Voodoo Something to Me

Voodoo Something to Me is the third episode of the series and the third episode of the First Season. It first aired October 10, 1964.

Synopsis
Gilligan is asleep on guard duty. The Skipper explains to the castaways that they need to be careful around Gilligan while he's on guard duty because he shoots first then asks questions. All the castaways gather for the nightly flare launch. They hope that someone will see the flare and rescue them. After everyone else goes to bed Gilligan hears a rustling coming from a bush.

In the morning, Skipper and Gilligan prepare to start breakfast only to learn that the supply hut has been ransacked. Some of the supplies are gone. They quickly tell Professor, Mary Ann, and Ginger. Skipper and Professor go search the island for the thief. But the Skipper thinks the theft is a result of voodoo. He mentions witch doctors turning people into animals as an example.

Gilligan sets a trap for the thief, but he sets it off himself when he accidentally steps into the noose. He's stuck hanging upside down. To be safe, the Howells put bars on their windows leading Thurston to perspire for the first time. The Skipper then calls out to Gilligan because he stepped in the trap too.

That night Gilligan is on guard duty again. He hears a rustling in the bushes and goes looking to check on the supplies. While in the supply hut, he sees what he thinks to be a monster. Skipper and Professor check the hut and don't find anything or anyone. Skipper tells the Professor it's voodoo, but the Professor, being a man of logic, doesn't believe it.

Professor and Gilligan are searching the island again. Professor tries to explain that there's a logical explanation for everything that's happened. They split up to search the island quicker. Gilligan falls into a mud hole and heads to the Lagoon to clean up. He takes off his clothes before he dips in the water and a chimp comes out of the bushes and grabs Gilligan's clothes.

The Skipper lights a fire to keep the bugs away and the Professor comes back from his search with nothing to report. Skipper asks about about Gilligan only to learn that the Professor thought that he was back at camp already. On his way to gather a search party, Skipper sees a chimp wearing Gilligan's clothes. Still thinking it's voodoo, he and the chimp have a heart to heart talk with the Skipper giving the chimp his hat. The chimp then runs off with it.

Gilligan wearing a leaf skirt is trying to find his way back to camp. He stubs his foot on boxes of flares and cans of food. The chimp comes by wearing Skipper's hat, pointing the flare gun right at Gilligan. Because of the Skipper talking about voodoo, Gilligan thinks the chimp is the Skipper. The chimp runs off with Gilligan following. The real Skipper and Gilligan run into each other, rejoicing to see each other again.

Back at camp the chimp is waving the flare gun at the other castaways. Skipper and Gilligan arrive eager to tell the others that they found each other. Gilligan trades the chimp a banana for the flare gun, but Gilligan inadvertently shoots off a flare into the supply hut where the other flares are located. Gilligan runs into the hut to save the flares and there's a huge explosion. He comes out charred but otherwise fine.

Message

 * "Very often we wait too long to tell others we love them."

Highlights

 * The Skipper getting caught in Gilligan's trap
 * The chimp wearing Gilligan's clothes, and the Skipper mistaking him for Gilligan

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

Trivia

 * The Supply Hut in this episode was used for the exterior of the Communal Hut in Home Sweet Hut and as the exterior of the Boy's Hut in Goodnight Sweet Skipper.
 * This is the first episode to mention Voodoo; the second one would be the Third Season episode Voodoo. However, being a Caribbean religion, Voodoo would not be a practiced rite among the Polynesian tribes of the South Pacific.
 * This is the first and only episode where Gilligan acts as a sentry.
 * After leaving Gilligan, the Skipper retires to the Supply Hut, but the next morning, he's seen emerging from the Communal Hut.
 * In this episode and Three to Get Ready, the Skipper sets a precedent by establishing he believes in the ghost stories and strange native legends of the local islands; however, in later episodes, particularly Ghost a Go-Go, he says he doesn't believe in ghosts.
 * When Gilligan first fights the chimp in the supply hut, it's a dummy chimp wearing shoes and looking nothing like a chimpanzee, making for a truly a bizarre scene.
 * The Professor deduces only a man would steal the flare gun and flares since they would be of worth to him without realizing monkeys take things all the time regardless of their worth.
 * Mr. Howell implies his father is still alive in this episode.
 * Despite the flare gun being stolen, Gilligan finds the chimp has also stolen an entire box labeled flares along with some food; yet, he doesn't recall them in the trees after the supply hut blows up from a flare fired into it.
 * It is never explained why a chimp would carry off a heavy box of flares when he could have just carried them off one at a time.
 * When Gilligan tumbles down the mud slide into the water, the plastic used to create the slide behind him can be seen popping back into place.
 * It is also never explained why the chimp dressed itself in Gilligan's clothes unless it was just imitating Gilligan.
 * The chimp that played Gilligan was a female named Candy; she was possibly provided by Frank Inn who supplied many dogs, cats and exotic animals to shows like "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Green Acres" and "Petticoat Junction."

Quotes

 * Professor - "Now lets just pray that somebody saw our signal." Mr. Howell - "Well if they did I hope they just don't come barging in the middle of the night to come rescue us, I'm absolutely exhausted."


 * Skipper - "Most important thing of all, you've got to keep a constant eye for ships." Gilligan - "Aye-aye, sir!" Skipper - "Watch that ocean like a hawk!" Gilligan - "Like a hawk, sir! If there's a ship out there, I'll see it!" Skipper - "If there's a ship out there, it's in trouble! The ocean is this way!" Gilligan - (embarrassed) "I thought that seaweed looked kind of tall."


 * Gilligan - "There's no back door, there's no window and there's no chimney... Skipper, we're up against a pretty clever thief."


 * Skipper - "Gilligan, if you were wide awake on your post, how could somebody get in the hut?" Gilligan - "I guess they must have picked the lock on the back door." Skipper - "There is no back door." Gilligan - "Then they came in through the window." Skipper - "There is no window." Gilligan - "How about down the chimney? No chimney. There's no back door, there's no window, and there's no chimney. Skipper, looks like we're up against a pretty clever thief." Skipper - "Gilligan! Why don't you admit it?! You were asleep on guard duty." Gilligan - "Only during the robbery."


 * Ginger - "If we had to get marooned on an island, why didn't we pick Manhattan?"


 * Skipper - "Shhh! Let's not upset the women." 	Gilligan - "Let's not upset the men either!"


 * Mr. Howell - "That's what we need. Some neighborhood bars!"


 * Mr. Howell - "Thurston, what on earth is that on your forehead?" 	Mr. Howell - (wipes his brow) "It looks like water. I wonder where it came from." 	 Mr. Howell - "Thurston, I know what it is. I used to see it on our gardener. It's perspiration." Mr. Howell - "It is? What can I put it in? I've got to send it to Dad. He'd be fascinated."


 * Skipper - "Gilligan, I'm leaving these things with you. A gun and a rabbit's foot. If one doesn't work, use the other."


 * Gilligan - "Killer...Voodoo...No Bullets...help..."
 * Professor - "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Gilligan - "That's alright, I was scared already!"


 * Skipper - "Think about it. Ever since we got stranded on this island we've had nothing but bad luck. One disaster after another. What do you think caused them?" Gilligan - "I thought we all agreed it was me."


 * Professor - "Gilligan, only a coward would quit at a time like this." 	 Gilligan - "Would it be all right for the coward to quit and go back to camp?"


 * Professor - "The only place you will find a monster is in your mind." Gilligan - "And in the supply hut...."


 * Skipper - "That's Hollywood for you. Anyone knows that wolfsbane is only used against werewolves." Mary Ann - "It was a very good picture." Skipper - "Well, maybe so, but a mistake like that makes the whole picture unbelievable."


 * Mary Ann - "Ginger, you were in Land of the Vampires, weren't you?" Ginger - "I was up for a part, but I was the wrong blood type."