Marooned (Unaired Pilot)

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

Synopsis
On the deserted beach of an unspecified island in the South Pacific, the Skipper wakes up to find the S.S. Minnow beached after a big storm. His First Mate, Gilligan, however, wakes to find him missing and calls for him, diving off the boat thinking he's still on the ocean, instead hitting the sand of the beach. Worried they might be lost, the Skipper confesses to Gilligan he fears it might take a while to get home with the damage to the boat. Soon after the the passengers have woken and gathered their bearings, the radio reveals their identities one by one and the belief that they have been lost to the public. The Professor ultimately takes the challenge of trying to fix the transmitter to get them rescued 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 he has found to get a better view of the whole island. Once on top, Gilligan accidentally knocks down coconuts in his ascent which hit him in the head. From the top of the tree, he says he sees a boat, but it turns out he's only seen the Minnow and the passengers. He soon goes fishing, ending up intriguing and entertaining the Howells as he struggles to catch fish. He soon catches and wrestles with a shark swimming off-shore. Unfortunately, while casting his fishing line, he accidentally hooks the transmitter and then the radio just as the Professor gets them working and ends up tosses them in the ocean, losing them in the surf. Gilligan is soon 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 after discovering one of the fish he caught swallowed the lost radio while fishing. The Professor deduces that it's possible that another fish might have similarly swallowed the transmitter. They rally the Girls and the Howells to help search for it and eventually recover it as well. Later that day, a plane flies overhead, and they race to use the fish to spell "help," but Gilligan forms the letter "P" backward, foiling their plan to be rescued.

Message

 * Coming up

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 with a new revised ending.
 * 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.
 * Ginger, The Professor, and Bunny aren't mentioned in the opening credits. They are just called the other tourists. Ginger is mentioned in Two on a Raft.

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