Influencing His Character
In real life, Alan Hale Jr. called lots of people, ‘little buddy.’ Thus, art imitated life. They used Alan’s tic to draw inspiration for his character. So, Skipper began calling Gilligan (Bob Denver) ‘little buddy’ since they thought it also fit Alan’s character’s demeanor.
Influencing His Character
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What a guy! Actor Bob Denver, although he had nothing to worry about as the lead, was bothered that Dawn Wells and Russell Johnson were not named in the credits. Thus, he decided to take initiative. Denver insisted they were named. Also, speaking of Gilligan, the star Jerry Van Dyke actually turned down the part. Dyke said, “But that’s the joke: I turned it down and took My Mother the Car. But, again, it was really good, because I’d [have] been forever known as Gilligan. So that worked out, too.”
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