A king from a nearby island comes to the island in search of a "White Goddess" to sacrifice to a volcano, but the castaways offer Gilligan to him instead to protect the women.A king from a nearby island comes to the island in search of a "White Goddess" to sacrifice to a volcano, but the castaways offer Gilligan to him instead to protect the women.A king from a nearby island comes to the island in search of a "White Goddess" to sacrifice to a volcano, but the castaways offer Gilligan to him instead to protect the women.
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe last episode of the series. The show had been renewed for a fourth season until the previously-cancelled Gunsmoke (1955) was reinstated with the sacrifice of this series and what was to be a brand-new show.
- GoofsIn the opening sequence, when Mary Ann & Ginger are seen running from the natives, Gilligan is putting up a large SOS sign made of canvas. When Gilligan finally sees who the girls are running from, he does so as well, running directly into the sign & falling backwards, with the sign landing on top of him , covering all but his feet & lower legs. The natives continue pursuing the girls , each stepping on Gilligan in turn. In watching the feet & legs, it can be clearly seen that Bob Denver has been replaced by a dummy.
- Quotes
[Mr. Howell, the Professor, and Skipper are dressed as women in an attempt to fool some visiting natives looking for a "white goddess" to throw into their volcano]
Jonas 'The Skipper' Grumby: [chuckling] Well, I must say, you two are a gruesome twosome!
Thurston Howell III: You don't make us a thrillsome threesome, I might say.
Professor Roy Hinkley: You know, I don't think this is going to work.
Thurston Howell III: Maxine, I don't know about you and Laverne, but I'm getting out of this.
Jonas 'The Skipper' Grumby: Wait a minute! Where's Gilligan? Gilligan?
[shouting]
Jonas 'The Skipper' Grumby: Gilligan!
Gilligan: [running in to hut] Somebody call... me?
Gilligan: I'd hate to judge this beauty contest, because nobody'd win!
[giggles]
- ConnectionsReferenced in Dazed and Confused (1993)
- SoundtracksThe Ballad of Gilligan's Isle
Words and Music by George Wyle and Sherwood Schwartz
So instead, we get this strange, low-key, uneven episode in which most of the laughs come from the guest cast. The plot is nothing special and has a tendency to sputter, especially in the forgettable second half, and the castaways are largely sidelined. It's no grand finale.
Gilligan has fashioned an SOS sign out of a sail in the opening tag. The girls are chased through it by three natives. (The landing scene is once again skipped to save time, presumably). This trio may come in the usual assortment, but, unlike the other savages, they are civilized, and speak just enough English to advance the plot. Their leader, King Killiwani, is there to find a white goddess to marry, and he offers to take the castaways along to the wedding if a goddess comes forward.
All three of the ladies vie to be the goddess. In a faint echo of Beauty Is As Beauty Does, we get a short contest where they model identical white outfits for the king. Mrs. Howell is close enough to royalty to be Killiwani's choice. But there is a catch: she will be sacrificed to a volcano for their god.
Naturally, the castaways reject this proposal and Mrs. Howell gracefully bows out. The king won't take no for an answer and threatens the group with poison darts.
It's here that the men come up with one of their screwiest ideas: one of them will dress up as the goddess, go along with the king, and get rescued by the others. The plan is just another excuse for Gilligan to cross-dress, and it isn't any funnier here than the last time he was in drag.
King Killiwani takes an instant shine to 'Gilliana,' decides to betray the gods, and keep him for himself. It's a lame version of Some Like It Hot with Gilligan in the Jack Lemmon role and the king as Joe E. Brown. To keep their relationship from getting too interesting (and to give the others something to do), the castaways barge into the guest hut to disrupt their privacy. The girls put on a short, lively rendition of Bill Bailey and Mr. Howell performs alleged magic tricks using stale puns.
After the king puts an end to their unpleasant diversion, we have more Some Like it Not shenanigans. Gilligan gets as tired of the charade as the audience does and tricks the king in the laziest, lamest, and most annoying gag in the series. He walks out on the natives and skirts another rescue.
End scene, and end series.
But don't worry. Only another eleven years to wait for rescue.
COCONOTES:
Veteran character actor Stanley Adams, who later played Cyrano Jones on Star Trek: TOS, provides most of the laughs in this swan song. He does an excellent job as the chubby, amorous king, basically a poor man's Jackie Gleason. His two guards, played by Mickey Morton and Robert Swimmer, also get their fair share of laughs.
Incidentally, Adams also guested in the first episode of The Adventures of Dobie Gillis, the other Bob Denver series.
"I hate to judge this beauty contest because nobody would win."
Mr. Howell thinks Gilliana looks ravishing. Should Mrs. Howell be jealous?
Okay, maybe, just maybe, Ginger brought along her USO outfit. But why does she also have one that fits Mary Ann?
- Ralphkram
- Oct 30, 2018