Sherwood Schwartz scored an unexpected television coup when his cartoony sitcom "Gilligan's Island" premiered on CBS 60 years ago. Though the show only lasted for three seasons, it turned into a syndication sensation with mostly teens and 20-somethings eager to avoid homework and chores around the house. Algebra assignments and the ever-growing grass on the front yard routinely took a backseat to the seven castaways from the S.S. Minnow. Yes, everyone knew they weren't getting off that confounded island, but every episode had a way of sparking false hope; between this and the Professor's fantastic inventions, the Howells' inexplicably lavish bamboo lodgings, and the eternal Mary Ann vs. Ginger debate, "Gilligan's Island" was shamefully irresistible.
The show's boundlessly silly situations and digressions also allowed for surprise guests (like the Harlem Globetrotters) and allusions to other hit series. Schwartz knew his show wasn't changing the face of television (even though it kind of ended up doing just that via its syndication success), nor was it jockeying for Emmys. It was just there to, as Skipper actor Alan Hale Jr. once noted, provide regular folks with a half-hour escape from the drudgery of their workaday existence. So, he had license to execute some out-there gags, one of which referenced the one-time ratings cornerstone of CBS' 1950s lineup.