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*Since Gilligan’s Island is an older series, many of the grabs from the show are not of the best quality. In light of that, we apologize, but were only able to find a few full-resolution pictures.*
The sudden passing of 60s actress, Dawn Wells, came as a heart-breaking shock for fans of Sherwood Schwartz’s Gilligan’s Island (1964-1967). While Dawn Wells was only one of the two living cast members from the show, she had never reported any illness or declination in health, which made the news all the more tragic. Despite the sadness of her unfortunate passing, Wells will always be fondly remembered for her optimistic attitude and unreserved compassion.
Wells was involved in several humanitarian efforts, founding and organizing events to help those in need. The kind-hearted nature of her Gilligan’s Island character, Mary Ann Summers, reflected her true character in life. Despite her role not receiving many featured episodes in Gilligan’s Island, Mary Ann emerged as a fan-favorite character on the show. Mary Ann’s bubbly personality and hard-working, sweet, girl-next-door characteristics successfully cemented her individualism, apart from merely acting as a foil to Ginger Grant (Tina Louise). Here, we highlight three Mary Ann-centric episodes of Gilligan’s Island to lovingly reminisce on Dawn Wells and remind viewers what made her character memorable.
“The Matchmaker” (1965)
Ginger: “It reminds me of a movie I was in once. He loved her with a burning passion, and she loved him like a flaming fire. Good movie.”
Gilligan’s Island. (1964-1967). (( Gilligan’s Island. Season 1, Episode 25: “The Matchmaker.” 1964-1967. CBS. ))
Mary Ann: “It sounds like a commercial for a gas company.”
As a general disclaimer, “The Matchmaker” features the effusive Dawn Wells as Mary Ann heavily in the first half of the episode, but less so in the latter half. Regardless, this late-season one episode proved one of the first significant times that Gilligan’s Island gave Mary Ann a prominent spotlight.
In “The Matchmaker,” Mrs. Howell laments to Mr. Howell how their presence on the island has deprived her of enjoying social events. She realizes that the captain of a ship can legally perform a marriage ceremony. When Mrs. Howell sees Gilligan carrying Mary Ann in his arms through her hut window, she formulates a plan to play matchmaker for the young couple. Mr. Howell and Mrs. Howell individually boast about the joys of marriage to Gilligan and Mary Ann, respectively. After the Howells successfully lure the two together for dinner, Mary Ann and Gilligan ascertain their scheming whims. Unfortunately, the Howells get into an argument, forcing the marooned shipmates to play matchmakers for the married couple.
Dawn Wells bursts with youthful energy in each scene she takes part in as Mary Ann, no matter how short the line. When Mary Ann discovers flowers left for her from Gilligan, her cheeky smile and careful handling of the flowers convey a woman overjoyed with the prospect of romance. As she pedals to power the sewing machine for Mrs. Howell, Mary Ann’s body language and morphing facial expressions express genuine reactions to Mrs. Howell’s calculated words. Mary Ann dons a fabulous maid outfit as she selflessly serves dinner for the Howell’s, giving confident enthusiasm whenever the camera pans to her for a quick action.
Wells never falters in her performance, precisely matching her countenance to each scene’s tone. Mary Ann always fully invests herself in the well-being of her friends on the island. She optimistically aids in the effort to bring Mrs. Howell and Mr. Howell back together. Dawn Wells emanates concerned authenticity as Mary Ann, even when her character’s storyline ends in the middle of this episode.
“The Postman Cometh” (1966)
Dr. Grant/Professor: “Mary Ann, Mary Ann, Mary Ann . . .”
Gilligan’s Island. (1964-1967). (( Gilligan’s Island. Season 2, Episode 18: “The Postman Cometh.” 1964-1967. CBS. ))
Mary Ann: “Professor!”
Dr. Grant/Professor: “Just a minute, I’ve got a few more Mary Ann’s!”
The season two episode of Gilligan’s Island, “The Postman Cometh,” centralizes around Mary Ann and her fantasies of a whirlwind romance. Mary Ann is revealed to have been writing love letters to her boyfriend back home in Kansas, Horace Higgenbottom, since her arrival on the island. Gilligan flings the message in the bottle out to sea for a seemingly love-struck Mary Ann.
After hearing a radio broadcast about Horace’s new marriage, the Professor and Skipper urge Gilligan to tell Mary Ann the devastating news. Gilligan fails in his mission, and the Professor also finds himself unable to inform Mary Ann. Chickening out, he suggests that the mushrooms she has been cooking might be lethal, leading Mary Ann to believe she’s been poisoned falsely.
Dawn Wells spends much of her time as Mary Ann in this episode alone, relying on her sparkling personality and face to portray realism. When Gilligan, Skipper, and the Professor all saunter into her hut to battle for her affection, her comedic timing and compelling line delivery produce an uproariously funny scene. Her eyes project so much emotion, creating especially poignant imagery when she breaks down in tears over the thought of dying.
Despite death as a central theme, Mary Ann wants to face her fate head-on with a smile. This episode ends on an uplifting note as Mary Ann feels cathartic after realizing she’d been misinformed. Dawn Wells never overacts, and the relief on Mary Ann’s face tugs at the heartstrings after she realizes that her friends provide her all the love she felt like she was missing.
Like Mary Ann, Dawn Wells showed constant compassion and love for others in life. Wells’ financial support of the Denver Foundation helped raise funds for disabled individuals. “The Postman Cometh” is a touching episode, considering Wells is not with us anymore, but she does a superb job carrying the tension throughout the storyline.
“The Second Ginger Grant” (1967)
Professor: “And of course, you know who you are . . .”
Gilligan’s Island. (1964-1967). (( Gilligan’s Island. Season 3, Episode 24: “The Second Ginger Grant.” 1964-1967. CBS. ))
Mary Ann: “I’m Ginger!”
Gilligan: “She’s sick!”
In one of the most famous episodes from Gilligan’s Island, Dawn Wells and her fans alike cite the season three episode, “The Second Ginger Grant,” as their favorite. The episode opens with Ginger putting on a musical performance of “I Wanna Be Loved by You” on their crudely constructed stage. Mary Ann appears particularly entranced by Ginger onstage. Consequently, Mary Ann trips over a rock and hits her head after emulating Ginger’s movements. This incident causes Mary Ann to develop amnesia, further leading her to believe that she actually is Ginger Grant. While Mary Ann completely adopts Ginger’s personality, the rest of the shipwrecked crew go to great lengths to create another “Mary Ann.”
Thankfully, Dawn Wells had an opportunity to star in this paramount episode before the show’s conclusion. Wells’ acting is magnificent here, projecting Tina Louise’s idiosyncrasies, inflections, and excessive eye-blinking without missing a beat. A top-notch performance all around, her hilarious seduction of Gilligan in a leopard-print two-piece reinforces Wells’ dynamic range as an actor.
Mary Ann stumbles around on stage as she endeavors to mirror Ginger’s performance from the beginning of the episode. Dawn Wells etches oscillating bewilderment onto her face while using her whole body to highlight the effects amnesia has taken on Mary Ann. This episode is stuffed with indelible humor to approach the often more serious topic regarding memory loss.
Dawn Wells takes centerstage as Mary Ann and has expressed joy in remembering this iconic episode. Pride in her accomplishments as the hard-working Mary Ann on Gilligan’s Island is well deserved. Still, similar to Mary Ann’s characteristics, Wells continued acting and worked tirelessly to provide for the less fortunate. Dawn Wells utilized her vast repertoire of physical expressionism, leading to a magnetic performance in “The Second Ginger Grant.”
Smooth Sailing, Dawn Wells
Dawn Wells had a successful career as an actress in Hollywood, but most will always remember her as the delightfully endearing Mary Ann Summers on Gilligan’s Island. Wells never let herself be pushed to the background on the show or in life. As a result, her perseverance to prosper as an actress paid off.
Wells never let fame corrupt her, using her money and talents to contribute to disadvantaged groups of people and run a charitable clothing business for the disabled. Even though her passing has caused much grief, we can take inspiration from the qualities of charity, selflessness, and unyielding compassion she demonstrated in her eighty-two years of life. Rest in peace, Dawn Wells.
You did a fantastic job of using the written word to convey the tone of each of these iconically memorable episodes that he highlight the talents of both Ms Wells and the generally under acknowledged writing staff of Gilligan’s Island. I enjoyed this trip down Memory Lane. Dawn Wells will be truly missed but thankfully never truly gone.