How Gilligan's Island Star Dawn Wells Really Felt About Working With Russell Johnson

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In the opening credits for the first season of "Gilligan's Island," the Professor (Russell Johnson) and Mary Ann (Dawn Wells) were infamously unnamed. All the other characters were introduced by name or characteristic (Gilligan, the Skipper too, the Millionaire and his wife, the movie star ...), but the final two characters were just listed as "and the rest." This was because of a stipulation in Tina Louise's contract that stated her character gets to be listed last on the show's credit role. Louise played "the movie star" Ginger, so her co-stars were left unnamed. It wasn't until Gilligan actor Bob Denver pulled rank and threatened to put his own credit after Louise's that she demurred. For the second and third seasons of "Island," Wells and Johnson were finally named as "The Professor and Mary Ann." 

This weird quirk of the credits subconsciously linked Wells and Johnson in the public's mind. Not only were they seen as characters that should travel as a unit, but many assumed that the two were secretly attracted to each other. Years later, Wells would confess that she actually did have something of a crush on her co-star. She and Johnson were both married, however, so their relationship was never anything more than professional and friendly. 

Johnson and Wells got to have a conversation about their working relationship for Johnson's autobiography "Here On Gilligan's Isle," and she was nothing but complimentary. It seems that someone else talked to Wells, and she was very frank, and very positive. Johnson, she said, was incredibly funny. She had also, perhaps without realizing, also internalized the subconscious "pairing" of the Professor and Mary Ann, seeing the characters as a unit.

Wells said that she remembers most sharply how reliable Johnson was. She also liked to joke about their credits kerfuffle, writing: 

"It's the kind of relationship in which if I ever got into any trouble, one person I could count on would be Russell. [...] From the very beginning, Russell and I were sort of thrown together as 'the rest,' and from that point on we became great friends. [...] So, whenever I have sent notes and cards to him, I usually sign them, 'Love, the rest.'"

When asked how much of Johnson was in the Professor, Wells noted that the actor was actually quite different from his character. The Professor served mostly as the Straight Man on "Gilligan's Island," never carrying episodes of his own and rarely engaging in slapstick pratfalls. Wells said that Johnson actually had some comedic chops that he simply never got to display on the show. Wells wanted the world — and Johnson — to know that she saw it. He was gracious. She wrote: 

"[H]e's probably one of the funniest men I've ever known. He has such a quick wit. Of course, from 'Gilligan's Island,' you'd never know he had any real sense of humor at all because he was such a sobering, stabilizing factor among the characters. In reality, I think Russell held things together for us as a cast as well, and that was important. He's a good actor, and I think he and I think he taught me a lot in the process ..."

Wells also admitted that she looked to Johnson as her "tutor" on the series. The pair likely continued to stay in touch, seeing as most of the "Gilligan's Island" cast frequently attended fan events and pop culture conventions. 

Wells passed away in 2020 of COVID-19 at the age of 82.