| "Erika Tiffany Smith to the Rescue" | |
|---|---|
| Season 2, Episode 15 | |
| |
| Will the castaways be rescued by a rich socialite who wants to turn the Island into a resort and happens to fall in love with the Professor? | |
| Basic Info | |
| Air Date: | 12/30/65 |
| Written By: | David P. Harmon |
| Directed By: | Jack Arnold |
| Guest Cast: | Zsa Zsa Gabor as Erika Tiffany Smith |
| Episode guide | |
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Erika Tiffany Smith to the Rescue is the fifteenth episode of the second season of Gilligan's Island. It first aired December 30, 1965.
Synopsis[]
Socialite Erika Tiffany Smith is sailing through the South Pacific with a young boatman named Johnny, looking for an island to build a tropical resort. When she gets to the island, she casually meets the Skipper hauling coconuts back to camp and Gilligan, who runs back to tell the Howells about her. Mrs. Howell isn't fond of Erika since her name appeared above hers in the social register, but she remains cordial to her. Ginger meanwhile finds the Skipper struggling to win Erika's affection, but Erika is only enchanted and attracted to the Professor, who is oblivious to the attraction as he tries to share with her his scientific discoveries on the island. She mistakes his desire to have a research partner for a marriage proposal, but Mr. Howell meanwhile is trying to finagle a deal to sell the island to her. Eventually, Erika realizes she can never have the sort of relationship she wants with the Professor, and she has Mr. Howell break up with him for her. She departs promising to come back in two hours, but a storm comes up and three days pass with no sign of her. In a later radio interview, she mentions the Castaways without naming them, but the Navy are unable to use her log book, which is written in English translated from Hungarian, to find them, neglecting to use latitude and longitude in her notes.
Message[]
- "Love conquers all."
Highlights[]
- Mrs. Howell and Erika's off-handed comments at each other
- Ginger teaches the Professor how to kiss
- Gilligan falls out of a tree and lands on the Skipper again
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
- Zsa Zsa Gabor as Erika Tiffany Smith
- Michael Witney as Johnny
- Charles Maxwell as the Radio Announcer (unconfirmed)
Trivia[]
- This episode features the Professor as the central character.
- Mrs. Howell is jealous of Erika Tiffany Smith because her name once appeared before the Howells' in the social register.
- The Skipper moves out of the way since Gilligan always comes down out of the trees on top of him, but after he moves, Gilligan still lands on him.
- This is the third time Ginger feels someone's forehead. She also felt the Professor's head in Goodbye Island, and Gilligan's head again in The Sweepstakes.
- The Professor packs his clothes in Gilligan and the Skipper's hut.
- Although Mrs. Howell and Erika are very polite to each other, it is obvious that they have a social feud with each other.
- Zsa Zsa and her sister, Eva, have been mentioned as the "Gabor Sisters" in Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow and in Bang! Bang! Bang!
- When Erika returns to civilization, it's revealed she hasn't identified the Howells or any of the Castaways, saying only she has spent time with some charming people on an island (without giving their names). Likewise, her logbook isn't any help to locate them. Not only is there no latitude and longitude given, but it's "written in plain English translated from Hungarian" which the US Navy can't comprehend.
- This is an in-joke since guest-star Zsa Zsa Gabor was born in Hungary. This joke about the Hungarian language is also repeated in an episode of "Green Acres" in which Eva Gabor's character tries to get her Hungarian marriage license but instead receives her Hungarian dentistry license. which certifies that she and her Husband are licensed to practice dentistry.
- One wonders if her feud with Mrs. Howell was a factor in leaving them stranded.
- Ginger shows The Professor how to kiss Erika. They also kissed each other in Castaways Pictures Presents.
- Although Erika agrees to go into partnership with Mr. Howell to build the resort, she apparently changes her mind at the end. Coincidentally, the second movie made after the series ended, The Castaways on Gilligan's Island, shows the island being made into a resort, so apparently he was still considering it years later.
- The Me-TV version of this episode cuts out the remark by Erika Tiffany Smith "that this island is so remote, it doesn't even appear on "The Twilight Zone."
- The Sundance TV airing cuts out the part where Ginger and The Professor kiss.
Quotes[]
- Erika - "His mother must have been frightened by a cocktail shaker."
- Skipper - "Ginger, I've got a problem. You're a girl, right?"
Ginger - "Well, Skipper, if you don't know that, you really do have a problem."
- Ginger - "Professor, in your home town, didn't you ever meet a girl whose home had a porch swing?"
Professor - "As a matter of fact I did, I tried to have intelligent conversations with her but all she was interested in was hugging and kissing, kissing and hugging..."
- Erika - "This island is so remote it doesn't even appear in the Twilight Zone."
- Ginger - "Hold me tighter, Professor. I won't break."
Professor - "I... uh, I'm afraid I'll crush your dress."
Ginger - "Try..."
- Mr. Howell - "Well, I'm glad I told you first. By time you finished that speech, you'd be celebrating your fifth wedding anniversary."