The first guest character on Gilligan's Island is based on Douglas Corrigan or Wrongway Corrigan who was denied permission to fly to Ireland after he filed a flight plan. Later he took off from Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York and flew to Ireland after flying a flight plan for Long Beach, California. Thus he obtained the nickname Wrongway, even though he was a skilled aircraft pilot and mechanic. It is generally agreed that his 'mistake' was deliberate.
The part of Wrongway was originally written for Vincent Price but he was unavailable due to other commitments. Schwartz then tried to get Price to play the Mad Scientist. Price finally agreed to play Professor Whitehead in the Hawaii episodes of Brady Bunch, another Schwartz production. Schwartz and Price were good friends and neighbors in Hollywood.
Feldman's plane was called "The Spirit of the Bronx", named after Charles A. Lindbergh's plane, The Spirit of St. Louis.
Mary Ann Summers has an Aunt Martha and an Uncle George living in Winfield, Kansas.