Mchale's Navy (1964) Review

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(More customer reviews)"McHale's Navy" was a military situation comedy that aired on ABC from 1962-1966. Basically the show was a naval version of Phil Silver's classic "Sgt. Bilko" show, where the main character is a con artist who is out to make a buck and almost always ignores regulations. This time the main character of Lt. Commander Quinton McHale was played by Academy Award winner Ernest Borgnine ("Marty"), and that Oscar might well explain why this was one of the few television shows in the Sixties to get to do a theatrical film. Still, the timing of this film is strange since McHale commands a World War II P.T. boat and the commander of the most famous P.T. boat in history was assassinated in Dallas the previous November.
So, you must be asking yourself, what sort of plotline too big for the small screen did they come up with to justify a theatrical film? Well, it seems the crew of P.T. 73 bet their money on the wrong horse in a race, so now they need to raise the money to cover their loses. The result is a long string of bits where the crew tries to raise the money, involving lots of slapstick and funny dialogue. In other words, just like the television show, only 93 minutes long, so fans are going to enjoy this movie while others sit and slowly shake their heads. The result is certainly a lot better than the pathetic 1997 film version (this film gets 4 stars to ensure it is two stars better than that film) and is actually a bit better than your standard "McHale's Navy" episode.
Fans of Tim Conway should enjoy his scene stealing antics as Ensign Charles Parker, while long suffering Captain Wallace B. Binghamton (Joe Flynn), known to the boys as "Old Lead Bottom," suffers indignities at every turn because he is always a day late and several dollars short. Veteran character actor Carl Ballantine plays Lester Gruber and future televison star Gavin MacLeod is "Happy" Haines. My favorite was always Billy Sands as "Tinker" Bell, obviously because of the attendant irony.

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McHale's Navy: Season Four (1962) Review

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(More customer reviews)The phrase "shape up or ship out" holds a lot of water this season for Lt. Commander Quinton McHale and his fun-lovin' PT 73 crew of goof-offs and gamblers who were transferred to Italy for the show's final 30 episodes in McHale's Navy - Season Four!
After 3 seasons set on the South Pacific island of Taratupa, "McHale and his pirates" are reassigned to duty near the town of Voltafiore where they run afoul the shady Mayor Lugatto (Jay Novello) while continuing to oppose blustery Captain Binghamton and his jittery aide Lt. Carpenter, who are joined this season by Colonel Harrigan (Henry Beckham) and General Bronson (Simon Scott).
Also joining in on Season Four's capers, schemes and hijinks is local Dino Barone (Dick Wilson). As with co-star Tim Conway in Season Three, star Ernest Borgnine also gets to pull double duty this season in a [recurring] dual role as Guiseppe, McHale's Italian lookalike cousin in "Guiseppe McHale" and "The Return of Guiseppe".
Guest stars include Jackie Joseph (The Little Shop of Horrors, Josie and the Pussycats), Pat Harrington Jr. (One Day At a Time, The Inspector) and legendary Don Knotts (The Andy Griffith Show, Three's Company).
McHale's Navy, with 138 episodes aired over four seasons (1962-1966), is one of television's longer-lasting military comedies and a classic B&W sitcom favorite of generations of viewers. Today you can preserve this classic B&W series in pristine DVD format.
The Shout! Factory release of McHale's Navy - Season Four is a 5-disc (750 min.) set featuring all 30 episodes in Full Frame (1.33:1) video and English mono audio. Here are the episodes and how the discs will be configured, plus original airdates:
Disc 1:
"War, Italian Style" (9/14/1965)
"The Bathtub Thief" (9/21/1965)
"Marriage, McHale Style" (9/28/1965)
"Guiseppe McHale" (10/5/1965)
"A Nip in Time" (10/12/1965)
"Piazza Bighamtoni" (10/19/1965)
Disc 2:
"The Bald-Headed Contessa" (10/26/1965)
"Voltafiore Fish-Fry" (11/2/1965)
"A Wine Cellar Is Not a Home" (11/9/1965)
"Vino, Vino, Who's Got the Vino?" (11/16/1965)
"The McHale Opera Company" (11/23/1965)
"The Good Luck Fountain" (11/30/1965)
Disc 3:
"Blitzkrieg at McHale's Beach" (12/7/1965)
"Reunion for PT 73" (12/14/1965)
"The Return of Guiseppe" (12/21/1965)
"The Boy Scouts of 73" (12/28/1965)
"Fire in the Liquor Locker" (1/4/1966)
"The Fugitive Ensign" (1/11/1966)
Disc 4:
"The Wacky WAC" (1/18/1966)
"La Dolce 73" (1/25/1966)
"McHale's Country Club Caper" (2/8/1966)
"Secret Chimp 007" (2/15/1966)
"36-24-73" (2/22/1966)
"My Son, the Skipper" (3/1/1966)
Disc 5:
"Little Red Riding Doctor" (3/8/1966)
"Who Was That German I Saw You With?" (3/15/1966)
"The McHale Grand Prix" (3/22/1966)
"An Ensign's Best Friend" (3/29/1966)
"Binghamton, at 20 Paces" (4/5/1966)
"Wally for Congress" (4/12/1966)


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Lieutenant Commander Quinton McHale (Ernest Borgnine), Ensign Parker (Tim Conway) and the rest of the oddball crew of PT-73 get onboard for one more season of ship-tipping adventures. Season 4 finds McHale and company relocated halfway around the world, as they have been transferred off Taratupa Island to an American Naval base in Voltafiore, Italy. Between the scheming Mayor Mario Lugatto (Jay Novello) and Army Colonel Douglas Harrigan (Henry Beckman), reassignment isn t all it s cracked up to be, and with Captain Binghamton (Joe Flynn) out for blood, McHale has his hands full. From 1962 through 1966, McHale s Navy was a must-see staple of ABC Television. This fourth season marked the end of what has since become one of the true classics of television comedy and includes a hilarious guest appearance from Don Knotts.

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