- The Gilligan's Island theme song is a classic
- Different versions were used across the seasons
- Star Bob Denver insisted it change at one point
Who doesn't love the Gilligan's Island theme song? The catchy tune tells the story of the castaway sitcom and introduces the loveable cast of characters.
But it turns out one person wasn't a fan: star Bob Denver. The "Gilligan" actor had a problem with the theme song and demanded it change. And he got his way. Here's what happened.
Gilligan's Island theme song controversy explained
Gilligan's Island aired three seasons from 1964 to 1967. However, the original theme song failed to properly introduce all seven of the cast members.
Specifically, "The Professor" (Russell Johnson) and "Mary Ann" (Dawn Wells) were rather dismissively referred to as "the rest," while the other characters got full introductions.
Bob Denver took issue with this and did what he could to change it after season 1. Apparently, CBS didn't want to pay to rerecord the song.
But Denver insisted all co-stars get the same credit in the theme song, according to MeTV. He even threatened to demand his own name removed from the tune, Dawn Wells told Forbes in 2016.
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We will always love this series!
Grab the tissues!
The studio eventually gave in and, from then on, "The Professor" and "Mary Ann" were referenced by name in the theme song. The new one was used in seasons 2–3 and concludes with their intros.
The Gilligan's Island theme song, called "The Ballad of Gilligan's Island," was written by Sherwood Schwartz and George Wyle. Different groups sang the two versions, and the pilot version was actually written by a young John Williams, the now-legendary composer.
Following the death of Dawn Wells in 2020, star Tina Louise is the last-surviving Gilligan's Island cast member today.
