Dawn Wells, 'Gilligan's Island's' Mary Ann, Dies of COVID at 82

[Dennis Donovan]

https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/dawn-wells-dead-gilligans-island-mary-ann-1234876755/

Dawn Wells, who starred as the demure Mary Ann in long-running sitcom “Gilligan’s Island,” died Wednseday of causes related to COVID-19 in Los Angeles. She was 82.

A native of Reno, Wells also appeared in “77 Sunset Strip,” “Maverick,” “Bonanza,” “The Joey Bishop Show” and “Hawaiian Eye.”

Publicist Harlan Boll announced her death.

-/snip-

Fuck 2020 already!!



Cross gently, Mary Ann...

On edit: adding the sweet interview with Conan O'Brien from 1993:

[LuckyCharms]

1. Damn.

[LymphocyteLover]

28. Damn indeed.

what a horrible year

[yuiyoshida]

46. And doesn't seem to get any better

wow.

[Buzz cook]

59. Damn to put it mildly

She was a heck of a lady.

[hlthe2b]

2. Very sad...

[TDale313]

3. 😢

[cilla4progress]

4. Well,

fuck.

[denbot]

5. Awww..

Fuck 2020!

[Kingofalldems]

6. Nice lady too. RIP.

[RKP5637]

7. Saddened to hear this ...

[melman]

8. That sucks

I always loved that show and loved her character on it. RIP Dawn Wells.

[Fullduplexxx]

9. KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAN...... KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN.

[LymphocyteLover]

27. someone needs to make a GIF of that with Truuuump insterad of Khaaann

[Ford_Prefect]

40. Would that be something like this: "DoNNNNNNald...DoNNNNNNNald!!!!

[LymphocyteLover]

85. yes!

[ElementaryPenguin]

10. So sad. I always had a crush on her as a kid!

[Earthshine2]

11. +1

[DFW]

16. So did I. Her and "Mrs. Peel," Diana Rigg

Diana Rigg also died this year at age 82. I always did like brunettes best.

(I know, I know, and look who I married.)

[calimary]

49. Oh MAN did I love her!

I wanted to BE Mrs. Peel. Those catsuits! OMG! And she looked absolutely smashing in them.

LOVED "The Avengers"! But when Mrs. Peel's missing explorer husband was finally found safe, and she stepped away from her partnership with Mr. Steed, they brought in actress Linda Thorson as Steed's new partner Tara King, and it just wasn't the same! I think the show only had that one more season - I don't think it went on longer than that. NOBODY could replace Mrs. Peel.

[Harker]

66. I was in love with Mrs. Peel before I knew what love was. n/t

[Brother Buzz]

42. She was on my short list, but....

Penny (Gloria Winters) stole my heart a decade earlier.

[joshcryer]

50. Same.

[Demovictory9]

12. RIP..regularly watched GI

[jpak]

13. RIP Mary Ann

[demtenjeep]

14. I personally know of two that died this week

this is horrible

[PCIntern]

15. Sissy Doody Crap.

She was one of my very few TV/movie crushes as a prepubescent, but weirdly ever-horny young man.

I know...not so weird....

She was gorgeous.

[Botany]

17. Damn disease!

51 years later (2015)



Only Ginger is left of "The Cast Away Crew." Skipper, T.H. the III, Lovey, Gilligan, & the Professor are all
gone too.

Add one more to the # of dead from the Trump Virus.

[colorado_ufo]

35. She was still so cute!

[brush]

18. RIP, Dawn Wells. I was always a Mary Ann fan.

This damn year keeps taking things away.

[calimary]

52. I remember when they updated the theme song to include her character.

Last edited Wed Dec 30, 2020, 06:11 PM - Edit history (1)

The lyrics only went as far as "...a movie star, and the rest..." and that actually bothered me. Even back then I thought - "but what about Mary Ann and the Professor (who didn't even have a name, except when you dug into the research for it). I kept wondering - "what were they? Chopped liver?”

Finally, they added "...the Professor and Mary Ann, here on 'Gilligan's Isle'!" and I found that most satisfying!

[cojoel]

65. they changed the lyrics for the second season at the insistence of Bob Denver

It seems like he was a decent man. The also re-filmed the opening and closing sequences to be in color.

[calimary]

79. Never heard a negative comment about him from his peers.

Glad this was how he threw his weight around. He was the big star in the cast after his breakout role as Maynard G. Krebs in the “Dobie Gillis” sitcom.

[SergeStorms]

80. WORK!

Classic Maynard, the character on which most Americans based their visualization of what a "beatnik" was. I loved Dobie Gillis, and Dawn Wells as Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island. I was never a fan of Ginger.

On edit: I should add that WORK was a two syllable word to Maynard G.

[CaptYossarian]

86. +1000.

Dobie is on in the middle of the night on Decades, right after Car 54. Great shows.

[underpants]

19. Tina Louise is the only cast member left

RIP Mary Anne.

[Withywindle]

20. That hit me right in the childhood.

RIP.

[Rebl2]

72. Same here

[Beartracks]

21. RIP Dawn.

===============

[Jeebo]

22. She went to Stephens College here in Columbia, Mo.

She came back here every so often for a visit.

Ginger or Mary Ann? I always preferred Mary Ann.

-- Ron

[LymphocyteLover]

24. yeah, I was more of a Mary Anne guy myself

RIP to a lovely actress. Such fond memories of my childhood.

[RVN VET71]

71. Ginger or Mary Ann? It was always Mary Ann.

When I retired I wanted to buy a car. I had 2 that really struck my fancy. One was a T-Bird convertible, gold. Dammit, she was a hot looking machine. T-Bird was, I think, an ’05 (last production year) low mileage, in great shape. Definitely my Ginger, if I picked her.

The other was a Mini-Cooper, brand new, a 2010, 6 on the floor, fast as I’ve ever wanted her to be.

I chose Mary Ann, cute, but sporty, and we’ve been together for 10 happy years.

So sorry her namesake has passed.

[Blue Owl]

23. No!

What a bummer...

[dalton99a]

25. R.I.P.

[Lunabell]

26. RIP to the penultimate "girl next door".

She was one of a kind. I actually met her when I was a kid. My only celebrity meeting other than a few country music people in Nashville.

[SeattleVet]

30. She was ultimate...almost the complete opposite of penultimate!

That word doesn't mean what you think it means...

Penultimate is 'next to last'.

[Lunabell]

38. Well, learned something new.

I've been using it wrong.

[SeattleVet]

45. Don't feel bad - a LOT of people do!

It's a very common thing.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

51. "Next to last" in the sense of "the one before the ultimate."

Gamers use it a lot to talk about the level right before the boss level.

And, since we're on the trend, antepenultimate is the one before the penultimate.

[SeattleVet]

61. Yes, upon re-reading my post, I wasn't super-clear.

It's the next to the last in a series, whether going to the top or the bottom.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

63. I was with you.

I teach high school English and that's one of the words I try to make sure they have at least heard. The gamers are usually on it. Though not antepenultimate.

Carry on!

[grantcart]

81. It's necessary in Greek to know what syllable is accented.

[mn9driver]

29. Goodbye, Ms. Wells.

I’ll always remember Mary Ann.

[AllyCat]

31. Shit disease. Assholes who won't do anything about it. RIP

My favorite character on a much-loved show from my childhood.

[yonder]

32. RIP Mary Ann. That G.I. era is drawing to a close.

[Evolve Dammit]

33. Damn

[Aristus]

34. I was a 'Mary Ann guy'.

Viewers of Gilligan's Island fell into two categories 'Ginger guys' and 'Mary Ann guys'. I've never heard any talk about the women who might have been attracted to either or both of them. They didn't do that in the 60's. But I imagine they're out there.

RIP, Dawn. Thanks for the laughs...

[elevator]

43. Always felt Lovey was kinda sexy...

must have been her accent.

[ProfessorGAC]

44. Same Here

I was only a boy, starting to pay attention to girls then. But, even later in reruns, I was a Maryann guy.
I saw her in a 6 or 7 year episode of Chopped!
She looked fantastic for her mid 70s. IIRC, she lost in the end to the woman that played the mom in Boy Meets World.
But, she was very good with the cooking stuff in that show.

[Fla Dem]

36. Wow that makes me sad. One of her last interviews 3/2020.

What keeps ‘Gilligan’s Island’ star Dawn Wells still going strong at 81
By Steve Dorfman

Posted Mar 2, 2020 at 11:18 AM
The pinnacle of Dawn Wells’ career may have happened more than 50 years ago — but not a day passes, the 81-year-old actress says, when she doesn’t feel “blessed” to have appeared in all 98 episodes of “Gilligan’s Island” as the iconic Mary Ann.

“It was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life,” she says of the show that originally aired from 1964 to 1967 and then became a staple of syndication worldwide (it still airs on Sundays on MeTV Network). “We all knew how special it was at the time.”

And on Saturday , she will be holding court at the Free Life Expo for boomers and seniors that The Palm Beach Post is hosting at the Palm Beach Convention Center. Wells will sign autographs, photos and copies of her books (“What Would Mary Ann Do? A Guide to Life” and “Mary Ann’s Gilligan’s Island Cookbook”), as well as talk about “Gilligan’s Island,” her fellow castaways (“We all stayed in touch after the show ended”) and “anything else people want to ask me about.”

As to why the show’s — and Mary Ann’s — appeal has endured through the decades, Wells has a few theories.

“First, we all truly did get along off-screen. Alan Hale, who played the skipper, really was like the leader. And Bob Denver, who played Gilligan, was such a sweet and wonderful man — and was everybody’s ‘little buddy.’ Our producer, Sherwood Schwartz, cast the show brilliantly. He had a vision for these different characters to come together to form a misfit family.”

In that sense, the show — for all its critically panned slapstick goofiness — was actually ahead of its time. Back then, TV sitcoms featured only traditional nuclear families.

Wells also believes there was, and is, a timelessness about the show.

“Think about it: Because we’re stranded on the island, there are no outside cues about fashion or technology. You can’t tell by cars or clothes ‘when’ we are. ”

Mary Ann, a farm girl from Kansas, has resonated with both men and women of all generations, Wells surmises, because “this character — her fair-mindedness, helpfulness, sincerity and intelligence — really was me in a lot of ways.”

MORE>>>>
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/entertainment/20200302/what-keeps-rsquogilliganrsquos-islandrsquo-star-dawn-wells-still-going-strong-at-81

Tina Louise who played Ginger is now the last remaining cast member of Gilligan's Island.

Tina Louise is an American actress best known for playing movie star Ginger Grant in the CBS television situation comedy Gilligan's Island.
Born: February 11, 1934 (age 86 years), New York, NY

[chriscan64]

67. She was still doing the promos for MeTV.

They usually do some sort of tribute when one of the stars of their shows pass away.

[LeftInTX]

89. Tina Louise does not look good. Horrible plastic surgery

I don't know why women do it..........Seriously, I don't. She was beautiful

[Fla Dem]

93. Age catches up with you one way or another. She's 86 after all.

I'm just hoping to still be upright at 86.

[niyad]

37. This damned trumplague sucks. I have a little list. . .

[AngryOldDem]

39. There are no more words for this carnage.

Just think... in February, it was “just one or two people.” In March, it was “when the weather warms up, it will just go away.”

Trump’s bungling — and now total indifference — have earned him a gold-plated suite in hell.

[KPN]

41. Damn. She may have been my first crush as a

kid. She was so damn cute and likable of Gilligan’s Island. Watched many an episode on cold, wet winter afternoons after school while munching on graham crackers with a glass of milk.

[NurseJackie]

47. Whatever "work" she had done... was done well. She kept her sweet and charming looks. 💖💝

Rest in peace, Dawn! Thank you for all the smiles and laughter!

[packman]

48. Danm

Some people should live. forever on a little island. Loved that show.

[PatrickforO]

53. She was a class act.

May she have eternal rest in perpetual light.

And may Trump eventually be held to account for reckless homicide.

[jimlup]

54. Well this sucks...

Everyone of my generations favorite girl next door.

[TheBlackAdder]

55. 😢

[vercetti2021]

56. Noooooo!!!

Why?! GODDAMN 2020!

[LeftInTX]

57. She posted a video on Christmas Eve. She was fine. 6 days ago.

https://www.facebook.com/therealmaryann/posts/237454637737828

I had fun with friends from a safe distance being goofy and recording a Christmas greeting. Keep your heart light and share a few laughs and conversation with someone near and far. Be well. Be safe. Have a Merry Christmas!

[JenniferJuniper]

62. And she looked fantastic.

[Pachamama]

88. Christmas 2020...

Those numbers are appearing starting now and in the next 2 -3 weeks....



It’s going to be a horrible January and February....

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

58. How sad

[bdamomma]

60. oh how sad

I loved her on Gilligan's Island. RIP

[panfluteman]

64. Aw, Crap! I Used to Love Playing the Gilligan's Island Theme on My Pan Flute!

[OMGWTF]

68. Goddamnit2020! Dawn Wells was a stand-up gal; I really liked her.

[Liberal In Texas]

69. Oh man, that just sucks. RIP Ms Wells.

[FailureToCommunicate]

70. Farewell Dawn Wells...(good riddance 2020!)

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0920171/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/dawn-wells-dead/2020/12/30/c7546744-b84a-11e8-94eb-3bd52dfe917b_story.html

[tirebiter]

73. Big kid fantasy

[tonedevil]

76. PPP is the best. /nt

[TlalocW]

74. I remember a couple interviews

I want to say one of them was on Space Ghost: Coast to Coast in the late 90s/early 00s, and she threw some shade at Ginger - nicely of course - for not wanting to be associated with the show anymore.

TlalocW

[flibbitygiblets]

75. OMG so sad. RIP Mary Ann.

[flibbitygiblets]

82. Nicolle just featured her at the close of her show ("lives well lived" segment)

How incredibly sad.

[LudwigPastorius]

78. awwww...

The answer to "Ginger or Mary Ann?" was always Mary Ann.

Rest in peace, Ms. Wells.

[GETPLANING]

83. Ginger may have been the one who caught your eye,

But Mary Ann was the one who caught your heart.

[BHDem53]

84. Rest in peace

to a beautiful and talented lady.

[Tommymac]

87. Godspeed Dawn.

You broke a 6 year old's heart.

Fuck Trump.

[amb123]

90. A goddess to the end.

Another death you can chalk up to Donald Trump.

[Jilly191]

91. Strange How Hard Dawn Wells' Death Hit Me

I met Dawn Wells in a week-long stint when I was an apprentice at Famous Artist Series in Syracuse, New York playing in the Midnight Ride of Alvin Blum when I was 16 (this was 1968). She was the most down-to-earth, kind, friendly person, and her passing made me sad and angry at what the Trump Plague has wrought. I'm lucky to live in probably the best county in New York for Covid prevention. It was probably the first in the country, definitely in NY to institute widespread, free, easily available testing (starting March 24), and so far 6 deaths, unfortunately in nursing homes, even with Cornell University having the students back all semester (Ithaca College is completely virtual and TC3, where I teach part time is mostly so). Back to DW. I was not surprised at all to see how she spent most of her life helping others. Damn Trump!

[turbinetree]

92. This is sad always watched this show

[BigOleDummy]

94. Can't believe nobodies posted this yet....

This is hilarious! You must remember that Ms. Wells and Tina Louise did not get along at all either on the set of Gilligans Island or afterwards. Ms. Wells was always nice about it in later years but the burn she gives "Ginger" in this is a .... beautiful thing. The whole video is less than 6 minutes long and worth every second of your time to watch. Enjoy! "She's still on that Freakin Island"

[Dennis Donovan]

95. That was funny!