My Island Family

“My Island Family” is a 1965 unsold pilot episode for a TV series, starring Pat Boone as the lead character. The show was produced by 20th Century Fox Television and directed by Gene Reynolds. It was intended to be a comedy series about a family who lives on a tropical island.

In the pilot episode, Pat Boone played the role of Jim Pierce, a widowed father who moves to a remote island with his three children, in hopes of starting a new life. The family adjusts to their new surroundings, making new friends and encountering various challenges along the way.

Despite the star power of Pat Boone, the pilot episode of “My Island Family” was not picked up as a series by any network, and it never aired on television. The pilot episode was, however, released on DVD in 2007 as part of a collection of unsold TV pilots.

About Pat Boone

Pat Boone (born Charles Eugene Boone on June 1, 1934) is an American singer, actor, and writer. He was one of the most popular and successful pop singers of the 1950s and early 1960s, known for his clean-cut image and romantic ballads.

Boone began his music career in the mid-1950s, recording covers of R&B hits for a primarily white audience. He scored numerous hits during this time, including “Ain’t That a Shame,” “I Almost Lost My Mind,” and “Love Letters in the Sand.”

In addition to his music career, Boone also appeared in a number of films during the 1950s and 1960s, including “Journey to the Center of the Earth” and “April Love.”

In the 1970s and 1980s, Boone became involved in conservative politics and Christian ministry, hosting a variety of television shows and writing books on Christian topics.

Throughout his career, Boone has sold over 45 million records, appeared in more than 15 films, and authored several books. He has also been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, and the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.

The 1965 Season

The 1965-1966 TV season marked a transition period in American television, as the medium was evolving rapidly from black and white to color and from traditional family sitcoms to more socially conscious dramas. Many classic TV shows premiered during this season, including “Get Smart,” “I Dream of Jeannie,” “Green Acres,” and “The Wild Wild West.”

Some other notable shows that premiered during the 1965-1966 season include “Hogan’s Heroes,” “The Big Valley,” “The F.B.I.,” “Lost in Space,” and “Gidget.” The season also saw the debut of the first-ever animated TV special, “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

The major TV networks at the time were ABC, CBS, and NBC, with each network airing a mix of dramas, comedies, variety shows, and news programs. The ratings battle between the networks was fierce, with shows like “Bonanza” and “The Andy Griffith Show” regularly topping the charts.

Overall, the 1965-1966 TV season is considered a landmark year in American television, with many of the shows and trends that emerged during this time continuing to influence the medium to this day.

Unsold Pilots in 1965

NYT December 23, 1964. “New television shows for next season will be selected from among 76 pilot films that are now in various stages of production. The National Broadcasting Company has 24 shows in production, the American Broadcasting Company 22 and the Columbia Broadcasting System 18. There are 12 others being financed by sponsors, which have not yet chosen a network.

The list contains far more half‐hour shows than one‐hour shows, a reversal of the pattern for the last few years. In category, there seem to be more comedy shows than any other single type. The pilots are being produced for the networks by such motion picture companies as Metro‐Goldwyn-Mayer Television, 20th Century Fox Television, Screen Gems, Four Star Productions, Revue Productions, Talent Associates, Paramount, Ltd., United Artists Television, Warner Brothers, Desilu Productions and others.

Among the 78 pilots, no more than one‐fourth or possibly one third is likely to become a series, on the basis of past seasons But rejected pilots sometimes have their day or night on television when they are assembled in a series and sold to networks or stations in a bunch.

The making of a pilot or sample program for network consideration is financed in various ways. Frequently a network and a production company share the cost and sometimes an advertiser will contribute, too. This gives the advertiser first call on the series if the pilot turns out well.”

NBC

  • I Spy
  • Convoy
  • Indictment
  • The Ghost Breakers
  • The Mayor
  • The Wackiest Ship in the Army
  • Star Trek
  • Marty
  • The Willies
  • Kissin” Cousins
  • I‐Dream of Jeanie
  • Guilty or Not Guilty
  • Hank
  • My Mother, the Car
  • Camp Runamuck,
  • See Here, Private Hargrove,
  • Here’s Aggie
  • The Good Old Bays
  • The Alan King Show
  • Steptoe and Son
  • The Mr. and the Misses
  • Mr. Roberts
  • Please Don’t Eat the Daisies
  • Camp 44

ABC

  • Hercules
  • Long Hot Summer
  • Diamond Jim
  • Big Valley
  • Will Banner
  • Moment of Decision
  • Hellcats
  • The Bette Davis Show
  • The Shirley Temple Show
  • Frank Merriwell
  • Honey West
  • Thompson’s Ghost
  • Jesse James
  • Meet Me in St. Louis
  • Two’s Company
  • The Shenandoah Man
  • F Troop
  • Baby Makes Three
  • Okay, Crackeby
  • My Island Family
  • Take Her, She’s Mine
  • Tammy

CBS

  • The Quest
  • The Wild West
  • The Haunted
  • Coronet Blue
  • Lost: in Space
  • Selina Mead
  • The Heroes
  • Heaven Help Us!
  • My Son, the Doctor
  • The Marriage Broker
  • Who Goes There?
  • My 15 Blocks
  • The Lawyer
  • The Eve Arden Show
  • Happily Ever After
  • This Is a Hospital?
  • You’re Only Young Twice
  • Fluffie