Up at Bat

Up at Bat is the 71st episode of Gilligan's Island and the first episode of the third and final season. It first aired September 12, 1966 on CBS.

Synopsis
While storing supplies in a cave, Gilligan is bitten by what the Skipper believes to be a vampire bat and becomes convinced Gilligan will become a vampire. Gilligan's fear is perpetuated by the fact that he cannot see his reflection in Ginger's mirror which has lost all the silver on the back. After the Professor fails to talk sense into him, he mixes Gilligan a sedative to relieve his anxiety, telling him it will stop him from becoming a vampire, but that night, Gilligan sleepwalks and tries to bite Mrs. Howell on the neck, shaken out of his trance by Mr. Howell. By morning, the Skipper discovers Gilligan replaced by a bat in his hammock. He runs to tell the girls, but they don't believe him until a bat flies into their hut. The Professor comes to their rescue by catching the bat in a net. He reveals to them that the bats are actually fruit bats instead of vampire bats, but then they notice Gilligan missing, who has decided to flee camp to protect the Castaways from himself. That night, he has a dream that he's a vampire and Ginger is his wife. The Howells are his guests in his house with Mary Ann as his landlady. The Professor and Skipper appear as Inspector Sherlock and Colonel Watney to stop Gilligan from attacking the Howells, pummeling Gilligan into submission at which time Gilligan wakes up to the Skipper shaking him and trying to tell him he was bitten by a fruit bat. Still thinking he's dreaming, Gilligan punches the Skipper in the stomach, taking a moment to realize the bat that bit him was a fruit bat. Annoyed at getting punched, the Skipper chases Gilligan back to camp. By night time, every thing is forgotten, and they're laughing at the fact that they were so foolish, but when a bat shows up at their hut, they start falling over each other to get out of the hut.

Message

 * "Belief in superstition brings bad luck."

Highlights

 * The Skipper, Mary-Ann and Ginger thinking Gilligan has turned into a vampire bat.
 * Gilligan (Bob Denver) plays a vampire.
 * The Castaways as various horror character tropes, particularly Russell Johnson and Alan Hale spoofing Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

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
 * None

Quotes
Gilligan - "Yeah, but I saw it three times, and it always came out the same way."
 * Professor - "Gilligan, it was only a movie."

Ginger - "I know... but I like to have a second opinion."
 * Mary Ann - "You don't need an answer, you're still beautiful."

Gilligan - "This one is..."
 * Mary Ann - "Oh, Gilligan, bites aren't contagious!"

Mrs. Howell - "Aw, the boy sounds over-wrought. Fix him a Bloody Mary." Mr. Howell - "No, no, not a Bloody Mary!"
 * Gilligan - "Oh-no, I'm a vampire. I did it because I'm a vampire!"


 * Ginger - "The moon is full, and guests await... Wake up, master, get out of your crate."

Mrs. Howell - "There's a vampire..." Mr. Howell - "Last time I listen to a five-year-old child...."
 * Mr. Howell - "Even a five-year-old child will tell you there's no such thing as a vampire."

Inspector Sherlock - "Give that to me... I'm afraid my associate here has no manners... I must apologize for him, ugly old lady!"
 * Inspector Watney - "Oh, Inspector, there must be something wrong with your glass. There's nothing but an ugly old lady in it."

Trivia

 * For the Third Season, the Boy's Hut now has a porthole in it next to the entry, but it comes and goes as exterior shots of the Boy's Hut from the Second Season are reused.
 * The brand names on Ginger's perfumes are blocked out in order to prevent endorsements.
 * Through the series, Gilligan has often trusted the Professor explicitly for medical matters, so why he suddenly has no faith in the Professor's fake "anti-vampire" potion isn't explained.
 * The Professor reveals he knows a bit about bat anatomy to differentiate between a fruit bat and a vampire bat, but he also fails to mention vampires bats are indigenous to Mexico and Central America, not the South Pacific.
 * In the dream, Ginger is Gilligan's bride, Mary Ann is his hideous housekeeper and the Howells are his wealthy guests. Russell Johnson is hilarious as "Inspector Sherlock" and Alan Hale as the bumbling sidekick "Colonel Watney" in a Sherlock Holmes spoof.
 * Interestingly, in the dream sequences, the Professor speaks with a Cary Grant English accent.
 * The spooky set known as Belfry Hall in Gilligan's dream was also used as Dr. Boris Balinkoff's castle. Balinkoff's spooky portrait is even seen in the upstairs bedroom.
 * When Ginger appears as a vampire, the shadow of a boom mike moves over her.
 * Gilligan's ineptness extends to his dream as a vampire. He jumps out a window forgetting to turn himself into a bat. He tries to hide in a alcove but smashes into a wall, and he only succeeds in biting Mr. Howell's teddy bear.
 * Gilligan's dream is highlighted by a fight scene similar to what was often seen in the series Batman (the words "BAM", "BIFF", "POW" appearing graphically on the screen as punches are thrown), which it was competing for in ratings during the last season.
 * There are two slightly different edited versions of this episode. On TVLand, the Watney comment about not getting the hansom cab and having to walk is included but the tag scene with the bat is discarded. On MeTV, the Watney comment is discarded but the tag with Gilligan and the Skipper panicking over a bat at the end is included.
 * This was the first episode in the series to have an opening scene or "cold open" to reveal the start of the plot.
 * This is the second time Mary Ann plays an old lady in a dream sequence, she previously played an old lady in the previous episode.
 * Starting with this episode, Dawn Wells has top billing in the theme song.