After appearing in several stage productions in the 1950s, Tina Louise debuted on the big screen with the Western “God’s Little Acre.” The actress won a New Star of the Year Golden Globe for her performance, after which she headlined a war movie with future silver screen legend Burt Reynolds. Before she debuted in her most well-known role as movie star Ginger Grant in “Gilligan’s Island,” however, Louise got some sitcom practice in with a guest spot on ABC’s “The Real McCoys.”
This mostly forgotten series aired for six seasons between 1957 and 1963, beginning on ABC before switching to the network that later hosted “Gilligan’s Island,” CBS. It focused on a family who moves from Appalachia to the San Fernando Valley to tend to a farm they inherited from a relative. Almost a proto-“Beverly Hillbillies,” “The Real McCoys” was unique for its specific rural-family-goes-West/fish-out-of-water premise, which networks quickly tried to replicate in the years after “The Real McCoys” proved successful.
Like so many popular shows of its era, “The Real McCoys” also hosted its share of guest stars, two of whom would go on to become sitcom royalty in their own right. In 1961, the Skipper actor Alan Hale Jr. appeared in the Season 5 episode “The Trailer Camp,” playing a troublesome visitor who parks his trailer on the titular family’s farm. The following season, Hale Jr.’s soon-to-be “Gilligan’s Island” co-star Louise also showed up on the farm, although the show looked dramatically different to the one which the Skipper had only just visited.
The Real McCoys underwent a major change prior to Tina Louise’s guest spot
Though Tina Louise’s big break came with “Gilligan’s Island” in 1964, she had several notable roles in the lead-up to her debut as Ginger Grant. In 1959 Louise co-starred in the bleak but powerful Western “Day of the Outlaw,” and top-lined the film noir “The Trap” that same year. She also landed several guest spots on well-known shows of the era, including “The Phil Silvers Show” and “Climax!” By the time she guest-starred on “The Real McCoys,” then, she was no rookie.
The show followed the McCoy family, an Appalachian clan lead by the curmudgeonly grandpa Amos McCoy (Walter Brennan). When Amos’ brother, Ben McCoy, dies, he leaves his San Fernando Valley farm to his West Virginian relatives. The family then moves westward to take over their new land. Richard Crenna played Amos’ son, Luke McCoy, alongside Kathleen Nolan as his wife, Kate McCoy. Luke’s teenage sister Tallahassee “Hassie” McCoy was played by Lydia Reed while Michael Winkelman portrayed the youngest member of the McCoy clan, Luke’s 11-year-old brother “Little Luke” McCoy. The sitcom revolved around the family’s attempts to acclimate to their new “Californy” lifestyle and fulfill the demands of tending to a farm. In the sixth and final season, however, things took a decidedly tragic turn.
In 1961, Nolan was severely injured after being thrown from a horse and missed multiple episodes of “The Real McCoys.” Between the fifth and sixth season, she and the producers seemed to have some issues renegotiating her contract, and Nolan left the show ahead of its Season 6 premiere. When the show returned, her absence was explained in the least flattering way possible: Kate died off-screen. At least that cleared the way for a Tina Louise guest spot.
Tina Louise played a country cousin on The Real McCoys
Several actresses replaced Tina Louise as Ginger Grant after the original “Gilligan’s Island” series went off the air. But “The Real McCoys” didn’t bother recasting Kate McCoy. Instead, they used her absence as a way to generate new storylines, such as when Tina Louise appeared in the Season 6 premiere, “Grandpa Pygmalion.”
The episode, which aired September 30, 1962, sees Tallahassee McCoy leave for college, while Little Luke McCoy is nowhere to be seen (he is said to be at Army camp). The only explanation we get for Kate’s absence, however, comes from Grandpa Amos McCoy, who casually mentions that Luke is now a “widower.” That meant Louise’s cousin, Tilda Hicks, had a clear shot at Luke McCoy.
In “Grandpa Pygmalion,” Amos decides the family needs a new housekeeper and sends for Hicks. She arrives at the McCoy farm from West Virginia and is immediately smitten with Luke. Unfortunately, her feelings are unrequited as Luke sees his country cousin as somewhat of an embarrassment. But when he takes her to a dance, she’s showered with attention by the locals and ultimately finds a new home with a socialite (played by Norma Varden) who’s in need of a new maid.
That was the only time viewers ever saw Tilda Hicks. Louise never returned to the show after her one guest spot. Two years later, she was cast as Ginger Grant (after producers lied to Louise by telling her she’d be the star of “Gilligan’s Island”) and ascended to the upper echelons of sitcom fame. “The Real McCoys,” meanwhile, ended after its sixth season.
