Gilligan's Island Star Russell Johnson Helped Launch This Forgotten '60s Action Show

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For many people, Russell Johnson will always be synonymous with his role as Professor Roy Hinkley on "Gilligan's Island." However, Johnson's acting resume extended back to the earliest days of TV. While he enjoyed a steady gig on the short-lived western "Black Saddle," Johnson's pre-Gilligan work was mostly guest appearances, including the action series "Ripcord."

Airing from 1961-1963, "Ripcord" literally jumps into its premise in the opening credits, with a sky diver falling out of a plane. "Every jump, every aerial maneuver is real," the voiceover explains. "All that stands between the jumper and death is his rip cord." Plenty of screentime is dedicated to thrilling jumps, which are performed by stuntmen. The show follows the dramatic adventures of two skydivers, Ted McKeever (Larry Pennell) and Jim Buckley (Ken Curtis). In the show's pilot "The Sky Diver," Johnson plays Stan Warner, a member of a mountain-climbing expedition. When bandits cut their ropes, Warner and the rest of the group are critically injured and need to be rescued.

Similar to the underwater drama "Sea Hunt," "Ripcord" required a ton of one-off roles. Johnson's future "Gilligan's Island" co-star Dawn Wells appeared in "Willie," the second to last episode of "Ripcord."." By then, "Ripcord" was shot in color, and Wells' character Evvie Eden, the leader of a skydiving club, takes a dramatic jump right at the beginning of the episode. Her character's overconfidence almost ends up getting the best of her when she and a fellow club member get injured during a dangerous dive.

In addition to not crossing paths on "Ripcord," Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells almost didn't work together on "Gilligan's Island." Neither actor was in the original pilot. The professor was first played by John Gabriel (later known for playing Dr. Seneca Beaulac on "Ryan's Hope"). The Mary Ann character was created during the recasting process, and Wells auditioned along with a lot of other people.

Although a friend recommended Johnson to series creator Sherwood Schwartz, he wasn't excited about the job. "The idea of being one of seven didn't appeal to me at all," Johnson admitted in "Here on Gilligan's Isle", his 1993 memoir co-written with Steve Cox. "It was not the caliber of work I was searching for." Even so, Johnson had a family to support, and after some other roles didn't come to fruition, he reluctantly did a screen test. Although a friend strategically presented the tests to make him stand out, when a network exec wanted Johnson appear in his underwear, he almost walked away from the role.

Fortunately, in the end, it all worked out, and Johnson had a blast on "Gilligan's Island." "The chemistry in this cast was fantastic," John informed The Television Academy in 2004. Wells and Johnson developed a particularly tight bond that lasted well beyond the show's cancellation by CBS. "It was noticeable that Russell loved what he did, and he was always prepared and thorough in his work," she explained in Johnson's memoir.