The Rescue from Gilligans Island TV movie was one of the most viewed shows of all time. The made for TV movie scored 52% (30.2) in the Nielson ratings which remains one of the highest ratings of all time for a TV movie.
The scene in which the rescued castaways are towed into harbor to a hero's welcome was filmed in Los Angeles' Marina Del Rey. According to Sherwood Schwartz, the extras hired to play the crowd were soon joined by countless onlookers, all of them ecstatic to see the familiar characters finally rescued. The crowd's enthusiasm was so overwhelming that the cast members were moved to tears.
Sherwood Schwartz ended up using his own money to fund Rescue from Gilligans Island since the studio was going to limit his funding and creative control.
This film is in the public domain, which is why many versions sold in stores have an alternate theme song as Sherwood Schwartz owns the rights to the original theme song.
Someone suggested the plot of this movie be about Gilligan and the Skipper tracking down some of the people who visited them when they were on the island, and getting them back for not telling anyone about them and making them stay there longer.