When it returned for its second season in September 1965, “Gilligan’s Island” was first broadcast in color. The show aptly straddles the line between CBS’s transition from black-and-white to color broadcasts, and thus its first season remains forever immortalized in monochrome, although attempts were made to colorize during syndication. But color wasn’t the only new thing the show had in its second season. The iconic theme from “Gilligan’s Island”, originally sung by the group The Wellingtons, had been replaced by a brand new title song.
“The Ballad of Gilligan’s Isle” was written by executive producer and series creator Sherwood Schwartz and songwriter George Wyle, and recorded by The Wellingtons (who actually performed the band The Mosquitoes in a later episode of “Gilligan’s Island”) in a mad dash to director Mel Shavelson’s home studio. But for Season 2, the song was to include the names “The Professor” and “Mary Ann”, previously called “the rest” in the original Season 1 theme. This time, a group called The Eligibles took charge of the task and a new version of the classic sea shanty was produced for the color debut of “Gilligan’s Island”.
This is the version most fans know, with its lyrics not only perfectly summing up the show’s premise, but also introducing each member of the ensemble in a catchy yet utilitarian songwriting marvel. Since then, the “Gilligan’s Island” theme has been a beloved piece of television history that immediately evokes fond memories of the early ’60s sitcom. Unless you’re billionaire Bill Gross’ neighbor. What do this 1% and their neighborhood disputes have to do with “The Ballad of Gilligan’s Isle?” Allow me to recount what remains an unseemly stain in the history of one of television’s greatest sitcoms and its legendary theme song.
The beloved Giligan’s Island theme was at the heart of a neighborhood conflict
Lyrics for the theme song “Gilligan’s Island” are surely ingrained in the memory of an entire generation, inexorably linked to warm memories of gathering around a television set to watch the adventures of Bob Denver’s Gilligan and the stranded crew of the SS Minnow – so named for U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Newton Minow, who had stoked the anger of series creator Sherwood Schwartz by imploring networks to take greater creative control over their programming.
But for a tech entrepreneur and his wife, “The Ballad of Gilligan’s Isle” will forever evoke traumatic memories of surviving the tantrums of an entitled billionaire neighbor. This neighbor is Bill Gross. Described by CNN As a “billionaire, bond investor, philanthropist and avid stamp collector,” Gross was the founder of Pacific Investments Management Co. (PIMCO), one of the world’s largest mutual funds. After retiring in 2019, Gross was apparently free to enjoy his oceanfront property in Laguna Beach, on an exclusive stretch of private shoreline. However, as CNN reports, things changed after Gross and his partner Amy Schwartz decided to erect an art installation in their backyard.
Initially, the 22-foot-long sculpture, created by blown glass artist Dale Chihuly, posed no problem for Gross’s neighbor, Mark Towfiq, CEO of data center development company Nextfort Ventures. However, after Gross installed protective netting over the structure, Towfiq and his wife Carol Nakahara complained that their view of the ocean was obstructed, eventually contacting the city of Laguna Beach to investigate. The city considered the netting and lights that illuminated the sculpture a violation of city code and ordered Gross to apply for the necessary permits to preserve the sculpture.
You might think that would be the end, but it was only the beginning, as Gross apparently intended to deploy the power of Sherwood Schwartz’s immortal theme song in his continuing fight against Towfiq and his wife.
The Ballad of Gilligan’s Isle became a battle cry
The recording of the “Gilligan’s Island” theme song was as slapstick as the show itselfSherwood Schwartz and The Wellingtons having only an hour to record the sea shanty before being kicked out of Mel Shavelson’s home studio. When creating the second season version, things were much less rushed. But this updated iteration of “The Ballad of Gilligan’s Isle” would be the focus of its own ridiculous antics when Bill Gross deployed it as part of his miserable little war against Mark Towfiq.
According to ForbesGross is worth $1.7 billion, but it seems that being excessively rich doesn’t do much to improve pettiness. After Gross was asked to remove the mesh covering his art installation and obtain the appropriate permits, according to Towfiq and his wife, the billionaire began retaliating by broadcasting “loud music and bizarre audio recordings to excessive levels” at different times of the day and night. A lawsuit filed by Towfiq and Carol Nakahara claimed that Gross would play the “Gilligan’s Island” theme song on repeat as part of their sonic offensive. According to the The Wall Street Journalthe complaint also alleged that Gross and Amy Schwartz “began dancing on their balcony facing our property and apparently made gestures to taunt us.”
Towfiq’s suit actually came after Gross and Schwartz’s own complaint, filed on October 13, 2020, which alleged that Towfiq had “watched” Gross and Schwartz and sought a restraining order against the Nextfort Ventures CEO. Towfiq and Nakahara then filed a countersuit on October 14, 2020, alleging that Gross and Schwartz engaged in a “targeted campaign of harassment and abuse,” which apparently had Gilligan and the gang as their battle cry.
The ballad of poor old billionaires
By the time Bill Gross and Mark Towfiq were suing each other, they had clearly attempted to settle the matter man-to-man, with Towfiq asking his neighbor to turn down the music to receive the following message: “Peace on all fronts or else [sic] you just need to have concerts every night, big guy. » According to the The Wall Street JournalGross’ choice of the television theme song to wage psychological warfare impacted Towfiq’s memories of “Gilligan’s Island,” with the tech entrepreneur recalling: “We had black and white television. I remember once a week we all had a black and white television. queue to watch. It kind of ruined it for us, but it’s still a good show.
However, Towfiq came out on top. Like the Los Angeles Times reported in 2022, Gross issued an ostensible declaration of victory, claiming to be “pleased” with Laguna Beach’s approval of his work, even though the piece itself was never the problem – it was the net that obscured Towfiq’s point of view. Gross also couldn’t help but lash out at his neighbors in the statement, writing: “The approval by the Laguna Beach Design Review Board and the City of Laguna Beach exposes [Towfiq and Carol Nakahara’s] real intention in this rather ridiculous situation. The statement is just as bizarre as the rest of this debacle, given that Towfiq and Nakahara effectively emerged victorious. place, but it also withdrew its plan for a permanent glass and steel roof. The billionaire was also ordered not to illuminate the sculpture after 10 p.m.
On top of that, an Orange County Superior Court judge ruled that Gross and his wife had, according to the LA Times, harassed their neighbors with their musical offensive and ordered the couple to follow the city’s noise laws. Laguna Beach. Unsurprisingly, Gross and his wife failed to comply with these provisions and were found in contempt of court, resulting in community service.
Why did Gross choose the theme “Gilligan’s Island”? It remains unclear, but Sherwood Schwartz surely did not imagine that his sea shanty was at the heart of this shameful little affair when he wrote it. Fortunately, no matter how many billionaires try to use the theme for nefarious purposes, “Gilligan’s Island” remains one of the the best sitcoms of all time.
