Gilligan's Island's Entire First Season Included An Unintended Homage To JFK
by Joe Roberts · /FilmWe may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
The "Gilligan's Island' theme song became iconic to multiple generations who grew up with the syndicated sitcom. But many will surely have missed what is essentially a fairly grim Easter egg during the opening title sequence for the first season. According to Russell Johnson, who played Professor Roy Hinkley, aka The Professor, the flag flying at half-mast in the opening credits was a symbol of remembrance for President John F. Kennedy, and it ultimately appeared before each of the first season's 36 episodes.
"Gilligan's Island" became known for its colorful cast of characters, but its debut season was literally lacking in color. The first run of episodes were aired on CBS in monochrome at a time when networks were still making the switch to color broadcasts. When Season 2 debuted in September 1965, it did so in color. But it also sported a new theme song and opening title sequence, which incidentally fixed a slight issue with the original black and white version.
As Johnson details in his book, "Here on Gilligan's Isle," on Friday, November 22, 1963 the show's cast and crew were on the last day of filming the pilot episode. This was the fateful day that President Kennedy was assassinated. "It was late in the morning," explained Johnson, "when someone came running down to the company and said that they just heard on the radio that President Kennedy had been shot." It was this tragedy that forever altered the "Gilligan's Island" opening title sequence in a subtle but significant way.
News of JFK's assassination came on the last day of shooting the ill-fated Gilligan's Island pilot
A lot went wrong with the "Gilligan's Island" pilot, which remained in the CBS vault for years after it was produced and looked significantly different from the series that eventually aired. Most notably, Dawn Wells and Russell Johnson weren't in the "Gilligan's Island" pilot, and weren't introduced until the show proper debuted in September 1964 with the episode "Two on a Raft." Like the rest of "Gilligan's Island," this episode had been shot on the CBS lot, with some scenes from the original pilot spliced in. But, as explained in Sylvia Stoddard's "TV Treasures: A Companion Guide to Gilligan's Island," the original pilot, titled "Marooned," was filmed in a section of Kauai, known as Moloaʻa Bay.
The final day of filming for this ill-fated pilot was November 22, 1963, the same day John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Johnson wasn't there, but in his book, he relays a story from creator Sherwood Schwartz about how the President Kennedy shooting news came in. After the cast and crew had been informed, filming "staggered on," with Schwartz and co. crowding around the radio "listening to news bulletins" as "tears streamed from most of their eyes." As Johnson writes, "The next thing they heard was that Lyndon Johnson was being sworn in as President, and they all knew there was no miscommunication."
It wasn't until four days later that the crew shot scenes of the S.S. Minnow departing from the Ala Wai Yacht Club in Honolulu. This is where the JFK tribute snuck its way into the "Gilligan's Island" opening titles.
The JFK tribute was removed when a new Gilligan's Island title sequence was shot
Footage for the original "Gilligan's Island" opening titles was shot on November 26, 1963, and at that point, the larger U.S. was in mourning. As Russell Johnson explained in his book:
"An eerie proof of that day can be seen in any of the first season's black and white episodes. Don't blink, but if you watch the opening theme from any of those shows, in the harbor scene where the S.S. Minnow sets sail, there is a flag flying at half-mast in the background."
While the original "Gilligan's Island" pilot remained hidden for 29 years before finally being broadcast in October 1992, the opening sequence was used for the entirety of Season 1. During that title sequence, a shot of the S.S. Minnow departing from the marina does indeed reveal a United States flag flying at half-mast (or, more accurately, about one-third mast) in the background.
When "Gilligan's Island" Season 2 debuted in September 1965, however, the show's visuals had been overhauled. Not only was the sitcom now in color, it also featured a brand new title sequence with an updated theme song. This new footage was shot in Marina del Rey, less than an hour from the CBS Studio Center in Los Angeles, and ensured the John F. Kennedy tribute was removed from the show's second and third seasons.
This new opening sequence wasn't without its own darkness, though, as it eventually gave rise to the disturbing "Gilligan's Island" eighth passenger theory. This theory suggests that, based on footage in the new title sequence, there should have been an extra member of the crew when they eventually became stranded on the titular isle. At least the JFK tribute was touching in its own way, as unintentional as it might've been.