Known primarily for his role as Gilligan in the CBS sitcom "Gilligan's Island" (1964-67), Bob Denver initially came to the public's attention as beatnik Maynard G Krebs, the nonconformist "good buddy" of the title character in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" (CBS, 1959-63). Relating the two young men's misadventures as they attempted to find themselves, the comedy series detailed their life in hometown Central City before documenting their stint in the army and their return to Central City as junior college students. Work was a dirty word to Maynard, and Denver's portrayal of this unconventional character delighted viewers while reinforcing the stereotype of the slothful beatnik.
Thanks to its popularity in reruns, "Gilligan's Island" has guaranteed Denver's fame, but he has not been able to find subsequent roles to shake people's identification with him as the bumbling first mate. The three hour cruise led to a three year run, three extension episodes and two animated series, and fans never caring to answer the disturbing question regarding castaway luggage sufficient for three seasons simply entered into the spirit of the farce. Perhaps in an attempt to capitalize on "Gilligan" chemistry, CBS included both Alan Hale Jr (the skipper from "Gilligan") and Jim Backus (Thurston Howell III) in the cast of "The Good Guys" (1968-70). Neither that series nor the syndicated "Dusty Trails" (1973-74) that reunited him with "Gilligan" creator Sherwood Schwartz would capture the public's imagination, and no one picked up pilots for "Scamps" (1983), "The Invisible Woman" (1983) or "High School, U.S.A. (1983) - however, he did remain a familiar face on television with several appearances on such series as "Love American Style," "Fantasy Island" and "The Love Boat."
CBS' proposed revival series "Whatever Happened to Dobie Gillis?" never materialized, although the pilot appeared in May of 1977, and another reunion, "Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis" took place in February 1988. Between 1978 and 1981, NBC aired "Rescue from Gilligan's Island" (1978), "The Castaways on Gilligan's Island" (1979) and "The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island" (1981) but scrapped its idea for a series due to lukewarm response to the final two episodes. Denver has twice reprised Gilligan vocally for animation projects, first for the ABC series "The New Adventures of Gilligan" (1974-77) and later for the CBS series "Gilligan's Planet" (1982-83). He also joined a cast of 60s beach blanket film actors for the middle-aged follow-up "Back to Beach" (1987), playing a bartender, and reprised his other well-known character, Maynard G. Krebbs, for the CBS television reunion film "Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis" (1988). He also appeared on a 1994 episode of "Roseanne" spoofing "Gilligan's Island," and his pop icon status would also earn him guest spots on such series as "Evening Shade" and "The Simpsons." Denver's last major television appearance would be as himself, joining surviving castmembers Dawn Wells and Russell Johnson (but not the famously above-it-all Tina Louise) to narrate and provide anecdotes for "Surviving Gilligan's Island: The Incredibly True Story of the Longest Three-Hour Tour in History" (CBS, 2001), a humorous behind-the-scenes dramatization of the series' rise, fall and resurrection in reruns.