Movies - TV
The Gilligan’s Island Injury Alan Hale Kept Hidden For Weeks
By WITNEY SEIBOLD
While Alan Hale worked on the 1964 sitcom “Gilligan’s’ Island” as the Skipper, the actor maintained the highest level of professionalism he could on the sitcom.
Hale was so serious about his role that he once refused to report a personal injury to the Gilligan’s Island staff for fear of disrupting the show’s shooting schedule.
According to show creator Sherwood Schwartz in his book “Inside Gilligan’s Island,” Hale suffered a rather serious accident while performing a stunt in the first season.
While Schwartz doesn’t list the episode’s name, the stunt involved Hale falling out of a tree. Hale missed the crash pad and landed on his wrist, breaking it.
The creator wouldn’t be aware of the injury for weeks until he saw Hale’s swollen wrist and asked the actor about the injury, to which he replied,” ‘Oh, I broke it a few weeks ago.”
Schwartz recalled asking, “How did you manage to haul coconuts and lift Bob Denver with a broken arm?” Hale just said, “It wasn’t easy.”