Catch-22

Paramount produced this TV sit-com spinoff of its costly flop 1970 movie "Catch-22", directed by Mike Nichols with an all-star cast. Given the prestige of the Joseph Heller novel, it's not surprising that Richard Dreyfuss (in Alan Arkin's movie role) signed on to star following his great success in "American Graffiti", but he's just awful -irritating, not funny.

An old-fashioned laugh track doesn't help. With some Dreyfuss narration, we're introduced to him as a lead bombardier in World War II, heading for a small island off the coast of Italy to be sent home to America after having completed the requisite 30 missions bombing enemy targets. The cross-talk in the cockpit with his zany copilot Frank Welker is just awful, scoring zero laughs in imitating those famous Abbott & Costello routines.

By the end of the pilot episode, we're treated to a rather concise explanation of what Heller's Catch-22 concept initially meant: it presents a paradox: if you're gung-ho enough to want to go on deadly missions, then you're crazy and should be disqualified. But if you decide to refuse to go on such missions, that means you're sane and should be selected to go on those missions.

Where the pilot segment written by Hal Dresner goes wrong is obvious: it confuses black comedy with absurdity, insanity and utter silliness. Arkin also starred in the hit movie "The Russians Are Coming, the Russians are Coming", and one could imagine a similarly stupid Tv sitcom, with or without Dreyfuss, derived from that one. The fact that Robert Altman's "M*A*S*H" film hit spawned an even more successful Alan Alda TV series doesn't mean it's easy to do!

A weak (very weak) supporting cast includes Dana Elcar as the goofball commander of the troops stationed on the island (immediately watching him in action I realized how say Harvey Korman could have excelled in this role) and busty blonde Susanne Zenor as a nurse who flirts with Dreyfuss, or knocks him out with one punch, is basically a bit player elevated to a featured role (she ended up successful in a soap opera).

When this was filmed, I was in the NROTC at USC. The producer needed about a hundred extras to play the detachment of soldiers at the airfield. When this was filmed in 1972, finding a hundred extras with short hair and knowing some sort of military training was a steep task. The producer contacted the unit and on Thanksgiving weekend in 1972 we were bussed to the high desert north of Los Angeles. An entire airbase set was constructed complete with about 5 army B 25 bombers and the required tents, trucks and military looking equipment. Paramount had a complete wardrobe crew that decked us all out in WWII uniforms. We filmed a sequence where the "missing air crew" flew in with all kinds of special effects. For an 18 year old doing their first and only picture, it was a lot of fun and really interesting experience. I did see the pilot on TV in early 1973 and thought it was okay.

I guess with the popularity of "M*A*S*H" a year prior, anybody thought they could throw together a band of character actors, quick jokes and a laugh track and they could ride some coat tales to fame. Anybody was wrong.

Imagine "M*A*S*H" with flat jokes, terrible jokes, un-funny set-ups that just keep going and going and going like the Energizer Bunny, and no Hawkeye, Radar or Blake. That's what you get with "Catch-22", one large waste of time misfire that even manages to to get composer Neal Hefti to phone it in.

It's no surprise almost nobody is credited for their work on this -- I know I'd not want my name on it if I had a hand in it (for a paycheck).

A bomber has flown his thirty missions and he's due to head home. Oh, but there are delays and misunderstanding and hilarity that was supposed to ensue. It does not. This was wisely not picked up for a series and you can also get in on being wise by not watching it -- it's not even a curiosity. Oh man, can you imagine what's worse than the un-funny opening that you'd wish would end? How about that opening going on for over twelve minutes (plus opening credits)!

Poor Dana Eclar -- why was he in this mess?

Avoid.

Since 20th Century Fox found some success with a TV version of its 1970 military black comedy film "MASH", Paramount tried to find similar success with a TV version of its own 1970 military black comedy film, "Catch 22".

Richard Dreyfuss stars as Captain Yossarian, a bombardier who has completed his required number of missions and is on his way home. His plane stops for refueling on Pianosa (the base in the movie) where he learns all about the (possibly mythical) "catch-22" and engages in the usual standard issue military sitcom hi-jinks.

As with the TV version of "MASH," most of the characters from the film appear (although unlike TV "MASH," no actors from the film version of "Catch-22" appear). Also, like TV "MASH," the R-rated movie hi-jinks are considerably toned down for broadcast TV (in the movie, for example, Captain "Aarfy" Aardvark commits murder to cover up a rape. Suffice to say, nothing like this happens in this show). It's mostly harmless, early 70's sitcom stuff.

Dreyfuss is quite good as Yossarian. It's always fascinating to watch future award winning movie stars act in shows like this, because it shows a certain Hollywood meritocracy at work: Dreyfuss just seems to be acting on a whole other level than everyone else in the show (you can see the same phenomenon when you watch an episode of the Steve McQueen western "Wanted Dead of Alive").

Now, the movie version of "Catch-22" isn't all that good. It's certainly not as good as "MASH". This pilot isn't that great either, but quite frankly, it's about on a par with the "MASH" pilot (which was only OK), although I think the "MASH" cast is a lot better overall. But after watching this, you can see why ABC passed.