Smile, You're on Mars Camera

Smile, You're on Mars Camera is the 4th episode in the second season. It first aired on October 7, 1965.

Synopsis
On the island, Gilligan is collecting feathers for Mr. Howell to make a pillow for Mrs. Howell, but he's rejecting all of the feathers Gilligan is finding, dumping them into a big pile in the Supply Hut. Meanwhile, NASA Scientists at Cape Canaveral have sent an unmanned Mars Probe into space to take photos of Mars, but the probe has actually failed and crashed to Earth, ending up not far from the lagoon and sending back brief pictures of the island before losing its lens piece. When Gilligan finds the probe, he falls over the leg and stares up at what seems to be a terrifying beast. He brings back the Skipper and the Professor who recognizes it for what it is, partially dismantling it to study it and repair it. Meanwhile, radio reports confirm that the probe has caught pictures of the island, which leads everyone to realize this is the castaways new chance to be rescued. They just need to find the missing lens to the satellite. Ginger and Mary Ann briefly terrify Mrs. Howell when they blindly clutch her large diamond ring on the other side of a large boulder into which they reach. After searching, the Skipper and Professor return to camp unable to find the lens, only to discover that Gilligan has had it the whole time. Unfortunately, in his excitement, the lens gets shattered, and the Professor plans on using tree sap as glue to restore it. Unfortunately, no one knows when NASA will reactivate the probe, and they wait for hours waiting for it to reactivate. As they're waiting, the tree sap which has been boiled starts percolating. When Gilligan put the lid on it, the steam from it started building up in pressure, and as it explodes, everyone gets covered in the sticky tree sap. Everyone's clothes are ruined, and they chase Gilligan into the Supply Hut where he tries hiding in the five-foot high pile of feathers that Mr. Howell had created. Everyone gets covered in feathers as a result, and as the Probe activates, everyone is seen by stunned NASA Scientists as large humanoid bird-creatures. Realizing its working, the castaways try in vain to communicate with the scientists, but Gilligan rushing to get their signs stumbles over the leg of the Mars Probe, knocking it over and severely damaging its sensitive electronics before getting angrily chased from camp. The following morning, the Professor is trying to salvage the workings of the probe with the Skipper who reminds Gilligan of his punishment: acting as a giant cuckoo bird announcing the hour from the Supply Hut.

Message

 * "Things are not always what they seem."

Highlights

 * Gilligan covering everyone in sap glue.
 * Everyone being covered in feathers.
 * Gilligan acting as a human cuckoo bird.

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
 * Arthur Peterson as Professor George Bancroft
 * Booth Colman as Professor John Corwell
 * Larry Thor as the Newscaster
 * Charles Maxwell as the Radio Announcer (unconfirmed)

Trivia

 * The title, “Smile, You're on Mars Camera,” is an homage to Alan Funt's slogan “Smile, you're on Candid Camera!” from the 60s series, "Candid Camera."
 * The satellite lands near the lagoon near a one-time hut that hasn't been there before nor reappears again. It should also have descended to Earth by means of a parachute, but there isn't one in the scene.
 * Since the Howells have several cameras with them, the Professor could have checked to see if one of their lens would have worked with the probe.
 * The Skipper asks Gilligan if he knows how to get sap out of a tree, and Gilligan says he saw it in a movie. Gilligan also got sap out of a tree in Goodbye Island.
 * Why would the Professor reuse the tree sap as glue on the Mars satellite after it destroyed the Minnow?
 * Since the Professor often stays in the Supply Hut, and Mary Ann would be constantly coming and going to make meals, it seems odd that they wouldn't notice the feathers in it.
 * It's mentioned in this episode that the iconic red shirt that Gilligan wears is not his but his brother's shirt.
 * It's seems obvious from where Gilligan dumps the signs that an accident is about to occur.
 * It's kind of preposterous that two NASA scientists would confuse a tropical island for Mars. Furthermore, even if they eventually came to the alternate (erroneous) theory they were watching a native tribe on Earth, anthropologists would have sought out the island to study it's inhabitants.
 * It also seems far-fetched that the Castaways would retaliate by chasing Gilligan into the Supply Hut in order to punish him.
 * On close-up, the Castaways are just grabbing and throwing feathers around after they "catch" Gilligan trying to hide in the pile.
 * The TVLand syndicated version cuts out the part where Gilligan answers why he won't appear on camera and the end when in punishment for messing up another rescue, Gilligan becomes a cuckoo clock bird coming out of the Supply Hut.
 * This episode is ranked as the #5 most liked episode, according to E!

Quotes
Gilligan - "How about rubber bands?" Skipper - "Where are we going to get rubber bands, Gilligan?" Gilligan - "We could cut up my sneakers!" Professor - "We all appreciate your sacrifice, Gilligan, but we need something that won't interfere with the camera lens. Some type of glue." Mr. Howell - "Oh! Well, let's start drilling for some immediately!" Skipper - "Mr. Howell, you don't drill for glue!" Mr. Howell - "Oh no? You should see some of the oil wells I got stuck with!"
 * Professor - "We need something to stick the lens back together."

Gilligan - "That's what I had in mind" Skipper - "What do you mean?" Gilligan - "Well, if I stand in front, the whole world will see me, and if the whole world sees me, that means the United States will see me, and if the United States sees me, that means my hometown will see me, and if my hometown sees me, that means my brother will see me, and if my brother sees me, he'll punch me because I'm wearing his shirt."
 * Skipper - "What are you doing back there, Gilligan? When the camera goes on, they won't be able to see you!"