Alex Carson
Whoever had ever heard of such an unintelligent idea for a TV show? Seven castaways trapped on a desert island for weeks. Well, Tina Louise hadn’t.
She had envisaged Gilligan’s Island to be more about the adventures of movie star Ginger Grant on the deserted island. But was it not that way? We are yet to find out.
Most of the other characters did not even know their names. Skipper and Gilligan were open calls – Carroll O’Connor and Jerry Van Dyke were the first choices, later on, it was Alan Hale, Jr, and Bob Denver.
The star, she was informed, was Tina Louise. The truth is that Tina was a star, even before the show started running and that is because no one else in the entire cast had been part of any major news for about a decade and anything, be it society-page gossip, scandals, and movie, Broadway roles or even magazine pictorials. Nobody in the cast had been treated with royalty like Tina Louise. The only time Tina had not made it to the headlines was when she was born on 11th February 1934. And now that we have gone back to the time she was born, let us tell you a little more about her early life.
This is especially for those who are not familiar with Tina Louise yet: Louise was born as Tina Blacker to a Jewish family then settled in New York City. By the time she turned four years old, little Tina’s parents had divorced. An only child, Tina, was raised by Sylvia Horn Blacker, her mother who was a fashion model. Joseph Blacker, Tina’s father, was a candy store owner in Brooklyn and later had been appointed as an accountant. She gave herself the middle name “Louise” in high school.
Tina Blacker became Tina Myers when her mother had remarried. The teenager grew up in a sophisticated environment, Scarborough High School in Westchester. Most rich, budding schoolmates around Tina had long names. This made Tina add Louise in the middle of her name.
Tina Louise and Her Early Work
Louise landed her first role at the age of just 2 years after being featured in an ad for her dad’s candy store. At Neighborhood Playhouse located in Manhattan, Louise had begun studying singing, dancing, and acting when she was 17. Her teacher was a famous actor and acting teacher Sanford Meisner.
Initially, Louise’s resume had some Broadway titles, with roles like Betty Davis in 1952’s Two’s Company. Gradually, the resume had some films included, but she redirected course when a certain island suddenly appeared on the horizon. To fill in the role of the stunning Ginger Grant, Gilligan’s Island�s team had first reached out to Jayne Mansfield. When Mansfield turned the offer down, the most beautiful redhead in the world, Tina Louise, accepted the role and went on to be famous as Ginger Grant.
Even later, Louise began receiving offers for modeling jobs and offers like 1958’s Frederick’s of Hollywood catalog. She also appeared on the cover of pinup magazines like Modern Man and Adam, Sir! Her pictorials for Playboy in consecutive years 1958 and 1959 had been arranged by the Columbia Pictures studio for Louise’s promotion.
It was 1964 when Gilligan’s Island had first premiered on TV. It featured an ensemble cast starring Bob Denver as clueless Gilligan, Dawn Wells, Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Russell Johnson, and Alan Hale Jr. The show Gilligan’s Island included a lively theme song and several entertaining storylines which kept viewers hooked to it, week after week. The show’s comedy routines were mostly broad but simplistic. Irrespective of the show’s nature, fans didn’t care – they simply loved the show. Gilligan’s Island ran for three seasons. Today, three seasons may seem like a brief period for a show to make a lasting impact, but Gilligan’s Island had found new life with its reruns. And it is worth mentioning at this point that Gilligan’s character is today praised as a cultural icon.
Even to date, there are several things we do not know about Tina Louise and Gilligan’s Island. For instance, Tina Louise had starred in a movie with Bob Denver before they shot ‘Gilligan’s Island’. Surprised? Well, months before Gilligan’s hit the airwaves, Denver and Louise had co-starred in For Those Who Think Young, a summer surf flick. The same teen comedy had also featured Ellen Burstyn and Nancy Sinatra.
Along with Bob Denver, the supporting cast of Gilligan’s Island was full of brilliant performers. Tina Louise was among the most popular cast members. In the role of the glamorous Ginger Grant, Louise stunned her viewers days after days with her incredible looks and stunning costumes. As much as fans loved the character of Ginger, Louise has spoken about certain reservations regarding her role.
Hook
Everything about the hit show Gilligan’s Island seems rosy so far but then, what made Tina Louise quit the show? Was the reason behind her leaving a complicated relationship she shared with the show’s members? Or was it something else? Well, we will get to that. Meanwhile, if you are enjoying this video, do not forget to like and subscribe to our channel.
Over the period, many sources have claimed that there was tension between Louise and her co-stars. What Collider has to say is that the situation intensified primarily because Louise was dissatisfied with Gilligan’s Island‘s slapstick nature. Several reports claim that Louise had imagined herself to be the star of the entire series and not quite a member of an ensemble cast. A report from Ranker also revealed that Louise would frequently be spotted sitting by herself, away from the remaining cast during the rehearsals, refusing to interact with anyone at all.
Why did the actor, Tina Louise, quit Gilligan’s Island?
Well, no cast member had the permission to leave the show until their characters would. So, Louise was forced to see Gilligan’s Island through to its end. But after that, she went on to sever most ties with the show. In several interviews, Tina Louise has claimed that Gilligan’s Island had tarnished her career forever. A common fear among many TV stars is typecasting and that is definitely what Louise was worried about the most. So, Tina Louise stuck to the more mature, or what you can refer to as the darker roles. Such a practice got her The Stepford Wives and a chance to appear in a few episodes of CHiPs. All the while, Tina Louise and her muse Ginger Grant avoided showing up for any Gilligan-themed events, including movie launches of The Castaways on Gilligan’s Island, Rescue from Gilligan’s Island, or The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island. Once during the 2000s, Tina Louise had made up her mind to take a break from acting, but she was back at it, and the actor’s most recent credit dates to last year (2019) in Tapestry where she appeared with Stephen Baldwin.
Does Tina Louise think of �Gilligan’s Island’ the same way even today? This is a question that comes to most of Tina Louise and/or Gilligan’s Island’s fans. And we are here to clear all your doubts, including this.
Well, the truth is that had there been serious tension between Tina Louise and her other co-stars, it remains unconfirmed to date. Dawn Wells, the actor who played the role of Mary Anne on the show Gilligan’s Island, has spoken up about the relationship she shares with Louise. She has mentioned that even if they are not enemies, they are not close either. And also, even though they were not close friends on the set, she shares pleasant memories with Tina Louise, per a Forbes report.
Following Louise’s Gilligan’s Island affair, the actor went on to try her hands in more dramatic roles, attempting to forget the world of comedy. A series of Gilligan’s Island-themed reunion movies were made after the series ended, but Louise was quick in refusing to return for any of those. And although such decisions don’t prove that Tina Louise hated Gilligan’s Island, it does hint that she did not unconditionally love her tenure on the set of the successful series as well.
Despite that, what surprises us is that Louise has never bashed the show in any of her interviews.
During an interview with Closer Weekly in 2019, Louise has even praised the show, referring to it as a great escape for fans and stating that she is happy now to have been part of a show that secures a special place in the history of American television. Undoubtedly, Tina Louise did share a troubled relationship with Gilligan’s Island, but most likely as years have passed, the time has altered her perceptions and made her capable of looking more favorably and comfortably at the series that defined a major part of both her life and existence.
What does Tina Louise of �Gilligan’s Island’ do today?
From 1966 to 1971, Louise had been married to Les Crane, a TV and radio announcer/interviewer with whom she has a daughter named Caprice Crane. Her daughter, born in 1970, went on to become a novelist and an MTV producer. Stupid and Contagious, Crane’s first novel was dedicated to her mother and was published in 2006.
Louise currently resides in New York. She is a lifetime member of the Actors Studio and also part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The actor has actively advocated for ameliorating child literacy. Louise has donated a portion of the proceeds of When I Grow Up, her book, to literacy programs. During an interview in 2013, she has reportedly revealed about her volunteering at local public schools from 1996.
Louise also seems to be keeping herself occupied with writing. She has written three books. These are Sunday: A Memoir which was released in 1997 When I Grow Up launched in 2007. The latter is exclusively a children’s book that aims to inspire little ones to believe that they can become whatever they want to through humorous and unique comparisons with animal kingdom achievements. In 2009, Louise published yet another children’s book entitled What Does a Bee Do? The book continues to serve as an educational tool for kids and also adults.
We are always fond of sharing interesting milestones with our viewers that remind them how old we all are getting. Consider the fact we are about to drop as one of those instances. Tina Louise, now 86, and Dawn Wells, currently 82, are the only two surviving main cast members these days. The latest one to die was Russell Johnson, who played the role of the Professor. He passed away in January 2014 aged 84. The rest of the cast had passed away even before Russell, leaving just Louise and Wells as the only alive former inhabitants of the hit show’s titular island.
We are now done sharing all fascinating, unheard facts about the show with you. But before we let you watch the next Facts Verse video, don’t forget to hit the like button if you enjoyed watching, and subscribe to our channel for more interesting facts. Also, don’t forget to hit the bell icon to stay updated with our latest content.
