Ginger? naah...

It was arguably one of the most famous maritime disasters of the 20th century. The fact that all seven members of the voyage survived was a miracle unto itself. It wasn't that the Beatles had made their American debut on the Ed Sullivan Show, it was the shipwreck of the Minnow that made 1964 an epic year in American history.

It was going to be a simple sightseeing cruise. The skipper, the mate, and 5 passengers left for a three hour tour. The ship's log reads thus: "The weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed, if not for the courage of the fearless crew, the Minnow would be lost. The ship set down on the shore of this uncharted desert isle, with Gilligan, the skipper, too, the millionaire and his wife, the movie star, and all the rest.."

Harrowing. It was a masterstroke of the crew's seamanship that kept them all alive. Incredible.

But someone else kept them all alive from that moment on. See, one of "the rest" was the professor. He could make a battery out of coconuts and papayas to keep the radio powered up for news and music. It was his genius, tenacity, and sheer force of will that brought about the cultivation of crops to feed the hungry castaways. It was the professor who should get the credit for the fact that everyone's clothes were always clean, the huts were more than adequate, their needs were always met. What good was the millionaire's money where there was nothing to buy? The professor, the renaissance man, had much more than money. He had guts...and brains.

Why? Why? Why did this man of obvious genius ignore the most basic of solutions to their plight? You've asked yourself many times over the years. You've probabaly even lost sleep over it. I know I have. Why didn't the professor patch the boat? Why?

The mystery solving clue was given to us in 1965, though I never put all the pieces of the puzzle together until last week. Woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. I knew!

The first year of their filmed chronicle was shot in black and white. The second was shot in color--much like when Dorothy got to Oz---and that's when the blinders came off. The theme song was changed to ..."with Gilligan, the skipper, too, the millionaire and his wife, the movie star, the professor and Mary Anne...."

The professor and Mary Anne. The professor and Mary Anne! He didn't want to leave!