The Postman Cometh

The Postman Cometh is the eighteenth episode of the second season of Gilligan's Island. It first aired January 20, 1966.

Synopsis
Since she's been on the Island, Mary Ann has been sending messages in bottles to her boyfriend, Horace Higgenbottom, back in Kansas, but the Skipper and Gilligan hear over the Radio that Horace has since married, and they struggle to tell her the news. In passing, the Professor notices Mary Ann feeling emotional over a radio soap opera which she listens to on the radio. Instead of telling her about Horace, he instead deviates from the topic and reminds her to be careful with the poisonous mushrooms on the island. Urged to tell her the truth by the others, the men try to romance her to forget about Horace by acting as various actors. The Skipper is Marshall Matt Dillon, the Professor is Cary Grant and Gilligan is Charles Boyer. Instead, the experience forces her to run off terrified for the safety of Ginger and the Howells, who respond unfazed. On her return to her own hut, she overhears the three man agonizing on how they're going to tell her their bad news, and she rationalizes she might have eaten poisonous mushrooms because of the Professor's comments. That night, she dreams she's on her radio program with Ginger and Mrs. Howell as nurses and the men as the doctor versions of the actors they were impersonating. Mr. Howell is also present as Dr. Zorba, but they're all too distracted with performing surgery to actually listen or help her. When Mary Ann wakes, she learns the truth that she only heard part of their conversation. Gilligan tells her that Horace has married, and she is not fazed by the news, actually having pity for the girl he married. She admits that in reality she wasn't all that close to him, and she had only used his name to make the others think she had someone waiting for her back home. Confessing it was a silly thing to do, the others agree with her.

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 (unconfirmed)
 * Unidentified Actor as Old Doctor Young (voice)
 * Unidentified Actor as Young Doctor Young (voice)
 * Unidentified Actress as Irene Forbisher (voice)

Message

 * "Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired."

Highlights

 * Gilligan as Charles Boyer, The Skipper as Marshall Matt Dillon and the Professor as Cary Grant
 * Mary Ann's soap opera dream

Trivia

 * The episode title is a spoof on the 1946 play, "The Iceman Cometh", by Eugene O'Neill.
 * This episode runs contrary to Rescue from Gilligan's Island where Mary Ann returns home to discover her old boyfriend Herbert is still waiting to marry her.
 * The Skipper recharges the batteries in the radio with the Electric Generator; they were last recharged in X Marks The Spot.
 * No one seems to recall that Mrs. Howell in a previous episode tried to fix up Mary Ann and Gilligan.
 * Gilligan mentions that he has a sister in this episode.
 * Mary Ann cries when she reaches the false conclusion she is dying. She previously cried in Gilligan Gets Bugged, and she again in Where There's a Will.
 * In the dream, Mrs. Howell plays Nurse Blabbermouth.
 * In the dream, Mr. Howell plays Dr. Zorba, a character from the 1960s TV-series, "Ben Casey." Mary Ann's radio show, Old Doctor Young, seems to be a spoof of it. He previously imitated the character in A Nose by Any Other Name.
 * Alan Hale, Jr. imitates Marshall Matt Dillon in this episode; Sheriff Dillon is a character on the TV series, "Gunsmoke," which caused the cancellation of the series.
 * This is the first time Ginger shows up as a nurse. She acts a nurse in some capacity in several episodes, notably Forward March and Gilligan Goes Gung-Ho.

Quotes

 * Gilligan - "If that's the Democratic way, I'm going to become a Republican!"

Mr. Howell - "Well, you are built like the Ponderosa."
 * Skipper - "Well, I always found myself as sort of the Western type."

Mr. Howell - "Somewhere there breathes a horse that is glad you are not."
 * Skipper - "I always thought I should be a cowboy."

Ginger - "That wasn't even much like General Grant!"
 * Professor - "Oh, that wasn't much like Cary Grant, was it?"

Mary Ann - "Operate! What have I got? Cary Grant - "You have a severe case of roomisigloomis." Charles Boyer - "Zat is what she has alright." Mary Ann - "What is roomisigloomis?" Cary Grant - "It's a medical term, my dear, no concern of yours."
 * Cary Grant - "Stick out your tongue. Ahh... yes, I think we'll have to operate!"


 * Marshall Matt Dillon - "Please, when I make a diagnosis, it's final!"


 * Dr. Zorba Gillespie - "You must be the one they call Nurse Blabbermouth."

Mary Ann - "Professor!" Dr. Grant/Professor - "Just a minute, I've got a few more Mary Anns!"
 * Dr. Grant/Professor - "Mary Ann, Mary Ann, Mary Ann..."

Ginger - "Oh, yes, we do. I've got time for tomfoolery. Dick and Harry Foolery, too."
 * Dr. Grant/Professor - '"We haven't got time for tomfoolery."