Influencing His Character
Because actor Alan Hale Jr. used to refer to other people as ‘little buddy,’ members of the crew came up with an idea. This tic gave them inspiration to make things go from real to reel. Thus, the reason for the character Skipper always calling Gilligan (played by Bob Denver), ‘little buddy.’ The crew though it was extremely fitting for the overall demeanor of Skipper.
Influencing His Character
Equal Credit
Bob Denver, the show’s star, was a strong believer of equality. As a matter of fact, he got very upset seeing that the names of Dawn Wells and Russell Johnson were not included in the credits. Therefore, he did all he could to change this. Since we are on the topic of Gilligan, Jerry Van Dyke, the legendary actor, turned down the offer to play the main character, but later was quoted to have 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.”
Equal Credit
