Once upon a time I had a dream. Like most of my dreams, it came to me in my sleep. It was an idea that was very funny and very profound at the same time. It actually woke me up.
I thought, maybe I could share this funny/profound idea about a small group of diverse individuals who have to learn to get along with each other. They must, because they are stuck together on a deserted island. It is also an allegory for the diverse countries in the world. We all have to learn to get along together. If we don’t, one big atomic bomb could destroy all of us, including the earth itself.
I had this dream in 1962, when I was trying to create a half-hour
comedy show for a television series: broad comedy on the surface with an important meaning underneath. On early TV, all the people were white. If I had that dream today, I would populate that imaginary island with people more representative of the people we see every day. They would be much more diverse in ethnicity, color, race, religion, ability, size, and shape.
And maybe I would call it Everybody’s Island, instead of Gilligan’s Island.
Sherwood Schwartz is the Emmy-winning creator, writer, and producer of Gilligan’s Island. www.sherwoodschwartz.com
