When it returned for its second season in September 1965, “Gilligan’s Island” was broadcast in color for the first time. The show just happened to straddle the line between CBS’s transition from black and white to color broadcasting, and thus its first season forever remains immortalized in monochrome, though attempts were made to colorize it in syndication. But color wasn’t the only new addition to the show in its second season. The iconic “Gilligan’s Island” theme, originally sung by the band The Wellingtons, had been switched out for a brand new title song. 

“The Ballad of Gilligan’s Isle,” was written by executive producer and show creator Sherwood Schwartz and songwriter George Wyle, and recorded by The Wellingtons (who actually played the band The Mosquitoes in a later episode of “Gilligan’s Island”) in a mad rush at director Mel Shavelson’s home studio. But for season 2, the song needed to include the names of “The Professor” and “Mary Ann,” previously referred to as “the rest” in the original season 1 theme. This time, a band called the Eligibles took on the task, and a new version of the classic sea shanty was produced for the color debut of “Gilligan’s Island.”

This is the version most fans are familiar with, with its lyrics not only neatly summarizing the entire premise of the show, but introducing every member of the ensemble in a marvel of catchy yet utilitarian song-writing. Ever since, the “Gilligan’s Island” theme has been a beloved piece of TV history that immediately conjures fond memories of the early-’60s sitcom. Unless, that is, you happen to be the neighbor of billionaire Bill Gross. What on earth does this one-percenter and his neighborly disputes have to do with “The Ballad of Gilligan’s Isle?” Allow me to recount what remains an unseemly stain on the history of one of TV’s greatest sitcoms and its legendary theme song.

The lyrics of the “Gilligan’s Island” theme song are surely ingrained in an entire generation’s memory, inexorably linked to warm memories of gathering around a TV set to witness the hijinks of Bob Denver’s Gilligan and the stranded crew of the S.S. Minnow — so named for U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman, Newton Minow, who had stoked the ire of show creator Sherwood Schwartz by imploring networks to take greater creative control over their programming.

But for one tech entrepreneur and his wife, “The Ballad of Gilligan’s Isle” will forever conjure traumatic memories of weathering the hissy fits of an entitled billionaire neighbor. That neighbor is Bill Gross. Described by CNN as a “Billionaire, bond investor, philanthropist, and avid stamp collector,” Gross was the founder of Pacific Investments Management Co. (PIMCO), one of the world’s largest mutual funds. After retiring in 2019, Gross was seemingly free to enjoy his oceanside Laguna Beach property on an exclusive stretch of private coastline. However, as CNN reports, things took a turn after Gross and his partner Amy Schwartz decided to erect an art installation in their backyard.

Initially, the 22-foot-long sculpture, created by blown-glass artist Dale Chihuly, didn’t cause any issues for Gross’ neighbor, Mark Towfiq, CEO of data center development company Nextfort Ventures. However, after Gross installed a protective net over the structure, Towfiq and his wife Carol Nakahara complained about their view of the ocean being obstructed, ultimately contacting the city of Laguna Beach to investigate. The city deemed the netting and lights, which illuminated the sculpture, a violation of city code, and ordered Gross to seek the requisite permits to keep the sculpture.

You might think that would be the end of it, but it was just the beginning, as Gross seemingly had plans to deploy the might of Sherwood Schwartz’s immortal theme song in his ongoing fight against Towfiq and his wife.

Recording the “Gilligan’s Island” theme song was as slapstick as the show itself, with Sherwood Schwartz and The Wellingtons having just an hour to get the sea shanty on tape before they were kicked out of Mel Shavelson’s home studio. When the second season version was created, things were a lot less rushed. But that updated iteration of “The Ballad of Gilligan’s Isle” would be at the center of some ridiculous antics of its own when Bill Gross deployed it as part of his miserable little war against Mark Towfiq.

According to Forbes, Gross is worth $1.7 billion, but it seems being unreasonably wealthy doesn’t do much to ameliorate pettiness. After Gross was told to take down the netting covering his art installation and obtain the proper permits, according to Towfiq and his wife, the billionaire began retaliating by playing “loud music and bizarre audio recordings at excessive levels” at different times of the day and night. A lawsuit filed by Towfiq and Carol Nakahara claimed that Gross would blast the “Gilligan’s Island” theme song on a loop as part of their sonic offensive. As per the Wall Street Journal, the complaint also alleged that Gross and Amy Schwartz “began dancing on their balcony facing our property and made gestures apparently to taunt us.”

Towfiq’s suit actually came after Gross and Schwartz’s own complaint, filed on October 13, 2020, which alleged that Towfiq had been “peeping” on Gross and Schwartz and sought a restraining order against the Nextfort Ventures CEO. Towfiq and Nakahara then filed a countersuit on October 14, 2020, alleging that Gross and Schwartz embarked on a “targeted campaign of harassment and abuse,” which apparently had Gilligan and the gang as their battle cry.

By the time Bill Gross and Mark Towfiq sued each other, they had evidently tried to settle the issue man-to-man, with Towfiq requesting his neighbor turn down the music only to receive the following message: “Peace on all fronts or well [sic] just have nightly concerts big boy.” According to the Wall Street Journal, Gross’ choice of the TV theme song to wage psychological warfare had impacted Towfiq’s memories of “Gilligan’s Island,” with the tech entrepreneur recalling, “We had a black-and-white TV. I remember once a week, we’d all line up to watch. This has kind of ruined it for us, but it’s still a good show.”

Still, Towfiq mostly came out on top. As the Los Angeles Times reported in 2022, Gross issued an ostensible victory statement, claiming to be “pleased” with Laguna Beach’s approval of his artwork, even though the piece itself was never the issue — it was the netting that obscured Towfiq’s view. Gross also couldn’t help but take a pop shot at his neighbors in the statement, writing, “The approval by the Laguna Beach Design Review Board and City of Laguna Beach exposes [Towfiq and Carol Nakahara’s] true intent in this rather ludicrous situation.” The statement is just as bizarre as the rest of this debacle, seeing as Towfiq and Nakahara actually came out on top. Not only was Gross forced to remove the netting that had caused the issue in the first place, but he also withdrew his plans for a permanent glass-and-steel cover. The billionaire was also ordered not to illuminate the sculpture after 10 p.m.

On top of that, an Orange County Superior Court judge found that Gross and his wife had, according to the LA Times, harassed their neighbors with their musical offensive, and ordered the couple to adhere to Laguna Beach noise laws. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Gross and his wife did not adhere to these provisions and were found to be in contempt of court, earning themselves community service in the process.

Why did Gross choose the “Gilligan’s Island” theme? That remains unclear, but Sherwood Schwartz surely didn’t envision his sea shanty being at the heart of this shameful little affair when he wrote it. Thankfully, no matter how many billionaires try to use the theme for nefarious purposes, “Gilligan’s Island” remains one of the best sitcoms of all time.