JOESEDDIT’S
TOP 10 GILLIGAN’S ISLAND GUEST CHARACTERS
Does anyone
remember Gilligan’s Island as a primetime television show? If you’re like me
you don’t. All you know of the show is when it was in syndication, slotted for
after-school television. And if you’re again like me, you never considered it “must
see TV”. It was just something to watch
while you ruined your appetite for dinner stuffing your face with candy and
snack foods. And if you’re still like me, it got to the point where you had
seen every episode more than once, memorized the theme song, and can still
recall some scenes from the show to this day.
As
cheesy as the show was, it did attract some notable guest stars who played some
memorable characters. The following is my top ten guest characters listed in
reverse order:
10. Jungle Boy
Played
by a very young Kurt Russell. I don’t recall the premise of the episode, but I do
remember he couldn’t speak the language. Kind of a young Tarzan.
9. The Headhunters
There
were a few episodes where the headhunters showed up, played by various actors I’m
assuming. One of the best episodes/scenes is shown in this clip:
8. Jonathan Kincaid- The Hunter
Played
by Rory Calhoun. In one of the more sinister episodes, hunter Jonathan Kincaid
uses the castaways’ “lost and unfound” status as an opportunity to hunt the
most challenging game – a human. Namely Gilligan.
7. Dr. Boris Balinkoff
Played
by Vito Scotti. Dr. Balinkoff was a mad scientist who lived in a castle on an
island near the castaways. He would use the castaways as guinea pigs for his Frankenstein-like
experiments. In this clip he hypnotizes Ginger:
6. The Mosquitoes
I don’t
remember the actors but I remember the names of the members of this rock band
that somehow landed on the island-- Bingo, Bango, Bongo, and……Irving! An
obvious tongue-in-cheek nod to The Beatles, this episode is memorable for
another band so good the Mosquitoes left the castaways behind in fear of the
competition – The Honeybees
5. Harold Hecuba
Played by
Phil Silvers. Hecuba was a brash movie producer who lands on the island after
his private jet crashes. This episode was memorable for the Hamlet skit and for
Silvers’ hilarious portrayal of his role.
4. Lord Beasley Waterford
Played
by John McGiver. “The Pussycat Swallowtail” is one of the more memorable terms
from the series. An eccentric British butterfly collector comes to the island
in search of the rare insect and isn’t about to let his focus waiver despite
the castaways’ attempts to coerce him into immediate rescue. One of the
funniest scenes is when the gang resorts to trying to get Lord Beasley drunk in
a series of group toasts, but they all pass out in a stupor as Beasley is unphased
by the island moonshine.
3. Alexandri Gregor Dubov
Played
by Harold J Stone. An abstract painter (representing the narcissistic “out of
touch” artist) trying to get away from his critics. This was a great character.
I can still hear the incoherent little ditty he would sing while painting a
portrait of Ginger. I can also recall his accent. “Phooey on Gilligan!”
2. Japanese Sailor
Another
role played by Vito Scotti. This dude was a riot. A Japanese sailor in
ridiculously thick glasses takes the castaways hostage one by one ‘cuz – due to
a lack of an operable radio - he thinks World War II is still going on. Another
accent that sticks with me along with some classic lines that I’ve tried to
imitate over the years when applicable – “U steam grahses”, “Aww, not handsome…garooking
maybe”.
1. Wrongway Feldman
Played
by Hans Conried. An incompetent World War I pilot known for going the wrong
way. It was a close call between Wrongway, Dubov, and the Japanese Sailor but I’m
going with Wrongway here. It was a great part but the clincher was the
character’s name. It sticks to the point where I’ll refer to it in conversation
sometimes. If someone takes a left instead of a right I’ll say “wrong way,
feltman”. Most everyone acknowledges the
Gilligan reference.
No comments:
Post a Comment