Voodoo

Voodoo is the 73rd episode of Gilligan's Island and the fifth episode of the third season. It first aired October 10, 1966.

Synopsis
After Gilligan goes exploring in one of the caves on the island, he finds Native relics which the Professor believes are Mayan in origin. The Skipper reverts to his superstitious beliefs by claiming they're cursed, which seems evident after Gilligan gets a jab in his neck after digging up the objects. Unaware there's a Voodoo Witch Doctor on the island, everyone enjoys the relics. When the girls are trying on necklaces, the Voodoo witch Doctor steals two personal items from them to place curses on them, pinning them together briefly as a test. The Howells believe the relics are priceless, and Mr. Howell pays Gilligan and the Skipper to go back and dig up more of them at the same time the Professor takes the girls back to the cave to cure them of their fears. With everyone in the cave at once, the Witch Doctor bounces Gilligan around the cave and tries setting them on fire until they flee the cave for the lagoon. When the Professor chides everyone for believing in the Skipper's stories, the Witch Doctor places him into a zombie-like trance that no one can break. After Ginger tries to kiss him out of it and the Howells fail to bribe the Witch Doctor, Gilligan returns the final relics to the cave and finds the Witch Doctor's voodoo dolls and everyone's stolen possessions. The Skipper uses the Professor's pocketknife to return him to normal, and he snaps out of his trance in mid-conversation about the debunking of Voodoo, unaware that two days have passed or why he's wet from recent rain. The following morning, Gilligan has made a voodoo doll of the Witch Doctor and picks it with his own needle, as the Witch Doctor screams, dives into the lagoon and swims off the island.

Message

 * "Your lack of belief in certain things does not necessarily eliminate their existence."

Highlights

 * The Castaways caricatured as dolls
 * Eddie Little Sky returns in another role

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
 * Eddie Little Sky as the Witch Doctor

Trivia

 * Eddie Little Sky (The Witch Doctor) appeared previously as Haruki in Gilligan's Mother-in-Law.
 * This is the second episode to involve the practice of Voodoo; the first one was Voodoo Something to Me.
 * The Professor claims the native relics are reminiscent of the Mayans of Central America which typically would not be found on a South Pacific island.
 * The Witch Doctor and relics possibly belonged to the Kupaki tribe from High Man on the Totem Pole who also revered the Kupaki Totem Pole on the island.
 * The Witch Doctor must have been secretly on the Island for a while to carve seven (near perfect) wood carvings of the castaways.
 * In the cave, the Skipper digs up an idol of solid gold that resembles the moa statues of Easter Island.
 * Gilligan shows off the hole in his sneaker caused by the heat in the cave. Considering their years on the island, his sneakers (as well as everyone's shoes) should have been wearing out pretty fast on the island.
 * The Witch Doctor ends up with Gilligan's rabbit's foot which was supposedly sent to Hawaii in the robot. He also ends up with Mr. Howell's wallet which was also supposedly taken by the Mr. Howell Impostor in Will the Real Mr. Howell Please Stand Up?.
 * Gilligan must be remarkably honest. When he returns to the cave to return the brooch, he walks by the money Mr. Howell left in the cave without taking any of it for himself.
 * At the end of the episode, Gilligan carves a Voodoo doll of the Witch doctor despite not having seen him and sticking it with a pin out of revenge. At that moment, the witch doctor screams grabbing his posterior and swims off the island as fast as he can. This scene has been removed from the syndicated version of the episode.
 * The Voodoo doll props in this episode are now the property of Sherwood Schwartz, having appeared behind him in several interviews about the series.

Quotes
Gilligan - "I did stay out of this cave yesterday."
 * Skipper - "Gilligan, I thought I told you to stay out of this cave yesterday?"

Gilligan - "That's just sailor's superstition! Have you ever seen a zombie?" (Gilligan enters the hut) Gilligan - "Well, no, not really..."
 * Skipper - "They've got witch doctors out there that can turn a man into a zombie."

Mr. Howell - "Don't say that! Even in jest..."
 * Gilligan - "I don't care if you give me a hundred dollars an hour!"

Professor - "I don't have a hole in my pocket." Gilligan - "You lost that too?"
 * Gilligan - "Maybe you lost it through the hole in your pocket."

Skipper - "I'm about to lose something. My patience!!"
 * Gilligan - "Skipper, have you lost anything?"


 * Ginger - (after kissing the Professor who's a zombie) "If that doesn't bring him back, nothing will!"