User Reviews

Just the second entry to feature Mary Ann, this one is marginally better than The Postman Cometh. It's undermined by a stock premise that would make more sense back in the first year. Still, an episode where Mary Ann and Ginger swap roles for a day can't help but be fun, entertaining, and feature a lot of outfits.

Glamorous Ginger performs for her appreciative audience in the cold open. Mary Ann is particularly awestruck. She trips over a rock during the curtain call and conks her head. Instead of being concussed, she awakens thinking she is the movie star.

The Professor diagnoses her as having a bad case of Ginger envy. He suggests humoring her to prevent any kind of psychological trauma. So we have that old sitcom routine where the girls change places. Mary Ann clearly gets the better end of the deal; she gets to wear a slinky leopard-print number and rehearse a love scene with a reluctant Gilligan. Ginger, meanwhile, adopts the farm girl's trademark pigtails and checker board outfit. Ironically, the accomplished actress is never convincing as Mary Ann and does nothing memorable with the role. She gets so tired of the act, in fact, that she takes off her wig to do the laundry and gets caught by her double, who faints straightaway.

Despite the shock of 'seeing herself,' Mary Ann awakens still thinking she's Ginger. The Professor borrows the hypnosis bit from the first season episode Forget Me Not. Somehow, just like that earlier attempt, his hypnotic suggestion bounces off her and hits an eavesdropping Gilligan.

With the original plot point having ground to a standstill, there is time for a detour with Gilligan now as Mary Ann. The scene may be padding, but, to be fair, it is very entertaining. Writer Don Friedman gets as much mileage out of Gilligan's bashful act as he can. This bit and the Professor's reverse suggestion that gets our lead back to normal work really well.

With that fluff out of the way, the episode returns to the problem of what to do with the new Ginger. The Professor's solution is so simple it should've come to him earlier. Anyway, Mary Ann's big musical number is both painful to watch and hear. It is the last time she takes center stage in the series.

COCONOTES:

Ginger, whose character is based on Marilyn Monroe, sings "I Wanna Be Loved by You," sung by Monroe in Some Like It Hot.

Major, major plot hole: We're expected to believe that Mary Ann, living with Ginger for nearly 3 years, wakes up one morning and realizes her hut mate is a movie star and wants to be just like her.

Using those loud, screeching notes for Mary Ann's second smooch with Gilligan is insulting and over-the-top.

That's Dawn Wells' actual singing voice at the end.

All of Ginger's dresses are miraculously restored by the next episode.

Gilligan does admittedly look cute in the epilogue.

"The Second Ginger Grant" opens with Ginger singing "I Want to Be Loved by You," and Mary Ann so enraptured that when she falls and hits her head she awakens believing that she is Ginger. An examination proves that there's nothing wrong with her physically, she has simply assumed the identity of the only actress she's ever known, which means that Ginger must assume Mary Ann's identity if balance is to be maintained. One funny sequence has the men trying to demonstrate Mary Ann's walk, much to Ginger's amusement. The new Mary Ann becomes frustrated to see the new Ginger cut down all of her dresses to fit the shorter stature of the old Mary Ann. Dawn Wells truly gets to shine in this one, and proves just as sexy as Tina Louise, no matter the skimpy costume, while Tina's guise as Mary Ann is just as adept. One of the enduring classics for the Ginger or Mary Ann crowd.

Thurston: ...Mary Ann thinks she's Ginger, Ginger thinks she's Mary Ann, and now Gilligan thinks HE'S Ginger, so we've got three Gingers and we're fresh out of Mary Anns and Gilligans!"

This Season Three gem has no visiting guest stars arriving on the island just our Castaways, and it reflected the talents of the cast in their now-developed characters in making it so very funny.

Top notch performances by Dawn Wells and Tina Louise make you realize what skilled comediennes they both were on this show, and the rest of the cast doesn't miss a laugh either. The boys all trying to teach Ginger to walk like Mary Ann is hilarious, especially Jim Backus doing a very funny Bob Hope walking imitation. The whole episode is a riot, and one of my absolute favorites.

Way classic, if not CULT episode, and toward the end of the series run.

Very clever stuff written by veteran Ron Friedman, behind so many top shows, such as the ODD COUPLE and FANTASY ISLAND.

Everyday gal Mary Ann is watching Ginger do another Marilyn Monroe take-off, this time singing "I Want to Be Loved by You," ... She trips, hits her head (nothing serious), except Mary Ann wakes up as Ginger! Unbelievable funny. This story should have come a lot sooner as it has so much to offer, and also shows what a great actress Dawn Wells is.

I do agree with the last reviewer. Had Sherwood Schwartz instead cast Dawn Wells in the role of Ginger, she would have been quite successful and developed her own unique style. A definite possibility.

That said... the tables actually do turn. Ginger, in the spirit of psychological healing, has no choice but to dress up (with pig tails!) and temporarily become Mary Ann! This is naturally all done through the recommendation of the wise professor, a rare case of psychological role reversal.

Best scene; the dress altering! Question; where did all those dresses come from in the first place? Remember, this all began as a three hour tour, right?

Excellent direction from Steve Binder, who directed the 60s cult music show, HULLABALOO. He later became a producer for several top tv music specials, including the Emmy Awards,

Dedicated to all us Mary Ann fans. SEASON 3 EPISODE 24 remastered dvd box set.