'Gilligan's Island's Bob Denver Hosted a Radio Show With His Wife
While retirement might have been a choice, Gilligan’s Island star Bob Denver kept busy but he found time to host a radio show. Yes, Denver, who lived in West Virginia, teamed up with his wife Dreama to host Denver and Denver. It must have been a hoot to hear them both talk about music and life.
In 1997, Dreama Denver opened up to The Associated Press about the oldies radio show with her husband Bob. “We chose oldies because—I hate to admit my age—that’s my favorite music,” she said. “That was really my era. Bob was in Hollywood working. Those were my years—the ’60s. I was growing up.”
In fact, she spent time working up each show’s music lineup. The songs ranged from the 1950s through the 1970s on the show.
“We’ve literally been together 24 hours a day for 20 years,” Bob Denver told the Associated Press, per MeTV. On Tuesday, January 9, his fans all over the world celebrated his birthday.
Bob Denver Traveled With His Wife Before Their Radio Show
Before settling down in West Virginia to live, Bob and Dreama were on the road a lot. In 1979, they starred together in a Neil Simon play titled The Star-Spangled Girl. “Our marriage is getting better and better.” Bob Denver had four children among his four marriages.
Denver told the Honolulu Star-Bulletin in an October 1979 interview. “I’m going to open a Bob Denver Dinner Theater in Tacoma next month. I give them my name and let them have the responsibility. I’d like to take this show [‘Star-Spangled Girl’] up there.”
Bob Denver put his name on television viewers’ minds first by playing Maynard G. Krebs. That character was an important one on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, which starred Dwayne Hickman. Once that show ended, Denver found himself working alongside Alan Hale Jr. on Gilligan’s Island.
Classic TV fans probably have spotted Bob Denver appearing in an early episode of The Andy Griffith Show. He played Dud Wash, who was married to Charlene Darling, played by Maggie Peterson. In the episode titled Divorce, Mountain Style, Charlene uses a magical mountain ritual to divorce Dud. Then, she sets her eyes on her “Lover Man,” Andy Taylor. CBS reportedly did this as a one-off appearance for Denver. The network wanted to give Bob Denver some face time on a show ahead of Gilligan’s Island premiering in 1964.
‘Gilligan’s Island’ Had Tough Time Finding Work
Bob Denver, sadly, found himself typecast as Gilligan after the CBS series ended. Finding work without any connection to his most famous character was tricky. Still, he persisted. Denver did show up for some Gilligan-related movies and programs.
Other TV work included time on shows like The Good Guys, Dusty’s Trail, and the kids show Far Out Space Nuts.
And yes, in one of the television movies, Gilligan and his friends were rescued off that deserted island. Bob Denver’s work is still enjoyed by generations today, thanks to the world of reruns.
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