The 1981 made-for-TV movie “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island” delivers everything its title promises. Yes, the world-famous basketball team crash-lands onto the deserted isle and meets up with the castaways. The Globetrotters must save the day by playing a team of robots controlled by an evil businessman. Bumbling little buddy Gilligan makes the game-winning shot, sort of, when two Globetrotters toss him and the ball through the net.
Is it ridiculous? Completely. Then again, the bar for entertainment was low back then, with only three TV networks and precious little competition. Audiences weren’t as sophisticated either. Viewers wouldn’t have been surprised to see the Globetrotters pop up in just about any setting. Though it might be hard for people under 40 to comprehend now, the barnstorming, showboating, trick-shot artists were a ubiquitous small-screen presence for more than a decade.
In the 1970s, the Globetrotters…
