Dawn Wells believed that ''Gilligan's Island'' taught children a very important lesson

And they say that television isn't educational...

Warner Brothers

While Gilligan's Island has gained a reputation among the pretentious as a more juvenile television series, we'd like to pose a question: What on earth is wrong with that? It seems like every time a television show gains the reputation that it is enjoyed by children, adults seem to convince themselves that somehow it has lost any sort of merit.

While some children may have a simpler and more innocent sense of humor than many adults do, a show like Gilligan's Island should be celebrated for the fact that it can entertain children and adults alike, not shamed.

It was a comparison that even the cast and crew of the series were aware of, and were seemingly proud of as well. According to an article with the Associated Press, Dawn Wells, who played girl-next-door turned castaway Mary Ann, actually made the sensible argument that in addition to entertaining children, the show was also able to teach them key life lessons while watching.

Wells remarked, "As silly as it seems to all of us, it has made a difference in a lot of children's lives."

She explained, "Gilligan is a buffoon that makes mistakes, and I cannot tell you how many kids come up and say, 'But you loved him anyway.'"

Contrasting with many actors who might consider it an embarrassment to have a role in children's media, Wells was always sure to wear her character with pride.

In an interview with the Calgary Herald, Wells said of her character, "I'm very proud to say that I was Mary Ann." She acknowledged, "It's not all I am, it's not all I do. It was a wonderful experience, I have no negativity about it."

So if you're an adult who never gives more than a cursory glance toward kids' media, try to branch out your horizons next time and give it a shot. You might just learn a thing or two.

Watch Gilligan's Island on MeTV!

Sundays 3 & 3:30 PM

*available in most MeTV markets
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17 Comments

bmoore4026 9 days ago
This was pretty cool. This and The Brady Bunch was big for us young'uns of the Gen X/Millennial set.
JHP 9 days ago
agree totally with this article - I cut my tv watching teeth on Gilligan's Island
Avie 11 days ago
WHY does a story about Dawn Wells NOT contain a PHOTO of Wells?
Rob Avie 9 days ago
I was thinking that too. No photo of the beautiful Dawn Wells?! That's Ridiculous!
George58 11 days ago
In this day & age, most people would have had Gilligan kicked off the island for ruining so many of their rescues. But as one person commented, if they were rescued there would be no show. However, I think the show did teach that even though there were only 7 people, they seemed to get along (not like in today's world) & helped one another out when one of them was having a problem. It showed young children that people CAN get along & work together to benefit all.
JHP George58 9 days ago
and with all the characters coming from different levels and walks of life - HEY now...we got stupid survivor - isn't that show the same? (snicker snicker)
sagafrat69 11 days ago
I always believed as a kid Gilligan should've been thrown off the island for costing all of them the chance of a rescue. Yet if you have a rescue you have no show. It's great to read about the actor's experiences with the fans long after the show ended. Another lesson was Schwartz thinking "Survivor" before there was "Survivor". What if you put people who would never have anything to do with each other in the real world together on a remote island? How would they learn to get along? He was really ahead of his time and gave us all something to think about while still entertaining us.
LoveMETV22 12 days ago
So if there's any merit to Dawn Wells comment(s), maybe include GI in the Sunday morning E/I block in place of
SBTB. 🤣🙃
CaptainDunsel 12 days ago
Of course there's a lot to be gained from watching "children's" programming. It's part of how I keep up my energy and confidence every night as I TRY TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!!
[da dum dum, da dum dum dum da dum]
pony CaptainDunsel 11 days ago
When you succeed in taking over the world, remember I "liked" your comment!
Coldnorth pony 9 days ago
That comment made me laugh out loud. Thanks
MrsPhilHarris 13 days ago
I like to hear actors and actresses state they are proud orhappy about their breakout role. So many distance themselves from the role that made them famous.
You are right, and I don’t understand why they took the role in the first place
Runeshaper 13 days ago
I agree. Kids could learn A LOT from Gilligan’s Island 🏝️!
Deleted 13 days ago
This comment has been removed.
Tresix 11 days ago
I liked them both. The original ones, not the reboots.
McGillahooala 13 days ago
Good for her. Contrast people like these with the typical Hollywood turds who believe pretending to be someone else is not entertainment but an art form that only a select few can master.
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