Gilligan's Island: The Complete Series Blu Ray Request

[stevearino]

Dear David Decker,

I have a proposal for Warner Bros. Home Entertainment: to issue and release, for the first time EVER on Blu Ray, "Gilligan's Island: The Complete Series," a loving showcase of all 98 half-hour episodes (plus DOZENS of Bonus Features) of the hit 1964-1967 sitcom "Gilligan's Island" 100% Complete, 100% Uncut AND 100% Unedited, just the way that each episode originally aired on the CBS Television Network, each episode lovingly sourced from the original CBS Network Film Prints.

Created by Sherwood Schwartz, "Gilligan's Island" was a hit '60s sitcom which enjoyed a successful 3-year tour of the CBS Television Network from September 26, 1964 - April 17, 1967, initially airing on Saturday nights at 8:30 P.M. ET opposite ABC's "The Lawrence Welk Show" and NBC's "Kentucky Jones" in its debut season before moving to Thursday nights at 8 P.M. ET opposite newcomer ABC's

"Gidget" and Season 2 of NBC's "Daniel Boone" and later Monday nights at 7:30 P.M. ET opposite newcomers NBC's "The Monkees" and ABC's "Iron Horse."

The original 1963 Filmed Pilot (unaired for 30 years until finally seeing the light of day on October 16, 1992 on the TBS Television Network) was filmed entirely on location in Honolulu, Hawaii and featured several casting changes from Pilot to Series--among them actor John Gabriel as Professor Roy Hinkley, Kit Smythe as Ginger Grant, and Nancy McCarthy as Bunny Summers (renamed Mary Ann for series).

The series focused on 7 Stranded Castaways on a fictional uncharted South Pacific island who went on a cruise before being Stranded on such island--among them Willy Gilligan (Bob Denver), the first mate, and his Skipper, Jonas Grumby (Alan Hale, Jr.), Thurston Howell III (Jim Backus), a Retired Millionaire, and his wife, Lovey (Natalie Schafer), Roy Hinkley (Russell Johnson), a High School Science Teacher known to his students as The Professor, Movie Star Ginger Grant (Tina Louise), and Kansas Country Farm Girl Mary Ann Summers (Dawn Wells). As noted, the original 1963 Filmed "Gilligan's Island" Pilot was filmed entirely on location in Honolulu, Hawaii, after which the rest of the series was filmed at CBS Studio Center in Los Angeles.

Despite stiff competition against "The Monkees," "Gilligan's Island" was guaranteed a verbal Season 4 Commitment by CBS according to Sherwood Schwartz--that was, until then-CBS President Bill Paley, whose wife, Babe, was such a fan of "Gunsmoke" that Bill ordered "Gunsmoke" be moved out of its popular Saturday-night 10 P.M. ET timeslot and into the 7:30 P.M. ET Monday night timeslot for its 12th Season; while "Gunsmoke" would last 8 more years on CBS, eventually ending its run in 1975 after 20 total years, the Castaways on "Gilligan's Island" were sent home--PERMANENTLY--until 1978, when NBC telecast a 2-Hour Series Finale/Reunion TV Movie titled "Rescue From Gilligan's Island," where the Castaways were FINALLY Rescued off the previously uncharted Island, after which they went on a Reunion Cruise--only to land right back where they started at Finale / Reunion Movie's End.

Despite this, 2 Reunion Movies followed, both on NBC: 1979's "The Castaways on Gilligan's Island" (a Pilot for a "Gilligan's Island" Spin-Off which would have had Guest Stars visit the Island a la "The Love Boat" such as Bill Cosby, Tom Bosley and Angela Lansbury to name a few examples if it had sold) and 1981's "The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island," the last of which featured Jim Backus (by this time very ill with Parkinson's Disease) playing Thurston Howell III for the final time; all 3 TV Reunion movies were made by Universal Studios Television for NBC.

As of 2025, only Tina Louise, who just turned 91 years young on February 11, is still very much alive, currently living in New York City, New York as of March 2025.

The son of Rufus Edward MacKahan (real name of Alan Hale, Sr.) and his wife, Gretchen Hartman, Alan Hale MacKahan, Jr. was born on March 8, 1918 in Los Angeles, California, the elder of Alan, Sr.'s 2 children (including a younger sister, Karen, born in 1924) with Gretchen. At age 15, in 1933, Alan, Jr. followed his old man into Showbiz, making his film debut later that year; he eventually graduated from Hollywood High School in Los Angeles at age 20 in 1938, where among many others he was classmates with Joe Yule, Jr. (real name of Mickey Rooney, born on September 20, 1920 in New York City, New York). In 1950, after his dad died of Liver Failure at age 57, Alan Hale, Jr. dropped the Jr. professionally from his name, becoming known professionally as Alan Hale thereafter, and in 1963, at age 45, he got his big break as The Skipper, Jonas Grumby, on "Gilligan's Island," a role he treasured for the rest of his life and would reprise many times afterwards--including on such shows as "ALF" and "Growing Pains" (playing the Skipper as a Cabbie) while battling Cancer, which he was diagnosed with in 1986 at age 68, during which time while battling the disease he lost a lot of weight to the point where he even joked that he was gonna play Gilligan in a new "Gilligan's Island" TV show. He eventually died at age 71 on January 2, 1990.

2nd only to Gilligan, Bob Denver's other best-known role was that of Maynard G. Krebs on the hit '50s sitcom "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis." During his salad days, Bob, as an aspiring actor, worked as a Grade School Gym Coach and Physical Education Teacher after graduating from Loyola Marymount University. Bob was born in New Rochelle, New York on January 9, 1935 (24 hours after a certain Elvis Aron Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi) and was raised soon afterwards in Brownwood, Texas, where he earned his High School Diploma at age 18. Shortly after his big break on "Dobie Gillis," Bob was drafted into the U.S. Army and replaced temporarily by Michael J. Pollard as Maynard's cousin, Jerome Krebs. Luckily for him, a Broken Neck he suffered 3 years before caused Bob to flunk his Physical, thus making him ineligible for Military Service and thus caused him to return to "Dobie Gillis." In 1984, after his son Colin, his youngest of 4 children (including 2 grown from his first marriage and one from his short-lived 3rd marriage) and only child with Dreama Perry, an aspiring actress he met and fell in love with on the set of a stage production, was born and later diagnosed with Autism, a Mental Illness of which 1 in 50 kids and adults alike suffer from (many of whom are nonverbal and never say their own names), Bob, except for a few "Gilligan" reunions and the "Dobie Gillis" reunion movie, retired from acting and relocated to Princeton, West Virginia, where he helped Dreama take care of Colin full time until shortly after his 70th Birthday in January 2005, when shortly after his final Public Appearance at the 2004 TV Land Awards (and soon after surviving Heart Bypass Surgery), Bob was diagnosed with a rare aggressive Throat Cancer at the local Hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina where he'd had and survived Heart Bypass Surgery; he died there 8 months later on September 2, 2005 at age 70.

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Jim Backus, besides portraying Thurston Howell III, also played Mister Magoo in the series of Columbia Pictures Cartoons later airing on TV via the Nickelodeon Cable Network; he later reprised the "Mister Magoo" role in a short-lived Prime-Time Cartoon Show which, ironically, aired against "Gilligan's Island" during "Gilligan's Island's" debut season on Saturday nights. After falling very ill with Parkinson's Disease, Jim made one last on-camera appearance as Thurston Howell III on "The Harlem Globetrotters on Gillligan's Island" before bowing out of acting (sans the 1982 "Gilligan's Planet" cartoon). He eventually died at age 76 in 1989 of Pneumonia, becoming the first "Gilligan" Castaway to leave the island.

One of the earliest 2020 Casualties of COVID-19, unfortunately, was Dawn Wells, who left the island permanently at age 82. Originally from Reno, Nevada, Dawn was a former Beauty Queen when she landed the role of Mary Ann Summers on "Gilligan's Island," replacing Nancy McCarthy in the role after the Pilot.

Known for her portrayal of Mrs. Howell on "Gilligan's Island," it was hard to believe that Natalie Schafer was 90 years old when she left the island Permanently in 1991, but it's true. Originally from New York City, New York, she was born on November 5, 1900 and apparently lived on a diet filled with Ice Cream and Naked Swimming (or as some would call it more appropriately, Skinny Dipping).

Originally set out to be a movie actor, Russell Johnson will always be remembered for his role as The Professor on TV's "Gilligan's Island." Shortly after the New Year in 2014, at age 89, Russell left the Island Permanently due to Kidney Failure.

Tentatively, David, "Gilligan's Island: The Complete Series" shall be issued and released for the first time EVER on Blu Ray on Tuesday, September 23, 2025 at a cost of ONLY $59.99 wherever Physical Media is sold in an 18-disc Blu Ray Collection including, but not limited to, the following (PLUS Bonus Features):

1. Disc 1: Episodes 1-9 of "Gilligan's Island" (COLORIZED)
2. Disc 2: Episodes 10-18 of "Gilligan's Island" (COLORIZED)
3. Disc 3: Episodes 19-27 of "Gilligan's Island" (COLORIZED)
4. Disc 4: Episodes 30-36 of "Gilligan's Island" (COLORIZED)
5. Disc 5: Episodes 37-44 of "Gilligan's Island" (IN COLOR)
6. Disc 6: Episodes 45-52 of "Gilligan's Island" (IN COLOR)
7. Disc 7: Episodes 53-60 of "Gilligan's Island (IN COLOR)
8. Disc 8: Episodes 61-68 of "Gilligan's Island" (IN COLOR)
9. Disc 9: Episodes 69-76 of "Gilligan's Island" (IN COLOR)
10. Disc 10: Episodes 77-84 of "Gilligan's Island" (IN COLOR)
11. Disc 11: Episodes 85-92 of "Gilligan's Island" (IN COLOR)
12. Disc 12: Episodes 93-98 of "Gilligan's Island" (IN COLOR)
13. Disc 13: Episodes 1-8 of "The New Adventures of Gilligan"
14. Disc 14: Episodes 9-16 of "The New Adventures of Gilligan"
15. Disc 15: Episodes 17-24 of "The New Adventures of Gilligan"
16. Disc 16: All 4 "Gilligan's Island" Reunion TV Movies
17. Disc 17: Episodes 1-7 of "Gilligan's Planet"
18. Disc 18: Episodes 8-13 of "Gilligan's Planet" and Bonus Features

Among the SEVERAL Bonus Features I'd love to see include a NEW Colorized Print of the original 1963 Filmed Pilot, "Marooned," lovingly sourced from the original 1963 CBS Film Prints, and the ALF 1987 episode "The Ballad of Gilligan's Island," as well as the Season 3 "Growing Pains" episode "This Is Your Life" where Alan Hale, Jr. (while battling Cancer in real life) played The Skipper as a Cabbie.

Sincerely,
Steve Arino