Kit Smythe Was the First of Several Who Played the Movie Star Ginger on TV's 'Gilligan's Island'

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Ginger Grant is one of the seven fictional characters presented on TV’s famed 1960s sitcom, Gilligan’s Island. The role was played by actress Tina Louise from 1964 to 1967 during the show’s original run on CBS. However, other actresses played the part through the years, including Kit Smythe who was in the original unaired pilot for the series.

A Closer Look

The part of movie star Ginger Grant was originally envisioned as a secretary and was initially portrayed by Kit Smythe in the unaired pilot episode of Gilligan’s Island. That was before actress Tina Louise took over the role, following Jayne Mansfield rejecting an offer to play the part.

As to more about the actual character Ginger, she is often seen helping the Professor, played by Russell Johnson (who died in 2014), with his experiments and sharing somewhat romantic sequences. The Skipper, played by Alan Hale, Jr. (who died in 1990) is also smitten by her in several episodes of the show.

Ginger frequently sides with Thurston Howell III, played by Jim Backus (who died in 1989) in several episodes. Despite the great off-screen Ginger-vs.-Mary Ann debate that has raged on for decades between Island fans, Ginger is dear friends with Mary Ann, played by Dawn Wells (who died in 2020). (And Wells and Louise, who is the only surviving member of the show’s cast

On the island, she takes on various roles such as chanteuse, fortune-teller, and hairstylist.

No Reunions for Her

In the subsequent Gilligan’s Island reunion films, Tina Louise declined to return to the role of Ginger Grant, which was played by Judith Baldwin and Constance Forslund.

More About Kit Smythe

Kit Smythe was born Catherine M. Smythe on February 28, 1940. Twenty years later, she graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts of New York City.

After filming the original pilot of Gilligan’s Island, Smythe (the first wife of actor Denny Miller) made guest appearances on TV shows like Bewitched, The Farmer’s Daughter, Burke’s Law, Gunsmoke, and Police Woman (which was her final screen appearance in 1976).

In 2005, Smythe performed as a showgirl in a live stage production of The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies in Palm Springs, CA. She recently made a special guest appearance at the 60th Anniversary Bewitched FanFare, which was held on September 14, 2024, at the Beverly Garland Hotel, in North, Hollywood, CA.