Soccer Dad

Shooting an easter bunny

In his statement about Gilligan's Island, creator Sheldon Schwartz ascribed great meaning to it:

"Gilligan's Island" writer-creator Sherwood Schwartz insisted that the show had social meaning along with the laughs: "I knew that by assembling seven different people and forcing them to live together, the show would have great philosophical implications."

I really didn't think much about the philosphical implications of Gilligan's Island. However there was (at least) one episode that was based on a famous story, "The Hunter". It was based on the short story, (later a movie) "The Most Dangerous Game." What I didn't realize until I just found the script was that the hunter in Gilligan's Island had the same name as the hero of "The Most Dangerous Game," Kincaid.
(In "The Most Dangerous Game" Kincaid is finds himself on a deserted island. Well it's not quite deserted; it's inhabited by a mad Russian general who has hunted all different animals and now wants a go at the "most dangerous game" a human. Specifically, Kincaid. I read it in eighth or ninth grade and enjoyed it then, though, now, I don't recall many of the details.)
Gilligan's Island wasn't the only 60's show to do a riff on "The Most Dangerous Game," Get Smart had an episode "Island of the Darned" (some pictures here) in which Max and 99 are hunted by Hans Hunter.
Anyway in "The Hunter" Kincaid comes to Gilligan's Island and decides to hunt Gilligan. (Why not Mary Ann? That response was excerpted for the title here.) Of course goofy Gilligan confounds Kincaid who isn't able to bag Gilligan within the 24 hour time limit.
Of course Kincaid goes back to civilization and doesn't tell anyone of the castaways. Well he does give a hint:

MR HOWELL
Ha.ha…that…that makes three hundred thousand and twelve bananas that you owe me!

SKIPPER
Well you can subtract them from the nine hundred and sixty Mangos your owe me from playing GIN!

RADIO ANNOUNCER AND NOW FOR THE NEWS OF THE NATIONAL TRAP SHOOTING CHAMPIONSHIP. IT WAS WON BE THE WELL KNOWN SPORTSMAN, JONATHAN KINCAID.

GILLIGAN
Hey, that was the guy that was chasing me last month!

SKIPPER
Yeah!

RADIO ANNOUNCER MR. KINCAID WON THE TITLE WITH A PERFECT SCORE. A HUNDRED CLAY PIGEONS OUT OF A HUNDRED.

PROFESSOR
That's remarkable shooting!

RADIO ANNOUNCER
AFTER THE MATCH, KINCAID SUDDENLY BROKE DOWN AND BECAME SO VIOLENT, THAT LOCAL AUTHORITIES HAD TO BE CALLED. UNABLE TO CALM HIM, HE WAS FINALLY PLACED IN A STRAIGHT JACKET AND TAKEN TO THE MENTAL WARD AT GENERAL HOSPITAL. ALL THE WHILE HE KEPT MUTERING THE MYSTERIOUS WORDS, GILLIGAN, GILLIGAN, GILLIGAN…

Everyone starts laughing at the news and gives Gilligan pats on the back.

As many of you know, Bob Denver who played Gilligan died last week at the age of 70.
Technorati Tag: Gilligan's Island

Posted by SoccerDad at September 7, 2005 8:54 AM