The Professor (Gilligan's Island)
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Roy Hinkley, usually referred to as The Professor, is one of the seven castaways from the television series Gilligan's Island. He was played by Russell Johnson.
The Professor was a high school science teacher, and was capable of devising many ways for the castaways to live more comfortably on the island. Many of his inventions (including a method for recharging the batteries in the ever-present radio) utilized coconuts and bamboo, both of which were in plentiful supply. Aside from his proficiency in science, he was also adept and well-versed in literature, social sciences, and the arts.
An intellectual who was often portrayed as being the most neutral of the characters, The Professor usually displayed more patience with Gilligan than the other male castaways, and was often called upon to settle disputes between the castaways. As a result, he often serves as the real leader of the castaways.
Naturally, the running joke surrounding the Professor has been his seeming ability to invent anything from coconuts, bamboo, and such. Like a working radio that doesn't need batteries, but inexplicably, he was unable to invent a way for them to be rescued or leave the island. This was parodied in many sitcoms such as Roseanne, when one of the characters playing as the professor stated after they crashed, "This hole on the boat defies all of my advanced knowledge. To fix it would be impossible, now if you excuse me I'm going to go create explosive fillings out of sand."
