A funny thing happened in season three. The writers seemed to get battle fatigue.
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"McHale's Navy" was the first wartime military sitcom, debuting three years before "Hogan's Heroes" and 10 years before "M*A*S*H." It was a groundbreaking comedy, not so much because of the structure--which was pretty much like other sitcoms--but because it gave Americans a bunch of sailors who thumbed their noses at authority in wartime and still somehow came out on top. It was a safe sort of rebellion on the small screen at a time when America was embroiled in an unpopular Vietnam War.
As it turned out, Ernest Borgnine (Lt. Commander Quinton McHale) was also the only one of his TV crew who actually served in the Navy. Maybe that's why he looked so comfortable behind the wheel of that 70-foot plywood boat, which is all that those PT-Boats were really made of. But Borgnine also proved to be a natural straight man for comedians like Tim Conway and Joe Flynn, both of whom forged a comfortable career making Disney live-action comedies. In fact, this half-hour sitcom is very much in the same mold as those lightweight, straightforward comedies, and watching Conway and Flynn is much of the fun.
Yes, there are racist elements here, and not just Japanese. The "natives" of the South Pacific are as negatively stereotyped as can be. But the show became a "must-see" on ABC, and cracked the Nielsen Top-25 its second and third seasons. The writing was just good enough, but it was the cast that made the show fun to watch. Anyone who's seen Tim Conway in later films will appreciate his style of comedy here, which bears an unmistakable resemblance to the Don Knotts bumbling school of slapschtick. And Flynn? He was born to be the clueless authority figure, with his horn-rimmed glasses and his "What, what, what?," along with that stubborn determination to get the offenders, though he had no idea how. Even the dynamic between the rotund McHale and his bumbling second-in-command would be one viewers would appreciate so much that they'd see it repeated in "Gilligan's Island" with the portly Skipper and his goofball "Little Buddy."
But a funny thing happened in season three. The writers seemed to get battle fatigue. The show seemed to lose its "Sgt. Bilko" zip, and everybody seemed to be just going through the motions. "McHale's Navy" would rebound stronger its fourth year, but by then it would be too late. "Hogan's Heroes," with it's more complicated and innovate plots, captivated the imaginations of Americans, and they were just as zany and irreverent toward authority, but infinitely more serious about their missions.
Here's a rundown on the 36 black-and-white episodes, which are contained on five single-sided discs and housed in three slim clear plastic keep-cases and a cardboard slipcase:
1) "The Ghosts of 73." Binghamton plots to get rid of McHale and his crew by making them think their boat is unlucky. But of course McHale and his "pirates" turn the tables.
2) "Lester the Skipper." Lester's starlet girlfriend visits Taratupa with a USO Show and he wrote her he was the commander . . . and so he has to act the part, with predictable outcomes.
3) "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad War." When Ensign Parker (Conway) is robbed of the payroll, McHale and his gang have to recover the money before Binghamton finds out.
4) McHale, the Desk Commando." Binghamton gets wind of a surprise inspection, and decides to promote McHale to Acting Base Commander to avoid what he imagines will be a scathing review.
5) "McHale's Floating Harem." This outlandish but surprisingly entertaining episode has Virgil (Edson Stroll) falling for the daughter of a visiting Sultan, and "borrowing" the PT-73 to take her out on a date.
6) "Laugh, Captain, Laugh." McHale has to resort to laughing gas to get Binghamton to back off on an attempt to have Ensign Parker declared unfit for duty.
7) "Will the Alligator Take the Stand?" In this lame episode, Binghamton tries to frame Parker by claiming he stole his wallet. What were the writers smoking?
8) "The British Also Have Ensigns." The Parker carousel continues, as the writers and producers pander to fans tastes. This time Parker and McHale try to rescue Fuji (Yoshio Yoda) after he's arrested by a British naval officer on temporary assignment.
9) " Senator Parker, Suh!" Bring on the mint juleps. Parker pretends to be the nephew of a visiting Senator in order to get out of Binghamton's latest attempts to court martial him.
10) "Fountain of Youth." When Binghamton thinks he's found the fountain of youth, McHale and the gang just hope he doesn't "still" the beans. Ted Knight guest stars.
11) "The Great Eclipse." In one of the more racist episodes, the crew of the PT-73 are sent to negotiate a treaty with headhunters.
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