Dawn Wells, the actress who took a fictional “three-hour tour” in 1964 and found lifelong fame as the animated Mary Ann Summers on the “Gilligan’s Island” TV sitcom, died on Wednesday from complications caused by COVID- 19 – one of more than 341,000 Americans who died in the pandemic.
Unfortunately, Wells’s life, which ended at age 82, was not as organized and organized as the television show about tour boat passengers who were wrecked in a storm on a desert island somewhere in the Pacific. We all have our storms in life, of course. And in real life, none of us has all of our problems solved every 30 minutes, once a week. Wells was no exception.
On TV, Mary Ann miraculously managed to not only survive, but also thrive during three years of mischief on the island. She survived misfortunes with her unfortunate shipwrecked companions, navigating floods, volcanoes and even the arrival of unwanted visitors. Implausibly, the stranded group was able to find all kinds of ways to deal with the challenges they faced, but never figured out how to build a boat that would allow them to leave.
STAR DAWN OF ‘GILLIGAN’S ISLAND’ DEAD AT 82
Unfortunately, Wells spent her twilight years facing a myriad of personal challenges, including a fall that left her financially destitute and desperate for rescue once again.
In the end, her rescuers were her devoted fans, raising $ 197,000 to help her get out of bankruptcy through a month-long GoFundMe campaign.
Dawn Wells as her character Mary Ann on the TV show ‘Gilligan’s Island’ in 1964.
(Photo by CBS via Getty Images)
It almost looked like it was made for television – except that Wells’ real life wasn’t fictional or fantastic. It was a testament to her ability to resonate with viewers drawn to the kind and healthy young woman she portrayed. In reruns that are still airing, she never aged and never left “Gilligan’s Island” after the three years of new episodes of the series ended.
Wells was born in Reno, Nevada, on October 18, 1938. She overcame the strangeness of adolescence marked by acne, obesity, orthodontic appliances and bad knees in ballet to be selected as Miss Nevada in 1960 and compete for the Miss America crown.
Four years later, Wells became America’s boyfriend after getting the role of a Kansas peasant sailing aboard the ill-fated SS Minnow that sank on “Gilligan’s Island”.
The character’s simple kindness resonated with generations of viewers.
Dawn Wells in 2014, with her book ‘What Would Mary Ann Do? A Guide to Life ‘, which she co-wrote with Steve Stinson.
(Getty Images)
Playing alongside a cast of stars, some of whom have already established themselves in Hollywood, including Gilligan (Bob Denver), Skipper (Alan Hale Jr.) and millionaire Thurston Howell III (Jim Backus), Wells’s character was not even named in the opening theme song of the first season. If you hear the litany of the characters in the show, you will hear the role of Mary Ann and the teacher (Russell Johnson) simply referred to as “the rest”.
But despite his credit anonymity, it didn’t take long for Wells to win hearts and fans at the series’ first shows.
DAWN WELLS LIFE IN PHOTOS
“Every character on Gilligan’s Island was given a broad ‘traditional’ comedy role to fill – captain, companion, rich man, rich wife, teacher, movie star – except me,” Wells noted in his autobiography. “She got a name and location – Kansas farm girl. I had to fill in the blanks. So from the beginning, Mary Ann’s character was different. She was not a Hollywood creation. She was shaped by me , of me.”
In contrast to his compatriot, the sensual and vivacious Ginger Grant (Tina Louise), the character Mary Ann of Dawn Wells was the healthy alternative. She was the “good girl” who won friends and influenced people for her sweetness, not for her seductive sexuality.
So-called “good girls” are often made fun of in Hollywood and especially in comedies, made fun of as naive simpleton. “Gilligan’s Island” was not moralizing; played with the sexual stereotype with Ginger. But I would say that Mary Ann’s legions of fans saw in her admirable qualities that fathers wish for their daughters, men wish for their wives and many girls wish for themselves.
I will be honest. Ginger intimidated me as a child watching reruns of “Gilligan’s Island”. But Mary Ann? She was the type of girl I wanted to meet. In fact, Mary Ann is the type of girl I ended up marrying. Julie Hamilton’s classic beauty immediately caught my eye, but it was her sweetness and kindness that I really fell in love with over 20 years ago. It was fun to be around her – and still is.
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Popular culture tends to glamorize the seductress, but marriages are held together by more than sexual chemistry. Men who find in their wives the qualities that the fictitious Mary Ann Summers possessed are more exponentially likely to enjoy happier marriages.
It seems that Wells’ personality in real life matched his castaway character. In recent years, co-star “Gilligan’s Island” operated Wishing Wells Collections – a company she created to design and manufacture clothing for the physically challenged elderly.
In the end, it was Wells’ own personality, brought to his TV character, that caused so many fans to stand up to help her when she found herself in need of a real life rescue. The GoFundMe page gave Wells something Mary Ann never got – a boat to allow her to sail away from a bad situation.
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“I am surprised at the kindness and warmth I received,” said Wells at the time of his financial bailout. “I don’t know how it happened. I thought I was taking all the appropriate measures to guarantee my golden years. Now, here I am, without a family, without a husband, without children and without money.”
Unfortunately, bad things happen to good people, but good people like Dawn Wells tend to surround themselves with other people who are willing to help out in difficult times – whether on a three-hour tour, a desert island or in the midst of a life storm.
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