Sherwood Schwartz Had One Worry About Casting Bob Denver In Gilligan's Island

Bob Denver was a gifted comedic actor that, thanks to his association with the hit series "Gilligan's Island," found himself unfortunately typecast. Sherwood Schwartz's 1964 sitcom was a massive success, and its seven lead actors, although some of them previously known, became forever linked with their roles on the series. Denver was no longer an actor who played Gilligan, he was Gilligan. Many might have assumed that Denver didn't have any acting range beyond playing a bumbling dimwit like Gilligan, and the actor never had a success quite as large as he did in 1964.

It may surprise one to learn that Denver was, by all accounts, a pretty cool guy. Indeed, he was known prior to "Island" for playing the ultra-cool character Maynard G. Krebs on the sitcom "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis." Maynard was also a broad, comedic character, but he was a devoted beatnik who wrote poetry, eschewed authority, and was all about subverting the dominant paradigm, man. Denver played the part of Maynard G. Krebs so well, in fact ... that even Sherwood Schwartz was tempted to typecast him.

Schwartz admitted as much in his notable memoir "Inside Gilligan's Island: From Creation to Syndication." The TV guru recalled, way back when he was first selecting his castaways, that he didn't like Denver for the role of Gilligan as he assumed that Denver was a beatnik through-and-through and wouldn't be able to play a buffoonish character. What's more, Krebs was confident and charming whereas Gilligan was bashful, childlike, and sexually unassuming.

Luckily, Schwartz took a chance.

Schwartz wasn't actually friends with Denver and didn't know him personally until the auditions for "Gilligan's Island," so the showrunner was looking at other actors more intently at first. As Schwartz noted in his memoir:

"I had never met Bob Denver. I knew Bob only from his role as Maynard G. Krebs on 'Dobie Gillis.' It never occurred to me to connect the bearded beatnik and his hip talk with my image of Gilligan. Like many producers, casting directors and executives, I fell temporary victim to the evils of typecasting. Bob Denver was not my first choice for Gilligan." 

Schwartz required a strong actor that could play the eponymous character, strong enough to overshadow his own captain. The show was called "Gilligan's Island," after all, and Schwartz knew that Gilligan wasn't going to be the captain of the S.S. Minnow. At the same time, heneeded a character that, structurally, was a supporting player, but in practice was the lead. Schwartz cited a few examples of this phenomenon in his memoir, noting that Denver's Maynard Krebs was one such character:

"From time to time, a co-star, a 'second banana,' actually becomes more important on a series than the actual star of the show. This happened with the Fonz on 'Happy Days,' with Mr. Spock on 'Star Trek' and with Bob Denver on 'Dobie Gillis.' Audience research and fan mail clearly indicated there were thousands of Bob Denver fans. [...] It took only one meeting with Bob Denver to convince me he was indeed the Gilligan that was in the script and in my mind."

With that many fans, Schwartz was happy to audition Denver for the role. As we all now know, Denver got it.

Schwartz also noted that Denver, despite his talent at playing a dimwit, was actually a soft-spoken and intelligent guy. He attended Loyola University and graduated with a degree in political science. He was also briefly an elementary school math teacher at Corpus Christi School in Los Angeles. Schwartz wanted it known that Denver was not Gilligan, writing: 

"Bob himself is very quiet by nature, extremely bright, and very well-read. In fact, he had been a teacher before becoming an actor. But it's amazing how truly gifted performers can give a flawless characterization in a role that's so counter to their own personality."

It should also be noted that Denver did indeed have some range as a comedic actor. In 1970, after the cancelation of "Gilligan's," he appeared on Broadway in the Woody Allen play "Play It Again, Sam," taking over for Allen himself. Denver also appeared on four episodes of "The Love Boat," playing four different characters. Denver usually played outside personalities and had a tendency toward mugging, but one should never assume that he was actually a boob or a clown. 

It's also worth noting that Denver was arrested in 1971 for the heinous, heinous crime of weed possession. He was arrested again in 1977 for having weed delivered to his home. In 2024, these actions are no longer crimes in California, but in the 1970s, one could still be hauled off for having a little pot on you. Denver, it seems, was no square. Sadly, it was his cigarette habit that ultimately took his life; Denver died at the age of 70 after complications during his throat cancer surgery. The world lost a beloved comedian.

So, please, give credit where credit is due.