Question: My sister insists an episode exists where pirates arrive on the island looking for a long-lost buried treasure. She swears she remembers the pirates kidnapping Ginger and trying to make her tell them where the treasure was. Does anyone remember this?
Answer: There was an animated version of "Gilligan's Island" on the CBS Saturday Morning lineup in the 1970s. I don't remember the episodes, but maybe that's where the episode is from.
Answer: This could be Season 3, Episode 17, "Court Martial," where Gilligan dreams about being an admiral whose ship gets boarded by pirates Captain Hook, Long John Silver, and Captain Kidd. (https://gilligan.fandom.com/wiki/Court-Martial)
She says that is not the episode she remembers. She said the pirates arrive on the island, don't find the treasure, kidnap Ginger, and hold her in a cave until she tells them where the treasure is. Appreciate the help though.
Question: Why is the Skipper so superstitious? In the Season 1 episode "Waiting for Watubi," the Skipper thinks he's cursed, and in the Season 3 episode "Up at Bat," Gilligan gets bitten by a bat, and the Skipper thinks Gilligan will turn into a vampire. For a level-headed man, this seems quite strange.
Answer: Many people are superstitious, regardless of age, personality, temperament, background, and so on. It's usually something they grew up with and is ingrained into their thinking. It was particularly more prevalent in the era (first half of the 20th century) that the Skipper grew up in and may have been influenced by culture, family beliefs, religion, limited education, etc.
Answer: Sailors are also very superstitious for various reasons, and through the adventures the Skipper had while on the open sea (including his service in WW2) and before beginning the tour business with the Minnow, the Skipper would have made his superstitions a huge part of his life and would have been easily susceptible to superstitious beliefs.
Answer: The Skipper never thought Gilligan would turn into a vampire. When the bat flew out, that's when Gilligan said, "I'm going to turn into a vampire." When his odd behaviour started up, the Skipper began to believe it.
Answer: I'm sorry, but no such episode exists; perhaps your sister is confusing this with another show from the 70s?