Surviving Gilligan's Island: The Incredibly True Story of the Longest Three Hour Tour in History

Well this was one of the stranger things I have seen, a psueo-'Behind the Show' type Bio on the Gilligan's cast, with the three surviving ones both narrating and occ. playing themselves. Intercut are re-enactments of the show, off-camera stuff and whatever, with these eerie scenes of Dawn Wells walking right into a scene and talking to 'herself'(played by someone else) in Wardrobe. Strange.

I enjoyed the tributes/portrayals of Alan Hale Jr., Backus and Schaefer the best. It was fun, esp. as the actors were all familiar TV faces. How much of this rings true, well, it's up to the viewer. No mention of Bob Denver's bust of late, or for that matter of how goofy the whole enterprise was-it's nostalgia, pure and simple.

I didn't like the one sided slant on Tina Louise, by the way, comes off as prima donna #1, all insulted by being on the show and all that. From what I can tell, it's more 'she doesn't do any reunions or anything with us so we will slag her for it', which isn't exactly fair. She was right, being on the show meant their careers were toast afterwards. Why should she wanna relive what amounted to career suicide?

Typecasting, the old demon of TV.

Overall, though, it was a good watch, not something you see everyday.

**1/2 outta **** stars.

With wit, charm and a decidedly protuding "tongue in cheek", the surviving "Gilligan's Island" cast gets together one more time, but ON THEIR TERMS...no "True Hollywood Story" paranoia here.

Using actors to portray them in their youth (as well as the deceased Backus, Hale and Schaefer), Dawn Wells, Bob Denver and Russell Johnson (along with Sherwood Schwarz, the show's creator) tell of the ups and downs of the longest tour in nautical history. The use of actors to tell the story's choppy history (it was hated by critics and CBS execs but loved by the public, much to CBS's confusion and dismay) can often be an 'iffy' proposal, but here it works wonders (the sudden jump of Wells into her "past" is especially funny and effective).

Their approach on the issue of Tina Louise (who long ago rejected the show) was honest but not as harsh as they likely could have been. Other stories, such as the demise of Jim Backus and Alan Hale and Natalie Schaefer's breast cancer, are very poignant and told with great dignity.

Special notice to Dwayne Hickman (Bob Denver's co-hort on DOBIE GILLIS) who does a nice cameo as a remarkably arrogant and dense CBS executive.

Overall, a well-developed story told beautifully, and a nostalgic trip on the SS Minnow sails smoothly. If only ALL tv shows had this chance to "finish the story"...

While seeming like a prospect of "Where are they now?" crossed with "Growing up Brady", this was an inventive format. Narrative with actors for some parts, presentations by the original actors for others, and vox populi for yet other parts, they all blended together to make for a trippy sort of special, especially when the staged narratives used original actors (Dawn Wells at Alan Hale Jr's funeral) and the presentations used the young actors (the questions about the professor getting off the island, why did they have so much clothing?). I won't say much about the actual content, but I was pleasantly surprised at the way they presented it.

I never saw the promos for this wonderful feat of nostalgic fun, but as a Gilligan fan, I knew it was coming up. It was as funny and as cartoonish as the series with the last three survivors (if you consider Tina Louise killed "Ginger") telling in front of the camera their favorite anecdotes and having them acted out for all the fans who already know them. The host segments were wonderful, and the flashbacks were made wonderful by actors who looked like the castaways. I have seen Eric Allen Kramer and Steven Vinovich play other roles, but it was this movie that convinced me just how much they look like the Skipper and Mr. Howell. Samantha Harris and Kristen Dalton were equally wonderful as Mary Ann/Dawn Wells and Ginger/Tina Louise. I wonder how Tina is going to take this bashing portrayal of herself as a prima donna. If anything, I'd love to see these new actors take over the roles and bring back the series. If they can return us the the series, maybe they can bring back the series.

A wonderfully conceived biopic of how Sherwood Schwartz's idea became one of the most watched comedies in TV history, even to this day.

I loved it as a kid and still often watch with my boy. Too bad Tina Louise still harbors some latent hostility for the old show, and this "True Story" as well. It would have been so great for her to be a part of it. The behind-the-scenes stuff is a riot, and the actors who play the castaways are top-notch. It's wonderful seeing Dawn Wells, Russell Johnson, and Bob Denver together, talking about the fun times, and the poignant moments about Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, and Alan Hale, all who have since passed away. I never understood why the critics were so merciless in their hatred of the show. I'd pit 'Gilligan' against the tripe on TV these days anytime!