From Shakespeare to Sherwood to Blanc

“Neither a borrower nor a lender be.” Yes, we are back to Shakespeare again and yes it is once again Hamlet. I can’t help that the plays of the great Bard are some of the childhood I remember. Where I really remember that phrase from is not directly from the play. I actually learned the line from watching Gilligan’s Island. Yes, the castaways put on a musical version of Hamlet for a down and out Broadway producer in hopes that he would rescue them from the island.

I can remember Gilligan racing back and forth across the stage because he had so many parts to play and so many costumes to change. And of course the Skipper singing to Gilligan (I believe to a Gilbert and Sullivan melody), “Neither a borrower, nor a lender be. Never forget, stay out of debt.” By the end of the performance, Gilligan collapses, out of breath. The producer loves the version and arranges to get rescued from the island. He does not want to share credit for the great idea of musical Shakespeare so he goes alone. The castaways hear about the producer on their infamous radio where the batteries never die.

Then there is the Barber of Seville scene from Bugs Bunny. You can really get a good feel for the classics by watching old comedies and cartoons. Elmer Fudd singing “Kill the wabbit” while toting his trademark shotgun. Bugs always staying out in front and chewing on his carrot. Then there is Bugs rubbing the hair tonic into Elmer’s bald scalp during a Barber of Seville parody. All classic scenes based on classic literature. Unfortunately, most of the early cartoons have been watered down to remove the “violence”. That is what made them truly funny. Tom and Jerry are almost unwatchable now that the PC crowds have butchered them. Ah, Milton would be rolling around in his grave. Paradise Lost.

Icool

Cobb