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Bob Denver on his feelings towards Dawn Wells
Gilligan and Mary Ann... Were they pals?
Isn't it a shame that not everybody is as they appear onscreen? When two people have a natural rapport in a TV show, we expect that chemistry to extend to their lives off-screen as well. Too often, though, we're tricked by good acting. When the cameras cut, we're shocked to find out that some co-stars detest one another. It's a fascinating phenomenon, and we're all interested in finding out what these stars are like out of their character's shadow.
While it may be the case that some actors don't get along, it turns out that Gilligan and Mary Ann were actually closer off-screen than they were on Gilligan's Island. Especially compared to the way they discuss Gilligan's Tina Louise, it seems like Bob Denver and Dawn Wells were pretty tight.
The real Gilligan and Mary Ann spent loads of time together after Gilligan's Island wrapped. Bob Denver reveals the details in his forward to Wells' book, Mary Ann's Gilligan's Island Cookbook, released in 1993.
"Dawn and I have been friends for almost thirty years now," Denver wrote.
"We do a couple of personal appearances a year. We've been 'rescued' all over this country.'"
Apparently, Bob Denver got a real kick out of seeing the reception his co-star got at different conventions and appearances. While there were definitely crowds of people excited to meet Gilligan, the people who lined up for Mary Ann were a bit... different.
"To watch her fans come up and ask for autographs is not only education but sometimes hilarious. I've seen grown men shaking in their boots with nerves all a-jangle, stuttering, and blushing. Once I saw a man lean over and whisper to her, and later I asked her what he had said. 'Thank you for getting me through puberty in the nicest ways' had been his message.
"It's not only the guys who are awestruck. Girls and women thank her for being a role model."
What a relief, then, to learn the two didn't have any bad blood. There didn't seem to be any jealousy, as these friends reveled in each other's success.
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Pic of Dawn and Barbara Eden (below)
"Off the island, but forever in our hearts." --Barbara Eden ('Jeannie' on "I Dream of Jeannie", 1965-70) on Twitter (now "X") after Dawn's shocking death on Dec. 30, 2020, at 82.
