Reason For Half Mast
Did you notice how they flew the flag at half mast in Gilligan’s Island? Well, they filmed right after the JFK assassination. Whoa! Yeah, so in that opening credits scene, you see the American flags flown at half mast for John F. Kennedy. Actually, they had finished filming the pilot episode on November 22nd, 1963, the very day he was killed.
Inside Joke
Alright, it’s been enough time that we can dish on this one. Creator Sherwood Schwartz certainly was not a big fan of the head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) at the time, Newton Minow. To be frank, Schwartz hated the man. Therefore, Schwartz found it hilarious to call the shipwreck on Gilligan’s Island, the S.S. Minnow! Thus, he made an inside joke on set. We sure hope that Newton Minow didn’t catch on!