How Studio Executives Almost Ruined The Gilligan's Island Pilot Episode

As most "Gilligan's Island" fans can tell you, the show's original pilot episode, "Marooned," was quite a bit different from the show the public eventually saw. Most notably, three of the show's cast members were different. The characters of Ginger and Mary Ann, for instance, started as a pair of secretaries named Ginger and Bunny, played by actresses Kit Smythe and Nancy McCarthy. The Professor was preceded by a more studly high school teacher played by John Gabriel. After the pilot tested poorly, show creator Sherwood Schwartz re-tooled the series, replacing those three characters with the versions we all know and love today. The seven-person ensemble — Bob Denver, Alan Hale, Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson, and Dawn Wells — now seems eternal and immutable. 

"Gilligan's Island" fans also likely know of the show's original calypso-inflected theme song, famously penned by John Williams. That theme was ultimately rejected and replaced by the sea-shanty-like "Ballad of Gilligan's Island," which has become a permanent part of the American consciousness. The recording of the original theme song was a real-world farce unto itself. It's a good thing all these changes were made, and Schwartz's show was a huge hit, despite — or perhaps because of — its silliness. 

It seems that "Marooned" was almost originally much worse. Sherwood Schwartz's son, Lloyd Schwartz, recently spoke with Women's World, and he recalled a lot of memories from when his dad was working on "Gilligan's Island," including a dumb studio mandate that made for some questionable editing choices. The studio, it seemed, required a lot of extra "padding" in "Marooned" and came up with their own edit of the episode that would have killed the pacing. Sherwood, luckily, thought to make his own edit in return, pretty much saving the show. 

It should be recalled that "Marooned" went unaired for many years, not being seen by the public until a special broadcast in 1992. After that, the facts were finally known. "Gilligan's" fans can attest that the original pilot feels ... off. Not only because of the weird, unfamiliar characters, but because of the pacing. "Gilligan's Island" didn't start out as madcap as it came to be known.

According to Lloyd J. Schwartz, it was almost even worse. He recalls the precise argument that his father had with one of the CBS execs, saying: 

"[The pilot] didn't test well at first. [CBS exec Jim] Aubrey assigned [another] CBS executive, Bill Froug, to oversee the show. Froug made changes that Dad didn't agree with. For example, Dad didn't like what he called 'packing scenes.' If the characters were going somewhere, just go. You don't need a whole scene of them packing and preparing. But the network added those kinds of scenes, and when they tested the pilot, it didn't score well." 

Lloyd said that his father knew, after that horrid "packing scene" edit, that "Gilligan's Island" wasn't the show he wanted anymore. Sherwood, trying to save the thing, offered to re-edit the pilot for free, and the executives certainly weren't going to turn down the offer. For them, it was just free labor. Lloyd continued: "Dad recut the pilot on his own dime and had it tested again. This time, it tested through the roof." The series was picked up.

The response Aubrey gave to the new test numbers was amusing, as Lloyd recalled: "[Jim Aubrey] looked at my father and said, 'Sherwood, I still hate your f***ing show, but I'm putting it on the air.'" Classic execu-speak. 

The series only lasted three seasons, but a magical syndication deal left "Island" reruns on the air for decades. That's why you've seen it. That's why it's immortal.