Gilligan's Island as we know almost completely fell apart from the jump. Tina Louise as Ginger Grant was integral to the tapestry of the show, making her a star in the process. However, one disconnect between herself and the role almost put everything in jeopardy.
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Recently, Louise spoke with Forbes in an interview, recounting her illustrious career. Obviously, they had to touch on the show that really broke her into the spotlight on Gilligan's Island. At 91 years old, Tina clearly holds that time in her life dear to her heart. Not to mention, she gave up a Broadway show for the gig. However, the conflict arises when the casting director calls for one thing and the show director asks for another.
"The CBS casting director Ethel Winant called me at the theater, 'Do you think you could play this Lucille Ball/Marilyn Monroe-type of character?' I said yes," Tina recalls. "I got there and the director wanted it to be a more sarcastic kind of character. And so, then I didn't even want to work on it anymore. I told him I wanted to quit."
Tina Louise Almost Quits Gilligan's Island Due to Casting Conflict
Eventually, the head of CBS got involved to see why Louise had one foot out the door. Ultimately, her idea was that you can't have someone like Ginger Grant be a wise cracker. "I explained to him that I didn't want to play it and I didn't think the show would be successful, changing the original idea of the character," Tina says. "You just can't go into people's homes and dress somebody up like a doll and then have her to be not nice."
In the end, the head of CBS saw it her way and swiftly canned the show's director for Richard Donner, best known for his work on The Goonies. After all was said and done, the morale was through the roof and Gilligan's Island becomes a hit. "He had a great sense of humor and then the writers started writing for what I was supposed to be doing and the show became a hit, and I enjoyed the part," Tina says.
