McHale's Navy (1964)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Edward Montagne

Writers:

Si Rose (story)
Frank Gill Jr. (writer) ...

Release Date:

June 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | War

Plot:

The crew of PT-73 get into trouble when they back the wrong horse in a race. Now they have to come up...

Plot Keywords:

Military | Patrol Boat | Based On TV Series | Navy | P.t. Boat

Cast

Ernest Borgnine	...	Lt. Cmdr. Quinton McHale
Tim Conway	...	Ens. Charles Parker
Joe Flynn	...	Capt. Wallace Burton Binghamton
Bob Hastings	...	Lt. Elroy Carpenter
Gary Vinson	...	Quartermaster George Christopher (Christy)
John Wright	...	Radioman Willy Moss
Carl Ballantine	...	Torpedoman Lester Gruber
Billy Sands	...	Motor Machinist Mate Harrison 'Tinker' Bell
Edson Stroll	...	Gunner's Mate Virgil Edwards
Gavin MacLeod	...	Seaman Joseph 'Happy' Hanes
Yoshio Yoda	...	Takeo Fugiwara (Fuji) Seaman Third Class, Imperial Japanese Navy - A.W.O.L.
Jean Willes	...	Margot Monet
Claudine Longet	...	Andrea Bouchard
George Kennedy	...	Henri Le Clerc
Marcel Hillaire	...	Chief de Gendarmes

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:PG

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

"McHale's Navy's" PT 73 was a British-designed 70-foot Vosper MTB (Motor Torpedo Boat) built under license in the U.S. for export to Russia. World War II ended before the boat could be sent to the Soviet Union. The boat was used for shots of PT 73 underway at sea, while a full-scale mock-up was used for studio scenes. The real PT 73 in WWII was a 78-foot Higgins PT boat, assigned to the U.S. Navy's MTB Squadron 13, and was placed in service on August 12, 1942. PT 73 was destroyed to prevent capture after running aground while delivering supplies to guerrillas near Lubang Island in the Philippines, on January 15, 1945.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Seaman "Happy" Hanes meets some Marines, he greets them by saying "Which one of you is John Wayne?" This movie is set in 1943. However, John Wayne didn't portray a Marine until 1949 in "The Sands of Iwo Jima".

Movie Connections:

Follows "McHale's Navy" (1962)

A terrific show!

I can't let everyone think this show was bad because of only one negative comment. In actuality, McHale's Navy is, in my opinion, one of the best classic comedies. Ernest Borgnine plays the fatherly McHale, who really loves his crew like a family. Tim Conway is hilarious, as always, and Joe Flynn is terrific as Captain Binghampton. Binghampton hates McHale and his men, and every week he tries some new stunt to get them in trouble (i.e. a court marshall). But McHale always outsmarts him, and always finds a way for his men to have fun while serving their country (can anyone say "party"?) But the men aren't all just fun and games. McHale and his men have helped out worthwhile causes, such as providing toys for an orphanage. And there's Fuji, their supposed "prisoner", who they treat like one of the boys. The actors are outstanding, and the stories are terrific. Anyway, give this show a chance, because I absolutely love it, and I think you will too.