Who could ever forget Ginger Grant, the sultry movie star with quick-witted, comedic timing on the beloved 1960s sitcom, Gilligan’s Island? Well, these 60 years later, actress Tina Louise has had the joy of witnessing generation after generation, discovering her comedy series, through television reruns and the advancing ways of video streaming.
A show that also starred Bob Denver, Dawn Wells, Russell Johnson, Alan Hale Jr., Natalie Schafer and Jim Backus, Gilligan’s Island centered around seven people from different walks of life, whose three-hour boat tour on the S.S. Minnow ultimately stranded them a deserted island – and for three seasons, they hilariously strived to work together to get rescued.
Today, Louise is the only surviving cast member and now lives in New York. Throughout her long acting career, which began on-stage before pursuing television and film projects, she has also authored books (Sunday: A Memoir and When I Grow Up) and has found other fulfilling opportunities, far beyond the screen.
While catching up with Louise during our new conversation, she first revealed her greatest passions and purpose in life lately – being the mother to her daughter, Caprice Crane, as well as recently becoming a “yaya” (Greek for “grandmother”).
Louise said, “It’s amazing when you have a child, and I had so much fun – in view of the fact that I had such a strange childhood – so much fun raising her. Now, we have twins – a little boy and a little girl. They’re number one. Then, the other thing is that I’ve been a learning leader since 1995. When I walked into the classroom at a public school, I found it to be a very nourishing, important, emotional thing. The idea of helping a first and second grader to read was such a happy experience for me.”
Reflecting upon her time playing Ginger on Gilligan’s Island, which aired on television from 1964 to 1967, Louise said, “I always enjoyed my work. I left a Broadway show to do it. The CBS casting director Ethel Winant called me at the theater, ‘Do you think you could play this Lucille Ball/Marilyn Monroe-type of character?’ I said yes. I got there and the director wanted it to be a more sarcastic kind of character. And so, then I didn’t even want to work on it anymore. I told him I wanted to quit. The head of the [CBS]
organization called me into his office and he said, ‘We hear you want to leave.’ I explained to him that I didn’t want to play it and I didn’t think the show would be successful, changing the original idea of the character. You just can’t go into people’s homes and dress somebody up like a doll and then have her to be not nice. So, he agreed with me and he got rid of the director after it was only a month, and he hired Richard Donner, who was fantastic. He had a great sense of humor and then the writers started writing for what I was supposed to be doing and the show became a hit, and I enjoyed the part.”
Beyond her Gilligan’s Island fame, Louise is also known for her acting roles in such projects as God’s Little Acre, The Warrior Empress and The Stepford Wives, as well as most recently starring alongside Stephen Baldwin in the 2019 film, Tapestry. So, does Louise have any interest in continuing to act?
“I don’t really have an agent. Yes, I would – but it’s like dreaming will not make it so. I don’t think people come to find you, but if somebody asked me to do something that I wanted to do – that I found some reason to do – I would want to do it. I just don’t have representation in that area, but I mean, I can be found. I think it’s pointless to have an agent. Why would they do that at this point? I’m open to doing work. I just take one day at a time and I’m doing what I want to do.”
Speaking about her days lately and how she stays healthy (you can Google her age, if you care to know), Louise added: “When I want to go to the gym, when it’s warm enough to walk up there, then I go there. Otherwise, I do a lot of walking. Usually, I like to walk at least a minimum of a mile a day, but a lot of days, I walk over two miles. My daughter told me I had to stay alive. I’m careful about what I eat. I have a lot of plant meals, but I would not call myself a vegetarian.”
Louise also says that she is her own business manager today, mentioning right before our conversation that she “was just checking out one of my banks. I invest and I have some person on the west coast investing for me out there. Here, I got into what’s going on – how can I earn? I just discovered that I can take my interest out and start changing it into my checking account, so I can pay my bills more easily. So, when they come due now, I’ll be transferring them into my checking account because I was just taking it all the time from my savings account. I’m involved with a couple of banks in New York – and so, I’m checking on them and finding out what’s the highest rate. Anything that is safe – I’m not into taking chances.”
Even though Gilligan’s Island has remained a celebrated television staple, due to contracts at the time, Louise reveals that she and her co-stars “made so little money – like $1500 an episode.” When asked about reruns and syndication residuals over these 60 years, Louise says that she has received “nothing! Not a cent.”
With Ginger being an iconic character that was unapologetic about her femininity and sensuality, I wondered if Louise feels that her on-screen persona somewhat paved the way for real life, bold and modern women.
“Well, I know that people love my character. I sure know that because I know that they look at the show and they love the whole show because of the different characters. We’re all different and my character was very colorful. I understand that. It was more like something they’d seen in a movie. I think that it was that they’d never seen a character like mine and the way I was and the way I was dressed – the way I looked. There, they can see me in their home and they liked that.”
Louise added: “I think just everybody was really good in their characters. The other thing that I don’t think has been pointed out is when the show came – we were in the sixties – and there were like three deaths in a row of Martin Luther King and JFK and then his brother [Bobby]. It was a lot. There was one shock after another and people really need the escape. They needed the escape and they were grateful for that show. They loved that show.”
Now seeing the young female stars of today rising in Hollywood, including her praising Mikey Madison’s Oscar-winning performance in Anora, what advice does Louise have for these other women, after her own life-long experiences?
“Do a play. You know, here, I live in New York – do a play. Don’t be worried about getting money from that. You’ll have to have another job of some kind, but I would say to be seen, whether you made money or not, do a play. Just do something you have to do every single night. I think you bloom better, starting on the stage. That’s what I did.”
When attempting to conclude the conversation with Louise, wondering what legacy she would like to leave behind in the years to come, she quickly stopped that talk and said, “No, no! My daughter said I had to live 40 years, so I’m going to do the best I can. I’m not thinking about leaving. I don’t think of that. I don’t want to think about it. I’m running to stay healthy. I’m walking to the gym. I’m just thinking about staying alive for my family. I love being alive.”