# McHale's Navy is cracking me up. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 21, 2013, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mchales-navy-is-cracking-me-up/666807 "2013-08-21T15:46:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mchales-navy-is-cracking-me-up/666807/1 "2013-08-21T15:46:28Z")
I’ve never seen this show before. I’m watching my second episode on TV right now. Not exactly PC by today’s standards, but it’s cracking me right up anyway. 😃 I wonder if this show is where Down Periscope [Kelsey Grammer] got its inspiration from? (A movie I also love) ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mchales-navy-is-cracking-me-up/666807/2 "2013-08-21T16:00:47Z")
Too bad that _You’ll Never Get Rich_ (aka _Sgt. Bilko_, aka _The Phil Silvers Show_) isn’t in still in reruns. (Or is it? I haven’t seen it in at least 25 years.) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mchales-navy-is-cracking-me-up/666807/3 "2013-08-21T16:12:50Z")
From 1962 to 1966, I lived for Tuesday nights when _ **Combat!** _ and _ **McHale’s Navy** _ were on back-to-back. There was a short-lived (1964–65) _ **MHN** _ spinoff called _ **Broadside** _ that was basically the same show with WAVEs in WWII. Instead of Fuji, the Japanese deserter, the one who didn’t quite fit in was a guy named Marion, who had been assigned to the WAVEs by mistake. IIRC, it was on ABC on Sunday nights. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqze-2qEy24) Whatever you do, don’t watch the 1997 _ **MHN** _ movie with Tom Arnold. Like every movie revival of a classic TV series I’ve ever seen, it’s absolutely wretched! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mchales-navy-is-cracking-me-up/666807/4 "2013-08-21T16:20:32Z")
_Down Periscope_ derives more from _The Dirty Dozen_ than it does _McHale’s Navy_. Binghamton always cracked me up. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mchales-navy-is-cracking-me-up/666807/5 "2013-08-21T16:35:24Z")
I remember it from when I was a kid and I’ve watched a few episodes as an adult. The cast was fantastic. All of them. Even Gavin MacLeod. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mchales-navy-is-cracking-me-up/666807/6 "2013-08-21T16:40:18Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > _Down Periscope_ derives more from _The Dirty Dozen_ than it does _McHale’s Navy_. Here’s what Wiki has to say about it: > **[Down Periscope](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_Periscope)** > > Down Periscope is a 1996 American military comedy submarine film directed by David S. Ward, produced by Robert Lawrence, and starring Kelsey Grammer, Lauren Holly, and Rob Schneider along with Bruce Dern, Harry Dean Stanton, William H. Macy, and Rip Torn in supporting roles. Released by 20th Century Fox on March 1, 1996, the film focuses on Lieutenant Commander Thomas Dodge (played by Grammer), a capable (if somewhat unorthodox) U.S. Navy officer who fights to save his career after being saddle... It also sounds very reminiscent of _ **Rogue Warrior** _, the book by SEAL Team Six founder “Demolition Dick” Marcinko. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mchales-navy-is-cracking-me-up/666807/7 "2013-08-21T16:46:36Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > I wonder if this show is where Down Periscope [Kelsey Grammer] got its inspiration from? (A movie I also love) I doubt there was any direct connection. There’s always been a genre of service comedies. _Down Periscope_ was inspired by _McHale’s Navy_ - but also by _Sgt Bilko, MASH, Operation Petticoat, Mister Roberts, In the Navy, Gomer Pyle, The Wackiest Ship in the Army, Stripes, Son of a Sailor, The Last Detail, Kelly’s Heroes, Catch-22, Private Benjamin, 1941, Father Goose, Let’s Go Navy!, Buck Privates, No Time for Sergeants, Great Guns, The Sad Sack, Caught in the Draft, Don’t Go Near the Water, Ensign O’Toole, The Private Navy of Sgt. O’Farrell_, etc. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mchales-navy-is-cracking-me-up/666807/8 "2013-08-21T18:45:15Z")
Love that show. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mchales-navy-is-cracking-me-up/666807/9 "2013-08-21T18:59:06Z")
it started as a drama, Seven Against the Sea. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mchales-navy-is-cracking-me-up/666807/10 "2013-08-21T19:06:20Z")
Back when Comedy Central (which may have been Comedy Channel at the time) filled its space with old syndicated sitcoms, this was one of my faves–right up there with Soap. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mchales-navy-is-cracking-me-up/666807/11 "2013-08-21T19:20:18Z")
Got the series on DVD. Loved that show! Dad was in the Navy when it was on, and he was into waterskiing. (He had a boat.) He always wanted a PT boat. Unfortunately, the SO isn’t into watching old TV shows on DVD; only newer ones. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mchales-navy-is-cracking-me-up/666807/12 "2013-08-21T19:28:34Z")
> [@Cartoonacy](#): > > Too bad that _You’ll Never Get Rich_ (aka _Sgt. Bilko_, aka _The Phil Silvers Show_) isn’t in still in reruns. (Or is it? I haven’t seen it in at least 25 years.) If it is, it’s probably on one of those channels dedicated to really old reruns that show up as subcarriers. Season 1 (along with the original pilot) was released on DVD, but presumably it didn’t sell well enough to warrant a Season 2. I’m a little surprised somebody like Shout Factory didn’t pick up the rights to it. (Reportedly, there are some episodes that have never been allowed to be shown in syndication, including one with Kay Kendall, one with The McGuire Sisters, and one where Bilko dreams he’s the father of Bing Crosby’s sons. I say “reportedly” because at least part of the McGuire Sisters episode may be on YouTube.) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mchales-navy-is-cracking-me-up/666807/13 "2013-08-21T19:34:39Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Unfortunately, the SO isn’t into watching old TV shows on DVD; only newer ones. This should definitely be grounds for divorce! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mchales-navy-is-cracking-me-up/666807/14 "2013-08-21T20:16:53Z")
> [@Cartoonacy](#): > > Too bad that _You’ll Never Get Rich_ (aka _Sgt. Bilko_, aka _The Phil Silvers Show_) isn’t in still in reruns. (Or is it? I haven’t seen it in at least 25 years.) It’s on MeTV, but at a really inconvenient time unless you’re a night owl or have a DVR. It’s on Sunday mornings, two episodes between 3 and 4 A.M. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mchales-navy-is-cracking-me-up/666807/15 "2013-08-21T20:19:45Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Whatever you do, don’t watch the 1997 _ **MHN** _ movie with Tom Arnold. Like every movie revival of a classic TV series I’ve ever seen, it’s absolutely wretched! I’m not going to disagree with you there, it was a bad, by-the-numbers comedy, but at least it had Bruce Campbell and Brain Haley in it and they were fairly amusing as McHale’s crew. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mchales-navy-is-cracking-me-up/666807/16 "2013-08-21T20:21:07Z")
_The Dick Van Dyke Show_ is much better. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mchales-navy-is-cracking-me-up/666807/17 "2013-08-21T20:25:43Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > _The Dick Van Dyke Show_ is much better. Two completely different styles of comedy. The level of writing for each was superb, as were the casting, acting, and direction. Can’t really compare them (_ **Bilko** _ and _ **McHale** _ vs _ **DVD** _), but I love all three. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mchales-navy-is-cracking-me-up/666807/18 "2013-08-21T21:23:08Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > This should definitely be grounds for divorce! :mad: Right! We’ll get married right away, and _then_ I’ll fix her! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mchales-navy-is-cracking-me-up/666807/19 "2013-08-21T22:13:53Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Right! We’ll get married right away, and _then_ I’ll fix her! Why bother? Marriage is **EVIL** to begin with! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mchales-navy-is-cracking-me-up/666807/20 "2013-08-21T22:53:34Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Whatever you do, don’t watch the 1997 _ **MHN** _ movie with Tom Arnold. Like every movie revival of a classic TV series I’ve ever seen, it’s absolutely wretched! There was a MHN movie with the original cast that came out more or less when the series was airing. I actually saw it in a theater. [Here it is.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058336/) I wouldn’t go out of my way to see it unless I were a big fan. Tim Conway was clearly the best part of that show. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mchales-navy-is-cracking-me-up/666807.md?page=2)