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in: Episodes, Season 1 Episodes, Ensemble Episodes, Island Episodes

Two on a Raft

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"Two on a Raft"
Season 1, Episode 1
Two on a Raft
The castaways are marooned on a deserted island, compelling the Skipper and Gilligan to set out on a makeshift raft to find help for the stranded group.
Basic Info
Air Date: September 26, 1964
Written By: Lawrence J. Cohen and Fred Freeman
Directed By: John Rich
Guest Cast: None
Episode guide
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Marooned (Unaired Pilot) Home Sweet Hut

Two on a Raft is the first episode and series premiere of Season One of "Gilligan's Island." It originally aired September 26, 1964 on CBS.

Synopsis[]

Following a violent storm, the crew and passengers of the S.S. Minnow wake up to find that they have washed ashore on an uncharted island. The captain, Jonas Grumby, more commonly known as the Skipper, and his first mate Gilligan decide to set sail on a raft to try and return to the mainland, even as the Professor tells them it would be foolhardy. Out at sea, the Skipper and Gilligan run aground of sharks, but a storm soon swells and blows the crew back to the island. The Skipper and Gilligan do not know that this same island they were shipwrecked on. Meanwhile, the passengers do not know that they have returned and believe they are actually returning local Marubi warriors. The Professor guides everyone to a cave to protect them, the same cave which the Skipper and Gilligan try to hide in when they also think the castaways are Marubi warriors. A fight ensues with each group within the cave believing the others are Marubi, some of them randomly getting tossed out in the struggle and going back inside. It is only when Gilligan and the Professor get tossed out of the cave in the scuffle together that they realize the truth, but Gilligan, tripping over a vine laid as a trap by the Professor, accidentally sets off a landslide and buries the cave. Everyone gets trapped inside it, and the Skipper and Professor dig everyone out of it. After everyone of freed, Gilligan hides in the back of the cave ashamed for the collapse he caused as the Skipper angrily calls for him to come out to them. The figure that eventually emerges turns out to be a native in a mask, scaring the passengers and the Skipper away from the cave. When he lifts his mask, he reveals he's just Gilligan.

Message[]

  • "Imagined dangers are worse than real dangers"

Highlights[]

  • Gilligan jumping off the SS Minnow and hitting the beach after thinking the Skipper was drowning
  • Gilligan and Skipper encountering a hungry shark
  • A woodpecker pecking at Gilligan disguised as a tree

Credits[]

Main Cast

Guest Cast

Trivia[]

  • First appearance of "The Ballad of Gilligan's Island" sung by The Wellingtons.
  • In the opening credits, the S.S. Minnow shown before the cruise is different from the version beaching on the island after the storm. There is no upper deck above the windows where the helm is, and the front of the cabin is straight rather than pointed..
  • According to rumor, when the Skipper wakes up on the S.S. Minnow, a car can be seen in the far right background. Although there is a photo of this car from the set, no such car actually appears in the episode.
  • When the Skipper wakes up, the original actors from the pilot can be seen still sleeping on the Minnow.
  • In the scenes where the castaways are listening to the radio, the Professor is sitting with the others in the far shots but standing in the close-ups.
  • The girls sew extra clothes into a sail for the raft, part of which includes Gilligan's socks.
  • The Professor makes putty from crushed mango and berry seeds and shellac from coconut sap and sugar.
  • When Ginger translates her Hawaiian, the badly edited shot has Ginger off-center and her right shoulder cut off.
  • Before the sharks, the Skipper says they've been at sea for twenty minutes, but then it jumps forward a few days as the Professor tells Mary Ann the two have been at sea for three days.
  • Gilligan eats the putty and shellac on the island, and after being at sea a while, he eats the leis and shark repellent.
  • When the Skipper and Gilligan finish fighting off the sharks, the Skipper's hat falls off his head and into the water right in the path of one of the sharks, and yet, in the next shot, the hat is back on the Skipper's head.
  • It doesn't exactly make sense for Gilligan to cut the raft up in the middle of a shark attack.
  • When Ginger comes out of the collapsed cave, she is wearing her iconic gold and silver evening dress, claiming its her only dress. However, during the series, she would have numerous dresses and outfits.
  • By time this episode aired, it was the most expensive pilot ever filmed due to the fake sharks and break-away raft.
  • A Radio announcer gives the first background details of the characters.

Quotes[]

  • Skipper - "Hey, Gilligan. Gilligan!!"
    Gilligan - "Oh my gosh, man overboard! I'll save you, Skipper!!"
    (first lines in the episode)
  • Mr. Howell - (The Professor turns the radio off at the start of the financial news.) "Don't shut that off, that's the best part."
  • Mrs. Howell - ""H" is for Howell, dear. It's your note paper."
  • The Professor - "Skipper, you and Gilligan have got to give up on this crazy scheme of yours"
  • Mary Ann - "It's the bravest thing I ever heard, Ginger! Gilligan and the Skipper risking everything, braving stormy seas and fighting off the attacks of savages..."
    Ginger - "Reminds me of a trip I once took to Catalina on a producer's yacht."
  • Skipper - "Gilligan, do you know what these are?"
    Gilligan - "No, but if they taste as good as the putty, I'll have them for dessert!"
  • Skipper - "Mr. Howell, You don't know what it's like out there in the ocean; you may be bitten by a shark!"
    Mr. Howell - "A shark bite a Howell? He wouldn't dare."
    Skipper - "Besides, we don't have room enough for your luggage."
    Mr. Howell - "Well that's different. If I can't go first class, I won't go at all."
  • Ginger - "I learned a little Hawaiian when I was singing in a little club in Waikiki... Wahini wiki hooki looki nu... and every word of it comes from the bottom of my heart."
    Gilligan - "That's beautiful, Ginger. What does it mean?"
    Ginger - "This bar is off limits to all military personnel."
Two on a Raft
  • Skipper - "We've got company!"
    Gilligan - "I sure hope they've had three meals today."
  • Gilligan - "Skipper, do you think we should abandon ship?"
    Skipper - "It's too late - it's already abandoned us!"
  • The Professor - "Ginger, we may be in serious trouble. There's a chance the Marubi may have returned to the island."
    Mary Ann - "Those head-hunters? Golly, Professor what do we going to do?"
    Ginger - "The first thing we should do is hide our heads."

Gallery[]

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