"Sexy” isn’t the first word that comes to mind when one thinks of the wacky TV sitcom classic, “Gilligan’s Island."
That said, Tina Louise, who played the buxom starlet Ginger Grant on the show, was undoubtedly one of the sexiest stars of the 1960s.
Still looking good and dropping gossip to this day, the sexiest “Island” dweller recently offered up her opinion to the New York Post of who was the most attractive actor on the show. And while there are only so many choices in the main cast of seven, the answer might still surprise fans.
“It’s Jim,” Louise said of actor Jim Backus, who played married millionaire Thurston Howell III. “Jim was hilarious…. He was so funny and he used to go to the psychiatrist every day and tell me the news of the day … But just in general, he had a great sense of humor. He was adorable.”
Yup, the voice of Mr. Magoo was the one Tina Louise would’ve nabbed for a night out.
Louise continued, noting that she thinks “the Professor read too many books. [Gilligan] was just very nervous and scared to death and talked so fast. He was so shy.”
“Gilligan’s Island” ran for 98 episodes over three seasons before it was canceled in 1967. Louise is the last surviving actor from the series. And in classic Hollywood fashion, she is loath to give away her age.
“Don’t number me. Who needs it?” she said. “Numbers are not what you look like or how you live your life … Buddha said, ‘Live in the present moment. Wisely and earnestly.'”
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Since Jim Backus isn’t around anymore, Louise is still looking for the right man.
“He’d be funny, have a good heart, and money wouldn’t matter if we were stuck on an island,” she said. “I like John Oliver. I like his dimples. I like him. He’s terrific. Bright. Cute. Funny… You have to enjoy each other’s company and have something to talk about. That’s important.”
Born in 1934, Louise got her big break on Broadway in the 1964 musical, “Fade Out - Fade In,” which got her the attention of the “Gilligan’s Island” producers. Her character was originally envisioned as a humble secretary, but once the producers got a hold of Louise, well, the switch to a Marilyn Monroe-like movie star probably didn’t take the writers too long to conjure up.
Louise said she had a rocky start on the show. At first, she was turned off by the “snarky” scripts, but soon the show found its footing and grew more “light and funny and charming. I always had fun with the show. Ginger flirted. Flirting is fun! Flirting is good.”
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Of course in real life that can go too far, and Louise thinks Ginger, while flirty, would not suffer fools.
“‘Ginger would have led the [#MeToo] pack,” Louise said. “She would have gotten a group together … I would have liked to have played that scene. With a lot of women, they hold everything inside. Or have in the past. It’s very positive to get it out, about things that may have been hidden and make you feel uncomfortable.”
As far as any awful situations Louise herself experienced, she would not detail.
“I look to the light,” said the star. “I’m so grateful for everything that eventually happened for me. … I don’t think there’s any woman walking in this business who hasn’t had situations. There are people who got into horrible situations and they should speak on that.”
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