Hi-Fi Gilligan

Hi-Fi Gilligan is the tenth episode of the second season of Gilligan's Island. It first aired November 25, 1965.

Synopsis
Through the Radio, the Professor is tracking a typhoon about to hit the Island, and the Skipper and Gilligan are stocking supplies to ride it out in a cave. The Skipper, however, accidentally strikes Gilligan in the jaw with a crate, causing one of the fillings in his mouth to act as a receiver. This is an ideal solution for the Castaways as the Professor is using the radio. Ginger and Mary Ann use Gilligan to listen to their exercise program, but at night, the Skipper can't sleep with all the noise. Gilligan wanders the Island disturbing everyone else trying to sleep. He eventually crosses over where the Professor is trying to track the storm, stumbling and fixing his teeth but breaking the radio. Unable to track the storm, the Professor is desperate to fix the radio. Gilligan, meanwhile, offers to have the Skipper re-smack his tooth into a receiver to help the Professor, eventually smacking himself in the head and resetting the tooth. With Gilligan's tooth acting as a receiver again, the Professor realizes the storm is coming right at them and everyone takes refuge in the cave, which contains the supplies, but it isn't big enough to hold all of them. They draw straws to determine who will have to leave the cave. Gilligan secretly shortens his straw to spare the others, but eventually, everyone leaves the cave to stick it out with him. With everyone out of the cave, a lightning bolt strikes it, caving it in as Gilligan effectively saves their lives.

Message

 * "A negative event can sometimes have a positive effect."

Highlights

 * Gilligan becoming a radio.
 * Gilligan forces himself to be a radio again to save the others.
 * Gilligan gives himself the short straw to save the others.
 * The Skipper decides he wants to save Gilligan. He's followed by everyone else.
 * The Professor realizes saving Gilligan results in saving themselves.

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
 * Charles Maxwell as the Radio Announcer (voice only)

Trivia

 * Archived storm footage from the opening theme is used as the typhoon in the episode. This footage would be reused through the series and in Rescue from Gilligan's Island.
 * Gilligan seems to cause a lot of damage to the radio for just knocking it off the table; he knocks the back off and causes it to eject all of its electronics as well as a jacket for holding vacuum tubes which would not be in a radio.
 * With all the caves seen on the island, it's odd that the Professor and Skipper chose a narrow one that obviously couldn't hold all the castaways. However, it's probable they chose this cave due to its proximity to the camp and ability to reach it quickly over the others. Even so, Gilligan could have huddled in relative safety at the cave entrance, rather than remaining vulnerable under a tree.
 * The syndicated version of the episode cuts the last scene where the Professor reveals the typhoon was broken up by an electrical storm, something that doesn't actually happen.
 * Even if it were somehow possible for Gilligan's mouth to be turned into a radio, the result would not have prevented him from being able to speak. NOTE: as he showed Ginger and Mary Ann, he WAS able to speak as long as he turned his head where there was no signal.
 * In May 1995, the TV Series Roseanne had a homage episode to "Gilligan's Island" where the cast played the Castaways. One of the series references they made was to Gilligan becoming a radio from this episode and the volcano from Operation: Steam Heat. The cast of "Gilligan's Island" also reunited to play the "Roseanne" characters.

Quotes
Mr. Howell - "Perhaps a crash diet. You know, high protein, no bread, potatoes..."
 * Skipper - "Mr. Howell, that cave just isn't big enough for seven people."


 * Mr. Howell - "As the only married man, I'd like to say one thing--that I'm the only married man."

Mr. Howell - "I hope it isn't catching."
 * Professor - "I've got claustrophobia."

Skipper - "Exactly." Gilligan - "He's dead? I didn't even know he was sick!"
 * Professor - "Gilligan, Benjamin Franklin is dead."