Introduction

McHale’s Navy is an American sitcom starring Ernest Borgnine that aired 138 half-hour episodes over four seasons, from 11 October 1962 to 12 April 1966 on the ABC television network.

The series was filmed in black and white and originated from a one-hour drama titled “Seven Against the Sea”, broadcast on 03 April 1962. The ABC series spawned three feature films: McHale’s Navy (1964); a sequel, McHale’s Navy Joins the Air Force (1965); and a 1997 sequel-remake of the original series. A documentary, McHale’s Navy: The Crew Remembers, was aired in 2007.

Producer Edward Montagne set up a female version of McHale’s Navy entitled Broadside, which ran for 32 episodes in the 1964-1965 ABC season.

Background

An AWOL WAC Corporal named Sally Murdock (Joan Staley) is trying to see her sweetheart Sergeant Clancy (Don Stewart) before her unit ships out to North Africa. McHale reluctantly agrees to help Sally. Sergeant Clancy is a driver for Colonel Harrigan. So McHale asks Harrigan to come to his base and give a lecture. But at the lecture Binghamton is spying around the camp and notices Sally in the bushes. He thinks the female is a German agent and arrests her. McHale still does not give up. With Sally under arrest, he is still bound to help her before Binghamton finds out that she is AWOL. Parker must play the part of a WAC MP, as part of McHale’s plan to free her and reunite her with Clancy. Jackie Joseph and Janice Carroll appear as WAC MPs.

McHale’s Navy Series

You can find a full index and overview of McHale’s Navy here.

Production & Filming Details

• Release Date: 18 January 1966.
• Rating: TV-PG/TV-G.
• Running Time: 60 minutes.
• Country: US.
• Language: English.

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