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Gilligan, Maynard & Me
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"
- GenresTvNonfictionBiography
183 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 22, 2018
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.
March 7, 2013
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.
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.
October 30, 2026
This book was published in 1993, about the time of the thirty-year anniversary of Gilligan’s Island. Bob Denver was 58 at the time and so it must have seemed a good time to write a look-back-on-it all type book.
In the preface, Bob Denver opens with the line “I’ve been Gilligan for almost thirty years.” Seems like that was the fate of the seven castaways, to be forever tied to a silly sitcom that ran from 1964 to 1967.
In the first chapter, Bob Denver describes getting the acting bug when he was in college at Loyola University in Los Angeles. He was asked to be the house manager of the little theater on campus, then asked to read for a part, which he did against his will, and then he got the part and was terrified to perform.
From there it led to college plays and then a decision to become a professional actor after college. Maybe in Los Angeles in the 1950s becoming an actor was a job that people chose to do, but I found myself wondering if there was more to the story.
Bob Denver tells us about the jobs he did while he was trying to get his break, including teaching, which is something that Russell Johnson (who played the Professor) said about Bob Denver in his own memoir. Bob Denver describes how disappointed his students were when he got a role in a sitcom and left teaching.
The next few chapters describe Bob Denver on the show The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, where Denver played Maynard G. Krebs, his breakout role. There’s a lot of interesting behind-the-scenes details about how pilots got made in those days. How sitcoms were shot. And there’s a nice chapter describing his co-stars.
I’ve never seen the show, but I want to see some episodes now. It seems that the cast and crew were cohesive and worked hard, which was also true in Gilligan’s Island.
The parts of the book I was most interested in were the behind-the-scenes from Gilligan’s Island. Bob Denver describes a lot of the planning and execution of the effects in that show. Huts exploding. Gorillas swinging Gilligan through the trees. Plus getting in and out of the lagoon, especially on cold days.
Those things seemed to stand out to Bob Denver, which makes sense since he often risked his life and limb to perform the stunts.
Sherwood Schwartz, the producer and writer of the show, stands out in this book as exceptionally capable, good-natured, hardworking, and determined. Russell Johnson in his memoir gives a similar recounting. Every time I’ve looked at anything behind-the-scenes of Gilligan’s Island, I’ve come away amazed at how Sherwood Schwartz had a vision for the show and how he stuck to it.
Bob Denver has a chapter highlighting his fifty favorite episodes of Gilligan’s Island. Reading his synopses, I remember what I like about the show as an adult. Which I probably instinctively liked as a kid but didn’t realize it. The show does such an amazing job of pointing out the absurdity of human nature.
Mr. Howell loses a putting contest with Gilligan, which leads to a series of bets, which leaves Mr. Howell owing Gilligan millions of dollars.
The castaways find a treasure chest and argue over who owns it. They even hold a trial with the Professor as the judge.
The other castaways find out Gilligan is writing a diary, and they’re each convinced Gilligan is saying bad things about each of them and they all want to read it.
The castaways’ water source dries up so water is rationed. Gilligan is put on guard duty over the water supply. All the castaways try to steal some.
It’s amazing to me how these sorts of plots could be pulled off in such a silly way. There’s so much commentary on society that you’d never see. Sherwood Schwartz intended the show to be a “microcosm of society.” It’s a group of people who wouldn’t normally associate with each other being forced to work together.
It amazes me.
Bob Denver describes the cast members a bit. Alan Hale, the Skipper, gets the most mention, which makes sense since the Skipper and Gilligan shared a lot of scenes together. Alan Hale, by all accounts, seems like he was as affable and generous in real life as the Skipper was on TV.
There’s not a lot about Russell Johnson (the Professor), Dawn Wells (Mary Ann), or Natalie Shafer (Mrs. Howell). They do get mentioned and described. Bob Denver seems to hold Dawn Wells in special regard and to hold Russell Johnson in high esteem. But since they seem to have been level-headed, nice, professional people, they don’t get featured much in behind-the-scenes stories.
Tina Louise, who played Ginger, gets singled out a lot for being aloof from the other actors. Which I think is terribly unfair because I’m sure that she had very good reasons for the way she acted and she did give up a stage career in New York to be on the show and I think Bob Denver and everyone else should be more understanding and give her a pass.
The last chapters wrap up Bob Denver’s life after Gilligan up to the point of the book’s publication. He seems to have been satisfied.
The writing style is informal and friendly. But a lot of things seem to have been glossed over. The behind-the-scenes stories are all tame, and I wonder if some were cleaned up for public consumption. Bob Denver had a drinking problem for much of his life, which he doesn’t get into in the book.
Also, I didn’t like the organization of the book too much. A lot of the book are summaries of episodes, with behind-the-scenes stories woven into the description of the episode. Russell Johnson, in his memoir about Gilligan’s Island, wove the stories for each actor into larger sections, instead of spreading them out over episode descriptions. It made that book, Here on Gilligan’s Isle, easier to read.
And again, Tina Louise was a fine actress and a fine person so stop picking on her.
This is a good book for fans of Gilligan’s Island or 1960s television.
In the preface, Bob Denver opens with the line “I’ve been Gilligan for almost thirty years.” Seems like that was the fate of the seven castaways, to be forever tied to a silly sitcom that ran from 1964 to 1967.
In the first chapter, Bob Denver describes getting the acting bug when he was in college at Loyola University in Los Angeles. He was asked to be the house manager of the little theater on campus, then asked to read for a part, which he did against his will, and then he got the part and was terrified to perform.
From there it led to college plays and then a decision to become a professional actor after college. Maybe in Los Angeles in the 1950s becoming an actor was a job that people chose to do, but I found myself wondering if there was more to the story.
Bob Denver tells us about the jobs he did while he was trying to get his break, including teaching, which is something that Russell Johnson (who played the Professor) said about Bob Denver in his own memoir. Bob Denver describes how disappointed his students were when he got a role in a sitcom and left teaching.
The next few chapters describe Bob Denver on the show The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, where Denver played Maynard G. Krebs, his breakout role. There’s a lot of interesting behind-the-scenes details about how pilots got made in those days. How sitcoms were shot. And there’s a nice chapter describing his co-stars.
I’ve never seen the show, but I want to see some episodes now. It seems that the cast and crew were cohesive and worked hard, which was also true in Gilligan’s Island.
The parts of the book I was most interested in were the behind-the-scenes from Gilligan’s Island. Bob Denver describes a lot of the planning and execution of the effects in that show. Huts exploding. Gorillas swinging Gilligan through the trees. Plus getting in and out of the lagoon, especially on cold days.
Those things seemed to stand out to Bob Denver, which makes sense since he often risked his life and limb to perform the stunts.
Sherwood Schwartz, the producer and writer of the show, stands out in this book as exceptionally capable, good-natured, hardworking, and determined. Russell Johnson in his memoir gives a similar recounting. Every time I’ve looked at anything behind-the-scenes of Gilligan’s Island, I’ve come away amazed at how Sherwood Schwartz had a vision for the show and how he stuck to it.
Bob Denver has a chapter highlighting his fifty favorite episodes of Gilligan’s Island. Reading his synopses, I remember what I like about the show as an adult. Which I probably instinctively liked as a kid but didn’t realize it. The show does such an amazing job of pointing out the absurdity of human nature.
Mr. Howell loses a putting contest with Gilligan, which leads to a series of bets, which leaves Mr. Howell owing Gilligan millions of dollars.
The castaways find a treasure chest and argue over who owns it. They even hold a trial with the Professor as the judge.
The other castaways find out Gilligan is writing a diary, and they’re each convinced Gilligan is saying bad things about each of them and they all want to read it.
The castaways’ water source dries up so water is rationed. Gilligan is put on guard duty over the water supply. All the castaways try to steal some.
It’s amazing to me how these sorts of plots could be pulled off in such a silly way. There’s so much commentary on society that you’d never see. Sherwood Schwartz intended the show to be a “microcosm of society.” It’s a group of people who wouldn’t normally associate with each other being forced to work together.
It amazes me.
Bob Denver describes the cast members a bit. Alan Hale, the Skipper, gets the most mention, which makes sense since the Skipper and Gilligan shared a lot of scenes together. Alan Hale, by all accounts, seems like he was as affable and generous in real life as the Skipper was on TV.
There’s not a lot about Russell Johnson (the Professor), Dawn Wells (Mary Ann), or Natalie Shafer (Mrs. Howell). They do get mentioned and described. Bob Denver seems to hold Dawn Wells in special regard and to hold Russell Johnson in high esteem. But since they seem to have been level-headed, nice, professional people, they don’t get featured much in behind-the-scenes stories.
Tina Louise, who played Ginger, gets singled out a lot for being aloof from the other actors. Which I think is terribly unfair because I’m sure that she had very good reasons for the way she acted and she did give up a stage career in New York to be on the show and I think Bob Denver and everyone else should be more understanding and give her a pass.
The last chapters wrap up Bob Denver’s life after Gilligan up to the point of the book’s publication. He seems to have been satisfied.
The writing style is informal and friendly. But a lot of things seem to have been glossed over. The behind-the-scenes stories are all tame, and I wonder if some were cleaned up for public consumption. Bob Denver had a drinking problem for much of his life, which he doesn’t get into in the book.
Also, I didn’t like the organization of the book too much. A lot of the book are summaries of episodes, with behind-the-scenes stories woven into the description of the episode. Russell Johnson, in his memoir about Gilligan’s Island, wove the stories for each actor into larger sections, instead of spreading them out over episode descriptions. It made that book, Here on Gilligan’s Isle, easier to read.
And again, Tina Louise was a fine actress and a fine person so stop picking on her.
This is a good book for fans of Gilligan’s Island or 1960s television.
March 30, 2014
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!
I loved this book and I recommend it to anyone who loves the old sitcoms!
May 5, 2020
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.
There are better books out there. Don't waste your time unless you REALLY liked his shows.
June 27, 2024
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.
September 8, 2026
I'm not sure why I didn't read this book when I read Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells' books several years ago. Alas, I am here now and enjoyed it very much! I wish it had been longer, but it was a nice little collection of memories from Bob Denver's career. (But yikes… he really didn't like Tina Louise, did he?)
June 12, 2021
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!
I highly recomend!
March 11, 2024
Mildly interesting. That’s all.
July 3, 2016
A really fun read.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews