TV Theme Songs: The Ballad of Gilligan’s Isle

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Still enjoying yesterday, even as I move on to new adventures. I’m having lunch in another favorite place — McAlister’s — and ready to see how many state parks I can hit. Oh, and you get another TV theme song. Here’s another one I think everyone knows. The Ballad of Gilligan’s Isle - The Wellingtons Robert Klein said he checked into a hotel and turned on the TV. He’d never seen Gilligan’s Island before, “But fortunately, it has a theme song that explains the plot!” I have to say that I like the theme song much better than the show. To be fair, it was a “suspend reality” (the Professor could make a radio out of coconuts but couldn’t fix a hole in a boat; the Howells took enough clothes for a three-month vacation on a “three-hour tour,” etc.) program, but the stuff wore thin quickly. But hey, that’s a GREAT theme song! A little trivia: the first season had “the movie star and the rest” in the lyrics. Star Bob Denver lobbied CBS to change it to include the names of the other two characters (the Professor and Mary Ann) instead of “the rest.” He was told no, to which he replied that he wanted his name out of the theme. CBS relented, and that’s why there was a different group singing the theme in the second season. The Wellingtons did this and a number of other TV show themes, and they actually had a record deal (Kapp Records) and toured with Danny Kaye. This was a unique theme because there was a different verse to close the show (another one of those will show up later). Weird Al quoted “No phone, no lights, no motor cars, not a single luxury” in his spoof “Amish Paradise.” It fit perfectly. As for me, I’ll take the theme to a deserted island and skip the actual show. The Ballad of Gilligan’s Isle Written by Sherwood Schwartz and George Wylie Recorded by the Wellingtons (season 1) and the Eligibles (seasons 2-3) From Gilligan’s Island, 1964-67 A tale of a fateful trip: