# Yoshio Yoda (1934-2023): Penultimate surviving cast member of "McHale's Navy" (1964)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoshio-yoda-1934-2023-penultimate-surviving-cast-member-of-mchales-navy-1964/982910>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, celebrity-death\
**Created:** [April 19, 2023, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoshio-yoda-1934-2023-penultimate-surviving-cast-member-of-mchales-navy-1964/982910 "2023-04-19T16:55:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [April 19, 2023, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoshio-yoda-1934-2023-penultimate-surviving-cast-member-of-mchales-navy-1964/982910/1 "2023-04-19T16:55:22Z")

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This leaves John Wright (Willy) as the last survivor. I have no memory of Willy, I suspect he (and Edson ‘Virgil’ Stroll) were mainly ensemble players and didn’t get featured very much.

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**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:** [April 19, 2023, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoshio-yoda-1934-2023-penultimate-surviving-cast-member-of-mchales-navy-1964/982910/2 "2023-04-19T17:16:55Z")

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I remember Willy (tall, skinny, blonde, slight Southern accent). Actually, I think I remember all of the crew: “Chuck” Parker (Tim Conway), Lester Gruber, “Tinker” Bell, Virgil Stroll (the dark-haired hunk), “Happy” Hanes (Gavin MacLeod), and “Christy” Christopher.

From second through fifth grade, Tuesday night was the high point of my week because I could watch _ **Dobie Gillis** _, _ **Combat!** _, and _ **McHale’s Navy** _ back-to-back.

RIP, Fuji-san. I’ll play “Pistol-Packin’ Mama” in memory of you tonight.

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**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:** [April 19, 2023, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoshio-yoda-1934-2023-penultimate-surviving-cast-member-of-mchales-navy-1964/982910/3 "2023-04-19T17:17:10Z")

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Someone on FB posted ‘A tv show we loved that this generation probably never heard of’.

I commented _McHale’s Navy_.

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**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2023, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoshio-yoda-1934-2023-penultimate-surviving-cast-member-of-mchales-navy-1964/982910/4 "2023-04-21T22:21:48Z")

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Not very long ago I stumbled across Yoda’s bio on [IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0948304/bio). He started to study acting at USC, got a nice gig in a movie, then _McHale’s Navy_, one episode of _Love American Style_ and then left show biz.

I always felt uncomfortable about his character on the show.

My fave _MN_ actor was Carl Ballantine. While Gavin MacLeod was famous later, he only appeared in over half of the episodes.

I have a relative who did a studio tour many years after _MN_ went off the air. Bob Hastings was there in full uniform to tourists to get photos with him. So my relative did just that.

You have to go down quite a bit on IMDb to get down to a female cast member. Jane Dulo with 14 episodes. Nowadays, even for a military show, that would be controversial.

Fun fact: Gary Vinson (George Christopher) suggested the story for one episode.

And don’t get me started on the move to Italy.