Mary Ann

Mary Ann Summers is a fictional character from the 1960s TV-Series, "Gilligan's Island." She was played by actress Dawn Wells, who continued the role in the three NBC-TV made for TV movies, Rescue from Gilligan's Island, The Castaways on Gilligan's Island and The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island, and reprised the role in two other TV-shows, Alf and Baywatch.

Personality Profile
Mary Ann is a young Kansas farm girl who was stranded on a South Pacific island along with the six other castaways. Back home, she worked on her uncle's farm and had a job as a clerk at the local general store. Described as friendly, kind and sensitive, she cooks many of the meals on the island; mostly everyone prefers her cooking to that of anyone else. She is usually the one that does all the chores. Mary Ann is possible the most down-to-earth of all women on the island. Not much is revealed of her life and family back home, but it is revealed that her father was bankrupted by Randolph Blake. Unlike Mrs. Howell or Ginger, Mary Ann has no significant partner in her life. For some time, she sent messages in bottles to her "boyfriend", Horace Higgenbotham, back home, but it was later revealed she wanted the other castaways to think she had someone as well since Ginger had so many boyfriends and Mrs. Howell had her husband. However, after being discovered, she went far as to say "Horace is a real creep". At one point, Mrs. Howell attempted to match Gilligan with Mary Ann. Although Mary Ann admitted to Mrs. Howell that she wanted to get married someday, Mrs. Howell reminded her that they may be on the island for a long time. Going through the (short) list of eligible bachelors on the island, Mary Ann realized that she was too young for the Skipper and had nothing in common with the Professor. Despite some prodding and direction, a relationship never formed between the two. However, she has remained sweet and caring toward him because he seems to like working for her rather than the Skipper. In turn, Gilligan definitely reciprocates a soft spot for Mary Ann in return, but due to his Peter Pan Complex, he seems extremely evasive when the subject is ever brought up. At one point, the Skipper tried to get Mary Ann and Gilligan to help him practice a wedding ceremony, but even getting backed into a wedding rehearsal, Gilligan is so afraid he'll be tricked into actually getting married, he won't hold Mary Ann's hand and prefers nodding rather saying "I do," Despite these incidents, Mary Ann still shows a soft spot for Gilligan and his health and welfare. Often making him special pies, going out of her way to cheer him up, build up his confidence, and voting him as president of the island. Whenever the castaways pair off, Mary Ann and Gilligan typically end up together. Despite her fondness to him, Gilligan mostly insists it's Ginger who has a crush on him. Overall, Mary Ann has formed familial relationships with all of the other Castaways, thinking of the Skipper as her father, and Ginger as a sister despite their several fights. They are often sunbathing, cooking or do the chores together. In fact, she thinks so highly of Ginger that when she had amnesia, she briefly thought she was Ginger. She as also often helped the Professor and gone to Mrs. Howell for advice. At times, she has shared special knowledge and insight to problems that have come to the island.

Episode(s)

 * Season 1
 * Season 2
 * Season 3

Outfits
Mary Ann has multiple oufits seen throughout the show, an example of one is a short orange, dress and matching high stiletto heels. Another is a blue turtleneck, jeans, shoes and a straw hat, she wears various outfits throughout the show, though. In The Second Ginger Grant, she is seen in a very sexy leopard skin outfit (which might have actually been Ginger's), and also in a very tight blue gown and matching high heels as she performs as Ginger. Her outfits often expose her abdomen while covering up her navel. She is best known for wearing ribbons in her hair, usually ones matching her outfits. She only very rarely wears her hair down. For bed, she wears an over-sized man's shirt.

Possessions
Mary Ann brings a few things with her to the island, mostly a few pieces of clothing, hair ribbons and a sewing kit.

Trivia

 * Mary Ann was voiced by Jane Webb in the The New Adventures of Gilligan, but Dawn Wells voiced the character as well as that of Ginger in Gilligan's Planet.
 * Mary Ann was reputedly based on Dorothy from the film The Wizard of Oz.
 * It is said throughout the series that she knows a lot about gardening, having been raised on a farm in Kansas.
 * Although Mary Ann was supposedly meant to be a teenager, Wells was older than her fictional character with her actual age at the start of the series being 26; Tina Louise was about 5 years older.
 * Her favorite radio soap operas are Old Doctor Young and Blaze of Noon.
 * Through the series, she wears different color ribbons in her hair to match her attire.
 * In Two on a Raft, it's revealed Mary Ann was employed at the general store in Winfield, Kansas and had also been a member of the Girl Scouts.
 * Through the series, there are several moments that imply Mary Ann is sweet on Gilligan inasmuch as she is usually making coconut cream pies for him as prizes or gifts of gratitude. Although attempts at romance are made in The Matchmaker and The Postman Cometh, nothing ever develops.
 * Mary Ann becomes the prime provider of meals to the castaways, often helped by Ginger. She is also able to make pies and cakes on the island even though an oven is never seen on the island. However, the Professor might have showed her an analogue to the Navaho baking kilns used to make bread.
 * In Ring Around Gilligan, Mary Ann reveals she was a member of a club that wore club rings
 * Mary Ann wears her hair down only four times in the series. She wears it down when Gilligan is flying in the jet pack in It's a Bird, It's a Plane, when she tries boosting Gilligan's morale in Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow, when she thought she was Ginger in The Second Ginger Grant and when she and Ginger torment The Mosquitoes in Don't Bug the Mosquitoes.
 * Mary Ann faints in the episodes Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow and in The Second Ginger Grant.
 * In the original opening sequence, neither Mary Ann's name or the Professor's was mentioned. It was mentioned that Bob Denver successfully petitioned to include their character's names in the opening sequence when the series opener was re-created for the color episodes.
 * The episode, Beauty Is as Beauty Does, stands out as a fan favorite for all Mary Ann fans inasmuch as she accidentally loses her bathing suit in the lagoon in preparation for running against Ginger for Miss Castaway. The Second Ginger Grant also seems to rank high among fans.
 * Mary Ann and Gilligan are the two youngest castaways on the island.