Gilligan's Island And Gunsmoke Shared The Last Set You'd Ever Expect

On the surface, "Gunsmoke" and "Gilligan's Island" couldn't have been more different. One, the quintessential small-screen dramatization of the Western myth that lasted for 20 years, the other a slapstick comedy that was axed after just three seasons. But these two CBS shows actually have a lot more in common than you might realize, including the "Gilligan's Island" lagoon set, which was stripped of its tropical decor and dressed to mimic a Kansas oasis for several scenes set by the water in "Gunsmoke."

The shows shared a lot more than the same network. Not only did a young Kurt Russell appear in both "Gilligan's Island" and "Gunsmoke" during his early career, but the Western series actually led to the demise of "Gilligan's Island" when CBS head William S. Paley cancelled the latter to make room for more of James Arness' Marshal Matt Dillon. Before that, the two series shared scenery quite often, with two "Gunsmoke" locations making a sneaky appearance in "Gilligan's Island" during season 1 episode "The Sound of Quacking." That particular installment featured a dream in which Bob Denver's Gilligan and his fellow castaways essentially wound up in Dodge City, Kansas, from CBS's popular Western series.

This wasn't the only scenery swappage to take place between the two shows, either. Back in 1964, a lagoon was constructed at CBS studios to allow Gilligan and the crew of the S.S. Minnow to play out their wacky adventures without having to venture to Malibu or Zuma, where the first two episodes of the show had been shot. It was this setting that the "Gunsmoke" team made use of whenever they needed water.

As hardcore "Gilligan's Island" fans will know, the show's lagoon set was important as it allowed the castaways to interact with the water without the need for the entire production to head to the beach. As such, the lagoon served as a way for new visitors to arrive on the island and as a place for objects to wash up on-shore. Unfortunately, due to its proximity to the nearby Ventura Freeway, it also resulted in filming delays as production would have to wait until the morning rush hour was over to shoot without excess noise.

Still, the lagoon was not only a major piece of the "Gilligan's Island" puzzle, but of CBS's whole television production machine. The set itself was built at CBS Studio Center in Studio City, Los Angeles, and took up a considerable portion of the backlot. That was okay as far as the network was concerned, since the set could be used for more than just Sherwood Schwartz's sitcom. Multiple shows made use of the lagoon, from "Big Valley" and "Wild Wild West" to "St. Elsewhere" and "Evening Shade." Then there was "Gunsmoke," which used the lagoon whenever the writers needed a scene by the water.

Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island," told the Los Angeles Times how she'd sometimes show up to set and discover a transformed lagoon. "We'd go on the stage a few days," she explained, "and all the tropical trees would be replaced by sagebrush and tumbleweeds for a 'Gunsmoke.'" The entire thing was eventually replaced when the area used for the set was paved over in the mid-90s to make way for more parking space at the studio.