Mary Ann Summers was quite a cook. She could throw anything together, from lobsters and coconuts to papaya and seaweed, and turn it all into a delicious South Seas banquet for herself and the six other castaways on Gilligan’s Island.
Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann, could be washed ashore on a desert island and do just as well. She could make “sea chest stuffed mushrooms,” “Thurston’s Heavens to Fort Knox Chili,” “Skipper’s Navy Bean Soup” and “Lovey’s Luncheon Loaf,” to name a few of the recipes in her repertoire.
Wells created them in a year’s time, along with some 296 other recipes. But rather than sticking them in bottles and simply tossing them adrift for wayward cooks to find, Wells turned them into Mary Ann’s Gilligan’s Island Cookbook (Rutledge Hill Press, 1993, $12.95).
The task was a pleasant one for Wells, who doesn’t mind that the world still identifies her as Mary Ann. “Mary Ann was a practical Kansas farm girl. She was flexible, optimistic, hard working and nice. That means I’m always greeted with smiles,” Wells says.
Although it has been years since Wells played the role of the ingenue on Gilligan’s Island – the CBS hit that aired from 1964-67 and can be seen in reruns locally at 8:05 a.m. Monday through Friday on TBS – she still lives up to the image of Mary Ann.
She cooks for castaways of sorts, inviting actors and folks who have nowhere else to go to her home for holiday dinners. “Those days, I cook for anywhere from 12 guests to 20,” she says during a telephone interview from her Los Angeles home.
Wells co-hosts and co-produces the Children’s Miracle Network Telethon and serves on the University of Missouri’s Children’s Hospital advisory board. She also has created a specialized line of clothing, “The Wishing Wells Collection,” designed for those who have difficulty dressing themselves. And Wells has appeared in more than 60 theater productions since her Gilligan’s Island days.
Actress Tina Louise, who played Ginger on Gilligan’s Island, has been the cast member least interested in being remembered for her role, according to Wells. “Her first love was drama and it still is,” Wells says.
Cast members who still gather for special appearances are Wells, Bob Denver (Gilligan) and Russell Johnson (the Professor). Adds Wells, “I really do miss the Howells [the late Jim Backus and Natalie Schafer) and the Skipper [the late Alan Hale Jr.)”
Some recipes in Wells’ cookbook were contributed by cast members or by their relatives, in memory of the deceased stars. But most are from the recipe collections of Wells and her mother. “I’ve gathered recipes from all regions of the country, but I never did it with the idea of doing a cookbook.”
There’s more to this cookbook than recipes, though, and that is what makes it fun. The book also contains black-and-white pictures of cast members in recent years, along with scenes from Gilligan’s Island episodes. There are memories, anecdotes, character sketches of each of the castaways, trivia questions, favorite dialogues and a listing and capsule summary of episodes.
— Following are some recipes from Mary Ann’s Gilligan’s Island Cookbook (Rutledge Hill Press, 1993).
MARY ANN’S CONSOLIDATED CHOCOLATE COCONUT PIE
1 1/2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 cup flaked coconut
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 (12-ounce) package sweet cooking chocolate, broken into pieces
1/4 cup milk
Whipped topping
Chocolate curls
Spread the butter evenly on the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Press in the coconut to form a shell. In a blender, combine the eggs, sugar, cream cheese, chocolate and milk; blend until smooth.
Pour the filling into the shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool. Garnish with whipped topping and chocolate curls. Refrigerate any leftover pie. Makes 6 servings.
Per serving: 614 calories, 9 grams protein, 43 grams fat, 54 grams carbohydrates, 150 milligrams cholesterol, 209 milligrams sodium.
LOVEY HOWELL’S GUADALCANAL GUACAMOLE
2 ripe avocadoes, peeled, pitted and mashed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fine-chopped onions
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
Generous dash Tabasco sauce
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Tortilla chips
In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the tortilla chips. Serve the guacamole with the chips. Makes about 3 cups guacamole.
Per (1/4-cup) serving: 165 calories, 1 grams protein, 17 grams fat, 4 grams carbohydrates, 14 milligrams cholesterol, 67 milligrams sodium.
This recipe is from Bob and Dreama Denver.
BOB DENVER’S POO-POO-PEE-DOO DIP
1 (8-ounce) can pineapple tidbits
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup chopped pecans
Fresh parsley, for garnish
Assorted crackers
Drain the pineapple, reserving 1 tablespoon of juice. In a small bowl, combine the pineapple, cream cheese, water chestnuts, chives, salt, pepper and pecans. Stir in the reserved juice, mixing well. Garnish with parsley. Cover and chill. Serve with crackers. Makes about 31/2 cups dip.
Per serving: 93 calories, 2 grams protein, 8 grams fat, 3 grams carbohydrates, 18 milligrams cholesterol, 84 milligrams sodium.
