Santa Clara Law Review Volume 39 | Number 1 Article 4 1-1-1998 Legal Tales from Gilligan's Island Robert M. Jarvis Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.law.scu.edu/lawreview Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Robert M. Jarvis, Essay, Legal Tales from Gilligan's Island, 39 Santa Clara L. Rev. 185 (1998). Available at: http://digitalcommons.law.scu.edu/lawreview/vol39/iss1/4 This Essay is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Santa Clara Law Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Santa Clara Law Review by an authorized administrator of Santa Clara Law Digital Commons. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. ESSAY LEGAL TALES FROM GILLIGAN'S ISLAND Robert M. Jarvis* I. INTRODUCTION Gilligan's Island, a 1960s comedy, ranks among the most influential television shows of all time. Despite the fact that the last original episode aired thirty years ago, the show is more popular now than when it first appeared. Each day, re- runs bring the characters back to life, and it is claimed that the show has been presented more often than any other tele- vision comedy.! Although the series has been the subject of numerous studies, its legal facets are almost never mentioned.! As a re- sult, even the show's most ardent fans are rarely mindful of just how much law appeared in the series. Accordingly, this * Professor of Law, Nova Southeastern University. B.A., Northwestern University; J.D., University of Pennsylvania; LL.M., New York University. In writing this essay I received invaluable assistance from many people, in- cluding: Albert 0.