T V | House of Stapleton

McHale's Navy (1962)

Rating

Run Time: 30 min

Color: Black and White

Aspect Ratio: 1.33 : 1

Sound: Mono

Producer: Sto-Rev-Co Productions

Genre

Comedy
War

Seasons: 4

Episodes: 138

Overview

McHale's Navy is an American sitcom starring Ernest Borgnine that aired 138 half-hour episodes over four seasons, from October 11, 1962 to April 12, 1966 on the ABC television network. The series was filmed in black and white and originated from an hour drama entitled Seven Against the Sea, broadcast on April 3, 1962. The ABC series spawned three feature films: McHale's Navy (1964); a sequel, McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force (1965); and a much later 1997 sequel-remake of the original series.

Billy Sands

Harrison "Tinker" Bell, engineman and motor machinist mate

Bob Hastings

Lieutenant Elroy Carpenter

Carl Ballantine

Lester Gruber, torpedoman's mate

Edson Stroll

Virgil Edwards, gunner's mate

Ernest Borgnine

Lieutenant Commander Quinton McHale

Gary Vinson

George "Christy" Christopher, quartermaster

Gavin MacLeod

Joseph "Happy" Haines, seaman

Joe Flynn

Captain Wallace Burton Binghamton ("Old Leadbottom")

Tim Conway

Ensign Charles Parker

Yosio Yoda

Fuji Kobiaji, cook, seaman 3rd class, Japanese POW

Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4

1. An Ensign for McHale

First Aired October 10, 1962

Ensign Charles Parker (Tim Conway), newly assigned to the PT 73 crew as Executive Officer, is Captain Binghamton's (Joe Flynn) last hope to tame McHale (Ernest Borgnine) and his "pirates." Though Parker is unwelcome at first, McHale sees potential in the young officer, and orders his crew to shape up so that Parker won't be shipped out.

2. A Purple Heart for Gruber

First Aired October 17, 1962

Trouble follows when Gruber (Carl Ballantine), PT 73 Torpedoman's Mate, who's competing with a hometown neighbor for Greatest War Hero, is awarded a Purple Heart for a small cut on his finger, which he got while doing laundry.

3. McHale and His Seven Cupids

First Aired October 24, 1962

McHale and the boys go all out to try to help Parker win the attention of a very attractive nurse (Betsy Jones-Moreland) he's infatuated with.

4. PT 73, Where Are You?

First Aired October 31, 1962

Virgil (Edson Stroll) PT 73 Gunner's Mate loses the 73, and McHale and the crew must arrange for a replacement before they can take a week's R&R trip to New Caledonia.

5. Movies Are Your Best Diversion

First Aired November 07, 1962

McHale and the 73 crew avert an attack on a Navy convoy, by employing a clever plan involving John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, and Errol Flynn.

6. Operation Wedding Party

First Aired November 14, 1962

McHale, Nurse Molly (Jane Dulo), and the 73 crew must practice some trickery to keep Binghamton at bay, while they arrange for an against-the-rules wedding for Christy (Gary Vinson) PT-73 Quartermaster and his fiancee; Lieutenant Gloria Winters (Cindy Robbins).

7. Who Do the Voodoo?

First Aired November 21, 1962

Urulu (Jacques Aubuchon) puts a curse on Binghamton, when Binghamton refuses to arrange for monetary compensation for damages inflicted on Urulu's island by the Navy's "cannon boats."

8. Three Girls on an Island

First Aired November 28, 1962

A 3-sister singing act is stranded on a deserted island, and McHale and the 73 crew have an ulterior motive when they volunteer for the rescue mission. But the girls, having had such experiences in the past, are wise to their plan.

9. McHale's Paradise Motel

First Aired December 05, 1962

While out on a recon mission, McHale and the 73 crew discover a deserted plantation, which they turn into a party house where they can enjoy themselves when not on duty secret from Binghamton. But their activities draw the attention of both the U.S. Navy and the Japanese.

10. The Battle of McHale's Island

First Aired December 19, 1962

McHale and the 73 crew must practice some trickery to keep Binghamton from building his new officer's club on McHale's island.

11. The Day They Captured Santa Claus

First Aired December 26, 1962

"Santa" McHale must practice some psychological warfare when he, the crew, Binghamton, and a war correspondent are captured by a Japanese patrol while on a mission to bring some Christmas joy to the children of a nearby orphanage.

12. Beauty and the Beast

First Aired January 02, 1963

When a photographer with an attitude is assigned to the 73 crew, McHale and the boys must work up a plan to get rid of her.

13. The Captain's Mission

First Aired January 09, 1963

Ashamed of his desk job, Binghamton assumes command of the 73 during McHale's absence, and takes it out on a combat mission so that he can have a war story to share with his battle-hardened fellow officers.

14. Send Us a Hero

First Aired January 16, 1963

Parker and the crew scheme to get McHale chosen for a war bond tour of The States, but when they find out that they won't be included, they must cook up another plan to get McHale off the hook.

15. The Captain Steals a Cook

First Aired January 23, 1963

Gruber has been selling Fuji's Polynesian dishes to the Taratupa personnel, and trouble develops when Binghamton ? having sampled the delicious food ? insists that it be served at a dinner for a visiting admiral.

16. The Ensign Gets a Zero

First Aired January 30, 1963

Under the impression that Parker is an ace gunner, Binghamton wagers one of his most prized possessions that Parker can out-shoot an arrogant captain's best gunner.

17. The Big Raffle

First Aired February 06, 1963

A lovely French girl agrees to help the guys out, in a plan to raise expense money for the birth of Christy's child.

18. One of Our Engines Is Missing

First Aired February 13, 1963

McHale and the boys must scheme to procure new engines for their beloved boat, before Binghamton ships the 73 crew out to a new location.

19. The Natives Get Restless

First Aired February 20, 1963

Binghamton angers some of the native islanders, then must make amends with them in order to make a good impression on a certain VIP, who is due soon for a visit.

20. The Confidence Game

First Aired February 27, 1963

Fed up with a lack of respect from the crew, and low on self-esteem, Parker puts in for a transfer. But complications develop when McHale and the boys work up a scheme to try to make him change his mind.

21. Six Pounds from Paradise

First Aired March 06, 1963

A new Navy directive, which states that all overweight combat officers are to be shipped out, prompts Binghamton to see that McHale puts on an extra 6 pounds ? enough to put him over the limit.

22. Washing Machine Charlie

First Aired March 13, 1963

Complications develop when McHale and the 73 crew go after a certain Japanese pilot known as "Washing Machine Charlie," who has been attacking the Taratupa base on a daily basis.

23. Nippon Nancy Calling

First Aired March 20, 1963

Binghamton suspects McHale and the 73 crew of consorting with the enemy when a Japanese radio announcer broadcasts personal details about Binghamton that only someone close to him would know.

24. One Enchanted Weekend

First Aired March 27, 1963

While mixing business with pleasure on an island plantation, Parker must pose as a Frenchman in order to avoid capture while he reports details on a Japanese radio-jamming operation.

25. The Mothers of PT 73

First Aired April 03, 1963

A mix-up with a dictating machine brings a big, but poorly timed, Mother's Day surprise for Parker, Gruber, and Tinker (Billy Sands)PT-73 Motor Machinist?s Mate.

26. HMS 73

First Aired April 10, 1963

Binghamton devises a deceitful plan to have McHale chosen for the position of Liaison Officer at British Fleet HQ in Australia. Parker and the crew unwittingly help McHale to get the job, then must scheme to get him off the hook when they find out that they won't be going along.

27. A Wreath for McHale

First Aired April 17, 1963

With McHale and his Crew presumably killed in action, publicity-hungry Binghamton plays the part of the grieving commanding officer when a war correspondent (Allan Melvin) comes to Taratupa looking for a big story. But when McHale and the crew turn up very much alive and well, Binghamton must cooperate with McHale to work up a cover story.

28. Portrait of a Peerless Leader

First Aired April 24, 1963

Thinking that a visiting personnel officer (Herb Vigran) has come to appraise Binghamton for a possible promotion and transfer, McHale and the 73 crew put on a show of their very best behavior. But when they discover that the real reason for the officer's visit is to appraise McHale for a possible transfer, they must quickly become the most incompetent PT crew in the South Pacific.

29. Instant Democracy

First Aired May 01, 1963

Binghamton needs help from Chief Urulu and his tribe to modify the Taratupa airstrip. Urulu ? angry over a bad deal with Gruber, involving Navy property ? flatly refuses. But, after some lessons on democracy from McHale and Parker, Urulu changes his mind, and drives a hard bargain with Binghamton for the services of his tribe.

30. Camera, Action, Panic

First Aired May 08, 1963

When a combat photographer (Artie Johnson) is assigned to the 73 to get some footage of the crew in action, Gruber borrows his movie camera to use in a money-making scheme. Then, when complications develop, McHale and the boys must work up a plan to avoid trouble for both themselves and the photographer.

31. Alias Captain Binghamton

First Aired May 15, 1963

McHale and the boys scheme to get rid of a troublesome new member of the 73 crew, and in the process wind up in big trouble. But the new crewman ? who happens to be the spitting image of Binghamton (Joe Flynn in a dual role) ? turns out to be quite useful in a complicated plan to get them off the hook.

32. Parents Anonymous

First Aired May 22, 1963

McHale and the crew take in a young orphan girl (Cherylene Lee), and go out of their way to make a happy home for her on their island. But their extraordinary behavior arouses their nemesis Binghamton's suspicions, and he uses the situation to have the 73 crew sized up as possible "Section Eights" by some visiting psychiatrists.

33. McHale's Millions

First Aired May 29, 1963

During a mission to investigate the crash site of a Japanese transport plane, McHale and the crew recover four million dollars in American cash. Thinking that it is counterfeit, they return to base, where Gruber later trades it to Chief Urulu for some native trinkets. But when they find out that the money is real ? stolen by the Japanese from a bank in the Philippines ? Gruber challenges Urulu to a winner-take-all poker game to get it back.

34. The Hillbillies of PT 73

First Aired June 05, 1963

Willy (Bobby Wright) the PT-73 Radioman is deeply saddened when he receives a letter from his Tennessee girlfriend, telling him that she is about to marry another man. So McHale and the crew throw a big "Hillbilly Hoe-down" to cheer up their heartbroken friend, which is attended, unexpectedly, by a Congressman from the Naval Appropriations Committee as well their nemesis Capt. Binghamton.

35. The Monster of McHale's Island

First Aired June 12, 1963

McHale and the crew are stuck with an Admiral's spoiled-brat son, who causes quite a bit of trouble for them, noting every violation of Navy regulations for a report to his father, the Area Commander. But McHale is soon fed up with the little jerk, and straightens him out with a bit of his own brand of Navy discipline.

36. Uncle Admiral

First Aired June 26, 1963

Binghamton makes Parker his personal aide, in the hope of impressing Parker's uncle ? an admiral on the Promotions Board (played by Harry Von Zell). But the admiral is uncomfortable with the fact that his inept nephew also functions as a combat officer, and orders Parker to pack his bags for a safer position in the States. He changes his mind, however, when he sees how dedicated McHale and the crew are to Ensign Parker, after they put themselves at risk to rescue him in the Bay during an air raid.