By Steve Marinucci
Published Oct. 16, 1992, San Jose (CA) Mercury News
AFTER 38 years, TBS has rescued the original "Gilligan's Island" castaways. Just sit right back tonight at 5:05 and you'll see the never-before-seen pre-series pilot from that popular series, which aired from 1964 to 1967.
(TBS will follow the "Gilligan's Island" pilot with the movie "Rescue From Gilligan's Island" at 5:35 p.m.)
What's unique about tonight's episode is that three of the five familiar passengers on that fateful three-hour tour -- the knowledgeable Professor (Russell Johnson), sexy actress Ginger (Tina Louise) and demure Mary Ann (Dawn Wells) -- aren't on board.
In their place are John Gabriel as a high-school teacher and Kit Smythe and Nancy McCarthy as secretaries Ginger and Bunny, respectively. (Producer Sherwood Schwartz recast the three roles after the show was sold as a series.) Gilligan (Bob Denver), the Skipper (Alan Hale Jr.), Thurston Howell III (Jim Backus) and Lovey Howell (Natalie Schafer) are, however, along for the ride.
According to TBS, this lost episode got high marks from preview audiences and was instrumental in selling the series to CBS. But the network declined to use it as the pilot, instead airing "Two on a Raft" as the premiere episode. Some scenes from the unused show were also later used in the first season's Christmas show and also in the 12th episode titled "Birds Gotta Fly, Fish Gotta Talk."
Another change involved the calypso-style music in the pilot, which was developed by none other than John Williams, who later did the TV theme for "Lost in Space" and the score for "Star Wars." The series theme became "The Ballad of Gilligan's Island," sung by the Wellingtons.
