| "My Fair Gilligan" | |
|---|---|
| Season 1, Episode 35 | |
| |
| The Howells decide to adopt Gilligan after he saves Mrs. Howell's life. | |
| Basic Info | |
| Air Date: | June 5, 1965 |
| Written By: | Joanna Lee |
| Directed By: | Tony Leader |
| Guest Cast: | None |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous | Next |
| Goodbye Old Paint | A Nose by Any Other Name |
My Fair Gilligan is the 35th Episode of the first season of Gilligan's Island. It first aired June 5, 1965.
Synopsis[]
Gilligan is hunting and catching butterflies while the Howells are exploring the island and taking photos. When Gilligan climbs down from the cliff, he dislodges rocks that loosen a boulder that nearly comes down right on Mrs. Howell. They are so grateful for his heroism and proud of him that they start wishing they had a son just like him, leading them to want to adopt Gilligan as their son and heir. In a ceremony with the other Castaways, they adopt Gilligan and set forth teaching him table manners, etiquette and their lifestyle and beliefs, such as playing bridge and realizing what having a fortune means to them. Gilligan even starts looking and dressing like a Thurston Howell clone down to his clothes. Meanwhile, the other castaways can't believe Gilligan's luck. The Skipper has a hard time accepting that his "little buddy" has moved in with the Howells, but then the Professor consoles him while mentioning that Gilligan could buy him a fleet of ships now he has money. Ginger even increases her interest in Gilligan, but despite his good fortune, Gilligan still wants to help everyone with the island chores, but they gently protest his efforts, claiming they don't want him to get his fancy clothes dirty. He starts realizing it might be because they want favors for him later when the Skipper holds his rage in instead of blowing up at him. Gilligan is quickly finding himself uncomfortable with his life of leisure and unhappy because everyone else is having fun, singing, and telling jokes, while he's stuck studying the Wall Street Journal and stocks and bonds. That night, he dreams he's an 18th-century prince who wants to have fun, but he's stuck listening to the demands of the kingdom. When everyone refuses his carefree lifestyle, he gets angry and orders them to their deaths only to quickly hate what he has become and find himself powerless to countermand his own orders. That same night, the Skipper wakes to find Gilligan tarring the outside of the Boy's Hut, and they have a heart-to-heart talk. They go to the Professor and the girls, and come up with a plan that won't offend the Howells. The following night, the Howells are throwing a coming-out party for Gilligan, who is suddenly acting like a spoiled brat. He asks Mr. Howell for a large allowance and reveals he cheated the Skipper out of his ownership of the S.S. Minnow. When the Skipper reveals the card game was fixed, Gilligan relinquishes the bet and adds his new father will just buy him a whole fleet of ships, which nearly gives Mr. Howell a heart attack. The Professor meanwhile annoys Gilligan over the state of his martini and gets his drink poured over his head, which shocks the Professor and the stunned Howells even more. Mr. Howell can't believe the monster he's created. Things come to a head when Gilligan threatens Ginger with a pie, but when Mr. Howell rises to stop him, he gets hit with the pie instead. Calling Gilligan by name, Howell drags Gilligan off and lectures Gilligan on his behavior, reminding him about decorum, reputation and prestige. He cares about Gilligan, but he doesn't want him as a son anymore, telling him he will be rewarded for his selfless act when they get off the island. As the Howells watch Gilligan happily vanishing with the others, Mr. Howell confides to Lovey that he knew the whole thing was an act because Gilligan didn't want to hurt their feelings. The next day, Gilligan is happily back to his old self and moved back in with the Skipper, when Mr. Howell comes in asking who thought to place the net over the quicksand and pit. The Skipper says he did, and Howell reveals that it saved Mrs. Howell's life as he names the Skipper "S. Thurston Howell V" and half-seriously tries to adopt him with Gilligan watching from the side.
Message[]
- "You shouldn't try to be something you're not."
Highlights[]
- Gilligan is adopted by the Howells
- Gilligan imitating Mr. Howell
Credits[]
Main Cast
- Bob Denver as Gilligan
- Alan Hale Jr. as The Skipper
- Jim Backus as Mr. Howell
- Natalie Schafer as Mrs. Howell
- Tina Louise as Ginger
- Dawn Wells as Mary Ann
- Russell Johnson as The Professor
Guest Cast
- None
Trivia[]
- The title of the episode comes from the Broadway play, "My Fair Lady," based on the novella, "Pygmalion," by George Bernard Shaw. Mary Ann played its female ingénue, Eliza Doolittle, in And Then There Were None.
- When Gilligan moves out of the Boy's Hut, the Skipper warns him not to eat pineapple because it makes him break into a rash, but Mary Ann serves it to him in Physical Fatness. This would seem to suggest whatever rash Gilligan had before wasn't caused by pineapples or he has overcome the rashes.
- It's never explained why the Castaways start treating Gilligan differently when the Howells "adopt him." Considering they've been on an the island for several months b this point, it doesn't make sense that they'd treat him differently.
- When Gilligan arrives in the Howell's Hut, Mr. Howell's glasses appear and disappear between the close shots and far shots.
- Ginger is shown at night wearing a nightshirt.
- Mr. Howell should have realized Gilligan and the Skipper were play-acting when Gilligan mentions "winning the Minnow in a card game." The S.S. Minnow was destroyed in Goodbye Island.
- When Mr. Howell playfully tries to adopt the Skipper in the tag, he calls him "S. Thurston Howell V." Since the Skipper's real name is Jonas Grumby, it would actually be J. Thurston Howell V.
- Mr. Howell doesn't live up to reward Gilligan when they get off the island in Rescue from Gilligan's Island. It might have happened behind the scenes, but it should be noted he extended his generosity and love to all the castaways by making them partners in the resort.
- The premise of this episode is entirely contradictory to the movie, The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island, which features the Howell's son, Thurston Howell IV.
- It is plausible that Mr. Howell would adopt Gilligan as a son as Jim Backus is 22 years older than Bob Denver. However, it is not so with the Skipper as Backus is only eight years older than Alan Hale, Jr.
Quotes[]
- Mrs. Howell - "If you must know, I'm trying to shoot Mr. Howell. "
Gilligan - "Oh no, Mrs. Howell, don't do that. I know married couples have tiffs..."
Mrs. Howell - "Don't be silly... With a camera, Gilligan."
- Mr. Howell - "What is money?"
Gilligan - "I don't know, Mr. Howell. It's all so difficult. It's so hard to remember money is something you never spend. That's it. Money's something you never spend."
Mr. Howell - "That's right. You just make more of it."
- Ginger - "My, don't you look handsome today."
Gilligan - "I'm all covered with tar."
Ginger - "Some men wear tar better than others."
- Gilligan - "It's the way everybody's treating me. Much too fancy, like I was made of glass or something."
Mr. Howell - "Not glass, my boy. Gold! You're made of solid gold. From your toes to your head, solid gold."
- Ginger - "Did you hear the one about the movie star who was divorced so many times she got custody of the judge?"
- Skipper - "It's all right for the Howells to be a Howell, but it's just too tough for anyone else."
- Professor - "When it comes to being tricky, ask a woman."
- Mr. Howell - "We're giving you a big coming out party."
Gilligan - "Coming out of what?"
Mr. Howell - "You're coming out of the murky, dreary jungle of untutored mediocrity."
Gilligan - "I better go take a shower."
- Mr. Howell - "I could kill myself. I may climb up on top of my money and jump off."
- Skipper - "What have you got to say for yourself, you low-lying sea serpent."
Gilligan - "Nothing. Us sea serpents can't talk."
- Mr. Howell - "Heavens to Fronkensteen, I've created a monster!"
- Mr. Howell - "The name Howell has always stood for elan, stood for style, noblesse oblige..."
Gilligan - "Don't forget money."
Mr. Howell - "Money means power and with power comes responsibility in your behavior toward others."
- Skipper "It's all right for the Howells to be a Howell, but it's just too tough for anyone else."
