Gilligan's Island - Dawn Wells 55th Anniversay Celebration - TV

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Gilligan's Island - Dawn Wells 55th Anniversary Celebration - TV

Rych McCain International/Nationally Syndicated Entertainment Columnist

THE HOLLYWOOD MUSEUM PAYS TRIBUTE TO GILLIGAN'S ISLAND

AND CASTAWAY, DAWN WELLS (What Would Mary Ann Do?) --

FOR THE 55TH ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICA'S FAVORITE SHIPWRECK

    

(L) Dawn Wells (R) Donelle Dadigan

       The 55^th Anniversary celebration of the smash hit 60’s comedy “Gilligan’s Island” and castaway Dawn Wells was held at the famed Hollywood Museum. The fabulous evening commenced with a celebrity filled red carpet that emptied into a reception mixer that included a scrumptious buffet and cocktail bar, The program began with introductions by the museum’s Founder and President Donelle Dadigan.

Lloyd Schwartz

      The guest speakers included Ruta Lee (77 Sunset/Seven Brides for Seven Brothers), Alison Arngrim (Little House on the Prairie), Erin Murphy (Bewitched), Steve Wishnoff (OZ/Director), Hope Juber-Schwartz, Lloyd Schwartz (daughter and son of creator Steven Schwartz) and Dawn Wells (Gilligan's Island), who is an original cast member who played castaway Mary Ann.

    

      GILLIGAN'S ISLAND was a top rated TV Show in the 60-s and is the longest running sitcom still showing worldwide in over 30 languages. Dawn Wells portrayed the lovable farm girl next door castaway, Mary Ann Sommers. Her Character that was originally listed as "And the rest" on the credits became the fan favorite, garnering more fan mail than even the title character. With almost 400,000 fans on her Facebook page and fan clubs across the U.S., her following has remained faithful.

     The festivities included the unveiling of one of pop culture's most iconic costumes with Gilligan's white sailor hat and red shirt, worn by Mr Bob Denver as Gilligan, as well as the gingham dress and the navel covering shorts with matching mid-drift showing top worn by Ms. Wells as Mary Ann in the show, along with her original scripts of the series. Other items on display included items from the Rob Klein, Roger Neal and B. Harlan Boll collections.
     

     Ms. Wells signed copies of the newly released, updated version of her book, "A Guide To Life: What Would Mary Ann Do?" (Bear Manor Publishing) following the Lobby Series unveiling.

Dawn Wells 

A native of Reno, Ms. Wells represented Nevada in the Miss America pageant in 1959. She found success in Hollywood immediately afterward, appearing in such shows as 77 Sunset Strip, Maverick, Bonanza, and Hawaiian Eye. She was later cast in the role of a lifetime as Mary Ann in Gilligan's Island, beating out 350 other actresses. She's an actress, producer, author, spokesperson, journalist, motivational speaker, teacher, and humanitarian. She has starred in over 150 TV shows, and 7 motion pictures, and has starred in 60+ theatrical productions across the country and on The Great White Way.
     

      After all of these years, guys from the 60’s TV era are still in love with Well’s Mary Ann character because she represented the wholesome, cutie-pie, girl-next-door type vs. Ginger the sex symbol (played by Tina Louise) who was a bit much for the younger boys. Wells blushes when asked how does that make her feel today? She laughs, “Isn’t that funny. You have no Idea when you get cast in a play or a movie what the audience is going to respond to. But Mary Ann would have been your best friend and probably your girlfriend. What does Wells miss most about the 60’s era of television compared with today’s TV? It was simplicity. It wasn’t on edge. It was a family trying to get together. I think we need more of that. I that is important.

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