The Extracurricular Island Activities of Everybody's Favorite Shipwrecked Movie Star

"THAT JUNK'S ON IN COLOR??!" --my father, upon hearing the CBS color signature followed by the show's theme song, on a Thursday evening in 1965

What can a glamorous Hollywood film actress do while stranded on an uncharted desert isle awaiting rescue? Apparently plenty, if her name is Ginger Grant and she's constantly in the company of a Kansas farm girl she bunks with, a man of science, a wealthy socialite couple and the Skipper and first mate of the boat that brought them all there. Yes, the TV series was called Gilligan's Island and not Ginger's Island, and most guys, given the chance, would choose Mary Ann as the castaway they'd most love to be stranded with. But there's no denying that Ginger--the classic, original Ginger played by Tina Louise; accept no substitutes--has her supporters as well and they're no less fanatical. You all know who you are...and this site is dedicated to you.

Ginger as an entertainer in "The Second Ginger Grant"

This is Ginger's logical step downward from motion picture work as long as she can't be in front of any cameras rolling on a Hollywood sound stage. She sings, dances and captivates her audience, particularly Mary Ann who soon suffers a concussion and, upon reviving, thinks she herself is Ginger.

Ginger as a relaxation therapist in "Three To Get Ready"

Gilligan has found the "Eye of the Idol" which is purported to grant three wishes to its finder. After using up his first wish and remembering to save the last one for a rescue from the island, Gilligan becomes stressed out trying to think of what the second wish should be. Enter Ginger, who escorts him to a hammock and proceeds to relax him with her silken voice and guided imagery. It works too well: he falls asleep and she has to awaken him. Ginger's persuading Gilligan to wish he were a movie star (with herself as his leading lady) raises the question of whether her relaxation skills were performed out of concern for Gilligan's well-being or her own benefit. But there's no doubt about her objective in the scene described below...

Ginger as a hypnotist in "Water, Water Everywhere"

The island's spring goes dry and the Skipper orders Gilligan to stand guard over what little fresh water remains. During the night he is visited by Ginger, who uses the power of suggestion, her exotic, lustrous eyes and her luxurious, magical voice to send her unwitting subject drifting off to dreamland while accomplice Mary Ann steals some water.

Sure enough, Gilligan falls under Ginger's hypnotic spell. Some experts in the field say that anyone can be an effective "operator" and that the subject actually allows him/herself to be hypnotized. It would have been interesting to have sat in on the writers' discussions for this and the previously-mentioned scene. They apparently reasoned that Ginger got into the Professor's island library and boned up on the subject.

Ginger as one-third of a 1960s girl group in "Don't Bug The Mosquitoes"

In a last-ditch attempt to convince a "visiting" rock-and-roll band, The Mosquitoes, to get everyone off the island, Ginger--together with Mary Ann and Lovey Howell--form their own singing trio, The Honeybees.

Ginger as a secret information extractor in "They're Off And Running"

The Skipper and Mr. Howell have been holding turtle races, and after countless losses, the Skipper suddenly finds his turtle is attracted to the carrots from Mary Ann's garden, thereby giving him the confidence to place another wager with Howell. All Gilligan has to do is stand at the finish line with a carrot and the Skipper's turtle will head right for it. Unfortunately, Mr. Howell suspects the Skipper has an ace up his sleeve and asks Ginger to work her mesmerizing magic on Gilligan to get him to reveal the secret. Our sensuous seductress finds he needs his itching back scratched and seizes the opportunity to do so...as only she can. When she reaches his favorite spot, she hypnotizes him into spilling the beans.

Ginger as a spirit medium in "Ship Ahoax"

The castaways become victims of "island madness" and are at each other's throats until Ginger convinces Gilligan that she can predict the future. The Professor urges her to convince the others via a performance with a crystal ball that a rescue ship is coming. A radio report then confirms her vision, but the boat fails to reach their island. The Professor insists Ginger hold a seance to give the others additional hope of a rescue, and she reluctantly agrees, knowing it's all for nothing.

Ginger as a secret agent in "Nyet, Nyet, Not Yet"

Igor and Ivan, two Russian cosmonauts, have splashed down in their space capsule in the lagoon. Although this could mean a rescue for the castaways, they grow suspicious of the pair's potentially shady motives, and devise a plan to get into the capsule Igor's guarding and look for a way to radio for help. Ginger (alias Secret Agent 36-25-36) seduces Igor and lures him away to the other side of the island for a swim while the Professor and Gilligan check out the capsule. The Professor soon comes to the realization that he'd have been better off without Gilligan's assistance.

Ginger as a dental assistant in "Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Gilligan has lost two of his fillings, so the Professor, assisted by Ginger, re-drills and fills his teeth with a synthetic plastic resin which Gilligan found earlier when a crate of it washed up on shore. Only one problem: not until the fillings harden do the castaways discover that the material is in actuality...PLASTIC EXPLOSIVES!

Ginger as a waitress in "The Big Gold Strike"

Gilligan and Mr. Howell stumble into a gold mine which they try to keep secret from the others. Their efforts prove futile, of course, and everyone tries to stake a claim, but only the Howells hit more gold--about 50 bags worth. So everyone else manages to collect their share of the Howells' newfound wealth by charging ridiculously high prices for everything from pick axes and candles to the lavish dinner prepared and served to them by Ginger and Mary Ann. Now all they have to do is find a way off the island and back to civilization so they can reap the benefits of being rich...

Ginger as an artist's model in "Goodbye Old Paint"

Implausible as it sounds, an eccentric artist named Dubov (Harold J. Stone) has been living on the island without having been discovered by the castaways until Gilligan finds one of his paintings. As part of a rescue plan, they have him paint Ginger--dressed as a Bali dancer--then pretend to rave about the results so Dubov will feel the public will accept him as an artist.

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