Tina Louise’s Legacy: 5 Actresses Who Replaced Her as Ginger Grant

After Sherwood Schwartz’s⁣ hit sitcom “Gilligan’s Island” ended⁤ in 1967,⁢ actress Tina Louise, who played the glamorous movie star Ginger Grant, pursued other film⁢ and TV projects. Despite rumors that‍ she hated the show, Louise revealed‍ that she enjoyed‌ her time on the series and never resented her co-stars.

Since “Gilligan’s Island,”⁤ Louise has appeared in several high-profile films, including “The Wrecking Crew,” “The Stepford Wives,” and “Whatever Happened to Rosemary’s Baby.” ⁤Her most ⁢recent performance was in the 2019 film “Tapestry.” Now 90, Louise is the only surviving cast member of ‌”Gilligan’s Island.”

Louise‍ declined to appear in several extended versions of “Gilligan’s Island” due ​to her successful career. Her character, Ginger, appeared in ‌all of these ‌spinoffs, but was played by different actresses. This led to several actresses being ⁤needed to play Ginger, including Jane‍ Webb, Judith​ Baldwin, Constance‌ Forslund, and Dawn Wells.

Ginger Substitutes #1 – #3

TV history buffs will tell you that “Gilligan’s Island” was wildly popular ‍despite being widely panned by critics. ⁢Despite only​ airing ⁣for three​ seasons, “Gilligan’s Island” had a good syndication deal and was able to ‍air‍ reruns on one network or another for decades.

By 1974, interest in the series was still high, and Sherwood‌ Schwartz and Filmation produced an animated spin-off called “Gilligan’s New Adventures.” The new series followed the original series almost⁤ without interruption,​ featuring the same premise and all the ​characters.⁣ However, ⁢Ginger was transformed from​ a redhead to a steely platinum blonde. The new Ginger ‍was voiced by Jane Webb, a prolific ⁤voice actress who has voiced a variety of popular pop‌ characters across Filmation’s catalog.

In 1978, the⁣ cast ​all returned to their roles in a live-action TV movie called “Shipwrecked on Gilligan’s Island.” Judith Baldwin played Ginger ​in the film, as well as ⁣in the 1979‍ sequel, “Shipwrecked on Gilligan’s Island.”

In the​ zany film “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island,” Constance Forslund played Ginger, replacing Baldwin. Forslund enjoyed a long and prolific TV career, most recently in the series “Baskets.”

Ginger #4 and #5

In 1982, Schwartz created a second animated series called⁣ “Gilligan’s Planet,” which was ‌more directly tied‍ to the original series and⁣ “New Adventures” than to the live-action TV movie. Dawn Wells, who ⁢played Mary Ann, voiced Ginger in⁣ the show.

The last actress to play Ginger‍ was Kit Smythe, who played ‌a completely different character named Ginger in the original, unaired pilot⁣ episode of “Gilligan’s ⁢Island.” Smythe’s character was a secretary, not the movie‍ actress played by Louise.

Louise has never mentioned the⁤ performances of ⁣Smythe, Wells, Forslund, Baldwin, or Webb. However, fans are free to comment on their performances as they wish.