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Alan Hale risked life and limb for Gilligan's Island, according to Russell Johnson
Neither bruise nor blood could deter the Skipper!
How dedicated are you to your job? Some of us call it quits at the most minor inconvenience. Many people might just hang it up for the day if the bus is late. But, there are also plenty of people who go above and beyond for their livelihood. Such folks put pride in their work and aren't content with just going through the motions. Alan Hale, Jr., aka Gilligan Island's Skipper, definitely fell into this latter camp.
For whatever strange reason, as fans, we're often fascinated by on-set accidents. Maybe it's the same phenomenon that makes us rubberneck and gawk at car wrecks. We are all curious about catastrophic misfortune. Accidents make us take stock of our own health and well-being. It's human nature.
Alan Hale wasn't happy to let a little bodily harm keep him from his work. On Gilligan's Island, he often found himself in precarious situations, with his body on the line for a goof or a gag.
Russell Johnson, the Professor, spoke at length about his co-star's commitment in the 1993 memoir Here on Gilligan's Isle:
"Alan's dedication to the show was undaunted," wrote Johnson.
"He would do just about anything to assist in its health. This is a guy who took a fall from a palm tree and broke his wrist but told no one. There were two more episodes to film that season before we scattered on hiatus, and Alan didn't want to disturb the course of events. He never took a day off and never complained.
"At our wrap party celebrating the close of the first season, Sherwood Schwartz took Alan aside and asked him why his wrist looked painfully swollen. Alan told him about the accident. None of us knew until then. When Alan finally went to his doctor, he was fitted with a cast from wrist to elbow."
This wasn't the sole example of Hale getting hurt on the show's set, either.
"In one show, if you look closely, you can see a bandage on Alan's right ear. In this episode, we put on a play, and Ginger and Mrs. Howell argued about who would play Cleopatra. Near the end, Gilligan carried a bamboo ladder onstage and Skipper walked right though it, breaking the rungs."
While the scene was planned meticulously, an unexpected factor ended in bloodshed.
"The prop men demonstrated the gag for Alan, and the thin bamboo they had made for the rungs snapped as easily as pretzels. Alan tried the gag once, and when the soft bamboo broke, it exposed a sharp edge that sliced into his ear."
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