This song is lodged in the memory banks of Americans. The iconic song & it’s accompying images bring back countless memories of the seven stranded castaways on Gilligan’s island.
Did you know there were actually 4 S.S. minnows. They were built by Wheeler yachts the same company that built Ernest Hemingway’s boat the Pilar. Like the Pilar the hull of the S.S. minnow was made from mahogany wood. There is one S.S. minnow still known to be in use. It is docked in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada & is available for rent. But only for one hour tours. The original S.S. minnow was a Wheeler Playmate 38 ft. Express bridge. With dual 165 detroit diesel engines. The 2nd model in 1964 & used in the series 2nd season was upgraded to house dual 230 hp engines. Long after the series ended the boat was remodeled again in 1971 adding a flybridge. Many years later it was sunk when it ran into a reef. She was then salvaged & underwent another extensive refurbishing, giving her the look we see in the modern photo.
Some facts about Gilligan’s island: Caroll O’conner was almost cast as the skipper. Before Alan Hale Jr. got the part….Tina Louise at age 90 the only surviving cast member was afraid she would be typecast as Ginger. The show ran from 1964 to 1967 & was slated to continue into 1968 but was abruptly cancelled at the last minute.
Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip, that started from this tropic port aboard this tiny ship….
Tell us what you think in the comments.
Would Archie Bunker have made a good skipper?
