Gilligan's Island/The Chain of Command

The Chain of Command
Season 2, Episode 11
Airdate	December 2, 1965
Written by	Arnold and Lois Peyser
Directed by	Leslie Goodwins
Produced by	Sherwood Schwartz
← 2x10 Hi-Fi Gilligan	2x12 → Don't Bug the Mosquitoes
Gilligan's Island — Season Two

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The Chain of Command is the eleventh episode of the second season of Gilligan's Island, and the forty-seventh episode overall.

Starring: Bob Denver (Gilligan), Alan Hale (Skipper)

Also Starring: Jim Backus (Thurston J. Howell III), Natalie Schafer (Mrs. Howell)

and Also Starring: Tina Louise (Ginger Grant)

with Russell Johnson (The Professor), Dawn Wells (Mary Ann)

Plot Overview

The Castaways are preparing themselves for battle with a warlike tribe of savages.Gilligan,The Skipper,and The Professor had found a native Headdress belonging to a warlike tribe.They feel that they will attack.This isn't the only problem that the Castaways will be facing.On a personal note,The Skipper feels that when those savages attack they will kill the leader first.This worries The Skipper because earlier,he was almost hit by a falling Palmtree.He feels that without a leader,the other Castaways are doomed.So,he goes about seeking a successor.When The Skipper first brought it up,Gilligan hints at being The Skippers successor,but The Skipper ignores him.The Skipper talks to The Professor,and Mr.Howell,and seeing that they are too preoccupied with other matters,The Skipper decides on Gilligan.This surprises him as he was getting the feeling that The Skipper was ignoring him totally.The Skipper attempts to get Gilligan in shape to take Command in case of Skippers demise.The attempts fail by the wayside.Especially whenGilligan attempt tp drill the other Castaways on what weapon to use when the enemies approach.The Skipper allows Gilligan to continue with the drill,while he goes to the Lagoon to see if any savages have landed.Sometime later,Gilligan goes looking for The Skipper,but finds his Cap,and a note.The note indicates that the Skipper was surrounded by the savages,and that he had no chance to escape.Gilligan takes the note back to Camp.With The Professor,and Mr.Howell they go back to where The Skipper was apparently abducted.Both The Professor,and Howell attempt in their own way to investigate the Skippers whereabout,to Gilligans chagrin.Both men have a verbal argument.Gilligan feeling that he is well trained to lead the others takes Command.He has a plan to set a trap,to capture one of the savage.Then he would force the savage to take him to where The Skipper is being held.He give each Castaway an assignment.Ginger however volunteers to act as bait to lurer the savage into the trap.As she demenstrates this to Gilligan,the trap that had laid is triggered.They believe they have caught a savage only to discover,it is The Skipper.They hear his voice,then cut him loose from the canvas trap.All the while he was speaking about it being a test for Gilligan.The Skipper explains that the savages that they where expecting would never come.The Native Headdress which was found earlier is not a genuine War Bonnet.Why?Because it has a label that says"Made in Paris".It actually belongs to Lovey Howell,who left the Headdress somewhere on the Island,and had forgottened about it.With this discovery,The Skipper decided to give Gilligan a chance to show what type of Leader he could be.The Skipper suceeded better than he thought.Gilligan is now Command crazy.He even barks orders to The Skipper to be silent.He then marches the Castaways back to Camp,but he does'nt quite make it.As he is marching backwards,he does not notice that he is heading for the edge of a cliff.The Castaways try to warn him,but he falls over anyway.Foretunately,he grabbed hold of a cliff branch.All's well that ends well.

Trivia

When Gilligan fell over the Cliff,he was wearing the Skippers Cap.When he was hanging onto the branch,he is wearing his own Sailors Cap.

Memorable Moments

Gilligan's attempt at drilling the others in preparations for War.Gilligan marching the others back to Camp,but ends up falling over the Cliff.Gilligans feeble attempts at making a Bow,and Arrow.