The Producer
Encyclopedia
"The Producer" is the fourth episode of the third season of Gilligan's Island
, in which the castaways stage a musical version of Hamlet
. It first aired in on October 3, 1966.
) crash lands near the island during an around the world talent hunt, the castaways are forced to tolerate him until his rescue plane arrives. When Ginger
asks him for a role in his next movie however, Mr. Hecuba laughs at the idea, causing Ginger to become so upset that she refuses to return to civilization with the rest of the castaways.
Hoping to change Mr. Hecuba's mind, Gilligan
suggests that they perform a play for Mr. Hecuba so that he might reconsider Ginger's talent and ultimately decide to use her in a movie. From the limited resources available on the island, they create a musical version of William Shakespeare
's Hamlet. The cast performs three songs for their show. These parody the "To be or not to be" speech of Act III, Scene 1; the "Get thee to a nunnery" exchange between Hamlet and Ophelia later in the same scene, and Polonius's "Neither a borrower nor a lender be" speech from Act I, Scene III.
The episode employs dialog taken directly from the original work and musical passages from the operas Carmen
and The Tales of Hoffmann. An example follows.
Hecuba awakens as the castaways rehearse at night, taking over the production. When help arrives Hecuba departs alone, leaving behind all the others in order to take full credit for the musical version of Hamlet he intends to stage as his next project.
The show's only other regular character, The Professor
, serves as the production's technical crew.
Gilligan's Island
Gilligan's Island is an American television series created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz and originally produced by United Artists Television. The situation comedy series featured Bob Denver; Alan Hale, Jr.; Jim Backus; Natalie Schafer; Tina Louise; Russell Johnson; and Dawn Wells. It aired for...
, in which the castaways stage a musical version of Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
. It first aired in on October 3, 1966.
Synopsis
After curmudgeonly film producer Harold Hecuba (Phil SilversPhil Silvers
Phil Silvers was an American entertainer and comedy actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah." He is best known for starring in The Phil Silvers Show, a 1950s sitcom set on a U.S...
) crash lands near the island during an around the world talent hunt, the castaways are forced to tolerate him until his rescue plane arrives. When Ginger
Ginger Grant
Ginger Grant is a fictional character in the 1964 to 1967 television sitcom Gilligan's Island.-Career:...
asks him for a role in his next movie however, Mr. Hecuba laughs at the idea, causing Ginger to become so upset that she refuses to return to civilization with the rest of the castaways.
Hoping to change Mr. Hecuba's mind, Gilligan
Gilligan (fictional character)
Gilligan is a fictional character played by Bob Denver on the 1960s TV show Gilligan's Island and its many sequels. It starred Bob Denver as "Gilligan", the bumbling, dimwitted, accident-prone crewman of the S.S. Minnow...
suggests that they perform a play for Mr. Hecuba so that he might reconsider Ginger's talent and ultimately decide to use her in a movie. From the limited resources available on the island, they create a musical version of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's Hamlet. The cast performs three songs for their show. These parody the "To be or not to be" speech of Act III, Scene 1; the "Get thee to a nunnery" exchange between Hamlet and Ophelia later in the same scene, and Polonius's "Neither a borrower nor a lender be" speech from Act I, Scene III.
The episode employs dialog taken directly from the original work and musical passages from the operas Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
and The Tales of Hoffmann. An example follows.
- Neither a borrower nor a lender be.
- Do not forget: stay out of debt.
- Think twice, and take this good advice from me:
- Guard that old solvency!
- There's just one other thing you ought to do.
- To thine own self be true.
Hecuba awakens as the castaways rehearse at night, taking over the production. When help arrives Hecuba departs alone, leaving behind all the others in order to take full credit for the musical version of Hamlet he intends to stage as his next project.
Cast
In order of appearance:- HamletPrince HamletPrince Hamlet is a fictional character, the protagonist in Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet. He is the Prince of Denmark, nephew to the usurping Claudius and son of the previous King of Denmark, Old Hamlet. Throughout the play he struggles with whether, and how, to avenge the murder of his father, and...
: Gilligan - ClaudiusKing ClaudiusKing Claudius is a character and the antagonist from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. He is the brother to King Hamlet, second husband to Gertrude and uncle to Hamlet. He obtained the throne of Denmark by murdering his own brother with poison and then marrying the late king's widow...
: Thurston Howell, III - GertrudeGertrude (Hamlet)In William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Gertrude is Hamlet's mother and Queen of Denmark. Her relationship with Hamlet is somewhat turbulent, since he resents her for marrying her husband's brother Claudius after he murdered the King...
: Mrs. HowellLovey Howell- External links :* *... - Ophelia: GingerGinger GrantGinger Grant is a fictional character in the 1964 to 1967 television sitcom Gilligan's Island.-Career:...
- PoloniusPoloniusPolonius is a character in William Shakespeare's Hamlet. He is King Claudius's chief counsellor, and the father of Ophelia and Laertes. Polonius connives with Claudius to spy on Hamlet...
: The SkipperThe SkipperThe Skipper is the title and nickname of Jonas Grumby, a fictional character from the 1960s situation comedy Gilligan's Island. Played by Alan Hale, Jr., the Skipper was the owner and captain of the S. S... - Laertes: Mary AnnMary Ann SummersMary Ann Summers is a fictional character in the television sitcom Gilligan's Island which ran on the CBS network from 1964 to 1967, and has run more or less continuously since in reruns.- Role :...
The show's only other regular character, The Professor
The Professor (Gilligan's Island)
- External links :*...
, serves as the production's technical crew.
Reception
Although the show Gilligan's Island seldom earned awards of any sort, "The Producer" was selected by TV Guide as one of the 100 greatest television episodes of all time. In Gilligan Unbound: Pop Culture in the Age of Globalization, Paul A. Cantor terms the Hamlet production a "full-scale Broadway show" and notes the episode as "evidence of the degree of sophistication the castaways are able to achieve in their supposedly primitive state..." Cantor also observes in an introduction to Hamlet that this episode is one of several recent examples that demonstrate the enduring popularity of Shakespeare's play, since audiences continue to recognize references to the centuries-old drama. Cantor places the episode within the framework of a tradition of Hamlet parodies that dates back to the nineteenth century. Yet Michael D. Bristol interprets these parodies, including the Gilligan's Island episode, as reflective of "a distinctively modern experience of subjectivity" in Shakespeare's version of the character.Trivia
- Listed as the number 3 greatest sitcom episode of all time according to the book Inside TV Land.
- Part of the first song of the episode is featured in the Space Ghost Coast to CoastSpace Ghost Coast to CoastSpace Ghost Coast to Coast is an American animated parody talk show hosted by the 60s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Space Ghost. The show premiered on April 15, 1994 on Cartoon Network...
episode with Bob Denver, Dawn Wells, and Russell Johnson. - Silvers' Gladasya production company helped finance the Gilligan's IslandGilligan's IslandGilligan's Island is an American television series created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz and originally produced by United Artists Television. The situation comedy series featured Bob Denver; Alan Hale, Jr.; Jim Backus; Natalie Schafer; Tina Louise; Russell Johnson; and Dawn Wells. It aired for...
series (and according to several reports, Silvers earned more money from his percentage in that series than from any of his own endeavors). - In 1997 TV GuideTV GuideTV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
ranked the episode number 52 on its '100 Greatest episodes of All Time' list.