One of the catchiest musical moments in television history happened on December 9, 1965, when the “Don’t Bug the Mosquitoes” episode of Gilligan’s Island first aired. In this installment, the castaways’ suspected that their eternal three-hour tour had come to an end when Beatle-esque mod rockers The Mosquitoes (portrayed by the real-life folk band The Wellingtons, who performed the theme music for Gilligan’s Island as well as Davy Crockett) arrive on the isle with hopes of finding some rest and recreation far away from their adoring fans. In a scheme to get the groovy guys to take them with them when their vacation is over, the gals form a girl group called The Honeybees and record a song called “You Need Us.” As this article from MeTV discusses in-depth, the song subsequently took on a life of its own. That’s easy to see why. The tune is an absolute jam, one that is endlessly hummable to the point that it becomes an instant earworm. (In fact, the Honeybees song is so great that The Mosquitoes leave our heroes stranded on the island for fear that they will lose fans to the new group).
Gilligan’s Island was never a great show, but like Sherwood Schwartz‘s other memorable TV creation, The Brady Bunch, it was a fun and comforting escape from the outside world. If not the best, “Don’t Bug the Mosquitoes” is arguably the most beloved episode of Gilligan’s Island due to this song, and the way it is sold by Tina Louise and Natalie Schafer. (Alas, Dawn Wells was lip-synching here, but more than makes up for it with her great dance moves). This is a great sitcom moment to be sure, and yes, we most definitely need it in our lives!