Johnny Williams - Gilligan's Island

[JohnnyD 1,223]

Hello. John Williams (Johnny Williams, as he was credited back then) did the music for 19 episodes of Gilligan's Island, not counting the unaired pilot episode. Provided here is the episode numbers that respond to the exact episodes in the first season of the show in which he did the music. This can now be put into the TV Works section of the Complete Works.

Season 1: Episodes 3, 5, 7-14, 16-17, 20-22, 24-25, 28-29 (1964-1965).

I guess the music will never be released due to the tapes being lost to time. Is that correct?

[Thor 7,490]

There is some dispute about how much original music Williams actually wrote.

The first theory goes that he ONLY wrote music for the unaired pilot which Schwartz & co. then tracked into several first-season episodes (maybe subsequent seasons too, I don't know...I've only seen the first). So when you see Williams credited at the end, it's really music from the unaired pilot.

The second theory, which I'm likely to subscribe to, is that he DID -- in fact -- write some more original pieces beyond the pilot, as I've heard cues in his credited episodes that do NOT come from the pilot.

The third theory -- forwarded by GI expert and film music orchestrator Bill Boston -- is that Williams only wrote music for the unaired pilot and that this music was tracked throughout the season, and -- importantly -- that the credited cues NOT heard in the pilot are, in fact, unused music FOR the unaired pilot!

Yeah, I know. Very complex.

I'm not sure how much value a soundtrack album would have in terms of listening pleasure (sitcoms rarely provide more than brief burts for comic relief etc.), but I think one should be out for historical purposes.

[King Mark 3,630]

Is the unaired Pilot episode watchable somewhere?

[Miguel Andrade 1,263]

I have the first season on DVD and years ago I even tried to rip the audio from those Williams scored episodes.

Right from the start is more than obvious that a lot of the cues are re-used from one show to the next, but there are some present on the later episodes that aren't on the pilot. Either Williams scored the pilot and then created a sort of generic library for future use or this cues were done for the pilot but were unused on it and found it's way into later episodes.

While a release of this material might not be anything of great interest in terms of listening pleasure, I still would love to hear it outside of the shows.

[King Mark 3,630]

This is similar to the Lost in Space scenario .He scored 4 episodes then the music was tracked for the rest of the series

[Wojo 2,453]

Rest in peace, Professor Hinkley.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Russell Johnson was a favorite.

[King Mark 3,630]

JohnnyD starting this thread and the professor's death...a coincidence?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

No

[JohnnyD 1,223]

I did not know that he passed away. Was it recent?

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Yesterday Was the announcement

[JohnnyD 1,223]

Oh my gosh. Rest In Peace, Mr. Johnson.

[Thor 7,490]

I was recently alerted to these two videos on Youtube that contain audio rips from some of the GILLIGAN music. It does not say which parts are composed by Williams (I assume more parts in the first video covering the first season, and less in the second where -- I assume -- Williams' pilot music was less used).

Still, some neat (albeit brief) tidbits:

 

 

 

 

[King Mark 3,630]

Lets just say it's not a top priority for an album release

[Thor 7,490]

It would probably be weird on an album -- like all sitcom music -- unless you "suitified" it considerably. But ANYTHING completely unreleased by Williams is top priority as far as I'm concerned.

[Loert 2,511]

Thank you for posting Thor. I quite enjoy this early, playful style of his.

[Bryant Burnette 654]

I'd buy an album of Williams-composed Gilligan's Island music.  I can't swear I'd listen to it very often, but I'd definitely buy it.

[Thor 7,490]

Broughfan compiled this breakdown of the cues in the two videos over at FSM. For your convenience:

 

Video 1:

 

Opening fanfare - Gerald Fried (GF), originally composed for "Beauty Is As Beauty Does," re-arranged for this episode. (S2)
:19 -:34 - Johnny Williams (JW) - "Gilligan's Travels" (pilot)
:35 -:58 - Don B. Ray (DBR, uncredited) - "Man with a Net"
:59 - 1:04 GF (fanfare) from "Up At Bat" dream sequence? (S3)
1:05 - 1:14 - DBR, probably written for "The Chain of Command"
1:16 - MT tune, arr. GF (S2)
1:33 - 1:54 - GF from "Voodoo" (S3)
1:55 - 2:12 - GF "Impervious" from "Voodoo"
2:13 - 2:57 - GF from, I think, "How To Be A Hero" (S1)
2:58 - 3:16 - DBR (Don Ray) from "Splashdown" (S3)
3:17 - 4:00 - GF "Dye Job" (actual cue title) from "Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow" (S3)
4:01 - 4:15 - DBR "Quiet Opening" (S2) arr. of JW Gilligan pilot tune, first heard in "Agonized Labor")
4:16 - 4:57 - JW (pilot)
4:58 - 5:14 - GF from "Voodoo" (S3)
5:16 - 5:33 - DBR
5:34 - 5:52 - GF
5:53 - 6:28 - DBR, composed for "The Hunter" (S3)
6:29 - 6:50 - JW (pilot)
6:51 - 7:23 - DBR from "The Friendly Physician," recorded on same session as CBS TV film, the reason for inclusion of strings (S2)
7:24 - 7:30 - JW "HELP!" (cue title) last part (pilot)
7:31 - 7:41 - GF arr. of JW pilot tune, end of "Where There's A Will..." (S3)

 

Video 2:

 

0:16 - Lyn Murray (LM) MT arr. opening from "President Gilligan"
0:33 - John T. Williams (JTW), pilot score
0:46 - JTW, arr. Gerald Fried (GF) "Nyet, Nyet, Not Yet" opening (S2)
1:07 - GF (S2 act-in)
1:16 - JTW, arr. GF (S2)
1:18 - JTW "Long Distance" (cue title, from pilot)
1:25 - Don B. Ray (DBR), "Rescue Plane" from "Gilligan Goes Gung Ho"(S3)
1:38 - probably Lyn Murray
1:45 - GF from "Gilligan Meets Jungle Boy" (S1)
2:07 - GF, "Pass the Vegetables act-in (S3)
2:22 - Frank Comstock, "Legato Play-On" (S1)
2:30 - GF, "Fort Knocks" from "Ring Around Gilligan" (S3)
2:46 - GF (S3), from above ep.
2:58 - JTW "More Marina" (from original version of pilot)
3:12 - GF (S2)
3:40 - LM (ending of Pres G.)
3:52 - GF, end of "Sky Rocket" from Nyet, Nyet (S2)
4:05 - GF (S1)
4:27 - GF (S2)
4:34 - GF, "The Professor" from "Gilligan vs. Gilligan" (S3)
4:53 - GF, "The Proper Bait is Girls" (cue title) from G Meets Jungle Boy (S1)
5:13 - GF "Lady Prisoners" from "So Sorry, My Island Now (S1, Fried's first score for series, rec. 12/23/64).
5:30 - DBR
5:38 - GF, "Sad Sacks", open to "Up At Bat" (S3)
5:55 - GF, "Howell The Jungle Boy" from "Where There's A Will, There's A Way (S3)
6:14 - GF MT arr. from G Meets Jungle Boy (S1)
6:34 - DBR
6:40 - GF, act-out, "The Sweepstakes" (S2)
6:41 - GF, act-in (S2)
6:47 - GF, cue from "Gilligan's Mother-In-Law (S2)
7:05 - GF, "The Sweepstakes" open (S2) Only GF GI cue that uses harp (after this excerpt)
7:20 - Frank Comstock, "Bright Play-On" (S1)
7:26 - JTW "Who Goes There?"(from pilot)
7:57 - JTW (pilot)
8:10 - GF from "Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow" (S3)
8:18 - GF, probably composed for "Quick Before It Sinks"
8:23 - GF
8:33 - JTW "The Marina" (pilot)
8:50 - GF
8:57 - JTW (pilot)
9:10 - DBR
9:20 - Morton Stevens from "The Producer" (S3)
9:46 - Morton Stevens, "Answer in E Flat" (actual cue title), "The Producer" (S3)