Influencing His Character
Off-set, actor Alan Hale Jr. called others ‘little buddy.’ Hearing this, the Gilligan’s Island crew got some ideas. In fact, they took this tic and decided to let his character Skipper get some inspiration from Alan. Thus, Skipper began calling Gilligan (played by Bob Denver), ‘little buddy.’ It just really fit the demeanor of Alan Hale Jr.’s character.
Influencing His Character
Equal Credit
Bob Denver was not your average TV star diva. No, this man was all about equality. Actually, when Dawn Wells and Russell Johnson weren’t named in the credits, he was very upset and fought to change this. Speaking of the character Gilligan, the famous Jerry Van Dyke could have been Gilligan. However, Jerry turned it down and later said, “But that’s the joke: I turned it down and took My Mother the Car. But, again, it was really good, because I’d [have] been forever known as Gilligan. So that worked out, too.”
Equal Credit
