Dawn Wells Dies Of Covid-19: Mary Ann On ‘Gilligan’s Island’ Was 82
By Erik Pedersen, Managing Editor
December 30, 2020 11:13am
Dawn Wells, best known for playing the girl-next-door castaway Mary Ann on the iconic CBS comedy series Gilligan’s Island, died Wednesday morning in Los Angeles of complications due to Covid-19. She was 82.
Wells, who was Miss Nevada in the 1959 Miss America pageant, beat out 350 actresses for the role of Mary Ann Summers. She also appeared in more 150 series and several movies during her career as well as on Broadway.
The ‘Gilligan’s Island’ cast, from left: Natalie Schafer, Jim Backus, Alan Hale, Bob Denver, Russell Johnson, Dawn Wells and Tina Louise
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Wells’ naive country character on Gilligan’s Island was juxtaposed with that of Tina Louise’s Ginger, a sultry movie star. The rather-stereotyped dueling characters fueled a debate that continues among fans today: Mary Ann or Ginger. They and three other passengers (Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer and Russell Johnson) set sail on a “three-hour tour” on the USS Minnow, captained by the Skipper (Alan Hale) with his First Mate Gilligan (Bob Denver). But the weather started getting rough, and the seven became castaways — albeit with clean clothes every week. With Wells’ passing, Tina Louise is the only cast member who is still alive.
“There hasn’t been a Mary Ann on the air for I don’t know how long,” Wells told the TV Academy Foundation in a 2008 sit-down for “The Interviews” video series. “There hasn’t been a good girl over 14, and Mary Ann was very much that. The Mary Ann-Ginger issue is always there. You had to be a real man to understand Ginger, and Mary Ann would’ve gone to the prom with you and been your best friend. A lot of guys would come up to me and say I married a Mary Ann. She had the values.”
Despite its longevity in syndication, Gilligan’s Island was only a moderate hit for CBS during its initial three-year run from 1964-67, airing on a different night and time each season. It premiered on Saturdays in September 1964 following The Jackie Gleason Show and finished tied for 18th in the three-network final season ratings.
It actually lost ground in Season 2, airing on Thursdays between The Munsters and My Three Sons and ranking 22nd in primetime ratings for 1965-66. Its final season aired at 7:30 p.m. Mondays.
Wells as Mary Ann
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But when its reruns hit local-station airwaves, Gilligan’s Island became one of the biggest syndication hits of the late-’60 and 1970s, spawning animated daytime series on ABC from 1974-77 and another called Gilligan’s Planet on CBS from 1982-84. Wells reprised her Mary Ann role for both, along with three reunion movies in the late-‘70s and early ‘80s.
Born on October 18, 1938, in Reno, NV, Wells began guesting on such popular drama and Western series as Bonanza, Maverick, Cheyenne, 77 Sunset Strip and Wagon Train in the early 1960s. She continued to work consistently in more than a dozen guest roles before scoring the Mary Ann role. She appeared in a handful of smaller movies in the mid-’70s before doing the Gilligan’s Island toon series and movies, then went on to guest on such hits as Columbo, Roseanne, Baywatch, ALF and others.
She continued to work sporadically in TV through the 2010s.
In addition to acting, Wells was a producer, author, journalist, motivational speaker, teacher and chairwoman of the Terry Lee Wells Foundation, focusing on women and children in Northern Nevada. She also ran her Film Actors Boot Camp for seven years in Idaho.
Wells is survived by her stepsister, Weslee Wells. No services are scheduled at this time.
#1: ghostdogtxn To: BTP Holdings (#0)
ghostdogtxn posted on 2020-12-30 22:30:10 Reply Private Reply
#2: Dakmar To: ghostdogtxn (#1)
Damned straight! Ginger was high maintenance.
Dakmar posted on 2020-12-30 22:33:48 Reply Private Reply
#3: Fred Mertz To: ghostdogtxn (#1)
Mary Ann was fine and may she R.I.P.
The show still goes on, so that says a lot.
Fred Mertz posted on 2020-12-30 22:40:22 Reply Private Reply
#4: Esso To: ghostdogtxn, 4um (#1)
She certainly weathered better than her former cast members.
Clean livin'. Something I know zero about.
Esso posted on 2020-12-30 23:17:17 Reply Private Reply
#5: Lod To: BTP Holdings (#0)
Lod posted on 2020-12-30 23:38:59 Reply Private Reply
#6: Ricky To: BTP Holdings (#0)
I seem to remember a couple years ago that she was begging for money for some medical condition. Perhaps I saw it on this site.................... I remember being VERY Disappointed when I read that.........
Ricky posted on 2020-12-31 00:25:04 Reply Private Reply
#7: Pinguinite To: ghostdogtxn (#1)
I always much preferred the natural country girl over the glitz and glamour, even as a kid. Though glitz and glamour does have its place.
I wonder if the show would have been anything timeless without Mary Ann.
That leaves Tina Louise/Ginger as the last surviving cast member.
Pinguinite posted on 2020-12-31 01:07:00 Reply Private Reply
#8: Pinguinite To: Ricky (#6)
You may be interested in the documentary they made about GI. Dawn speaks on it at length on the behind the scenes activity, and one thing she says is that none of the cast got rich off of the series. I think they were just hired hands with no royalty payouts at all.
Dawn was selling signed posters of herself from the show. I think she also got in trouble for marijuana possession. She lost a lot of money on, maybe it was the 08 crisis and a go-fund-me was set up for her which she reluctantly accepted.
She was/is admired world over, and yet was not well off financially. At least she's spared from the Biden presidency.
Pinguinite posted on 2020-12-31 01:12:08 Reply Private Reply
#9: Esso To: Pinguinite, 4um (#7)
Good question, Pin.
Maybe it was the "idea of the sex" for the grownups, while leaving it wholesome enough for the kiddies.
Esso posted on 2020-12-31 01:19:34 Reply Private Reply
#10: Esso To: Pinguinite, 4um (#8)
I can certainly appreciate that.
Esso posted on 2020-12-31 01:22:10 Reply Private Reply
#11: Esso To: Pinguinite, 4um (#8)
Esso posted on 2020-12-31 01:26:46 Reply Private Reply
#12: BTP Holdings To: Ricky (#6)
She lost quite a bit in the crash of 2008. I heard that a GoFundMe page had been set up for her benefit. ;)
BTP Holdings posted on 2020-12-31 01:36:53 Reply Private Reply
#13: BTP Holdings To: Esso (#9)
That was Mary Ann in spades.
But did you know that Alan Hale, Jr rode a horse 20 miles and caught a Greyhound bus to Hollywood to try out for the part as "The Skipper"? ;)
BTP Holdings posted on 2020-12-31 01:58:45 Reply Private Reply
#14: Pinguinite To: Esso (#9)
Did you know they took special pains to make sure her belly button was always covered?
And yes, I do mean her belly button.
How times have changed.
Pinguinite posted on 2020-12-31 02:14:23 Reply Private Reply
#15: Esso To: BTP Holdings (#13)
Esso posted on 2020-12-31 02:36:43 Reply Private Reply
#16: Esso To: Pinguinite, 4um (#14)
Yes, of course. They might've caused the Universe to implode given my nuclear (Google even can't find the word.)
(Edit) I think it's just some kind of ultra-masculinist, I think I'm the origin of "toxic masculinity." No I'm not complaining, I'm BRAGGING.
You can see me at ESSO/pornhub.longschlong/pilot.fu.
Esso posted on 2020-12-31 02:45:04 Reply Private Reply
#17: Esso To: All, 4um (#11)
Esso posted on 2020-12-31 03:00:46 Reply Private Reply
#18: Darkwing To: BTP Holdings (#0)
Darkwing posted on 2020-12-31 07:03:39 Reply Private Reply
#19: BTP Holdings To: Darkwing (#18)
What reason is that? ;)
BTP Holdings posted on 2020-12-31 07:42:21 Reply Private Reply