Sometimes life dishes out a “tsunami” of seemingly insurmountable challenges. Even the most perfect, long-lasting love affair, and a Hollywood one at that, can have its chain reaction of problems. But for Dreama, her love affair with Bob Denver (the much loved Gilligan of the 1970s sitcom, Gilligan’s Island), a marriage that lasted 28 years, there was a powerful bond in this connection that saw her through the bad times as much as the good. Towards the end of Bob’s life, a friend reassuringly pointed out to Dreama: “You’ve had a beautiful life with him, Dreama, even the hard parts because he was there for you, always with you, never let you down. I’m not sure how many people can say that, but I don’t think many have a love story like yours. What memories you’ll have to fortify you after he’s gone.” She was right. Dreama’s life didn’t end with her love’s death. It carried on in many unexpected ways, always honoring the love she held so dear. “Bob left me better equipped to make my own way than I imagined. He left me 28 years of love to draw from, but his gift of Colin is what changed my life.” Colin was their autistic son. But Bob’s illness and death and Colin’s autism were not the end of the “tsunami” for in 2015, Dreama was diagnosed with breast cancer. Perhaps the greatest tribute to this love is Dreama Denver’s poignant memoir, Gilligan’s Dreams: The Other Side of the Island. Beautifully written with compassion, love, honesty, and the undying union of two soulmates, this story goes beyond the Gilligan so many of us welcomed into our homes every week (myself included). Dreama reveals a man who was passionate about his craft: theater, comedy, and making people happy, particularly children. That latter passion was clearly evident in his deep devotion to his autistic son, Colin. Dreama has brought to life not only her life in theater but the life of a Hollywood icon who was much more in real life than the parts he played on stage or in front of a camera. Dreama’s words had me crying and laughing and wanting to shake both her hands and Bob’s (or even Gilligan’s, since for me he’ll always be one and the same). She reveals one man’s courage and determination when set against so many challenges, but she also shares her own courage and determination, both during their 28 years together and after he passes away. This is a beautiful tribute, a love letter of sorts in honor of a Hollywood icon. It’s both powerful and full of love we don’t often see these days.
