Tear Jerker / Gilligan's Island

• In Rescue From Gilligan's Island, when the parade held in their honor in Los Angeles ends, the genuine sadness in their faces when they realize they are now having to go their separate ways after 15 years together is simply heartbreaking to watch. This moment is made even more tear-jerking when you see them all hugging each other goodbye.
• When the Castaways are rescued and back home, they find they can no longer adjust to being off the island. They essentially move back to found an island resort — but at least this time, they chose to stay.
• The brief appearance by Jim Backus, wracked by Parkinson's Disease, in The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island. The rest of the cast is visibly moved when he appears, and some were crying.
  • And it gets worse. After he finished filming his scene, he turned to Dawn Wells and asked her, "Was I funny?" and she reassured him that he was, but then burst into tears.
  • The worst is yet to come. Everyone knew it would be one of his last performances, and as Jim left the set, with his wife and caretaker, the entire cast and crew burst into a spontaneous round of applause for Jim Backus. most of them were openly crying. Jim, who was was also in tears, stopped and responded to the applause by blowing kisses to everyone, before leaving.
  • There's a flub in this scene. Natalie Schafer (Mrs. Howell) calls him "Jim" instead of "Thurston". Everyone must've been so happy to see him they didn't notice the slip up, or, more likely, didn't care.
• While a lot of the failed rescue attempts could qualify, "Birds Gotta Fly, Fish Gotta Talk" is arguably the most depressing. Amid reports they've been found, the castaways get their hopes up that they'll be back home and with their loved ones in time for Christmas, but it's actually a different group that get rescued. The fact that it took 11 years for this other group to get rescued makes it sting for our group even more.
• Real-life examples: With the passing of each of the main stars thus far, generations of fans grieve and mourn as if, no, that they have lost a dear old friend.
  • The 1989 passing of Jim Backus, after about a decade of battling Parkinson's Disease
  • The 1990 passing of Alan Hale Jr, only six months after Backus's death
  • The 1991 passing of Natalie Schafer.
  • The 2005 passing of Bob Denver.
  • The 2014 passing of Russell Johnson.
  • The 2020 passing of Dawn Wells.

---