Dusty f/k/a Gilligan gets his wagon lost to the chagrin of Forrest Tucker (formerly of 'F' Troop and playing a rough version of G.I.'s 'Skipper'.) I thought this series had just as much originality as "The Knacks" second album and (come to think of it) was probably seen by about the same number of people as heard The Knack's second album. The humor was about on par with Gilligan's Island; however, for some intangible reason much less likable or watchable, even to a then young viewer like me. Nobody's going to ever dust off Dusty and call it a classic--that's for certain. A perfect example of going to the well too often. Even Bob Denver and Forrest Tucker's Saturday Morning shows, both together and apart, were better fare than this series.

Well, now, Gilligans Island it is not. But it does grow on you. My four year old watches it all the time. Better than Barney. I have watched it a number of times and found that the characters seem to all be waiting for Dusty to carry them. Of note, is that the additional characters actually seem to be better actors than the regulars. There are some genuinely funny lines and looks. Does make you appreciate Gilligan's Island more. And even Dobbie Gillis. Seems as though the characters were content to get a season's worth of pay. Bad as this was, it was better than the return to Gilligan's Island movies. And yes, it a recycling of the Gilligan's Island characters but only Foster Tucker comes close. Although each of the other characters have their moments. I bought the DVD for a dollar. It was worth that.

This show was Gilligan's Island set in the old West. Instead of being shipwrecked on a deserted island, they are a group separated from a wagon train and lost in the wilderness.Every character in Gilligan's Island has a direct counterpart in Dusty's Trail. Of course, the title character is played in both series by Bob Denver. The Skipper is replaced by the wagon master, Forrest Tucker. There is a rich married couple, farm girl, and smart guy in each group. And this series substitutes a saloon hall girl for an actress to round out the group of seven.Just as the castaways in Gilligan's Island spent every episode trying to get off the island, in Dusty's Trail, they try to find their way out of the wilderness, and failing every time. Just the same, the episodes are amusing, although they seem a little watered-down for us Gilligan's Island fanatics. We only watch this series to see Bob Denver in his usual antics.

This was probably the perfect example of Hollywood's lack of imagination. Ironically, this show is basically Sherwood Schwartz and Bob Denver ripping-off the show that was so successful for them. In fact, the concept for this show was so lame that none of the networks would pick it up, so it was sold to different stations to be shown in first run syndication. Each character is basically a carbon copy of the classic cast of Gilligan's Island. You had the sweet Mary Ann type, the smart Professor type, the sexy bombshell and the snobbish older couple. At least the cast from Gilligan had a lot of chemistry that this cast doesn't. .The only difference was that it was set in the old west instead of a deserted island and instead of the occasional native causing the castaways trouble you get a wild assortment of desperadoes wreaking havoc on our lost wagon train. No wonder this show isn't in reruns anymore