Doll-A-Day 2019 #186: Gilligan's Island Skipper and Professor

  What with one thing and another,including the fact that our car is about to die and has only been making trips to the grocery store and Ken's workplace,Korglady's prize was only recently mailed.So watch for it Korglady,and let me know when it arrives.
  Today we're looking at some old friends.

It's The Skipper and The Professor from Gilligan's Island. There was a Gilligan doll too, but I don't have it. While they made a special portly body sculpt for The Skipper,they didn't do a special skinny one for Gilligan, and he looks way too buff.

These dolls are from 1997,and were made by Premiere, the same company who made the Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa doll you saw HERE,and the Laurel and Hardy dolls you saw HERE. Also like those dolls they were Target stores exclusives.

They are numbered,limited editions.

The back of the boxes are alike. They feature pictures from the show,but mostly Gilligan. There are  only 2 pictures of the Professor. One is on the side of the boxes.

The box back has a flap that opens to show more scenes from the show.

This picture from the first episode shows The Professor and The Skipper,and Gilligan.

It wasn't a 'three hour fishing party'. It was 'a three hour tour'! Duh! Haven't these people ever heard the theme song?!

The Skipper wears his blue shirt,but his khaki pants are too dark.

His skipper hat is part of his head, and not removable.
 

The Professor wears his khaki pants. They're a bit dark too.

He has a brown vinyl belt.

They made a mistake with his shirt though. Instead of the light blue shirt The Professor always wore, for some reason they've given him a blue and white striped shirt.

He also has molded and painted socks. (His shoes are molded too,and like the socks, part of his legs.)

The shoes on neither are accurate. Both characters wore blue deck shoes,and both dolls wear white shoes.
 

The Skipper has blue socks.

The Skipper was portrayed by Alan Hale Jr.,and this doll is an ok likeness. Not great,but ok.

Russell Johnson played The Professor. The doll's likeness to him is pretty good.

Both dolls come with two accessories...
 

The Skipper comes with a life preservers and the ship's wheel.

The Professor also comes with a life preserver,as well as the radio,the castaway's only contact with the outside world...except for all those people who kept dropping in on them throughout the series.

 ...and a stand.

The radio is a good idea. The radio featured prominently in a lot of plots.And they didn't do a terrible job with the mold. The life preserver even makes sense, but it could have at least had 'SS Minnow' written on it. And they could have given the life preserver to only one of them. There were plenty of  other things they could have chosen. The Professor could have had one of his inventions,or a book. The Skipper could have had a bamboo or coconut cup,like they used on the show. The best accessory they could have given The Skipper would have been a removable hat to hit Gilligan with.
 Both dolls are jointed at the neck,shoulders, and hips, as well as having jointed knees and elbows.
 

They have different hand sculpts. The Skipper's right hand seems to be sculpted for strangling Gilligan.

Alan Hale Jr. was the son of, obviously, Alan Hale. Alan Hale (the father) was an actor too. He was a Warner Brothers contract player. He's best known for his role as Little John in the 1938 "The Adventures of Robin Hood" film, starring Errol Flynn. He also appeared in Laurel and Hardy's "Our Relations" as a waiter, and in Danny Kaye's "The Inspector General" as 'Kovatch',as well as many other famous films like "Algiers","The Prince and the Pauper","Of Human Bondage",and "Hollywood Canteen", where he appeared as himself. Alan Jr. greatly resembled his father,and is more well known these days. Whenever Ivy and I are watching something and Alan Sr. shows up we always say, "Skipper's dad!".

The Skipper,Alan Hale Jr., on the right, with his dad,Alan Hale.

  The other characters on "Gilligan's Island" used actual names. Even Gilligan had at least one name. (And only one is ever mentioned. The show's creator Sherwood Schwartz said that if Gilligan had ever been given a full name, it was to have been 'Willy Gilligan'. I like 'Gilligan' better as a first name.) The real names of the Skipper and the Professor characters were used only once. The real names were mentioned in the pilot episode,when the radio announcer is talking about the ship wreck. (There were two 'pilots':one that wasn't actually used,where the Professor character was played by a different actor,and one that used the regular cast.)  But what were those real names? Can you remember?

'The Professor',whose real name was 'Roy Hinkley'.

'The Skipper',whose real name was 'Jonas Grumby'.
  Those are today's dolls. See you tomorrow for another one.

And the Answer Is...

In answer to yesterdays question, The Professor's real name was Roy Hinkley 

Goodbye Professor

  An extra post for today to say goodbye to an old friend.Russell Johnson, who played The Professor on Gilligan's Island died yesterday at the age of 89.

Russell David Johnson was born in Ashley, Pennsylvania on November 10, 1924.Before Gilligan's Island he was in scads of westerns and science fiction movies, usually as a villan.He appeared in the Science Fiction classics This Island Earth (Poor guy couldn't get away from Islands.), and It Came From Outer Space.

Did he bring this dress with him to the island? I think he gave it to Mary Ann.

Then came Gilligan.His career was never the same afterward. Like many who play an iconic role, he was forever afterward seen as his character. He still acted after Gilligan, but he would always be seen as The Professor. He seemed to be ok with it. He attended conventions and happily signed autographs for fans. (In fact, he attended a signing event over the recent holidays.) He even wrote a book called Here on Gilligan's Isle,The Professor's Behind the Scenes Guide to Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Gilligan's Island.

It's actually pretty interesting.

  The original opening for Gilligan's Island didn't include The Professor or Mary Ann. They were famously known as "and the rest".(Geez. There were only two more! They couldn't just add two more?!) After the first season Bob Denver, who played Gilligan, insisted that be changed, and Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells be included. He didn't have to do that. He was the star. But he must have realized that the show was an ensemble show. They were on Gilligan's Isle, but it was pretty equal really.
  Everybody born since 1964 has grown up with Gilligan's Island.I don't think there has been a time since it first aired that it hasn't been airing somewhere.(Yes, the humour was simple and often ridiculous, but it was well done and still funny.)I know I grew up with the show, being born in 1962. When I had my kids, I watched the show with them. They all loved it. My girls in particular went through their Gilligan stage. When Ivy was going through hers,a few years ago, we wrote to Russell Johnson, Dawn Wells(Mary Ann), and Tina Louise (Ginger) for autographs. Mr. Johnson and Tina Louise answered within a week or two.They both very kindly signed the two Gilligan collector cards we sent them.

We're still waiting on Dawn Wells...

  And yes, there was even a doll of him.

Target exclusive doll by Premier. The set of three dolls also included the Skipper and Gilligan.

  The character of The Professor obviously had a real name too.They only mentioned it once.Anybody remember it? Emma, I think you do. No cheating.(No internet searches! Try to remember or go watch some Gilligan!) I'll tell you tomorrow. (No, I'm not using the time to cheat.I do actually know.)
Goodbye Russell. See you later Professor.