Marooned (Unaired Pilot)

Marooned is the original unaired 1963 pilot of "Gilligan's Island." It was not publicly broadcast until October 16, 1992.

Synopsis
On an empty deserted beach, the Skipper wakes up to find the S.S. Minnow beached after a big storm. Gilligan wakes to find him missing and calling for him, so he dives off into the sand. Worried they might be lost, they fear it might take a while to get home with the damage to the boat. As the radio reveals they are lost to the public, the Professor tries to fix the transmitter while Gilligan and Skipper search the island for signs of human life. The Skipper orders Gilligan to climb to the top of the tallest tree to get a better view of the whole island, knocking coconuts off to hit the Skipper in the head. Gilligan says he sees a boat, but it is just the Minnow and the passengers. Sent fishing, Gilligan intrigues the Howells by catching and wrestling with a shark. He also accidentally latches on to the transmitter and radio just as the Professor gets them working and loses them in the tide. Gilligan is fast proving himself to be a problem the harder he tries to help, blowing out a match too quickly before the Skipper can get a fire started. However, he does get in good graces again by recovering the lost radio inside the body of a fish he caught. The Professor deduces another fish might have similarly swallowed the transmitter, and they rally the Howells to help search for it. As they search, a plane flies overhead, and they use the fish to spell "help," but Gilligan forms the "P" backward.

Highlights

 * First time Gilligan falls out of tree on to the Skipper
 * First time Gilligan fouls a rescue

Credits
Main Cast
 * Bob Denver as Gilligan
 * Alan Hale Jr. as The Skipper
 * Jim Backus as Mr. Howell
 * Natalie Schafer as Mrs. Howell
 * Kit Smythe as Ginger
 * Nancy McCarthy as Bunny
 * John Gabriel as The Professor

Guest Cast
 * None

Trivia

 * This cast of this episode differed from the cast of the series with John Gabriel playing the Professor and the girls replaced by two secretaries named Ginger and Bunny played by, respectively, Kit Smythe and Nancy McCarthy. All the regular roles, however, remain intact. Bob Denver as Gilligan, Alan Hale Jr. as the Skipper, Jim Backus as Mr. Howell and Natalie Schafer as Mrs. Howell.
 * Segments of the pilot turn up in the episode, Birds Gotta Fly, Fish Gotta Talk.
 * This episode doesn't open with the better known theme song of the series, but rather with a jaunty Calypso-style tune.
 * The fish that "swallows" the radio is actually smaller than the radio. Even if it was large enough, the saltwater would have short-circuited the electronics.

Quotes
Gilligan - "Nothing! I have my eyes closed!"
 * Skipper - "What do you see?"