Russell Johnson Had A Small Role In Clint Eastwood's Western Series Rawhide

Both Clint Eastwood and Russell Johnson rose to prominence with starring roles in beloved CBS series. The former shot to fame as ramrod Rowdy Yates on "Rawhide" while the latter became widely known for his portrayal of Professor Roy Hinkley, aka The Professor, on "Gilligan's Island." While their careers would diverge dramatically in the years after their small screen success there is more that connects the two. Specifically, Johnson joined Eastwood for a 1963 episode of "Rawhide," just a year before becoming stranded on Gilligan's Isle.

After "Gilligan's Island," Russell Johnson initially regretted playing The Professor, only coming around in later years once he realized the joy his sitcom had brought to viewers. Eastwood, however, never really had a chance to look back on his days as Rowdy Yates. By the end of the 1960s he had become a movie star, and in the decades after, basically took over the world. Still, he shared much in common with Johnson and his fellow castaways. For one thing, they'd both guest-starred in a number of Western series before making it big.

Johnson might have hated making Westerns (and for good reason) but he sure appeared in his fair share, with guest spots on "Gunsmoke," "Wagon Train," and "Death Valley Days." The latter also featured Eastwood in a pre-"Rawhide" guest role. But it would take until the fifth season of "Rawhide" for the two future stars to actually share the screen, when Johnson appeared in the episode "Incident at Alkali Sink."

Russell Johnson wasn't the first future "Gilligan's Island" star to appear in "Rawhide." A year before Johnson met Eric Fleming's Gil Favor and ramrod Rowdy Yates, The Skipper actor Alan Hale Jr. appeared in Season 4 Episode 16, "The Woman Trap," where he played a villainous wagon boss.

Johnson's role was a much more likable character by the name of Burt Harvey, who at the beginning of Season 5, Episode 30 is seen marrying Ruta Lee's Lorraine Stanton, much to the chagrin of his soon-to-be bride's father. It seems Cliff Stanton (Roy Barcroft) considers Burt a coward for deserting his fellow officers during the Battle of Gettysburg. Lorraine refuses to leave her new husband, prompting merciless taunting from Cliff. Soon, however, a secret is revealed that provides more context for Burt's supposed desertion and brings the group together.

Like Hale Jr. with his "Rawhide" guest spot, Johnson was given quite a lot to do in his appearance, sharing multiple scenes with Clint Eastwood, who at that time had long since become the real star of the show. Though Fleming was first-billed, the writers had taken a liking to Rowdy Yates early on and slowly geared the show more towards him. At first, it had taken some trickery to turn Eastwood into a cowboy, but by Season 5 he had more than grown into the role. Fleming was mostly happy to oblige, as he'd become increasingly frustrated with being confined to the series. All of which meant Johnson shared much of his screen time with a rising star who would soon become an icon.

The same year "Incident at Alkali Sink" aired, Sherwood Schwartz and his original cast filmed what would become an unaired pilot for "Gilligan's Island." Shot on location in Hawaii, the ill-fated pilot didn't see the light of day until the mid-'90s. What's more, Russell Johnson wasn't involved. His character wasn't written into the show until after Schwartz recut the pilot footage and finally convinced CBS to green-light his sitcom. Only then was Johnson's Professor added to the cast and the "Gilligan's Island" we all know and love finally debuted in September 1964.

That same month saw the release of "A Fistful of Dollars" in its native Italy. Fronted by Clint Eastwood, the film rewrote the rules of Westerns. That said, it would take some time for audiences in the United States to warm to Eastwood's taciturn loner, the Man with No Name. It wasn't until the late-'60s that what became the "Dollars" trilogy proved popular stateside. By that point, "Gilligan's Island" had come to an end, wrapping up after three seasons in 1967.

Johnson and Eastwood didn't work together again, though Alan Hale Jr. did appear in one of Eastwood's most important Westerns, 1968's "Hang 'Em High." Meanwhile, Johnson found himself struggling with typecasting following his "Gilligan's Island" tenure. But that ultimately didn't stop him from working. While he never ascended to the same heights as the former star of "Rawhide," Johnson still worked solidly in the years after his CBS sitcom, eventually spending his retirement just like The Professor himself.