It is amazing to see how many gorillas have presented themselves on “Gilligan’s Island”. The gorillas are from Central, Western and Eastern Africa, so it would be very unlikely that its path is found in a organic way to the South Pacific, where Gilligan Island is probably located. The gorillas, however, were common fodder for the 1960s comedy writers, and they were frequently used. Or rather, the actors of the gorilla costumes were used frequently and created an absurd subset of monkey tropes that we, as a culture, still have not completely and philosophically unpacled.
The monkeys were strongly presented in the episodes of “Gilligan’s Island” “Diamonds is the best friend of a monkey” (February 27, 1965), “Beauty is as Beauty does” (September 23), “The Chain of Command” (December 2), “Forward March” (February 17, 1966), and “Our vines have tender monkeys” (January 30, 1967). It was an abundant plethora of Pransktership Primate.
In all cases above, the monkeys were played by the prolific Hollywood stuntman Janos Prohaska, an experienced Hungarian circus artist who began to appear in films and on television in the early 1960s. Prohaska was, for many years, the interpreter of Go-to-to-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To-To Cost Chimpanzees and orangutans, all with commitment and enthusiasm. His first Primate performance was to play a chimpanzee in an episode of 1963 from “The Exter Limits”. He also played some extraterrestrials in the same program, including a Blub extraterrestrial called the Mikie. In 1965, he played gorillas on “The Lucy Show” (in the episode “Lucy and the Monkey”) and on “Perry Mason” (in the episode “The Case of the Sourinning Gorilla”).
Trekkies, however, can know Prohaska of several episodes of the original “Star Trek”. Prohaska has played several notable extraterrestrials and creatures on the science fiction classic of Gene Roddenberry, including the monkey-shaped mugato, the Horta refined on the ground and the Monster Monster Yarnek.
