9. Gilligan, the Skipper Too, the Millionaire and His Wife, the Movie Star, the Professor and Mary Ann     
10. The Hills Are Alive with the Sound of Crickets     
11. Everybody Remembers That Day     
12. Left at the Post     
13. You Can't Win 'Em All     
14. Left at the Post Again . . . and Again     
15. Setting Gilligan's Island Free     
16. A Meeting at Mount Olympus     
17. Another Meeting at Mount Olympus     
18. Yet Another Meeting at Mount Olympus     
19. One More Meeting at Mount Olympus     
20. Always Be Nice to Your Script Editor     
21. Life on the Stage     
22. Gilligan's Island Hits the Airwaves, and Vice Versa     
23. A Captain Should Go Down with His Own Ship     
24. Send Help Before It's Too Late     
25. Pratfalls and Philosophy     
26. "Whatever Happened to Gunsmoke?"     
27. Big Julie Rolls the Dice     
28. Gilligan Gets Animated     
29. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Men's Room     
30. Rescued After Fifteen Years     
31 The "Castaways" Hotel and the Globetrotters     
32. Priceless Rewards     
33. Present Mirth Hath Present Laughter     
34. The Three Musketeers     

Epilogue     
Appendix 1: Episode Synopses     
Appendix 2: Synopses of Gilligan's Island Movies and Specials     
Index     

Editorial Reviews

one can’t help but like this man...his anecdotes are told with charming panache...there aren’t many better story tellers than Schwartz. An excellent acquisition”—Library Journal; “rewarding...a...memoir from one of the most successful writer-producers...important...sparklingly written...warmly recommended”—Choice; “tells a classic tale of the television process and its difficulties”—USA Today; “what’s really useful about ‘Gilligan’s Island’ are the book’s two appendices...marvelous synopses”—Variety; “one of TV’s most popular series...tells the life story of the show”—New Books in the Communications Library; “traces the problems in establishing the series through to its success on network television and even greater success in syndication”—Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media; “easy, entertaining reading...excellent collection of photos”—The Tab (Boston); “may be the most engrossing book we have ever had in our hands...witty...fascinating firsthand account...an episode index that points out the basic themes or morals behind each plot”—The TV Collector; “the entire life story of the show...fascinating”—Wilson Library Bulletin; “[among] the most popular syndicated shows of all time...part of a flowering of wacky television humor that took place in the early Sixties...interesting information”—Rolling Stone.

From the Publisher

tells a classic tale of the television process and its difficulties

USA Today

"interesting"

Rolling Stone

rewarding...a...memoir from one of the most successful writer-producers...important...sparklingly written...warmly recommended

Choice

one can't help but like this man...his anecdotes are told with charming panache...there aren't many better story tellers than Schwartz. An excellent acquisition

Library Journal