It's amazing to me how much musical mileage the producers got out of Mr. Williams' pilot score that first year. I wouldn't be surprised if the "Gilligan" music alone, because of the endless reruns worldwide, made him a wealthy man.
From your walkthrough, though, it seems like the JW music was also used in season 2 and 3. I always assumed it was limited to season 1 (hence why I stopped watching after the first season, pr. an earlier post).
Yes, his original Gilligan theme was used in the subsequent seasons but these were always settings made by Fried, Ray and Stevens, usually for act-ins and episode closes. Interestingly, Schwartz-Wyle title theme and Williams pilot theme tune were both highly adaptable to almost any "Gilligan" scenario. As near as I can tell Williams didn't create musical motifs for any of the other castaways, though Lyn Murray's S1 theme for Ginger got much use after debuting in "President Gilligan." Consequently, Fried wrote themes for the Skipper (usually lumbering bassoon or tuba), Ginger and, for one S3 episode opener, The Professor. Don Ray's S3 theme for Ginger, an homage to Glenn Miller, debuted in "The Producer."
Gilligan's Island has a richness of character themes and motifs (not a comprehensive list, those in quotes actual cue titles):
John Williams
Gilligan's Theme (from original pilot score, tune used throughout series but arranged by others)
Frank Comstock
Theme for sleepwalking Skipper
Lyn Murray
President Gilligan's March Ginger
Gerald Fried
The Skipper ("Gilligan's Mother-in Law") Headhunter Native family/Haroki theme (two tunes, one based on "Here Comes The Bride") George Barkley ("Take A Dare," tracked from "Voodoo" score) Witch doctor Jungle Boy Government missile ("X Marks the Spot") Japanese sailor Government/Pentagon theme (S1) El Presidente Rodriguez theme ("The Little Dictator") Russian Cosmonauts (adaptation "Song of the Volga Boatmen") Dr. Balinkoff's second theme, Igor's theme ("Ring Around Gilligan") "Laundry Man" (also used as theme for Gilligan taxi) Gilligan the Strong, Hyper Lovey ("Pass the Vegetables") "The Vodka Plot" (Nyet, Nyet). As far as I know the only time this jazzy theme was used. The Howells ("The Sweepstakes," an adaptation of "Country Gardens") Gilligan, the Vampire (Bach-like organ toccata used in "Up At Bat") Howell The Jungle Boy (Gunga Din-like theme used in "Where There's A Will") Inspector Sherlock/Colonel Watney theme ("Up At Bat")
Don B. Ray
Ginger "The Producer" Hecuba's arrival ("Drive, Drive, Drive") and Ginger peasant woman variation (Tina Louise's Sophia Loren imitation) from "The Producer" Gilligan kaleidoscope, when G. sees upside-down, double, quadruple etc (from "Topsy-Turvy"), used also for S3 dream sequences (a fanciful reworking of the Gilligan theme song). Lord Beasley Waterford Theme ("Man with a Net") Dr. Balinkoff first appearance ("The Friendly Physician") Balinkoff's castle/Giant's castle Leo's theme ("Feed the Kitty") The robot ("Gilligan's Living Doll") The hunter aims gun (low brass/timpani roll) Giant spider (growling brass clusters) Lovey Cinderella ("Lovey's Secret Admirer") 0014's Theme (clarinets/trombones) from "The Invasion" "Rescue Plane"/Lord Admiral Gilligan's frigate/Scorpio EX-1 space capsule Lord Admiral Gilligan (dream sequence fight scene, note the working in of R. Strauss' "Don Juan" motif)
Morton Stevens
Harold Hecuba's scene changes woodwind tune ("The Producer") Flight theme used for the "Walter Pigeon" and the jetpack (not positive about this, but trombone voicings sound a lot like those used in early "5-O" things Mort scored). Mosquitos rock (the rock tune that always seems to play when G has hold of the castaways portable radio).
That's all I have at the moment. Feel free to add to the above.
Earlier in the thread, before we had all this information, I always assumed the "sexy" music for Ginger's advances and the tuba music for the Skipper were by Williams. A bit disappointed that they weren't -- especially the tuba music could have sounded like a precursor to Jabba's music from the STAR WARS movies -- but good to have it confirmed.
Earlier in the thread, before we had all this information, I always assumed the "sexy" music for Ginger's advances and the tuba music for the Skipper were by Williams. A bit disappointed that they weren't -- especially the tuba music could have sounded like a precursor to Jabba's music from the STAR WARS movies -- but good to have it confirmed.
In the pilot film Williams scored, Ginger was actually a brunette secretary and Bunny a cute blonde (the latter character was recast as a sexy, red-headed starlet, the series' Ginger). Something else you may find interesting, Thor, is that Williams pilot score is the only one to include horns (French horns) and harp in the orchestration. Gerry Fried never used horns or orchestral strings in any of his scores (save the solo violin used in "Castaways Pictures Presents") and used harp for only one episode, S2's "The Sweepstakes." Don Ray used horns and strings for both "The Friendly Physician" and "Gilligan's Living Doll" simply because his partial scores were being recorded at the same time as some larger CBS production, one of those being Williams' "Nightwatch" pilot (starring Carroll O' Connor). Ray also used horns for other partial scores such as "Gilligan Goes Gung Ho" with the famous Lord Admiral Gilligan ship music (actually composed for the rescue plane sequence in the aforementioned show). Frank Comstock used horns for "Two on a Raft" (scene where Gilligan and the Skipper attempt to depart the lagoon, eventually succeeding). Morton Stevens used harp in "The Producer" and, assuming he was the composer for the segment, horns for the flight music used in both "It's A Bird, It's A Plane" and "The Pigeon." Interesting thing about "Two on a Raft" is that a number of cues featured in the episode comes from Williams' pilot score such as the scene where the raft is attacked by sharks in the open ocean (quirky, ascending range clarinet thing) was actually written by Williams for the scene in the pilot where G keeps getting dragged across the beach/into the ocean by fish he's attempting to catch (JW original cue title, "Slidin' and Fishin').
BTW: Lyn Murray's Ginger theme was alternately known as Ginger Library and Ginger #2 (not sure if this means Ginger #1 is different music or written to a different scene).
Broughtfan, thanks for all the awesomeness! Consider me a Broughtfan fan!
I've mentioned this one before on another GI thread, so I apologize for repeating, but I'd love to know more about the brief cue used in "The Sound Of Quacking" S01E07. it starts at ~19:47 here:
Fried, Williams, anyone? It sounds like it could be either. It's a beautiful piece, any help is appreciated.
Broughtfan, thanks for all the awesomeness! Consider me a Broughtfan fan!
I've mentioned this one before on another GI thread, so I apologize for repeating, but I'd love to know more about the brief cue used in "The Sound Of Quacking" S01E07. it starts at ~19:47 here:
Fried, Williams, anyone? It sounds like it could be either. It's a beautiful piece, any help is appreciated.
Thanks!
Honest answer: I'm not sure. But, according to imdB this episode broadcast November 7, 1964 which eliminates the possibility of Fried or Stevens (as their respective involvement with the series would come later). At the time, CBS had a stable of composers who might have written a GI library cue or two at the request of Herschel Burke Gilbert: Joel Davis, Richard Shores, Harry Geller and Don Ray. Fred Steiner's music in this episode is especially prominent, but only in the western dream sequence (cues taken from one of his "Gunsmoke" assignments/Gunsmoke MT prologue). The episode production number (#711) was later than "President Gilligan" (#705), so Lyn Murray is a possibility. Since Williams didn't compose for the actual series, this eliminates him (remember, when he scored the pilot the Schwartz-Wyle chanty tune, which this cue references, had yet to be written). Though Frank Comstock scored the first two episodes, HBG always conducted (even on Fried's S1 scores), so it's conceivable he added the cue/other library stuff to the 'Two On A Raft" recording session. There's also the possibility that this was a library piece combined with an overlay of a different cue, one including Gilligan tune arranged by HBG or Don Ray (though Don's speciality seemed to be exotic/quirky and majestic)
I think the division went something like this for "The Sound of Quacking"
Williams (pilot cues dominate this episode, outside dream sequence) Fred Steiner/arr. Fred Steiner (Gunsmoke intro and episode cues). Unidentified: combination of CBS library (which at the time included music by Herrmann and Goldsmith) and GI bridges/stings composed by Ray, HBG or other CBS contract composers (Shores, Davis, Geller etc.) Harry Geller - Who was working on "Baileys of Balboa" is another possibility Frank Comstock - Who was working on "The Cara Williams Show". Composed early GI scores (partials) as well as play-ons based on Schwartz-Wyle tune.
Note Emily's launch music in the last act. This sounds like a nice-sized string orchestra, a very different sound from the clarinet/trombone flight music in the beginning. Makes the case for at least some of this score tracked with library music. When Gilligan attempts to lure Emily with his shoe (disguised as male duck) this is a slowed down version of "Wasps," a Don Ray arrangement of JW's Gilligan pilot tune, first used in Goodnight, Sweet Skipper" (partial score by Comstock). Since Don had to reconfigure "Wasps" to the new scene, it's very likely he worked on the sequence with G and Emily in the hut.
Honest answer: I'm not sure. But, according to imdB this episode broadcast November 7, 1964 which eliminates the possibility of Fried or Stevens (as their respective involvement with the series would come later). At the time, CBS had a stable of composers who might have written a GI library cue or two at the request of Herschel Burke Gilbert: Joel Davis, Richard Shores, Harry Geller and Don Ray. Fred Steiner's music in this episode is especially prominent, but only in the western dream sequence (cues taken from one of his "Gunsmoke" assignments/Gunsmoke MT prologue). The episode production number (#711) was later than "President Gilligan" (#705), so Lyn Murray is a possibility. Since Williams didn't compose for the actual series, this eliminates him (remember, when he scored the pilot the Schwartz-Wyle chanty tune, which this cue references, had yet to be written). Though Frank Comstock scored the first two episodes, HBG always conducted (even on Fried's S1 scores) with one exception, the Lyn Murray score. So it's conceivable HBG added the cue/other library stuff to the 'Two On A Raft" recording session. There's also the possibility that this was a library piece combined with an overlay of a different cue, one including Gilligan tune arranged by HBG or Don Ray (though Don's speciality seemed to be exotic/quirky and majestic)
I think the division went something like this for "The Sound of Quacking"
Williams (pilot cues dominate this episode, outside dream sequence) Fred Steiner/arr. Fred Steiner (Gunsmoke intro and episode cues). Unidentified: combination of CBS library (which at the time included music by Herrmann and Goldsmith) and GI bridges/stings composed by Ray, HBG or other CBS contract composers (Shores, Davis, Geller etc.) Harry Geller - Who was working on "Baileys of Balboa" is another possibility Frank Comstock - Who was working on "The Cara Williams Show". Composed early GI scores (partials) as well as play-ons based on Schwartz-Wyle tune.
Note Emily's launch music in the last act. This sounds like a nice-sized string orchestra, a very different sound from the clarinet/trombone flight music in the beginning. Makes the case for at least some of this score tracked with library music. When Gilligan attempts to lure Emily with his shoe (disguised as male duck) this is a slowed down version of "Wasps," a Don Ray arrangement of JW's Gilligan pilot tune, first used in Goodnight, Sweet Skipper" (partial score by Comstock). Since Don had to reconfigure "Wasps" to the new scene, it's very likely he worked on the sequence with G and Emily in the hut.
Wow! Thanks very much! I've always wondered if it was an original from someone like those you named. I may be wrong, but I seem to hear the GI theme interpolated in it. It may just be me but it also seems to have a "Russian" feel to it, like Shostakovich or Rimsky-Korsakov. In any event, thanks again. I bow in awe at your awesome awesomeness!
Honest answer: I'm not sure. But, according to imdB this episode broadcast November 7, 1964 which eliminates the possibility of Fried or Stevens (as their respective involvement with the series would come later). At the time, CBS had a stable of composers who might have written a GI library cue or two at the request of Herschel Burke Gilbert: Joel Davis, Richard Shores, Harry Geller and Don Ray. Fred Steiner's music in this episode is especially prominent, but only in the western dream sequence (cues taken from one of his "Gunsmoke" assignments/Gunsmoke MT prologue). The episode production number (#711) was later than "President Gilligan" (#705), so Lyn Murray is a possibility. Since Williams didn't compose for the actual series, this eliminates him (remember, when he scored the pilot the Schwartz-Wyle chanty tune, which this cue references, had yet to be written). Though Frank Comstock scored the first two episodes, HBG always conducted (even on Fried's S1 scores) with one exception, the Lyn Murray score. So it's conceivable HBG added the cue/other library stuff to the 'Two On A Raft" recording session. There's also the possibility that this was a library piece combined with an overlay of a different cue, one including Gilligan tune arranged by HBG or Don Ray (though Don's speciality seemed to be exotic/quirky and majestic)
I think the division went something like this for "The Sound of Quacking"
Williams (pilot cues dominate this episode, outside dream sequence) Fred Steiner/arr. Fred Steiner (Gunsmoke intro and episode cues). Unidentified: combination of CBS library (which at the time included music by Herrmann and Goldsmith) and GI bridges/stings composed by Ray, HBG or other CBS contract composers (Shores, Davis, Geller etc.) Harry Geller - Who was working on "Baileys of Balboa" is another possibility Frank Comstock - Who was working on "The Cara Williams Show". Composed early GI scores (partials) as well as play-ons based on Schwartz-Wyle tune.
Note Emily's launch music in the last act. This sounds like a nice-sized string orchestra, a very different sound from the clarinet/trombone flight music in the beginning. Makes the case for at least some of this score tracked with library music. When Gilligan attempts to lure Emily with his shoe (disguised as male duck) this is a slowed down version of "Wasps," a Don Ray arrangement of JW's Gilligan pilot tune, first used in Goodnight, Sweet Skipper" (partial score by Comstock). Since Don had to reconfigure "Wasps" to the new scene, it's very likely he worked on the sequence with G and Emily in the hut.
Wow! Thanks very much! I've always wondered if it was an original from someone like those you named. I may be wrong, but I seem to hear the GI theme interpolated in it. It may just be me but it also seems to have a "Russian" feel to it, like Shostakovich or Rimsky-Korsakov. In any event, thanks again. I bow in awe at your awesome awesomeness!
You're welcome. Yes, the CBS Library could very well have contained arrangements/studio recordings of existing classical pieces (made for Playhouse 90, You Are There or other CBS TV/radio productions). There's a cue in Gilligan's Island that I first heard in the 1962 "Twilight Zone" episode "Cavendar is Coming" (the comedy ep with Carol Burnett). So I know they used library tracks, at least for the first two years of the "GI series."
Correction to earlier post (already changed on the original): Herschel Burke Gilbert conducted all of the "Gilligan" sessions, incl. Murray's "President Gilligan" score. This would change when Mort Stevens, who had no qualms with composers conducting their scores, was installed as the new CBS (West Coast) music operations head in mid-Spring 1965.
1:16 - MT tune, arr. GF (S2) 0:16 - Lyn Murray (LM) MT arr. opening from "President Gilligan" 6:14 - GF MT arr. from G Meets Jungle Boy (S1)
Pardon me, what does "MT" stand for? I can't seem to find that defined. Thanks!
Sorry. Should have clarified the abbreviations:
MT - Main Title (signature tune, theme song) ET - End Title (usually shortened version of above) S - Season (GI ran three seasons, hence S1,S2, S3 designations) Arr. - Arranger/Arranged by
Sorry to bump this thread (something drew my attention now to this series). Didn't read the entire thread but from what I understood it's final that Williams scored ONLY the unaired pilot, right?
Or we are still not clear about other episodes? (besides the tracked from the pilot music of course)
Sorry to bump this thread (something drew my attention now to this series). Didn't read the entire thread but from what I understood it's final that Williams scored ONLY the unaired pilot, right?
Or we are still not clear about other episodes? (besides the tracked from the pilot music of course)
Well, Bill -- who's very knowledgeable about this -- maintains that there is only the pilot music that is tracked throughout the entire series.
What has caused some confusion, at least for me, is that some episodes credited to Williams contain music that is NOT from the pilot score. One possible explanation is that these musical snippets are from library music or other episode scores by others, but they're not credited. Or that they're 'unused' pieces from Williams' pilot score. Or -- that Williams actually composed more music than just the pilot. I'm not sure how one would be able to get to the bottom of that.
Also, couldn't pinpoint 3 cues from Broughton's list in the unaired pilot: From suite 1 the cue at 6.29-6.50, and from suite 2 "the marina" and "more marina".
He clearly credits Williams with Gilligan's theme. He also thinks about it and says Williams did Skipper's theme and then suggests he did other character themes. He denies that Williams did the "sea chant" opening theme from season 2 and 3. He seems to imply Williams didn't even do the calypso opening theme for the pilot, but doesn't explicitly rule it out. Sherwood says elsewhere that he came up with the calypso music for the original opening theme when he needed to write a theme song to help sell the show to network executives.
Does anyone know if the original recordings of the opening songs still exist? Would be nice if we were ever able to hear them in a quality that wasn't recorded from a broadcast
Yes, it's fairly well established that Williams had nothing to do with the opening themes.
Maybe it is here, but not on the wider internet. Wikipedia for Gilligan's Island, Gilligan's Island fan pages and other articles that pop up from places like MeTV, who are probably pulling the information from Wikipedia, state that Williams wrote the calypso theme music.
