We all remember the episode of Gilligan’s Island in which the cast performs a musical version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Yet it’s impossible to understand the show without grasping that the entire series finds its origins in a different play, The Tempest, and each castaway represents a character from Prospero’s Island. (Both Thurston Howell III and the Professor claim different aspects of Prospero’s personality, for example. Moreover, Ginger = Ariel, Mary Ann = Miranda, Gilligan = Trinculo, Skipper = Stephano, Lovey = Caliban.) Other classic sitcoms borrowed from the Bard, too, albeit somewhat less blatantly, and in episodes that aren’t often re-run.
1. “Opie’s Revenge,” The Andy Griffith Show
Likely Source: Hamlet
Something is rotten in Mayberry! When Andy Taylor is called to Mount Pilot for a disciplinary review, deputy Barney Fife is left in charge. Naturally, Opie believes that Barney has murdered Andy and is preparing to seize the title of sheriff and to marry Helen Crump, as well. Opie reluctantly sets out to kill Barney, but in a last-minute twist, his gun misfires, injuring Floyd the Barber on the front porch of his ear. Aunt Bee sends the boy to bed without his supper.
2. “The Dinner Party,” Bewitched
Likely Source: Macbeth
In this late-series episode, Larry Tate yet again commands Darrin and Samantha to invite “a million-dollar client” to dinner at their home. On short notice, Samantha enlists the assistance of Esmeralda, but wouldn’t you know it’s hay-fever season. Every time Esmeralda sneezes, the image of Dick York magically appears and vanishes at the dinner table, though only Darrin (Dick Sargent) can see him. Dr. Bombay is summoned to give Esmeralda an enchanted antihistamine. Meanwhile, Endora predicts that Darrin soon will be the boss at McMann & Tate. But how to do it? Why, is this a dagger here before him? As her husband murders Larry, Samantha explains to the bewildered client that it’s all part of Darrin’s exciting new ad campaign — for spot remover.
3. “The Boss Comes to Dinner,” The Honeymooners
Likely Source: Macbeth
Murder most foul strikes on Chauncey Street this time. Eager for a raise and a promotion to traffic manager at the Gotham Bus Company, Ralph Kramden invites his boss, Mr. Marshall, home to Brooklyn for dinner. While Alice nags Ralph that this scheme, like all of his grand ambitions, is doomed to fail, he accidentally seasons the soup with rat poison. Mr. Marshall drops dead at the table. What to do with the body? KranMar’s Delicious Mystery Appetizer, of course! In one memorable scene, Ed Norton thinks he sees a dagger here before him, and by golly, it can core a apple.
4. “Fred’s Rainy Night,” Sanford and Son
Likely Source: King Lear
After a bitter argument with his termagant sister-in-law, Aunt Esther, Fred finds himself locked out of the house in the middle of a fierce rainstorm. Fred rages at the storm, at Esther, and at his faithless son, Lamont (who paradoxically doesn’t appear in this episode), all the while invoking his late wife, Elizabeth. This extended comic monologue is interrupted by occasional asides from the loyal Grady (Whitman Mayo), who, on seeing that Fred is locked out, has locked himself out, too.
5. “La Commedia È Finita,” Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Likely Source: Coriolanus
Surprise, surprise, surprise! With a stirring rendition of “Vesti la giubba,” Gomer has just won another talent show, but Sgt. Carter passes him over for promotion anyway, saying he doesn’t really like opera and wanted to hear “Jambalaya” instead. Outraged, Gomer goes A.W.O.L. in the middle of inspection and vows to take command of the Viet Cong, who have surrounded the base. Can Luann Poovie persuade Gomer not to commit treason? And if she succeeds, will Sgt. Carter take him back?
6. “Et Tu, Chachi?” Happy Days
Likely Source: Julius Caesar
Fed up with Fonzie’s domineering arrogance and the way the audience screams uncontrollably every time he enters Al’s Diner, Ralph Malph and Potsie plot to assassinate him. Will nice guy Richie Cunningham join them? Will Joanie and Chachi lovably save the day — or strike the first blow? Or is it all just a dream brought on by tainted anchovies in the pizza?
7. “Reversal of Fortune,” The Jeffersons
Likely Source: Timon of Athens
Poor George Jefferson! It seems like everybody wants a piece of him. Son Lionel is demanding his inheritance, Weezy wants a raise in her spending allowance, Mother Jefferson has hired a chauffeur and expects George to pay, Florence is on strike for better working conditions, and the Willises and Mr. Bentley keep showing up uninvited at mealtime. Convinced that people pretend to love him only to take advantage of his money, George abandons his Upper East Side apartment and moves into a cave in Central Park. Dressed in rags, he hurls insults and filth at passersby. This being New York in 1982, nobody notices.
8. “Marcia Dates a Negro,” The Brady Bunch
Likely Source: Othello
It turns out the new kid in school is black, and he asks Marcia Brady out on a date. This infuriates always-envious middle sister Jan Brady (“Miscegenation, miscegenation, miscegenation!”). She schemes to make the boyfriend jealous by telling him that Marcia is secretly getting it on with brother Greg. All ends happily when the boyfriend is bused to another school district on the other side of town. (In a possible allusion to The Merchant of Venice, Alice’s stalwart boyfriend, Sam the Butcher, offers her a pound of flesh.)
9. “Jan Has a Plan,” The Brady Bunch
Likely Source: Richard III
Driven mad at last by her parents’ inattention, Jan Brady plots to kill her sisters and brothers, reasoning that, if she’s the only child left, Mike and Carol will just have to love her. She manages only to drown Cousin Oliver in a barrel of rainwater. In a last-minute rescue, Alice intervenes just as Jan is about to cut Cindy’s throat. Or was it all just a dream, brought on by tainted anchovies in the pizza?
[ 1 2 NEXT PAGE]
READER COMMENTS (836)
FIRST!!
Posted by I’m so first
FIRSTIES!!!
Re: FIRST!!
Posted by larrygroznicfan
Curses! Foiled again!
WORST. LIST. EVER.
Posted by comicbookguy
…
THE TEMPEST IS NOT A TRAGEDY
Posted by unemployed english major
Sorry to point this out, but it just isn’t a tragedy.
It’s a romance.
Re: THE TEMPEST IS NOT A TRAGEDY
Posted by rweroiu
Don’t get out much, do you?
Re: THE TEMPEST IS NOT A TRAGEDY
Posted by he’s right you know
You’re the tragedy, unemployed.
Re: THE TEMPEST IS NOT A TRAGEDY
Posted by unemployed english major
I refuse to stoop to the level of ad hominem attacks, you sick turd.
Re: THE TEMPEST IS NOT A TRAGEDY
Posted by phonics is fun
The homonym of ad is “add,” not “attacks.”
WHERE’S R&J?
Posted by sharona verona
This list sucks! How can you not include Romeo and Juliet? There are hundreds of great sitcom episodes are built around star-crossed lovers!
Re: WHERE’S R&J?
Posted by so mertz it hurts
Yeah, like the classic episode of “Here’s Lucy” where Lucy and Viv finally admit their secret passion for each other and carry on a torrid lesbian affair until they get caught and have to commit suicide to escape the scandal. No — wait — that was Children’s Hour.
Re: WHERE’S R&J?
Posted by shlmiel shlamozel
No, that was an episode of Laverne and Shirley.
Re: WHERE’S R&J?
Posted by cindy4ever
Cindy Williams was hawt.
Re: WHERE’S R&J?
Posted by so mertz it hurts
She’s my mother.
Re: WHERE’S R&J?
Posted by cindy4ever
Really? That’s so cool.
Re: WHERE’S R&J?
Posted by cindy4ever
Not.
Re: WHERE’S R&J?
Posted by unemployed english major
I suspect they left Romeo and Juliet off the list on purpose — too easy. But I still say Tempest is not a tragedy.
I mean, these inventories have no meaning if they fail to adhere to their own guidelines.
Re: WHERE’S R&J?
Posted by rweroiu
GIVE IT UP, UNEMPLOYED!
HAS ANYBODY NOTICED …
Posted by 3hour tour
That Gilligans Island is just like Lost?
Re: HAS ANYBODY NOTICED …
Posted by what took you so long
Everybody has noticed. Its old newz.
Re: HAS ANYBODY NOTICED …
Posted by 3hour tour
Oh. My bad.
Re: HAS ANYBODY NOTICED …
Posted by judge wapner
You may stand down now.
APPLIED OBSCURANTISM
Posted by billevesées
If you don’t read the Onion A.V. Club, you probably won’t understand any of this. Sorry about that. As a goodwill gesture, I offer you a picture of one of the most beloved figures in TVLand.
Likely Source: Hamlet
Something is rotten in Mayberry! When Andy Taylor is called to Mount Pilot for a disciplinary review, deputy Barney Fife is left in charge. Naturally, Opie believes that Barney has murdered Andy and is preparing to seize the title of sheriff and to marry Helen Crump, as well. Opie reluctantly sets out to kill Barney, but in a last-minute twist, his gun misfires, injuring Floyd the Barber on the front porch of his ear. Aunt Bee sends the boy to bed without his supper.
2. “The Dinner Party,” BewitchedLikely Source: Macbeth
In this late-series episode, Larry Tate yet again commands Darrin and Samantha to invite “a million-dollar client” to dinner at their home. On short notice, Samantha enlists the assistance of Esmeralda, but wouldn’t you know it’s hay-fever season. Every time Esmeralda sneezes, the image of Dick York magically appears and vanishes at the dinner table, though only Darrin (Dick Sargent) can see him. Dr. Bombay is summoned to give Esmeralda an enchanted antihistamine. Meanwhile, Endora predicts that Darrin soon will be the boss at McMann & Tate. But how to do it? Why, is this a dagger here before him? As her husband murders Larry, Samantha explains to the bewildered client that it’s all part of Darrin’s exciting new ad campaign — for spot remover.
3. “The Boss Comes to Dinner,” The HoneymoonersLikely Source: Macbeth
Murder most foul strikes on Chauncey Street this time. Eager for a raise and a promotion to traffic manager at the Gotham Bus Company, Ralph Kramden invites his boss, Mr. Marshall, home to Brooklyn for dinner. While Alice nags Ralph that this scheme, like all of his grand ambitions, is doomed to fail, he accidentally seasons the soup with rat poison. Mr. Marshall drops dead at the table. What to do with the body? KranMar’s Delicious Mystery Appetizer, of course! In one memorable scene, Ed Norton thinks he sees a dagger here before him, and by golly, it can core a apple.
4. “Fred’s Rainy Night,” Sanford and SonLikely Source: King Lear
After a bitter argument with his termagant sister-in-law, Aunt Esther, Fred finds himself locked out of the house in the middle of a fierce rainstorm. Fred rages at the storm, at Esther, and at his faithless son, Lamont (who paradoxically doesn’t appear in this episode), all the while invoking his late wife, Elizabeth. This extended comic monologue is interrupted by occasional asides from the loyal Grady (Whitman Mayo), who, on seeing that Fred is locked out, has locked himself out, too.
5. “La Commedia È Finita,” Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.Likely Source: Coriolanus
Surprise, surprise, surprise! With a stirring rendition of “Vesti la giubba,” Gomer has just won another talent show, but Sgt. Carter passes him over for promotion anyway, saying he doesn’t really like opera and wanted to hear “Jambalaya” instead. Outraged, Gomer goes A.W.O.L. in the middle of inspection and vows to take command of the Viet Cong, who have surrounded the base. Can Luann Poovie persuade Gomer not to commit treason? And if she succeeds, will Sgt. Carter take him back?
6. “Et Tu, Chachi?” Happy DaysLikely Source: Julius Caesar
Fed up with Fonzie’s domineering arrogance and the way the audience screams uncontrollably every time he enters Al’s Diner, Ralph Malph and Potsie plot to assassinate him. Will nice guy Richie Cunningham join them? Will Joanie and Chachi lovably save the day — or strike the first blow? Or is it all just a dream brought on by tainted anchovies in the pizza?
7. “Reversal of Fortune,” The JeffersonsLikely Source: Timon of Athens
Poor George Jefferson! It seems like everybody wants a piece of him. Son Lionel is demanding his inheritance, Weezy wants a raise in her spending allowance, Mother Jefferson has hired a chauffeur and expects George to pay, Florence is on strike for better working conditions, and the Willises and Mr. Bentley keep showing up uninvited at mealtime. Convinced that people pretend to love him only to take advantage of his money, George abandons his Upper East Side apartment and moves into a cave in Central Park. Dressed in rags, he hurls insults and filth at passersby. This being New York in 1982, nobody notices.
8. “Marcia Dates a Negro,” The Brady BunchLikely Source: Othello
It turns out the new kid in school is black, and he asks Marcia Brady out on a date. This infuriates always-envious middle sister Jan Brady (“Miscegenation, miscegenation, miscegenation!”). She schemes to make the boyfriend jealous by telling him that Marcia is secretly getting it on with brother Greg. All ends happily when the boyfriend is bused to another school district on the other side of town. (In a possible allusion to The Merchant of Venice, Alice’s stalwart boyfriend, Sam the Butcher, offers her a pound of flesh.)
9. “Jan Has a Plan,” The Brady BunchLikely Source: Richard III
Driven mad at last by her parents’ inattention, Jan Brady plots to kill her sisters and brothers, reasoning that, if she’s the only child left, Mike and Carol will just have to love her. She manages only to drown Cousin Oliver in a barrel of rainwater. In a last-minute rescue, Alice intervenes just as Jan is about to cut Cindy’s throat. Or was it all just a dream, brought on by tainted anchovies in the pizza?
[ 1 2 NEXT PAGE]
READER COMMENTS (836)
FIRST!!
Posted by I’m so first
FIRSTIES!!!
Re: FIRST!!
Posted by larrygroznicfan
Curses! Foiled again!
WORST. LIST. EVER.
Posted by comicbookguy
…
THE TEMPEST IS NOT A TRAGEDY
Posted by unemployed english major
Sorry to point this out, but it just isn’t a tragedy.
It’s a romance.
Re: THE TEMPEST IS NOT A TRAGEDY
Posted by rweroiu
Don’t get out much, do you?
Re: THE TEMPEST IS NOT A TRAGEDY
Posted by he’s right you know
You’re the tragedy, unemployed.
Re: THE TEMPEST IS NOT A TRAGEDY
Posted by unemployed english major
I refuse to stoop to the level of ad hominem attacks, you sick turd.
Re: THE TEMPEST IS NOT A TRAGEDY
Posted by phonics is fun
The homonym of ad is “add,” not “attacks.”
WHERE’S R&J?
Posted by sharona verona
This list sucks! How can you not include Romeo and Juliet? There are hundreds of great sitcom episodes are built around star-crossed lovers!
Re: WHERE’S R&J?
Posted by so mertz it hurts
Yeah, like the classic episode of “Here’s Lucy” where Lucy and Viv finally admit their secret passion for each other and carry on a torrid lesbian affair until they get caught and have to commit suicide to escape the scandal. No — wait — that was Children’s Hour.
Re: WHERE’S R&J?
Posted by shlmiel shlamozel
No, that was an episode of Laverne and Shirley.
Re: WHERE’S R&J?
Posted by cindy4ever
Cindy Williams was hawt.
Re: WHERE’S R&J?
Posted by so mertz it hurts
She’s my mother.
Re: WHERE’S R&J?
Posted by cindy4ever
Really? That’s so cool.
Re: WHERE’S R&J?
Posted by cindy4ever
Not.
Re: WHERE’S R&J?
Posted by unemployed english major
I suspect they left Romeo and Juliet off the list on purpose — too easy. But I still say Tempest is not a tragedy.
I mean, these inventories have no meaning if they fail to adhere to their own guidelines.
Re: WHERE’S R&J?
Posted by rweroiu
GIVE IT UP, UNEMPLOYED!
HAS ANYBODY NOTICED …
Posted by 3hour tour
That Gilligans Island is just like Lost?
Re: HAS ANYBODY NOTICED …
Posted by what took you so long
Everybody has noticed. Its old newz.
Re: HAS ANYBODY NOTICED …
Posted by 3hour tour
Oh. My bad.
Re: HAS ANYBODY NOTICED …
Posted by judge wapner
You may stand down now.
APPLIED OBSCURANTISM
Posted by billevesées
If you don’t read the Onion A.V. Club, you probably won’t understand any of this. Sorry about that. As a goodwill gesture, I offer you a picture of one of the most beloved figures in TVLand.
