Dawn Wells, ‘Gilligan’s Island’s’ Mary Ann, Dies of COVID at 82

Dawn’s death leaves Tina Louise (Ginger) as the only surviving cast member from the Île de Gilligan.

Dawn did no nudity in her career, but there was the scene below in a 1965 episode of Gilligan’s Island, specifically s2e2, which was titled “Gilligan Saw My Ass Cheeks.”

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This was probably my favorite episode except for the one where the professor built a speculum out of palm fronds and gave Ginger a complete gynecological check-up. Gilligan accidentally stumbled upon the makeshift examining room, and the professor had to hit him on the head with a coconut so he would forget the traumatic sight.

Things were going well until the application of Gilligan’s First Law, which states that any memory loss caused by a falling coconut will be reversed when the victim is struck by a second coconut. For years after his memory was restored, Gilligan was a haunted man, fearing to gaze upon any sort of opening, because his mind would automatically replace the object with the image of Ginger’s coochie.

Gilligan was in therapy for years after they left the island.

They say he never recovered, but some of the mental illness might have been caused by the many concussions he received from being constantly thrashed by the skipper’s hat.

Not to mention falling coconuts.

4 thoughts on “Dawn Wells, ‘Gilligan’s Island’s’ Mary Ann, Dies of COVID at 82

  1. I was born in 1968 so the first TV I remember watching was in the 1970’s. There were certain shows that were just constantly on in syndication. I Love Lucy, the Andy Griffith Show, the Brady Bunch and Gilligan’s Island were on every day and I watched them nearly every day. I must have seen every episode these shows, some over a dozen times. Ron Howard and the Brady Kids are still alive, but nearly everyone else from the shows of my childhood have died, many in the last few years. Tina Louise is still with us and even though like most guys I was always way more into Mary Ann (and Tina also stayed away from the reunion movies) I hope she is with us for many years to come. Being 52 has really sucked. It wasn’t too bad the first couple of months but then it started to really suck. I really hope being 53 is better. I’ll start finding out on Friday. I’d invite you all to my birthday party but Andrew Cuomo wouldn’t like it.

    1. That’s a great list. I’d have the same list, with the addition of Leave it to Beaver. That show was on back-to-back with Andy Griffith every day at noon and 12:30 for literally 15 years in my neck of the woods. Every day at lunch from early grade school until university, I’d watch them as I ate. Sadly now even some of the kids from Beaver have started to die, although as long as Larry Mondello is in good shape, we can rest easy.

      Also, happy birthday.

      1. I didn’t watch Leave It To Beaver growing up. I don’t really recall it being on much in NYC. But I was aware of the show. I had a classmate in law school named Edward Livingston Haskell. Unsurprisingly he went by Livvy instead of Eddy. But I think most people younger than me (and some older) wouldn’t have any awareness of the Eddie Haskel character. I practiced law for a while before getting a job as a legal recruiter/head hunter. We placed paralegals as well as attorneys. I had a paralegal candidate named Felix Unger. He was in his early 20’s in 2004. His parents had come to America from somewhere in Eastern Europe and had no awareness of the Odd Couple. The Odd Couple was on in syndication pretty much every day when I was a kid, but not so much anymore. I wonder how many young people would recognize that name today?

        Thank you for the birthday wishes. I hope you have a wonderful new year.

  2. My fav was the one where she trips, hits her head on a rock, and wakes up thinking she’s Ginger. As the Prof explained it scientifically, “Ginger was the last person she saw, so naturally she thinks she’s Ginger!” Then she corners Gilligan in the woods & makes out with him hot ‘n heavy. Her tongue was so far down his throat, Bob Denver nearly knocked her out with his hard-on. Odds are 99% Gilligan lost his virginity that night.

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