Dawn Wells, the real Mary Ann Summers from ‘Gilligan’s Island’, was just as sunny and down-to-earth off-screen as she was on-screen, her opposite number Tina Louise, the show’s only remaining cast member, told The Post Wednesday.
Louise, who played the indelible flame-haired Ginger Grant on the CBS show, spoke fondly of Wells, who died in Los Angeles on Wednesday at the age of 82 after a fight with COVID-19.
“I’m very sad,” said Louise, who infamously refused to appear in revivals and reboots or discuss the show for the decades since it ended in 1967.
“Dawn was a very wonderful person. I want people to remember her as someone who always had a smile on her face, ”says Louise, who lives on the East Side of Manhattan. “Nothing is more important than family and she was family. She will always be remembered. “
Louise, an enduring beauty who asked that The Post not mention her age, was shocked to learn about her friend’s death during a phone call from a Hollywood friend. “Nobody wants to get that kind of news – especially that way, with this terrible disease,” she said, adding that the health-conscious actress is doing her part to bolster herself. “I’m doing my exercise and eating a vegetarian lunch today,” she said, adding gloomily, “Everything’s complicated now.”
The beloved show, which ran for three seasons from 1964 to 1967, and followed a group of castaways who lived on an island, is as enduring as ever – especially during lockdown, when new generations discovered its endearing charms.
“We were part of the great show that everyone loves and it was a great source of comfort, especially during these times,” said Louise.
Although she notoriously declined to appear in the 1978 TV movie ‘Rescue from Gilligan’s Island’, ‘Surviving Gilligan’s Island’ from 2001, and several other revivals, she has come across rumors that she resented the role and the show.
“Never – I was thrilled to do my part, especially after they actually started writing for my character, originally billed as a ‘Marilyn Monroe’ character,” Louise told The Post. “Another director took over and really started writing for my character,” she added, admitting that she was originally thinking of quitting. “I really liked my character.”
She also dismissed comparisons between beloved girl next door Mary Ann and her less inhibited movie star roommate, Ginger. “There is a character for every person. Anyone can identify with another person, ”she said, noting the close affinity of the seamless cast. “We have always been a family. She had huge fans. “
Saying, “Dawn was great in her role,” she even had special moments with her late co-star, remembering her favorite memory when she was invited to Wells’s house around 1966.
‘I had just gotten married and it was Thanksgiving. I didn’t know how to cook special. She invited me to her home with her mother, ”said Louise, who learned how to make a potato soufflé recipe that became an enduring favorite. “It became something I did every year for Thanksgiving,” she said. “I have never forgotten that.”
Louise, who starred in “The Stepford Wives,” “The Love Boat,” and “Dallas,” said she’s grateful for the flow of “Gilligan’s Island” fans over the past few months. “We have brought people a lot of pleasure and we still do. This show is an escape from so many things that are happening, ”she said. “Fathers now share it with their children. I get letters about that all the time. “
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Wells, who has starred in popular shows like “Bonanza” and “Maverick,” would always be indelibly linked to her lovable “Gilligan’s Island” character, Louise said. “She should always be remembered with a smile on her face – she was a joyful person and shared her joy with everyone.”
Although it had been a while since the two co-stars had spoken, Louise said Wells’s smile is etched on her heart and said fans are writing to tell her they bought the series box set for their kids.
The show will live forever – and so will she. We will remember her with a smile. “