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Bob Denver called Gilligan's Island ''low-down humor.''
The comment was high praise.
While Gilligan's Island wasn't necessarily winning any intellectual awards, there was no denying that it entertained a wide audience.
At its best, Gilligan's Island explored outrageous, borderline slapstick content that was sure to delight viewers both young and old.
During an interview with The Kansas City Star, series lead Bob Denver shared what he believed to be the secret to the show's success. "We're low-down humor," said Denver.
Denver put the "Gilligan" in Gilligan's Island, having played the first mate of the S.S. Minnow. Plenty of the show's mishaps were caused by Gilligan, who couldn't seem to get much right. But where Gilligan was dimwitted, Denver was observant. When he said that Gilligan's Island excelled at "low-down humor," it was by no means an insult.
"But it's the kind of Chaplin, Laurel, and Hardy fun that could last a long time," said the actor. "I'm thinking of a 5-year stretch with the show. This kind of slapstick doesn't wear out."
Of course, despite the slapstick comedy of the series, there was some very calculated acting going on behind the scenes to draw a crowd. One of the show's executive producers and directors, Jack Arnold, commended actors like Denver and his co-star, Alan Hale Jr., for their hard work.
"The public doesn't realize how good both of those boys are as actors," said Arnold. "Like racehorses responding to a jockey, they gave me everything they could. That kind of enthusiasm, plus the fact that I turned every dialogue joke into a sight joke, is responsible, in my opinion, for the success of the show."
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