Alan Hale rushed to his audition on horseback
It’s hard to imagine anyone else but the great Alan Hale Jr. playing The Skipper — and the actor truly went the extra mile when it came to auditioning.
Hale was in Utah filming the western Bullet for a Bad Man when he received the casting call for Gilligan. According to the book Surviving Gilligan’s Island, Hale snuck off set on horseback. He then hitchhiked his way to Las Vegas, got on a flight to Los Angeles, and made his audition.
Thankfully, the extra effort paid off and Hale landed the role, beating out some tough competition: future All in the Family star Carroll O’Connor also auditioned.
Natalie Schafer opens her eyes
In one memorable Gilligan’s Island episode, Gilligan becomes a butterfly collector when an expert visits the island, more interested in butterflies than rescuing the stranded seven. Naturally, the castaways hatch a plan to trick the expert into helping them get back home.
They even try to get him to drink alcohol, hoping it will work in their favor. But things take a hilarious turn when they all get so drunk on fermented berry juice that they pass out.
Now, here’s where the bloopers comes in: The Professor, who famously claimed to be allergic to alcohol in the episode ”Nyet, Nyet, Not Yet,” drinks the fermented juice along with the others.
And if you look closely during this scene, you’ll catch another little goof — Mrs. Howell, played by the charming Natalie Schafer, briefly opens her eyes while pretending to be passed out. It’s a small slip, but a fun one to spot!
Woodpeckers on oceanic islands
In the very first episode of Gilligan’s Island, Gilligan and the Skipper build a raft and set out to sea in hopes of finding help. But did you know this scene was actually filmed in a movie tank—essentially a giant swimming pool?
If you pay close attention during the shark attack scene, you can spot the rim of the tank peeking into some shots. And when Gilligan gets his oar bitten by the shark, and the Skipper tells him to keep paddling, you might notice the shadow of the boom mic on the raft in the lower left corner of the screen.
