At 79, Dawn Wells jokingly describes herself as "more Mrs. Howell than Mary Ann." But she will always be the wholesome girl-next-door character from "Gilligan's Island" to legions of fans.
Just ask Sonny McLean, president and CEO of Motorsports Productions Inc., the producers of the annual World of Wheels, the three-day car and entertainment show at the Chattanooga Convention Center this weekend.
After years of people telling him that Wells would be a big draw at the event, McLean finally booked her. She will be in Chattanooga both Saturday and Sunday.
"I didn't realize how popular she still is," he says. "Everybody wants to come and see her, apparently."
Dawn WellsWells played the character from 1964 to 1967 for a total of 98 episodes, in edition to the three television movie sequels.
While the premise of the show could hardly have been sillier, with seven people shipwrecked on an island, it was a huge hit with fans.
It starred Alan Hale Jr. as The Skipper, Bob Denver as hapless shipmate Gilligan, Jim Backus as the millionaire Thurston Howell III and Natalie Schafer as his pampered wife, Russell Johnson as the Professor, Tina Louise as Ginger the movie star and Wells as the sweet Mary Ann. (True fans are no doubt singing the theme song, right now.) Louise and Wells are the only two still living from the cast.
Fans tuned in each week to see just how Gilligan would mess up the group's efforts to get off the island. They also reveled in watching the Professor make electricity out of bamboo, coconuts and whatever materials washed up on shore and to see what glamorous outfit Ginger would wear. How these things found their way onto the island was never addressed. To say you had to be able to suspend reality to enjoy the show is a major understatement.
"That was the fun of it," Wells says during a telephone interview earlier this week.
Wells says that part of the show's appeal was that it was the first sitcom that got out of the house, so to speak. It also appealed to members of the whole family, and it was a show that people have been able to grow up with, thanks to syndication.
"It was the first sitcom to get out of the living room," she says. "It wasn't about family drama. We were on an island.
"And, depending on your age, it had a different influence on you. Younger kids just liked the silly comedy. Preteens and teens might have been drawn toward Ginger or Mary Ann. It was a great cast. Just look at the comedy genius. The critics made fun of us, but fans loved us. Backus was amazing. It was just a fun show, and I was proud to be part of it."
(READ MORE: 'Gilligan's Island' star Dawn Wells dies, COVID-19 cited)
Dawn Wells as the character Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island."
"Giligan's Island" starred, from left, Russell Johnson, Dawn Wells, Bob Denver, Tina Louise, Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer and Alan Hale Jr. It originally aired from 1964 to 1967.Though Wells was a serious actress who also appeared in a number of movies and other television shows and on the stage, she very much embraces the Mary Ann character.
She believes Mary Ann "was the rudder" on Gilligan's Island.
"She was the most true," she says.
In addition to attending fan shows, she wrote "What Would Mary Ann Do?: A Guide to Life," and she actively interacts with fans via social media.
She says doing so is much easier and quicker than answering the many cards and letters she used to get before email and Facebook came along.
"It is easier, and it is instant. My manager is pretty good at it, and two or three times a week we go over all the mail. It's like you are chatting with someone every day."
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.