A question about Gilligan's Island that I've never heard:

[raccoon]

Doesn't it strike you as odd that wealthy people such as the Howells, and I suppose Ginger, while not as rich as the Howells, was rich too, would go on the same 3-hour tour that two people like Mary Ann and the Professor, who presumably had a much more modest income, would go on?

[peekaloo]

1. I always thought Ginger was the Howell's "kept woman".

Those low rent getaways were the closest thing they had to real vacations.

[gmoney]

2. Many wealthy people are notoriously cheap...

I'm sure Thurston was a penny-pincher on a lot of things... the Minnow was probably the cheapest tour at the harbor. Doesn't explain Ginger, as I don't see her slumming it on a tour like that...

The bigger question is why didn't they leave their luggage in their hotels instead of bringing everything along on the tour?

[Robb]

3. Traveling light is for the peasants, lovey!

(best Thurston Howell voice) :D

[dysfunctional press]

9. since ginger was wearing an evening gown...

perhaps she just bought a ticket as a way of making herself feel better, as she did the 'walk of shame' back to her hotel room...:shrug:

[Mr. Ected]

4. The Professor was fairly wealthy in spite of his being a high school science teacher

He was receiving royalties for the sale of his best-seller, "Rust - The Real Red Menace", and was on the 3-hour tour to research his new book, "Fun with Ferns".

I presume that Mary Ann's gig at the General Store in Winfield, Kansas was merely a front for her escort service. Either that, or she absconded with the cash register receipts.

[raccoon]

5. You should be a PI!! nt

[HopeHoops]

6. If you recall, Mary Ann and the Professor were late-cast characters

In the original theme song, they were simply "and the rest". The music had already been recorded before they decide what other characters to include, and I guess they picked them for suggested plot reasons. The professor sort of makes sense, but I never quite figured out Mary Ann other than as a female balance to the simple nature of Gilligan.

In a later season, they altered the them song, replacing "and the rest" with "the Professor and Mary Ann" because both actors felt marginalized by the original version.

As for your question - it was a stupid fucking TV show - why would you expect any logic behind it?

[hunter]

7. There were no babies born on the island.

Curious that.

[dysfunctional press]

8. i found it more odd that the howells brought their trunk.

[Aristus]

10. The stupidest thing about the show, other than the lame escape attempts, was the way

in which the other characters deferred to the Howells and catered to their demands, as if their useless, far-away wealth actually meant something on that scrofulus little island...

edit: punctuation. Poor punctuation is for the peasantry... :P

[nuxvomica]

11. They had TB on the island?

That may explain the motley group of passengers. It was a supposed to be a quarantine, of course!

[dysfunctional press]

12. lena wertmuller's 'swept away' was a bit more realistic in that respect.

giancarlo giannini's character would have made a fun addition to gilligan's island.

[Yavin4]

13. We Were More Egalitarian Back In the 1960s

Yes, there were wealthy people, but their lives weren't that much different from the working class like it is today.

[Tabasco_Dave]

14. I never understood why the Howells had that much cash on hand

for a three hour tour, perhaps they where going to Maui to score some bud.:smoke:

[Beer Snob-50]

17. actually they embezelled the funds

from the c street cult and were planning on ditching the rest of the toourist when they stopped on some island.

[Deja Q]

19. Bud... Bundy?

[kentauros]

15. I had read sometime recently that the Howells were planning on

faking their deaths at sea. I haven't found anything to substantiate that rumor, so maybe someone more resourceful than I can find that ;)

[raccoon]

16. To avoid taxes, or run from their actions (embezzlement, etc.)?

That's certainly a possibility.

[kentauros]

18. Yeah, I just wish I could find that reference...

One of those tidbits of information you see sometimes when someone in the know publishes what the writers were chewing on when coming up with the initial plot :)