Product Details

• Actors: Bob Denver, Alan Jr. Hale, Jim Backus, Russell Johnson, Tina Louise
• Format: Box set, Color, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 17
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Turner Home Ent
• DVD Release Date: June 28, 2011
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (467 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0050MB5AC
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,177 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Despite critical barbs as sharp as a Maroobi spear, Gilligan's Island has proven unsinkable. Its first season was 1964's top-rated show. The expository theme song is one of television's most quoted, and its characters--the Skipper (Alan Hale Jr.), first mate Gilligan (Bob Denver), the millionaire (Jim Backus) and his wife (Natalie Schaefer), a movie star (Tina Louise), "and the rest" (Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells, as the Professor and Mary Ann, wouldn't get their opening credit props until season two)--are pop culture icons. Revisiting the first season's 36 episodes is a not-guilty-at-all pleasure. Some sure and surprising hands piloted these inaugural episodes, including Ida Lupino, Jack Arnold (The Creature from the Black Lagoon), Christian Nyby (The Thing), and Richard Donner (who went on to direct Superman and Lethal Weapon).

The "seven stranded castaways" from the ill-fated S.S. Minnow (slyly named for former Federal Communications Commission head Newton "vast wasteland" Minow) received memorable visits from the likes of Hans Conreid as errant pilot Wrong Way Feldman, a young Kurt Russell as Jungle Boy, and Larry Storch as a Cagney-esque bank robber. But these were mere diversions from the heart of the series; the no-man-is-an-island social microcosm that creator Sherwood Schwartz conceived as an anti-war parable (this courtesy of his optional commentary during the fabled unaired series pilot). In the Christmas episode "Birds Gotta Fly, Fish Gotta Talk," Santa Claus himself drops in to lift the disheartened castaways' spirits. "You could have been enemies," he tells them, "instead of a family group who all learned to get along." This is they key to this series' enduring popularity. That, and the unending debate: Ginger or Mary Ann? --Donald Liebenson

Product Description

After a three-hour pleasure tour, the SS Minnow is washed ashore on an uncharted South Pacific island, leaving behind what would become TV's most famous castaways.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

279 of 288 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Set! January 6, 2008

By James A. Bartek

Format:DVD

All 3 seasons in one package! it doesn't get any better than this. These are complete and unedited unlike some sets that are being released with different music, or edited episodes. season 1 is in black and white as originally aired, seasons 2 and 3 are in color as aired. I have watched reruns for years and when i saw that the complete series was available as one set, i couldn't pass it. Bonus footage includes interviews with Russell Johnson and Sherwood Schwartz, also included is the pilot episode with a different 'professor' 'Ginger' and 'Mary Ann' and different opening and closing music. A great treat for fans and someone that wants it all! Quality is excellent! I don't purchase many tv shows on dvd, but this was a must for me! 5 stars without a doubt!!!

92 of 94 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It's funny precisely because it's so incredibly ridiculous May 11, 2006

By Kai Lu

Format:DVD

Gilligan's Island has often been an object of ridicule for both professional critics and self-annointed intellectuals alike, most of whom point out the various implausibilities in the show (i.e., the Professor is an "idiot" because he can cause nuclear fission using coconuts but can't build a raft, the unliklihood of the Howells taking a "three hour tour" on an obviously inexpensive charter boat, let alone taking along three season's worth of wardrobe and costumes with them, ad nauseum), but chances are these same critics have also seen many -- if not all -- the show's episodes, and have enjoyed at least a few guilty laughs for their trouble.

One of the reasons why Gilligan's Island is such a great show (it is the most re-run show in the history of television, and that INCLUDES I Love Lucy) is precisely because it is so wacky, nonsensical, and flat-out ridiculous.

In Gilligan's Island -- The Complete First Season, viewers are treated to 34 original episodes, uncut, including the rare pilot episode that contains three castmembers not included in the actual show as seen on television. The episodes are in black and white, but this doesn't detract from the fun.

The complete list and brief synopsis of each episode have already been written by other reviewers so I won't waste your bandwith in repeating them, however I will say one thing: seeing these episodes brings back many fond memories for me, and I didn't even realize how much of a fan of the show I was until I watched this 3-DVD set.

I remember coming home from school in eigth grade each day and seeing Gilligan's Island on TV, and that was over ten years ago. I hadn't seen an episode of Gilligan's Island in the intervening years until I bought the DVD set. It's amazing, but I -- and probably countless other people -- could actually remember everything about the episodes, and my memory comes flooding back with the viewing of each one, right down to the manner in which a character pronounces certain words, and the way the Skipper cries out "Aeuph!" whenever Gilligan accidently hits his captain in the breadbasket, or inadvertantly drops something on his vulnerable feet, or the way Tina Louise's mouth twitches in an oddly fascinating way when her picture is shown on the program's opening credits.

Gilligan's Island is one of those shows that you can watch today and enjoy, even if you've never seen it, as long as you don't expect it to make sense or follow any logic. It's one of those show's you can LOVE if your viewing of that show is connected to fond memories of your own past -- as for me, it includes summer vacation, playing Sega Genesis, playing nerf football with my best friends Howie and Art, and watching Gilligan's Island.

My friend Art has since become a lawyer, and Garth became an architect. I teach in a middle school. We all grow up, but Gilligan stays with us all along the way. It's wise to pick this set up, especially if you're a fan of the show, because it's one way you can relive and continue to live a pleasant part of your own history.

93 of 102 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for Gilligan fans February 13, 2004

By T O'Brien VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

Gilligan's Island The Complete First Season is a must have for fans of the 1960's comedy. Everything you could want is here. The 3-disc set includes all 36 episodes from the first season presented in standard black and white. The episodes look great in black and white rather than that awful color that was inserted into them while on TBS. The DVD also includes the lost pilot episode with three different cast members alongside Gilligan, the Skipper, and the Howells. Also on the DVD are tropical tidbits about certain episodes, profiles on how the cast was selected, and a tropical island survival guide.

The excellent cast really made this show what it was. Bob Denver as Gilligan, Alan Hale JR as the Skipper, Jim Backus as Thurston Howell III, Natalie Schaefer as Lovie Howell, Tina Louise as Ginger, Russell Johnson as the Professor, and Dawn Wells as Mary Ann made up one of the best ensemble casts in television history. Fans of this much loved show should run out and buy Gilligan's Island The Complete First Season. You will not be disappointed!