Character guide
Vernon Hines
from The Pajama Game
Vernon Hines, often called Hinesie, is a supporting character in The Pajama Game, the 1954 musical by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, working as the factory's excitable time study man.
- Show
- The Pajama Game
- Broadway premiere
- 1954
- Role
- Supporting
- Music by
- Adler & Ross
Vernon Hines on stage vs screen
Broadway compared with the 1957 film
Eddie Foy Jr. originated Vernon Hines, the factory's jealous time-study man, on Broadway in 1954 and played him again in the 1957 film. He still opens the film with the title song, The Pajama Game, and sings I'll Never Be Jealous Again with Mabel, played on screen by Reta Shaw.
One Hines number did not make the trip: Think of the Time I Save, his stage song with the factory girls, is absent from the film's list of musical numbers.
Who is Vernon Hines?
Hines works as the time study man at the Sleep Tite Pajama Factory, timing workers' movements to measure efficiency, a job that makes him deeply unpopular on the shop floor. He is comically jealous and possessive of his girlfriend Gladys, prone to jealous outbursts that include a habit of throwing knives when agitated.
Despite his volatile temper, Hines is treated as a mostly harmless figure of fun, and his relationship with Gladys provides a comic counterpoint to the show's central romance between Sid and Babe.
Hines's role in The Pajama Game
Hines is a supporting comic role, most associated with introducing the show in the opening number and providing running comedy around his jealousy and his knife throwing habit. The part leans on strong comic timing more than vocal demands, though it includes ensemble numbers throughout the show.
Eddie Foy Jr. originated the role on Broadway in 1954, bringing a vaudeville trained comic energy to the part that helped define Hines as one of the show's most memorable secondary characters.
Vernon Hines: frequently asked questions
What show is Vernon Hines from?
Vernon Hines is a supporting character in The Pajama Game, which opened on Broadway in 1954.
Is Vernon Hines a lead or supporting role?
Hines is a supporting role, known for his comic jealousy over his girlfriend Gladys.
Who wrote the music for The Pajama Game?
Richard Adler and Jerry Ross wrote the music and lyrics for The Pajama Game.
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