McHale's Navy

McHale's Navy
Cyril Mockridge Frank Comstock Jack Elliott
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	138 (list of episodes)
Production
Producers	Edward Montagne Si Rose (1964–1966)
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	30 minutes
Production companies	Sto-Rev-Co Productions Revue Studios (season 1) Universal Television (seasons 2-4)
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	October 11, 1962 (1962-10-11) – April 12, 1966 (1966-04-12)

McHale's Navy is an American

.

"Seven Against the Sea" (1962)

and is starkly different in tone.

Plot

During World War II,

) parachutes onto the island. His job is to assume duties as McHale's executive officer and help him get the base on Taratupa back into action.

Durham faces an uphill battle: The men have gone native. One man has started a native laundry service, and McHale operates a still, making moonshine for the men and the natives. In addition, McHale is friendly with the native chief and even bathes with him. When Durham informs McHale of his orders, McHale refuses to follow them. It is clear that while McHale is as loyal as any American, following the devastation caused by the Japanese on the island, he is reluctant to risk losing more men. His concern now is for their survival until they can be rescued, which creates friction between Durham and McHale.

When they get word that a Marine battalion is pinned on a beach and an enemy cruiser is planning to attack the beachhead in the morning, McHale's attitude changes. McHale is ordered to use all his boats to protect the beachhead and the Marines, but he has no boats, since the Japanese sank them all. However, McHale manages to capture a Japanese PT boat patrolling the island. Surprising the men and Durham, McHale does not plan to use the boat to evacuate his men or the Marine battalion. Instead, he will attack and destroy the Japanese cruiser. He estimates that since they are on a Japanese boat, flying a Japanese flag, they can move in and torpedo the cruiser twice and send it to the bottom.

"Seven Against the Sea" is available for public viewing at the Paley Center for Media (formerly the Museum of Television and Radio) in New York City and Los Angeles.

Cast

• Ernest Borgnine as Lieutenant Commander Quinton McHale
• Joe Flynn as Captain Wallace B. (Wally) Binghamton
• Tim Conway as Ensign Charles Parker
• Bob Hastings as Lieutenant Elroy Carpenter
• Torpedoman's Mate
  Lester Gruber
• Gary Vinson as Quartermaster "Christy" Christopher
• Machinist Mate
  "Tinker" Bell
• Gunner's Mate
  Virgil Edwards
• John Wright as Radioman Willy Moss
• Gavin McLeod as Seaman
  Happy Haines (1962–1964, 73 episodes)
• Yoshio Yoda as Fuji

Response

This episode of an early dramatic anthology series received respectable ratings and ABC ordered a series. The series requested by the network was significantly different in tone from the pilot. In an interview in Cinema Retro magazine, Borgnine said the show was meant as a vehicle for Ron Foster, who was to be contracted to Universal Pictures, but that did not work out. Producer Jennings Lang recalled the film Destination Gobi inspiring a half-hour comedy with the Borgnine character's PT boat.^[4] The lead character in Destination Gobi, played by Richard Widmark, was named McHale.

McHale's Navy (1962–1966)

This military service comedy series was set in the

actors and writers.

However, unlike The Phil Silvers Show, which was set in peacetime, McHale's Navy was set during World War II, although much of what takes place is, in some ways, as if it were peacetime with the crew permanently stationed in one location and concerns about peacetime duties rather than fighting a war. At the time of the series, then-President

came out the previous year and PT-109 was referenced in the episode "Send Us A Hero".

Plot

The basic plot is that McHale's crew schemes to make money, attract women and enjoy themselves, and the efforts of Captain Binghamton (McHale's superior) to rid himself of the PT-73 crew for good, either by transfer or court martial. Although they often get into trouble, they typically manage to get out of it. Despite their scheming, conniving, and often lazy and unmilitary ways, McHale's crew is always successful in combat in the end. This bears close resemblance to the British radio programme The Navy Lark, broadcast around the same period.

The entire show is based on only two locations, one in the South Pacific at a fictional base called Taratupa — the implied location (first episode) is islands north of New Zealand — and an equally fictional town in Italy called Voltafiore. The first few episodes merely indicate it is "somewhere in the South Pacific 1943." While in the South Pacific, McHale's crew lives on "McHale's Island", across the bay from Taratupa. It keeps them away from the main base, where they are free to carry out their antics and even fight the war.

In the final season, Binghamton and the entire PT-73 crew move to the liberated Italian theater to the town of Voltafiore "in Southern Italy" "in late 1944."

Episodes

Regular characters

Lieutenant Commander McHale

who is familiar with the South Pacific and is especially knowledgeable about the islands and natives around Taratupa, which often helps him in combat situations and makes him a favorite with the admirals (Borgnine actually served in the U.S. Navy both before and during World War II from 1935-1945). Like his crew, he is unmilitary in many ways, but always a strong and competent leader who is very protective of his crew. Also like his crew, McHale likes to wear Hawaiian-style clothing when off duty and to use the PT-73 to go deep-sea fishing and water skiing. As Gruber says in the 1964 film, "That's no officer, that's our skipper".

Gruff but lovable, he often calls his crew "schlockmeisters" and goofballs. He is called "Skip" by his crew. Although he very often bellows at them and tries to put his foot down, he loves his crew too much to be all that hard on them. McHale's catchphrases are "Knock it off, you eight-balls" and when trying to come up with an excuse, a rapid "Well-a, well-a, well-a." He speaks Japanese, Italian and local island dialects. In the 1964 film, he briefly speaks fluent French. When the crew is in Italy, McHale's knowledge of Italian serves him quite well and his mother is Italian (both of Borgnine's parents were from Italy). In a dual role, Borgnine played his lookalike Italian cousin, Giuseppe, who does not speak English in "Giuseppe McHale" and "The Return of Giuseppe."

Ensign Parker

and worked for the Chagrin Falls Gazette.

Although he tries to be military, he is too dimwitted to command too much respect and many of the episodes involve Parker getting into trouble because of his bumbling and ineptitude such as accidentally firing depth charges or shooting down Allied aircraft. Even before becoming a member of McHale's crew, Ensign Parker's personnel file is a laundry list of major foul-ups, including crashing a destroyer escort into a dock, doing something unspecified in heavy fog to the heavy cruiser USS Minneapolis^[6] and calling in a naval airstrike on a Marine gasoline dump.^[7]

Because of his considerable bumbling, the crew tries to protect Parker, who they feel will not survive as an officer without their help. Also, he is very slow to catch on and does not know when to keep his mouth closed. McHale usually gives Parker a discreet kick or stomp on the foot to get him to shut up. For instance, when Binghamton says "the cat is out of the bag," Parker says, "I'm sure it's around here somewhere, Sir. Here, kitty, kitty." Parker's catchphrase is "Gee, I love that kind of talk" and he loves to cite naval regulations which he knows by heart, but somehow can never remember his serial number correctly.

In the episode titled "The Great Impersonation", Ensign Parker impersonates British General Smythe-Pelly (Conway in a dual role) in

(Parker also does an impersonation of Roosevelt in McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force).

Captain Binghamton

Cantankerous and cross, Binghamton often dreams of a promotion to admiral or occasionally military glory, but is much too inept, cowardly and a bit of a goof himself (early in the series, Binghamton is a rather serious officer, but becomes goofier as the series progresses).

Binghamton comes close to a promotion to Admiral Rogers' staff in "The Balloon Goes Up", but because Binghamton took too long in getting things squared away (because of McHale's crew), someone else gets the promotion. The one time Binghamton leads the PT-73 into battle, he only succeeds in "sinking" an enemy truck on land with a torpedo (a gag that was used in the Cary Grant film Operation Petticoat), based on an actual attack conducted by the USS Bowfin.^[9]

Binghamton is constantly trying to "get the goods" on "McHale and his pirates" to send them to prison or get them transferred and he comes close just about all the time, only to have McHale's crew get out of trouble, usually by having some kind of military success, through some form of blackmail (such as telling the admiral what really happened) or because Binghamton wants some kind of a favor from McHale. When he is not complaining about McHale and his crew to his superiors, Binghamton constantly tries to impress superior officers, VIPs or people with connections for personal gain—which usually backfires, making him look foolish.

As a

)?" (as when he sees gambling or native dancing girls on McHale's Island) and "What is it, wha', wha', wha', what?!" (usually in response to McHale's "Well-a, well-a, well-a").

A running gag has a frustrated Binghamton looking up and saying, "Why me? Why is it always me?" (also used by Tinker in one episode) or "Somebody up there hates me!" His favorite catchphrase is "I could just scream!" which was once used by McHale, Carpenter and even Fuji. The only time Binghamton ever gets even with the PT-73 crew is in McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force when he orders the crew under the command of Ensign Parker to jump off a dock into the water. In the pilot episode, "An Ensign for McHale", the sign outside Binghamton's office reads "Capt. R.F. Binghamton, U.S.N.R." even though his name is later established to be Wallace Burton Binghamton.

Lieutenant Carpenter

Lieutenant Elroy Carpenter (Bob Hastings, a veteran of The Phil Silvers Show) – Binghamton's sycophantic bumbler aide who tries to be military, but is too inept to be taken seriously. He is slow to catch on and does not know when to keep his mouth shut. Like Parker, he often knocks down, or causes Binghamton to be knocked down because of his clumsiness and dimwittedness. However, again like Parker, Carpenter is also subjected to Binghamton's tirades. Early in the first season, Lt. Carpenter commands PT-116, but soon drifts into less responsibility. In McHale's Navy (1964), Carpenter says he is from Cleveland. In the spin-off movie McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force, Carpenter is in charge of PT-116, which is promptly sunk in the first few minutes of the movie.

PT-73 crew

Quartermaster George "Christy" Christopher (Gary Vinson, also starred in the dramatic pilot "Seven Against the Sea") – Whenever McHale is not personally steering the PT-73, it will be Christy at the helm. Besides Binghamton, he is the only married man and the only one with any children. Christy marries Lt. Gloria Winters (Cindy Robbins) early in the series in "Operation Wedding Party" and she moves to San Diego. They have a daughter not long afterwards in "The Big Raffle" episode. Because his crew helped them get married, their daughter is named Quintina Charlene Leslie Wilhelmina Harriet Virginia Hetty Fujiana after the crew (for Quinton, Charles, Lester, Willy, Harrison, Virgil, Happy and Fuji).

Radioman Willy Moss (John Wright, also starred in "Seven Against the Sea") – A good-natured Southerner from Tennessee who operates the crew's still and is in charge of radio and telephone communication for the crew. He also serves as the PT-73's sonar operator. In "The British Also Have Ensigns", he is revealed to have nine brothers and sisters.

. Carl Ballantine entertained troops with his comedy and magic during World War Two.

Motor

, "Pvt. Paparelli" on Bilko) – A top notch mechanic who is in charge of keeping the PT-73 running.

) – A handsome and well built lover boy who is a crack shot with a .50-caliber machine gun. According to the episode "The Truth Hurts", Virgil has been in the service at least six years.

Seaman Joseph "Happy" Haines (Gavin MacLeod, later of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Love Boat) – MacLeod left the series before the third season to appear in the movie The Sand Pebbles. He had also appeared in the 1959 film Operation Petticoat, which has a few similarities to McHale's Navy.

• Christy, Willy and even the still were carryovers from the original dramatic pilot.
• In the first season, the crew members are on an equal social footing, but in later seasons, a "pecking order" is established with Gruber at the head, although three of the crewmen outrank him. Based on their shoulder patches on their dress white uniforms, Christy, Virgil and Bell are all
  petty officers, 2nd class
  and Happy is a seaman (he does not wear a patch).
• Sometimes, the crewmen wear crazy disguises to carry out elaborate schemes, such as when McHale needs to stage a phony Japanese attack, Fuji, along with Gruber, Bell and Parker, dress up in Japanese uniforms using Gruber's war souvenirs (which he is forever trying to sell). When they are in Italy, several of the crewmen and even Fuji dress in German uniforms for similar reasons. In several of the episodes in the South Pacific, the crew dresses up to look like "native savages," with Gruber playing the part of a
  drag
  .

Fuji

Seaman 3rd Class Fujiwara Takeo Kobiashi, 'Fuji' (Yoshio Yoda)-Perhaps the most unusual character in the series, the lovable, boyish, Japanese prisoner of war and deserter from the Imperial Japanese Navy whom the PT-73 crew takes on as a de facto comrade and keeps hidden from Binghamton and almost everyone outside of McHale's gang. In the episode titled "A Letter for Fuji", his name is given as Fujiwara Takeo; in "The August Teahouse of Quint McHale" and the film McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force, it is given as Takeo Fujiwara. In Japanese culture, the surname precedes the given name.

Although Fuji is a member of the Japanese military and has a girlfriend in Japan (Mioshi, who he finds out is married), his only loyalty is to the PT-73 crew and not the Japanese war effort. In the episodes "The Truth Hurts" and "The Vampire of Taratupa", Fuji is revealed to be from

, Fuji gladly "serves time" as the crew's houseboy and cook at their camp on "McHale's Island."

Keeping Fuji's presence and identity a secret from Captain Binghamton and others is a running gag, with wacky consequences throughout the series. For instance, to avoid detection during an inspection by Binghamton, Fuji disguises himself and poses as a Polynesian chief. Binghamton remarks: "With a Japanese accent?" in the premiere episode ("An Ensign For McHale"). In the first episode set in Europe ("War, Italian Style"), he is passed off as a member of the 442nd Japanese-American Regiment, where he finds a second cousin through his mother's family of Kobayashi. In "The Mothers of PT-73" and "Orange Blossoms for McHale", he is presented as a Filipino houseboy. In "Fuji's Big Romance", he is a part-Hawaiian sailor.

Fuji is involved in a frequent scenario on the show. Whenever Binghamton is seen approaching the island unannounced, the crew converges on McHale for instructions. Naturally, the primary concern is to get Fuji out of sight before he is spotted. So invariably, the first order out of McHale’s mouth is, "Fuji, head for the hills!" whereupon he takes off for the other side of the island. This scenario is played out so often, in one episode in the later seasons, McHale begins, "Fuji…" and Fuji finishes, "I know. Head for hills." Fuji's seemingly fluent yet awkward command of the English language serves as a

).

More information

This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. Please relocate any relevant information into other sections or articles. (April 2018)

The first episode, titled "An Ensign for McHale", sets the tone for the entire series. It involves Ensign Parker's assignment to McHale's crew after they already had gone through several ensigns who could not put up with their unmilitary, slovenly, and insubordinate ways. One of them even suffered a

. Parker is given one week by Binghamton to reform the crew or be given the worst reassignment possible. At first, the crew treats Parker as badly as they treated the other ensigns, but after McHale sees Parker has integrity, he decides to help Parker out by having his crew be much more like regular Navy.

The final season had a total change of scenery as Binghamton, Carpenter and the entire PT-73 crew, along with Fuji (who hid in the -73 as it was being transported), move to the liberated Italian theater in "late 1944" to the coastal town of Voltafiore in "Southern Italy", where Binghamton becomes the military governor and they become members of PT Boat Squadron 19. Moneymaking schemes of the wacky and somewhat crooked Mayor Mario Lugatto (Jay Novello) and the looney antics of the citizens introduce many more plot twists and gags. For instance, when McHale and his crew first arrive in Voltafiore, they are greeted by the newly liberated citizens with the Nazi salute Sieg Heil.

While Binghamton and Carpenter live nicely in the city hall, McHale and his men are forced by Binghamton to bivouac in tents near the beach. However, they stumble on an abandoned wine cellar, which becomes their secret underground hideout where they hide Fuji (and of course Binghamton nearly discovers it several times). They later add a submarine-style periscope and fancy furnishings. Colonel Douglas Harrigan (Henry Beckman) of the U.S. Army is, as the overall military commander of the area, Binghamton's superior and also a thorn in Binghamton's side. A schemer, Harrigan is sometimes on McHale's side, sometimes on Binghamton's side or plays one against the other—whatever suits his purposes. Beckman also played Colonel Platt in McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force.

In "McHale the Desk Commando", McHale learns what a tough job it is when he replaces Binghamton as base commander of Taratupa so Binghamton does not have to face tough-as-nails Admiral "Iron Pants" Rafferty (Philip Ober), who is inspecting naval installations (an episode with a young Raquel Welch as Lt. Wilson). About the only other time Binghamton bests the PT-73 crew is in McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force, in which he pushes them off the dock one at a time, except Parker, who jumps off after the others were pushed off. McHale and Gruber were not in the movie.

Sometimes, Binghamton tries to use legitimate means to get rid of McHale and/or his crew, although usually in an underhanded way. In "All Chiefs and No Indians", Binghamton tries to get the whole crew promoted to

and should be sent back to the States.

The two movies with the same basic cast, McHale's Navy and McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force (both in color; the series itself never made it to color), have the same basic plot scheme as the show in the South Pacific and, in many ways, were merely extensions of the show. Even parts of the filming location for New Caledonia in the first movie are identical to episodes from the show. In 1966, low ratings and repetitive storylines brought McHale's Navy to an end after only four seasons.

Other characters

Urulu

Many of the episodes in the South Pacific involve interactions with native islanders. The most colorful is Polynesian chief and witchdoctor, Pali Urulu (Jacques Aubuchon), who is as shifty and scheming as McHale and his men. When McHale and the crew are in Urulu's village, the chief displays a portrait of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. When the Japanese troops arrive, Urulu turns it over to reveal a portrait of Japanese Emperor Hirohito. In another episode he does the same thing with the Japanese and American flags.

Though "primitive", Urulu is like Gruber, from whom he learns a lot, usually to Gruber's regret—a hustler who is always looking for ways to make money or swindle money from the Navy. In the episode titled "We Do the Voodoo", after Binghamton refuses to pay Urulu for damage to his coconut grove, Urulu uses his powers to put a curse on Binghamton, who then has a streak of bad luck. In "The Balloon Goes Up", Urulu displays the sign "Gone Headhunting" when he leaves his hut and is called a cannibal by Binghamton and McHale (no indication that it is meant to be taken literally). Aubuchon also played the Russian sailor Dimitri in McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force.

Big Frenchy

Another shifty character is Big Frenchy, played by George Kennedy in episodes titled "French Leave For McHale" and "The Return of Big Frenchy." He is a thieving French smuggler, captain of a small boat, and an old friend of McHale's who knows better than to turn his back to him. In "The Return of Big Frenchy", he convinces Binghamton and Parker that he is a member of the "French Underground" (French Resistance) so he can steal supplies. Kennedy also played businessman Henri Le Clerc of New Caledonia in the 1964 movie. Kennedy began his career in showbiz as a technical adviser on the 'Bilko' show.

Senior officers

The show has its share of admirals. Admiral Rogers is played by Roy Roberts in 22 episodes. In some episodes, his first name is John, while in others, it is Bruce. Herbert Lytton played Admiral Roscoe G. Reynolds in 11 episodes. Bill Quinn played Benson, Slocum and Admiral Bruce Elliott in six episodes. Willis Bouchey played Admiral Hawkins in three episodes. Admiral Rafferty was played by Philip Ober in "McHale, the Desk Commando" and "McHale's Floating Laudromat".

.

Multiple character roles

Peggy Mondo played several roles in the series. She played the heavyset daughter of a Polynesian chief, Little Flower, who is always looking for a husband such as Ensign Parker or even Binghamton. Mondo also played Fifi in "French Leave for McHale" and a few episodes as Mama Giovanni and Rosa Giovanni when the crew is in Italy. Stanley Adams played a native chief, the Shah of Durani and political boss Frank Templeton in the last episode "Wally for Congress." Richard Jury played Lt. Plowright in "Parents Anonymous" and a goofy dentist in "The Novocain Mutiny." Both Syl Lamont, who played Yeoman Tate and Clay Tanner, who played a Marine guard, appeared in the series a number of times.

Tony Franke appeared in the series several times and as Sgt. Frank Tresh in the movie McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force. Dick Wilson played Voltafiori citizen and partner of the mayor, Dino Baroni. Walter Brooke and Nelson Olmstead each played several different naval officers. Among the actors who repeatedly played Japanese soldiers and sailors are Dale Kino (who also played a Nisei sergeant),^[10] John Fujioka and Mako (who starred in the movie The Sand Pebbles for which MacLeod left the series).

Guest stars

In "The Missing Link", Marlo Thomas played Binghamton's niece, Cynthia Prentice, who takes an interest in Ensign Parker, although it turns out entirely for anthropological reasons. In "Camera, Action, Panic", Arte Johnson played the bumbling Cameraman Sweeney who is making a movie of the PT-73 crew in action. In "Is There a Doctor in the Hut", Bernie Kopell (who starred with MacLeod on The Love Boat) played Colonel Pryer, who is the obnoxious manager of the movie star Rita Howard played by Lisa Seagram. In "Hello McHale? Colonna!" McHale finagles to have comic Jerry Colonna do an unscheduled Special Services show. Pat Harrington Jr. played the thieving Guido Panzini in "McHale's Country Club Caper".

Steve Franken played the snooty Lt. Jason Whitworth III in "Birth of a Salesman", whom Binghamton hopes will give him a job selling insurance after the war. George Furth played the self-centered Roger Whitfield III, who tries to take advantage of Binghamton's hopes to get his old job back at the yacht club owned by Whitfield's father in "Dart Gun Wedding". Marvin Kaplan played the MIT electronics genius Ensign Eugene J. Kwazniak in "All Ahead, Empty", in which the PT-73 is wired for remote control. Bernard Fox played the clumsy Sub-Lieutenant Cedric Clivedon in "The British Also Have Ensigns." Susan Silo played Virgil's stowaway girlfriend Babette in "Babette, Go Home". Jesse Pearson played singing idol Harley Hatfield in "The Rage of Taratupa".

In "Make Room for Orvie",

in the 1964 movie and Major Bill Grady in McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force).

PT-73 crew love life

McHale's always hopeful love interest while the show is in the South Pacific is Navy Nurse Molly Turner (Bilko's Jane Dulo), a New Jersey gal who is always trying to corner the ever romantically elusive McHale. Another love interest of the reluctant McHale is an old friend and a bit of a wildcat Kate O'Hara (Joyce Jameson). At first, his crew tries to get McHale interested in her, then Kate tries to blackmail McHale into marrying her and then Binghamton tries to blackmail her into marrying McHale when she tries to back out herself. Yet another love interest of the always reluctant McHale is Maggie Monohan (Jean Willes) in "The Return of Maggie", the owner of a gambling joint in New Caledonia and an old flame of McHale's who wants him back, but he does not want her back. Willes played a very similar role as Margot Monet in the 1964 movie. Willes also played Congresswoman Clara Carter Clarke in "Send Us a Hero."

Though painfully shy around women, Ensign Parker's love interest in the South Pacific is Yvette Gerard, a lovely French girl from a nearby island played by Claudine Longet (who also played an almost identical character, Andrea Bouchard of New Caledonia, in the 1964 movie). In "A Medal for Parker", his girlfriend back home in Chagrin Falls is Mary (Kathleen Gately), who is more interested in dating a war hero than Parker.

While the very bashful Parker is shy around women, women are not always shy around Parker, such as in "The Happy Sleepwalker" when Lt. Nancy Culpepper (Sheila James) finds Parker irresistible. In "The Vampire of Taratupa", Parker dates Lt. Melba Benson (Ann Elder), who is as big a klutz as he is. In the episode entitled "36-24-73", situated in Italy, hints are given of a relationship developing between Parker and by-the-book female Ensign Sandra Collins (Maura McGiveney) after he sternly corrects her about in what sections certain regulations are (they then talk about what regulations are their favorites).

Along with other WAVES clad in bathing suits, they provide valuable (albeit totally unwitting) assistance in capturing a German U-boat when its captain runs the U-boat aground trying to get a better look. McGiveney also played the part of Judy in "The Stool Parrot" episode. Although the crew (especially the lover-boy Virgil) is forever chasing women (Navy nurses, native island girls or local Italian women), certain women gain their interest more than others. After receiving a "Dear John letter", shy and broken-hearted Willy's love interest becomes Southern belle Nurse Cindy Bates (Brenda Wright). Tinker tries to impress and win over fickle Nurse Betsy Gordonlove (Barbara Werle) in "Scuttlebutt."

Happy's love interest in "The Happy Sleepwalker" is Lt. Anne Wright (Lois Roberts). When Gruber's girlfriend Ginger (

with the native islanders. Other than Binghamton and Christy, none of the regular characters on the show is married and only Christy has any children.

Cast

Except where noted, the actors appeared on the show in every season:

• Ernest Borgnine as Lieutenant Commander Quinton McHale
• Tim Conway as Ensign Charles Parker
• Joe Flynn as Captain Wallace Burton Binghamton ("Old Leadbottom")
• Bob Hastings as Lieutenant Elroy Carpenter
• Gary Vinson as George "Christy" Christopher, quartermaster
• Bobby Wright as Willy Moss, radioman
• Carl Ballantine as Lester Gruber, torpedoman's mate
• machinist mate
• Edson Stroll as Virgil Edwards, gunner's mate
• Gavin MacLeod as Joseph "Happy" Haines, seaman (1962–1964)
• Yoshio Yoda as Fuji Kobiaji, cook, seaman 3rd class, Japanese POW; in season 2, episode 13 ("A Letter for Fuji"), he is given the name Fujiwara Takeo.

The real-life PT-73

The real-life PT-73 was finished on August 12, 1942 by Higgins Industries, Iinc.,

The squadron was also based for a time at

Production

The Pacific Ocean naval base stood on the back lot of

The war ended in August 1945 before the boat, hull number PT-694, was sent to the Soviet Union. The boat was purchased by

The boat was sold to the studio—as there were few PT boats in existence, almost all having been sold, stripped, or destroyed after the war by various governments—where significant liberties were taken reconfiguring the Vosper 694 and the two Sea Rescue boats to resemble a World War II-era PT boat.

• The Vosper's charthouse and bridge configuration were kept.
• Gun turrets were added to both sides of the charthouse about where they would have been on a stock Vosper 71-ft, but this was not the configuration of the Elco 80s, but mimicked the Higgins 78' PT-71 Class boats.
• On McHale's boat, each gun turret mounted a single .50 cal M2 heavy machine gun on an external, tubular steel spindle fed from a 100-round ammunition box, whereas the real boats used two aircraft M2 heavy machine guns in Mk-17 gun mount / Mk-9 gun carriage combinations that rotated within the body of the turret and had integral ammunition magazines and feed systems holding 250 rounds in disintegrating belts for each gun.
• The turrets in the show also did away with the wrap-around safety cages that kept the .50 cal gunners from accidentally firing into the boat during the heat of combat.
• A single M2, .50 cal mounted on a M4-style pipe stand tended to appear, disappear, and move around from scene to scene on the forward deck. Normally, the forward gun would have been an either an M2 .50 cal. heavy machine gun or
  37-mm M3 Army antitank gun
  strapped or bolted to the deck forward (as had been thought the case for the PT-109).
• A pseudo-"radar" unit and mast was added aft of midhull, where normally an Mk-4 Oerlikon 20-mm single antiaircraft cannon was mounted. The mast on the -73's command-bridge was also incorrect.
• The
  40-mm Bofors cannon or pedestal-mounted Oerlikon 20-mm antiaircraft cannon
  usually found on the aft deck was done away with completely, as was one of the engine compartment ventilator housings and the M2 smoke screen generator.
• Two mock-ups of US Navy 21" MK-18, swing-out, torpedo tubes (as carried on the early war 80-ft Elco boats like the PT-109) replacing the MK-7/8 tubes normally carried by the Vosper 71-ft.
• The gunwale side cut-outs normally seen on the Vosper, were built-up forward of the cabin, creating a flush forward deck. Normally, the Vosper required forward clearance in front of the Mk 7/8 tubes when torpedoes were fired over the gunwale.

Shots of the crew aboard the PT-73 were usually staged on a full-scale mock-up of the bridge and gun tubs in front of a front projection screen at Universal. PT-73's final appearance (one of the two converted 63-ft boats) was in the 1970s show Emergency! ("Quicker Than the Eye", season 4, episode 8, aired: 11/9 1974). Station 51 was dispatched to a movie studio to rescue a man trapped beneath a boat. The boat in question was being moved from one end of the studio to another by truck, and wooden supports holding it had broken and trapped a man underneath.

"PT-73" is visible on the bow, appearing as if the numbers had been removed, but an image of them remained. The boat was missing the pilot house, masts, and depth charges. No record of the final fate of this boat, or the other converted 63-ft boat has been found. The sea-going (ex-Howard Hughes PT-694 boat) PT-73 was sold to the mayor of Hawthorne, California, Hal Crozer,^[15] and converted to a sport-fishing boat. In 1992, the boat was destroyed when it broke from its mooring near Santa Barbara and washed up on the beach during a storm.^[16]

Spinoff

Producer Edward Montagne set up a female version of McHale's Navy entitled

provided a love interest for Nolan. Although not an actual spinoff, Conway and Flynn teamed up playing characters with similar personalities in The Tim Conway Show, which lasted only 12 episodes in 1970.

Theatrical films

Two feature film spin-offs were based on the series: McHale's Navy (1964) and McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force (1965). The cast appeared in both films, with the exception of Borgnine and Ballantine in the latter film; Borgnine was not available due to schedule conflicts with the filming of The Flight of the Phoenix; why Ballantine was absent is not known. To beef up the crew, MacLeod, who left the series, returned for this appearance. In a Cinema Retro interview, Borgnine said Montagne wanted to make the film cheaply, without him and would not show him the script.^[17]

Both films were produced without laugh tracks. The sea-going PT-73 was extensively filmed running between San Pedro and Catalina Island's Avalon harbor, which stood in for the fictional town where the show was set. While both did well at the box office, the latter film was not as successful and was derided by critics as being too excessive in its use of slapstick comedy, though others praised it for satirizing of military incompetence (after a typical screw-up, the Japanese POW Fuji sighs, "Beats me how they beating us."). William Lederer, who co-authored the second film with John Fenton Murray, used scenes lifted directly from his comic novel, All the Ships at Sea. Unlike the television series, both movies were filmed in Technicolor. McHale's Navy (1964) earned an estimated $2,250,000 in North American rentals.^[18]

McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force took in $1,500,000.

US Naval Academy graduate son, which showed the PT-73 and its crew operating in a modern, post-World War II setting in the Caribbean. Borgnine has a cameo appearance as the senior McHale, commanding rear admiral of what appears to be the United States Naval Special Warfare Command

and going by the code name "Cobra."

Home media

Shout! Factory has released all four seasons of McHale's Navy on DVD in Region 1. In November 2015, Shout! released McHale's Navy- The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.^[20] The 21-disc set contained all 138 episodes and both theatrical films in special collectible packaging. In Australia, Madman Entertainment

released all four seasons on DVD. Madman released the first three seasons in Australia in August 2009, in Slimline packaging, replacing the original releases, which were box sets. In June 2011, a Slimline-packaged set of season 4 was seen in Big W stores in Australia in Region 4, however, no details indicate the item being available elsewhere. All full episodes are now available on YouTube.

DVD Name	Ep #	Release dates
		Region 1	Region 4
Season 1	36	March 20, 2007	August 16, 2007
Season 2	36	September 11, 2007	November 8, 2007
Season 3	36	March 18, 2008	August 6, 2008
Season 4	30	November 18, 2008	May 20, 2009
Complete Series	138	November 17, 2015	N/A

References

Notes

1. ^ "The Paley Center for Media". Retrieved December 24, 2016.
2. ^ "Seven Against the Sea". IMDB. April 3, 1962. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
3. ISBN 978-1-4766-2843-1
   . Retrieved September 16, 2023.
4. ^ "Call Me Ernie Part Two". Cinema Retro, Vol. 5, Issue 14. p. 50.
5. ^ In "Send this Ensign to Camp", he is 27 years old and in another episode 24 years old.
6. ^ Episode: "An Ensign for McHale"
7. ^ Episode: "An Ensign for McHale"
8. ^ Episode: "An Ensign for McHale"
9. ^ The bus "sinking" took place during an attack at Minami Daito on August 9, 1944, when one of Bowfin's torpedoes hit a dock and blew a bus into the harbor.
10. ^ Episode: "War, Italian Style"
11. ^ NavSource Naval History. "PT-73". Retrieved December 10, 2013.
12. ^ NavSource Naval History. "PT-73". Retrieved December 10, 2013.
13. ^ "McHale's Navy". June 1, 1964. Retrieved December 24, 2016 – via IMDb.
14. ^ "McHale's Navy". June 1, 1964. Retrieved December 24, 2016 – via IMDb.
15. ^ Interview of Hal Crozer given to American Parol Boats Museum, June 1991
16. ^ NavSource Online:Motor Torpedo Boat Photo Archive
17. ^ Cinema Retro interview
18. ^ "Big Rental Pictures of 1964", Variety, 6 January 1965 p 39. Please note this figure is rentals accruing to distributors, not total gross.
19. ^ "Top Grossers of 1965", Variety, 5 January 1966 p 36
20. ^ "McHale's Navy DVD news: Announcement for McHale's Navy - The Complete Series - TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on October 22, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2016.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to McHale's Navy.

• McHale's Navy at Hulu
• Seven Against the Sea at
  IMDb
• McHale's Navy (Original TV series) at
  IMDb
• McHale's Navy (1964 film) at
  IMDb
• McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force at
  IMDb
• McHale's Navy (1997 film) at
  IMDb
• McHale's Navy at epguides.com
• History of the real PT-73