Behind the light-hearted humour of Gilligan's Island, guest star Don Rickles reportedly caused lasting friction with cast member Russell Johnson, who played the Professor. According to accounts recalled by co-star Bob Denver, Johnson was normally the calmest, most even-tempered member of the cast, but Rickles' sharply barbed comic style clashed badly with his own dry, understated sense of humour, sparking the only occasion Denver ever saw him lose his temper.

The friction stemmed from Rickles' 1966 guest appearance in the episode "The Kidnapper", in which he played villain Norbert Wiley, who kidnaps several castaways one by one for an escalating ransom before a final twist reveals his apparent redemption was a ruse. Despite the episode being considered a series highlight, Denver said Rickles remained a subject Johnson avoided discussing, and the tension reportedly lasted for the rest of Johnson's life, even as he continued to reunite with other cast members such as Denver and Dawn Wells over the years.