McHale's Navy

"McHale's Navy" is probably one of the classiest and the most funniest sitcom of its day to ever depict the misadventures of a misfit band of recruits who are in command and in charge of a PT Cruiser Boat during the scenes around a Naval Military Base on a secured island in the South Pacific in World War II,under the command of Lt. Cmdr. Quinton McHale(Ernest Borgnine),and his commanding officer who keeps a watchful eye on McHale and his crew,Capt.Wallace Binghamton(Joe Flynn),and Binghamton's nerdish assistant Ensign Charles Parker(Tim Conway). This show had it all with some of the funniest stuff I've ever seen and believe me some of the hijinks that McHale and his band of recruits get into is enough right there to steal the thunder of the show,courtesy of not only the 'big smiling face' of Ernest Borgnine,but from Tim Conway who hilarious situations made the show itself stand out,and it would prove the standing point when he would go on to host his own show,and from there into an nine-year hiatus for "The Carol Burnett Show". Oh yeah,lets not forget Joe Flynn as well,since him and Conway were the perfect comedy team and with them in this series it would have not survive. This series also had some familiar faces here as well including several actors who would go on to make a name for themselves,including actor Gavin MacLeod,who played Private First Class Joesph "Happy" Haines.

It was from this series that MacLeod would go to do other roles as well including a seven-year stint on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show",and from there as Captain Stubbing on "The Love Boat". This series also had singing sensation Billy Sands as "Tinkerbell",and many more. "McHale's Navy",ran on ABC-TV for five seasons from 1962 to 1966 and produced 138 episodes,all in black and white and produced by Revue Productions/Universal Studios in Hollywood. During the show's five year-run,since studios executives at Universal,which produced the series,decided that the cast should make the jump from the small screen to the big screen,producing three theatrical features for the studio,and this time around they were to be produced in color....... "McHale's Navy"(1964),"McHale's Navy Joins The Air Force"(1965),and the final,"McHale's Navy Joins The Army"(1965)while the TV series was still on the air,and the TV series was still in black and white.

What killed McHale's Navy after being a great hit? During the show's final season(1965-1966)McHale,and his crew along with Binghamton and Parker,not to mention Binghamton's second Lt. Carpenter,were all shipped from the operations in the South Pacific to the operations of Europe,where they were shipped to Italy to fight against the Germans. In the Pacific,they were up against the Japanese,but the Germans? That what killed the show,and from there the laughter stopped after five seasons.

After years of playing primarily dramatic roles, Ernest Borgnine really shines as the lovable con man Commander Quentin McHale. I loved "F-Troop", but you can see where that show got its inspiration. The supporting cast was also great, especially Joe Flynn playing his usual hot tempered authority figure in Captain Binghamton and Tim Conway playing the role that made him famous, the nerdish Ensign Parker.

This show is so funny you often wonder if we had a navy like this, how did we win the war.

"McHale's Navy" manages to present THE PERFECT take on "War-Time Comedy", (eclipsed only by "M*A*S*H"). Some may point to "Hogan's Heroes" as being superior, but while I enjoyed that as a kid, nowadays I cannot get past "Hogan's Heroes"' simple-minded take on The Nazis and sugar-coated fantasy prison camp setting. The Nazis were NOT simple-minded, easily-fooled buffoons, and "Hogan's Heroes" is an insult to the ordeals endured by every Allied POW in WW2.

McHale's Navy" on the other hand,never insults the intelligence of The Viewer by taking too many broad liberties with history. The Japanese in Mchale's Navy are a serious enemy,(save for the harmless "Fuji" the escaped POW given shelter by McHale and Crew).

In "McHale's Navy", The REAL Enemy is..... THE BRASS!

That's where honest War-Time Comedy is meant to derive from,and where it is at it's best. When you spotlight the overly- officious asininity of The Higher Ranks, you get Genuine Comedy. It's a Truth that Ernie Pyle, Bill Mauldin, Floyd Gibbons and Richard Hooker understood; and that Truth is showcased no where better than in "McHale's Navy".

My memories of watching this show coincide with the same days I used to stay home sick from, and in some cases "sick of," school. I loved staying home and watching the wacky adventures of McHale and his crew. Borgnine's big smiling face made him sort of my best buddy and his crew my extended family. I think the best appeal of the show was that it seemed to pay homages to so many of my favorites: Gilligan's Island, Hogan's Heroes, F Troop, The Andy Griffith Show and Get Smart just to name a few. Conway's character had a lot of Barney Fife in him, and the surreal humor reminded me a lot of Night Court. Maybe that's what makes a show a classic; by it's way to reinvent comedy where everyone can find some interest in it.

This 1/2 hour comedy show centers around the crew of the PT73, Lt. Cmdr, Quinton McHale (Ernest Borgnine) Stationed in the South Pacific during WW II. The hapless crew and their commander pull of schemes and shenanigans under the nose of their Commander, Capt. Binghamton, played by veteran actor, Joe Flynn. Good fun all around. Watchable today. It is dated however. The Laugh tracks are a little annoying. A 6.5 out of ten.