‘Gilligan’s Island’: 4 Times Gilligan Was a Hero
Gilligan (Bob Denver) is the title character from the classic TV series Gilligan’s Island. He’s famous for his childlike, clumsy demeanor, which often thwarted the group’s rescue attempts. However, there were a few times when he saved his fellow castaways.
Gilligan saved the ‘Gilligan’s Island’ castaways from a cave collapse
The Season 2 episode “Hi-Fi Gilligan” has the Gilligan’s Island group preparing for a typhoon. Skipper (Alan Hale Jr.) and Gilligan are loading boxes of supplies into a cave when he accidentally knocks his little buddy in the mouth. The incident caused Gilligan to transmit radio broadcasts from his mouth.
When the other radio breaks, the castaways use Gilligan to keep track of the impending storm. The night the typhoon hits, there isn’t enough room for everyone in the cave. The men draw straws to see who stays outside, and Gilligan pretends he has the shortest straw. However, when everyone learns about Gilligan’s sacrifice, they go out to be with him.
Moments later, lightning strikes the cave causing it to collapse. The other castaways would’ve been crushed if it hadn’t been for the first mate’s actions.
Gilligan was no Mr. Hyde
The lovable first mate would never hurt a would; however, in the Season 3 episode “And Then There Were None,” he wonders if he’s a killer. The story starts with Mary Ann (Dawn Wells) disappearing while hanging laundry with Gilligan. Soon Ginger (Tina Louise) and Mrs. Howell (Natalie Schafer) disappear, and Gilligan is the last to see them.
Gilligan believes he’s developed a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality when the other castaways go missing. Unbeknownst to him, the group has fallen through a trap door. When Gilligan hears their voices, he panics and runs into a tree, knocking himself unconscious.
The first mate has a dream where he’s Dr. Jekyll put on trial for murder. During Gilligan’s nightmare, he becomes tangled in the clothesline and falls through the trap door. The castaways then use the rope to climb out of the pit.
The first mate rescued his ‘Gilligan’s Island’ castaways from headhunters
Headhunters were a danger to the castaways throughout the series. In the Season 3 episode “Topsy-Turvy,” the group faces an invasion. But that’s not their only problem.
After a conk on the head, Gilligan starts seeing everything upside down. The Professor (Russell Johnson) mixes up a potion of berries to cure the first mate’s eyesight. The drink restores Gilligan’s vision of seeing everything upright, but it also has him seeing double. After a few modifications, the new mixture cures Gilligan’s eyesight.
But when the rest of the castaways are captured by headhunters, Gilligans uses the Professor’s double-vision drink. Gilligan approaches the headhunters and offers the potion. As the tribe is drinking, Gilligan releases his friends from captivity. When headhunters believe they are outnumbered, they flee the island in terror.
Gilligan saved the island from a mine explosion
One of the running gags throughout Gilligan’s Island is Gilligan’s clumsiness. Whenever he’s around, everything that can go wrong will go wrong. In Season 2’s “Mine Hero,” he catches a World War 11 mine while fishing.
Things go from bad to worse when he accidentally activates the mine. The Professor tries to deactivate it, but it’s no use. , Professor and Skipper draw straws to see who takes the mine out to the lagoon before it explodes. However, Gilligan beat them to the punch.
The first mate hitches the mine to a raft and then paddles out to the water to leave the ticking time bomb. The Professor, Skipper, and the rest of the castaways cheer on Gilligans’ brave actions and declare him a hero.
