Gilligan, Maynard & Me

by Bob Denver

The television star recalls his days as beatnik Maynard G. Krebs in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" and bumbling castaway Gilligan in "Gilligan's Island"

Genres: Tv, Nonfiction, Autobiography, Biography

183 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1993

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've loved Bob Denver as Gilligan ever since I was a tiny child. I re-discovered the joy that is Gilligan's Island (and discovered for the first time the joy that is The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis - Bob Denver's earlier show) as an adult. When I discovered that Bob Denver had written a book about his life of acting, I just had to read it, and I was not at all disappointed. This book details behind-the-scenes stories about Bob's work on various shows and is told in his perspective - it almost feels like the reader is sitting down with him and having a friendly chat. It's a very easy and fun read. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who loves Bob Denver.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fast, massively entertaining book reads like something Maynard G. Krebs wrote himself. But, don’t expect your typical celebrity memoir. Denver only mentions his personal life when it directly relates to his work—like when his son was cast as a small Gilligan. Not that I find this problematic, especially the fun way Denver presents things. His commentary on his favorite episodes of Dobie and Gilligan are hilarious, and the jazz-loving Maynard would have loved the complete lyrics to the musical Hamlet that Denver includes (from “The Producers” episode of Gilligan’s Island).

I recommend this as a double feature with The Monster That Devoured Cleveland—ha, ha, Dobie Gillis joke. But, it does pair well with Forever Dobie: The Many Lives of Dwayne Hickman, by Dwayne Hickman.

[Deanna Lynn Sletten · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so much fun to read. For anyone who grew up watching reruns of Gilligan's Island, this is a must read. Bob Denver shares his experiences filming Gilligan's Island as well as his first series, Dobie Gillis, and also what he worked on in his years after Gilligan. He shares his favorite episodes, and in each tells a little background on what happened during the filming of each episode. The stories are funny and heartwarming. As Gilligan, Denver always came across as a nice, gentle soul, and in real life he really was. I really don't think he ever got the respect he deserves for making being funny look so effortless. And he loved the Gilligan cast - they were friends until the day he died.

I loved this book and I recommend it to anyone who loves the old sitcoms!

[Mediaman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointing incomplete "memoir" that is basically an episode guide to the two most famous TV shows that Bob Denver starred in. It's incredibly short, padded with over 60 pages of photos and almost 50 of his episode summaries--that leaves only 70 pages of actual narrative copy which fail to have anything about his growing up years, his adulthood family, and enough about each of this other television series and movies.

There are also a number of errors or incorrect statements. At one point he talks about while shooting the Gilligan pilot in Hawaii the cast learned "early in the afternoon" that President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas. Well, JFK was shot early in the afternoon Dallas time, but it happened around 7:30 a.m. Hawaiian time.

Denver claims Gilligan's Island was "in the top ten of the ratings" its first year. It actually ranked 18th for the season. He also makes the totally inaccurate claim that "we were still in the top twenty of the ratings" when the sitcom was cancelled. It didn't even make the top 40 in its third year.

What's here is just okay--you might even enjoy the dull episode synopses--but many other books about Gilligan's Island are better, and there should have been much more personal stories included on these pages. It's certainly not a revealing memoir, and everyone except Tina Louise gets overpraised. He should have left this back on the island.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half was OK. Just OK. It related funny happenings on the set by various personages. In the second half he described episodes of "Many Loves..." and "Gilligan." Very unexciting and poorly written. I swear he must have spoken his descriptions into a cassette recorder and paid to have it transcribed. If not, he was very lazy in his writing.

There are better books out there. Don't waste your time unless you REALLY liked his shows.

[Gigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a HUGE fan of Gilligan's Island growing up, it was easy for me to dig right into this book. It was a very light read. The book doesn't give a lot of personal background, but it is more about Bob Denver's acting career and personal experiences he had on set and with cast and crew. I enjoyed the photos that were included in the book. It brought back a lot of memories.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who loves Gillian's Island will adore Bob Denver's memoir of his time as a stranded castaway. The book covers his life from before he entered show-biz, to meeting his wife, to hilarious commentary on certain episodes of Gillian's Island, and much more.
I highly recomend!

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun

[Chip Watts · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mildly interesting. That’s all.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fun read.