Gilligan's Island Radio???
 

Ok another one of my fines has me stumped. I found a gilligan's island radio at a thrift store for like 5$ i bought it, but it is an aiwa and has a chrome handle, now this is identical to the one shown on the tv show, except for the name and handle, the model number is even identical. I can't find any info on the net about the radio I bought. I was wonder is it possible the radio on the show was actually an aiwa not a packard bell, that the name was changed to make it sound more american or to not infringe on copyright laws? they added a handle and antenna, is it possible they changed the name too? I am really curious about this.

http://i44.tinypic.com/2ypna5y.jpg

I had a Sanyo similar to that when I was a kid. Mine had a beige cabinet with a 4" speaker and could really pull in distant stations.

Based on some mid-late 1960s catalogs I have now (and that I didn't have then)... I do espy some Hallicrafters SS portables that resemble what I think I remember seeing. How's that for weasel-wording? :-)

I'll post a scan later if i actually manage to remember...

Like just about everything in the internet era: Someone has devoted a ton of time and research not only investigating Gilligan's radio, but hosting a website all about it. You can find it here...

http://www.gilligansisle.com/radio.html

I don't know if that answers the question or not; but since it seems likely that both the Aiwa and the Packard Bell were built in Japan, I suspect re-branding.

Speaking of re-branding, the Sanyo I mentioned was marked as a Golden Shield. Several of Magnavox's portable radios, cassette recorders, phonos and TV's were made by Sanyo as well.

Seems like there was one episode where Mr Howell claimed the radio was made by one of his many factories, that's why it lasted so long, & worked so well...

I thought I remembered a multiband thingy. :-P

I was expecting something made from coconuts...

Man, I haven't seen that radio in years!

Cool... I have a nearly identical Montblanc as Tongo the Apeman.

That prop whip antenna always bugged me. Obviously it's not suitable for medium wave AM.

The handle is straight off you mother's kitchen's drawers.

I remember reading on some Gilligan forum that the actual radio didn't exist, but that they took an existing one and changed a couple of things.

I must say, your radio is nearly a dead ringer for the Gilligan Radio. And I just spent a weekend watching old reruns on DVD.

Ever since you left the island? :D

Hate to burst your bubble but the radio on Giligans Island is a Packerd Bell AR-851 AM 8 transistor radio. The handle and antenna were added by the prop department.

They made a transmitter out of it in one episode. Just so happened that it had rechargeable batteries. I'm sure they made a coconut generator for Gilligan to pedal and charge the batteries. It got thrown in the ocean at least once. The professor always managed to repair it.

And there was a promotional picture for the series, with Thurston Howell holding a Magnavox Celestial, which was a German made set. Here's mine.

I have a Channel Master, that was probably made by Sanyo. The handle folds down and is plastic, the same color as the rest of radio. :yes:

I liked episode where the radio gets thrown in the Ocean, swallowed by A Fish and they find it because they can hear it playing inside the Fish they just caught, just like it would happen in real life. :scratch2:

Back in those days I remember Carbon Zinc cell batteries lasting about 20 minutes under normal use (I may exaggerate a little).

Then there's the one where Gilligan's Tooth Filling becomes a radio...

Just like in an episode of Green Acres, where Oliver's cow ate a transistor radio. At first they thought the radio station it was tuned to would go off the air at sunset, but the station announced that they just got approval from the FCC for nighttime service... :no: My father pointed out that the cow's stomach acids would destroy the radio's speaker...

they still stuck on that island