Gilligan's Island & Radio

[W1GFH]

This came up in conversation the other day and I thought it was an amusing topic. Granted the castaways were marooned on the island because the S.S. Minnow had a hole in her hull. They create elaborate waterproofed huts complete with furniture, and at one point even build an outdoor theatre, yet they can't repair a hole in the Minnow. OK, fine. They seem to have a transistor radio that never runs out of batteries. A few mods and a FB QRP CW rig could be had. Also the Minnow theoretically has some kind of radio on it, doesn't it (even in 1965 weren't most charter craft equipped with AM VHF radios)? If not, then the Minnow has tons of wire, batteries, generator, deisel engine parts, tools, etc. certainly enough to get a spark gap rig going. Maybe the professor skipped applied physics class in college?

[Mike/W8BAC]

http://www.gilligansisle.com/radio.html 

Here is an interesting thread

http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=177296

[KF1Z]

well, yes.....but if they did that.... the show would've only been 2 episodes.....

I do recall the professor hooking up coconut batteries at one point....


They even pulled up a multi-pair telco cable at one point, and tried to get the operator to put through a call.......


Ah yes, what a show..............

[WD8BIL]

Fun stuff.
If ya remember Joe, they did repair the Minnow with Gilligan's permanent glue. Discovered when Gilligan made some pancake syrup and it set the pancakes to the plates in minutes.

Later they found out Gilligan's permanent glue was "permanent, but only for 3 days!"

[WA1GFZ]

The professor never had a girl friend so he liked being stuck on the island.

[KF1Z]

The professor never had a girl friend so he liked being stuck on the island.

He was the "odd man out..."

Gilligan and the Skipper bunked together.... one on top of the other....

Mr. and Mrs. Howell   

Ginger and Mrry-Ann  bunked together....  side by each

And then the proffesor..... all alone with his odd little experiments...........

[Glenn NY4NC]

Oh man!!  coconut batteries!!!!! HARRRR!!!!!!

I do recall the professor hooking up coconut batteries at one point....

[Tom WA3KLR]

There you go, free energy (for a little work)!

[W1RKW]

If I remember right, the castaways had a spark generator of sorts.  There was an episode where the castaway recreated and staged the shipwreck because a news report faulted the ships crew for the shipwreck.

They used a generator powered by human power on a bamboo bicycle to duplicate the lightning they encountered during the storm that shipwrecked them.  Surely, the FCC being as strict as they were back then would have investigated all the interferrence, of course the professor didn't use some sort of antenna to get the signal out but those homemade lightning bolts were pretty big too.  Someone should have pick them up.  Then again end of series.

[WU2D]

Do you remember the episode where the professor tries to hypnotize the Skipper into remembering how to turn an AM table radio into a rescue transmitter the way he did during the war?

Mike WU2D

[W1GFH]

Do you remember the episode where the professor tries to hypnotize the Skipper into remembering how to turn an AM table radio into a rescue transmitter the way he did during the war

Mike WU2D

I didn't believe you. So I looked it up.

Episode Title: Goodnight Sweet Skipper
Believe it or not, the Professor can't fix the radio in this episode, but he can hypnotize the Skipper so he'll recall how to transform the radio into a transmitter in order to contact a female pilot, The Vagabond Lady,  who is flying over the island. Directed by  stage and screen great, Ida Lupino.

Apparently the conversion is so simple a charter boat captain could do it, but it's so complicated a professor can't figure it out. (And what was Ida Lupino doing getting involved with junk TV like "Gilligan's Island"?)

[kf6pqt]

Now, if I was him, and trapped on an island, Mary-Ann ALONE would be reason enough to try your damndest NOT to get rescued. Then, there was also Ginger.

The others could simply be enslaved for gathering coconuts and tying all those lashings on all those bamboo poles to make all the huts they had.

[WA3VJB]

Even as a small child I knew Mary Ann was the hotter number (over Ginger).

But The Professor had a set of credentials --
Name: Dr. Roy Hinkley
Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio
Education: Six degrees in all, including a B.A. from USC, a B.S. from UCLA, an M.A. from SMU, and a Ph.D. from TCU (all achieved in 25 years)
Areas of Expertise: medicine; dentistry; biology; agriculture; astronomy; marine biology; botany; psychology; physics; law; zoology; chess. Occupation(s): Professor and high school science teacher; noted Boy Scout leader (he was the youngest Eagle Scout in Cleveland) and writer.
Reason for taking the three-hour tour: To write his book, "Fun with Ferns"

From Russell's book, "Here on Gilligan's Isle"
Source: http://russell-johnson.com/index.html

[W3LSN]

Even as a small child I knew Mary Ann was the hotter number (over Ginger).

But The Professor had a set of credentials --
Name: Dr. Roy Hinkley
Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio
Education: Six degrees in all, including a B.A. from USC, a B.S. from UCLA, an M.A. from SMU, and a Ph.D. from TCU (all achieved in 25 years)
Areas of Expertise: medicine; dentistry; biology; agriculture; astronomy; marine biology; botany; psychology; physics; law; zoology; chess. Occupation(s): Professor and high school science teacher; noted Boy Scout leader (he was the youngest Eagle Scout in Cleveland) and writer.
Reason for taking the three-hour tour: To write his book, "Fun with Ferns"

From Russell's book, "Here on Gilligan's Isle"
Source: http://russell-johnson.com/index.html

40-years later, and Dawn Wells is STILL hot!

73, Jim
WA2AJM/3

[WA3VJB]

Ayuh !

[WU2D]

Strap in - and learn about real radio

http://video.aol.com/video/tv-gilligans-island-good-night-sweet-skipper/1692203

P.S. - There may have been one TV show which was better than Gilligans Island - The Beverly Hillbillies..

Mike WU2D

[WU2D]

Actually, it looks like a Hallicrafters S-40 or 76 that they converted to a transmitter.

Mike WU2D

[w3jn]

I noticed both the Skipper and Gilligan slept on their backs, but we never saw whether Ginger and/or Mary Ann did.

[The Slab Bacon]

Do you remember the episode where the professor tries to hypnotize the Skipper into remembering how to turn an AM table radio into a rescue transmitter the way he did during the war?
Mike WU2D

What a dunce!! the hell with hypnotizing the skipper. I would much rather have spent the time trying to hypnotize MaryAnn!!!

                                                     the Slab Bacon

[N3DRB The Derb]

She was a real life Miss Teen USA as well. (Dawn Wells). I am presuming she is a lesbian since I have never seen her linked to any man romantically, even going back to the celeb rags of the day. She has kept her personal life a damn good secret over 30+ years.

well, she had a daughter, so she got skewered by someone's proboscis at some point.

[KF1Z]

Mary-Ann.... Dawn Wells......can't believe she's 69 years old....

She was married to Larry Rosen for 4 or 5 years...


Not exactly the hottie she was....

http://www.imdb.com/gallery/granitz/3506/Events/3506/DawnWells_Grani_2401023_400.jpg.html?hint=group

[W2XR]

Gee, as a middle-aged old buzzard (53 years and counting), she still looks pretty good to me!

Yup, that transistor radio in the show saw some good service, with the coconut battery bank, etc. A corny show by todays standards, but one that my sister and I used to watch religiously every Saturday evening on CBS, much to our enjoyment. Then it was on to "Get Smart", still one of my all-time favorites, on NBC originally as I recall.

Nice memories.

73,

Bruce

[W3SLK]

Derb said:

She was a real life Miss Teen USA as well. (Dawn Wells). I am presuming she is a lesbian since I have never seen her linked to any man romantically, even going back to the celeb rags of the day. She has kept her personal life a damn good secret over 30+ years.

well, she had a daughter, so she got skewered by someone's proboscis at some point.

Well, I wouldn't throw her out of bed for eating crackers.... well maybe I would since there is more room on the floor

[WA1GFZ]

Mary Ann was far hotter

AH I wish I still had my Jethro mobile  '72 camper special oak flat bed with a 350 4 bolt .030 over with 4.11 gears. perfect for playing road chicken with yuppies.

[W1RC]

I personally found that show ridiculous, trite and boring.  The only character I thought was funny was Jim Backus.  He was priceless in IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD!

Now, let's talk about W C Fields if you want to discuss funny people!

73,

MisterMike