Gilligan's Island's Russell Johnson Hated Making A Classic Western With Ronald Reagan
by Joe Roberts · /FilmWe may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
Many have fond memories of "Gilligan's Island," but for a long time after it aired, Russell Johnson regretted playing Professor Roy Hinkley. The actor, who passed away in 2014 at the age of 89, eventually came around to his short-lived sitcom, which ran for only three seasons on CBS in the mid-1960s. But he always seemed to feel as if he were destined for more. Still, his feelings about playing a castaway were nothing compared to his regret over making 1953's "Law and Order."
This Western saw Johnson star opposite future President Ronald Reagan. In his book, "Here on Gilligan's Isle," Johnson recalled how, at the time, Reagan had bought into the Red Scare that was consuming Hollywood, and Johnson, a decorated WWII veteran, wanted nothing to do with it. In "Law and Order," however, he had no choice but to suck it up and tolerate a man who would ultimately be responsible for scuppering the careers of multiple Hollywood figures.
Reagan hadn't always been a Republican. In fact, prior to the 1950s, he had been a union man and Harry S. Truman supporter, campaigning for the future President in 1948. The year prior, however, the then-President of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) testified before the infamous Un-American Activities Committee as a "friendly witness." In his testimony, he told the so-called Chief Investigator Robert E. Stripling that a small group within SAG was suspected of following Communist tactics, selling out those union members, and putting himself at odds with every liberal in Hollywood. That included Johnson, to whom Reagan was "an anathema." According to the actor, the future President "saw Red every time he turned around." No wonder "Law and Order" was an unpleasant experience for Johnson.
Ronald Reagan and Russell Johnson were politically opposed co-stars
In the 1950s, Russell Johnson was under contract with Universal. Throughout the decade, he made several Westerns, including 1955's "Many Rivers to Cross," in which Johnson and Alan Hale Jr. appeared together long before they became fellow castaways on "Gilligan's Island." Two years prior, Johnson found himself opposite a much less agreeable co-star in Ronald Reagan.
"Law and Order" was directed by Nathan Juran, who, having previously worked as an art director, was partly responsible for the 1941 drama that won Fox its first Best Picture Oscar, "How Green Was My Valley." His 1953 Western wasn't going to win any Academy Awards, however.
This run-of-the-mill Oater starred Reagan as Marshal Frame Johnson, who arrests outlaw The Durango Kid (Wally Cassell) and brings him to Tombstone, Arizona, to face trial. There, Frame's younger brothers, Luther (Alex Nicol) and Jimmy (Johnson), welcome him. But it doesn't take long for an angry mob to form outside the jail. After this, the marshal decides to leave his gunslinging days behind and settle down with his lover, Jeannie (Dorothy Malone). But after the pair move to a new town, their dreams of an idyllic life are shattered by rancher Kurt Durling (Preston Foster), whom Frame previously shot during a raid. The rest of the story sees Frame and his brothers take on the rogue rancher.
Russell didn't have a great time bringing that story to life, mostly because of Reagan. As he wrote in "Here on Gilligan's Isle," "What I objected to was Reagan's politics. He may be a sweet man otherwise, but there were political views that we violently disagreed on. When he became president of the Screen Actors Guild, I disagreed with many of his decisions. Politically, he's been an anathema to me."
Ronald Reagan was on the hunt for Commies while shooting Law and Order
In "Here on Gilligan's Isle," Russell Johnson recalled that "Law and Order" aired when "the Red Scare was fully inflamed around Hollywood." According to the actor, he was one of the people being hounded. "I was not a Communist," he wrote. "But because I had attended the Actors Lab, which was labeled a Communist-front organization, I was accused of being a Communist sympathizer, a fellow traveler."
In Johnson's recollection, Reagan made note of his supposed association with the Commies. "He was suspicious of everyone-unless you were a John Wayne-like, ultra 110 percent American conservative," wrote the "Gilligan's Island" star. "[...] In those years, you were guilty by association or accusation-unless you proved yourself innocent." Johnson, it seems, had not yet proved himself in that regard, at least for Reagan. "I can remember that Alex [Nicol]and I spoke up a few times," remembered Johnson. "We told [Reagan] he was going overboard. Reagan told us, 'Oh no, you guys are naive. You don't know. There are people trying to take over the country, and they have to be stopped!'"
It didn't seem to matter to Reagan that Johnson served in World War II. Heck, the "Gilligan's Island" star was even shot down over a tropical island while serving, earning a Purple Heart for his bravery. Alas, it meant nothing to Reagan. "This whole period in America made me sick," wrote Johnson. "[...] I had served my time overseas during World War II. I was shot down and earned a Purple Heart, risking my life. Hell, I understand Reagan never even left the country during the war. He was stationed at 'Fort Roach,' making military training films at the old Hal Roach Studios in Culver City, California."