Gilligan's Island
High Man on the Totem Pole
TV Flash files “High Man on the Totem Pole” as hour 91 of 98 in the TV Flash guide — Gilligan's Island (1964–1967) on CBS, season 3, episode 23, aired 1967-02-27, 30 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S03E23: listed hour 91 of 98 in the Gilligan's Island guide, hour 23 of 30 in season 3. It aired 1967-02-27 (30 min). The listed hour before it is “Splashdown” (S03E22). Next is “The Second Ginger Grant” (S03E24).
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
While taking the Howells for a drive, Gilligan discovers a head hunter totem pole with a replica of his head on it. Later the castaways are taken prisoner and Gilligan has to save them.
Viewer FAQ
Where does High Man on the Totem Pole sit in the Gilligan's Island guide?
S03E23 is listed hour 91 of 98 — hour 23 of 30 in season 3, season 3 episode 23.
When did Gilligan's Island S03E23 air?
High Man on the Totem Pole aired 1967-02-27 and is listed at 30 minutes.
Where should I start?
The premise is the first hour: shipwreck, seven types, island as trap. After that, any episode is a complete coconut farce. The theme song is the map.
In the series
Why this series still plays
A three-hour tour became television's eternal trap: seven castaways, one island, and a theme song that outbuilt half the scripts. Sherwood Schwartz's hierarchy — Gilligan, Skipper, Howells, Ginger, Professor, Mary Ann — is costume-clear comfort farce. Watch it for high-concept sitcom architecture and the fan argument that never left: why not just fix the boat?
A three-hour tour became television's most stubborn window. Sherwood Schwartz's *Gilligan's Island* (CBS, 1964–1967) ran **three seasons, 98 episodes**, and then refused to un-wreck. Seven types, one uncharted island, infinite coconuts and guest-star interruptions: high-concept sitcom architecture so costume-clear a child could cast the reunion. Rex will toast the theme song as folklore. The theme song was the bible. It outbuilt half the scripts.
Filed against
- Bob Denver as Gilligan
Bob Denver’s Gilligan trapped a three-hour tour as television’s eternal sitcom — seven castaways, one island, a theme song that outbuilt half the scripts, Sherwood Schwartz’s hierarchy of Skipper, Howells, Ginger, Professor, Mary Ann as…
- Alan Hale Jr. as Jonas 'The Skipper' Grumby
Alan Hale Jr.’s Jonas “The Skipper” Grumby skippered television’s eternal three-hour tour — Gilligan’s Island as seven castaways, one island, a theme song that outbuilt half the scripts, Sherwood Schwartz hierarchy in costume-clear…
- Jim Backus as Thurston Howell III
Jim Backus’s Thurston Howell III turned a three-hour tour into television’s eternal class joke — Gilligan’s Island hierarchy in costume, Howells as yacht money marooned with a Skipper and a Professor. 1960s high-concept farce. TV Flash…
- Tina Louise as Ginger Grant
Tina Louise glamour-wrecked Gilligan's Island as Ginger Grant — a three-hour tour as television's eternal trap, seven castaways, costume-clear comfort farce, a movie star stranded in a theme song that outbuilt half the scripts. TV Flash…
- Dawn Wells as Mary Ann Summers
Dawn Wells’s Mary Ann Summers won Gilligan’s Island by looking like Kansas — a three-hour tour as television’s eternal trap, seven castaways, costume-clear comfort farce, Ginger as the other pole. Sherwood Schwartz hierarchy. TV Flash…