Thoughts From the Gilligan's Island Episode You've Been Disconnected (1966)

Synopsis: When a strong storm washes up a telephone cable, the castaways see an opportunity to call for help. However, even though the Professor (Russell Johnson) constructs a primitive phone, they can't seem to find anyone willing to take their call.

My Thoughts:

I don't know a whole lot about phone cables, but doesn't it seem a bit odd one would be so close to an uncharted island that is nowhere near the shipping lanes?  I also find it hard to believe there would be enough slack in that line to for it to be washed ashore from any great distance.

I'm not so sure the Ginger Grant movie would be worth buying a ticket for. I mean, had Ginger (Tina Louise) gotten off the island and shared her survival story, then maybe it would be worthwhile. However, without that part of the story (and Hollywood wouldn't know it), how interesting could that film really be? Maybe that's why this is the only time anyone hears about it.

Speaking of her movie, the castaways sure do have selective memories. Yes, Gilligan (Bob Denver) made his share of mistakes on the series but, from the way the rest of the castaways talked, you would think he was the only reason they weren't rescued. Apparently, they are conveniently forgetting the times when literally every other castaway was to blame.

In fact, I blame the Professor for this missed opportunity. Yes, Gilligan added rubber to the line before it got washed back into the ocean. However, the only thing he did was prevent the one thing the Professor said wouldn't work. The Skipper (Alan Hale, Jr.) asked the Professor point blank about cutting the lines to prompt a repair effort and he immediately dismissed it. Had he just done that, they would be rescued. 

Plus, it didn't occur to him the line might get washed off the shore? It was only a few feet from the water and no effort was made to secure it. Yes, there are others who could be blamed for that too, but the Professor is supposed to be some sort of genius.

On the subject of Gilligan, when did he add that rubber to the line? He fled the lagoon with the rest of the castaways and, while it was obviously possible for him to come back later, I'm not sure how he managed to do that without anyone noticing. Plus, how long could he survive standing outside in that bad of a storm?

Final Opinion: It has a relatively unique plot, but I was turned off a bit by the way the rest of the castaways used Ginger's movie to point out his previous mistakes then wrongly blamed him for this failed rescue attempt.

My Grade: B-