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Though there are only three seasons of “Gilligan’s Island,” the CBS sitcom became hugely popular thanks in part to its frequent showings in syndication. The show debuted in 1964 and ran until ’67, but it was shown widely throughout the ’70s and ’80s, helping establish it as one of TV’s most familiar sitcoms.
But it wasn’t just the show itself that gave “Gilligan’s Island” its cultural recognition. Once the series wrapped up, it lived on in the form of two animated spin-offs: “Gilligan’s Planet” and “The New Adventures of Gilligan.” Most of the castaways from the S.S. Minnow — named as such for a hilarious reason — also returned in three live-action TV movies: “Rescue From Gilligan’s Island” (1978), “The Castaways on Gilligan’s Island” (1979), and “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island” (1981).
In the latter, the original castaway characters returned to the previously uncharted island on which they spent three seasons trying to escape during the original series. This time, however, they run a vacation resort, appropriately named The Castaways resort. Owned by Thurston Howell III (Jim Backus, who only had a cameo in “The Harlem Globetrotters On Gilligan’s Island”) the resort is overseen by the millionaire’s son, Thurston Howell IV (David Ruprecht), who finds himself hosting the great Harlem Globetrotters basketball team after their plane goes down during a storm and they end up on the island. But prior to the film debuting on NBC, the plan was for Howell to host some different guests.
The Harlem Globetrotters weren’t supposed to visit Gilligan’s Island
“Gilligan’s Island” unapologetically embraced absolute nonsense throughout its time on air, and the TV movie follow-ups were no different. “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island” is a good example, as it sees the titular team facing off against a group of robots built by Thurston Howell’s rival, J.J. Pierson (Martin Landau). Why? Well, there is a subplot about Pierson wanting ownership of the island and attempting to trick Gilligan and company into signing it over to him, but the real reason is because “Gilligan’s Island” is a ridiculous show that produced ridiculous films, which was always part of its charm. By the end of the film, the Globetrotters manage to best the robot players with their trademark tricks, saving the island and wrapping up one of the more wacky chapters in “Gilligan’s Island” history.
Sadly, the movie itself failed to do better in the ratings than “The Castaways on Gilligan’s Island,” and as such became the final TV movie that show creator Sherwood Schwartz ever made. That must have come as a disappointment to NBC, too, who hoped the inclusion of the Globetrotters would help propel the movie to popular success. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be, which raises the question of whether the original plan for the movie would have worked out better.
Prior to “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island” going into production, the idea for this third “Gilligan’s Island” spin-off film didn’t include the basketball team at all. In his book “Inside Gilligan’s Island: A Three-Hour Tour Through The Making Of A Television Classic,” creator Sherwood Schwartz recalled how then-president of NBC, Fred Silverman, initially had the idea to bring in the Dallas Cowboys for a “Gilligan’s Island” TV movie. Schwartz was very much open to the idea, too, writing, “The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders had done a network special which got a very high rating. They might add some share points. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders might be just the remedy.”
The mysterious origins of the Harlem Globetrotters’ Gilligan’s Island appearance
In his book, Schwartz recalls plotting out a narrative that would see the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders visiting Gilligan and the gang, before he received a call from then-director of comedy programming at NBC, Brandon Tartikoff. As it turned out, the cheerleaders were unavailable. “They’re doing another special that would conflict with our schedule,” Tartikoff told Schwartz, before informing him that Fred Silverman was keen on the idea of using the Harlem Globetrotters. “I’m sure I can write a story for them,” said Schwartz, “I’ll get back to you.” The creator then set about writing a new script with the help of fellow-writer David Harmon, his brother Al Schwartz, and “resident basketball expert” Gordon Mitchell. Together, the group wrote “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island.”
Interestingly enough, a MeTV article throws some doubt on Schwartz’s recollection of events. Hamilton Cloud, Tartikoff’s director of motion pictures for television, is quoted as having told the Tampa Bay Times, “What I remember was Sherwood coming in and saying ‘Why don’t we do a show with the Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island?’ and it was an instant, you know, sell. But he might have gotten the idea from Brandon [Tartikoff] originally.” Meanwhile, Schwartz’s own son, Lloyd Schwartz, spoke to his father’s recollection of events, telling the Times:
“I heard the story, even though I produced this show, that it was Fred Silverman. But it very well could have been Brandon [Tartikoff], because they were of similar minds. At that time I know that Fred was very high on both the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders and The Harlem Globetrotters and was trying to get them guest starring in different shows, so this may have been a fallout where Brandon knew that and suggested it or it may have been Fred’s idea himself.”
Whatever the case, “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island” was the result. Would we have gotten a fourth movie had the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders been available? Perhaps. But none of this seems to have tainted the legacy of “Gilligan’s Island” either way, as the show remains a beloved staple of American TV.
