Interesting view of behind the scenes, not only of Gilligan's Island, but of making TV shows in the 1960's. From the interfering executives that wanted to make Ginger a housewife and keep them all on the boat sailing around from episode to episode, to having to defend providing backstory in the themesong, to the eventual cancellation (it was very popular and getting great ratings, and they'd already been told they were obviously renewed when the decision was made to cancel it for an astoundingly stupid reason).
It's well-written and entertaining, even as he's describing his frustration with the various obstacles and critics.
Spurred enough interest for me to go out and buy the complete series on DVD -- my family is half-way through the second season now. ( )

This books offers Schwartz's personal recollections of his fight to get Gilligan's Island on the air as well as keeping it on the air. That, in of itself, is highly interesting but I would have liked to have read more recollections of behind-the-scenes stories regardings the cast and crew of the series. However with that being said, I recommend this book for fans of Gilligan's Island.

I was excited to get Inside Gilligan's Island by Sherwood Schwartz and started reading right away. The back cover promises that Schwartz "...provides wonderful illustrations from his personal collection" and "...a special treat...". I was expecting to learn how the show came to be, what making the show was like when it was on the air, some anecdotes about filming, the actors, and behind the scenes stories.

What I got was a dry, if informative, look at the process of getting a series to television in the 60 s. Mr. Schwartz wrote a very detailed account of his fight to get Gilligan's Island on the air and while it was interesting, for the first couple of chapters, the rest of the book may have been better spent talking about what it was like behind the scenes while the show was on the air.

The anticipated Appendix of plot lists is made up of Episode Synopses stating who wrote and directed each show, a short description of the plot, and the Theme for that show. I was expecting to hear some story of the episode about what kind of shenanigans the cast got up to behind the camera.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys in-depth biographies. If you're looking for anything else, I'd give it a pass. ( )

A fascinating behind the scenes look at a classic television program. This book is a fun and entertaining read that will increase any Gilligan's Island fan's appreciation of the show. ( )

I enjoyed Inside Gilligan's Island much more than I thought I would. I caught the show occasionally while in syndication, but I can't say that I was ever a fan. The inside politics of how a television show is written, pitched, put together, and ultimately put on the air (or not), on the other hand, was pretty fascinating. Schwartz had to deal with moody, power hungry executives and their lackeys, an agent who was undermining him and making deals behind his back, and critics who trashed the show at every possible instance, even while admitting they had seen nothing other than the first five minutes of the pilot. He saves most of his vitriol (which is mild, coming from the writer and producer of Gilligan and The Brady Bunch) for the executives, which he has nothing but bad things to say about, but in a humorous and and non-ascerbic manner.

I'd have given this four stars except for the last couple chapters. They were meant to be a contemporary 'state of the industry' and it was jarring that contemporary was 1988. This was an Early Reviewer book? I had not bothered to read the date on the copyright page, so I did not realize that the book was 24 years old when I started it, and when I was done I thought that those chapters were wildly out of place. ( )