Customer Reviews

McHale's Navy

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I thought it was the movie, but it is a group of TV series shows. Still the great series, but I need to read the fine print better.

This classic TV series is from 1962, and has all the great stuff about early 60s shows---predictable, formula characters? check! jokes so obvious you see them coming from a mile away? check! easy conflict set within a clear beginning, middle and end? check! everything is solved and the good guys are happy at the end of the show? check!

But McHale's Navy is somewhat remarkable, seeing it now with the perpective of 50 years gone by. While on one hand, this is derivative of Phil Silver's work as Bilko (just in a naval setting), but this is not the whimsical, coming of age stuff in Ozzie and Harriet or Leave It To Beaver, where authority and behaving correctly were the goals. This show seems to treat the war of World War Two seriously enough, with some respect, while at the same time poking fun at the regimentation and command structure indicative in modern society, especially military society. This show is about rebels (or slackers) who have gone native and are fortunate enough to be guided by a competent, compassionate guy who likes infuriating Joe Flynn, his commander, and can keep them out of trouble. If they started singing, you would think it is "South Pacific".

This foreshadowing of shows like Hogan's Heroes and M*A*S*H* is pretty obvious, but when watching the first episode, I saw that it was penned by "Joe" Heller. Yes, that Joseph Heller who wrote the modern classic novel, "Catch 22". And you also realize that the star, Ernest Borgnine, is (or was) a serious actor with Academy Award winning Best Actor chops (for Marty). There's some serious horsepower here that is either cashing in some chips or jumping on the gravy train, 1962-style.

One word of caution---like most shows from that era, this show is ridiculously efficient in getting to the set up for the conflict. If you miss the first 45 seconds, you best start it again.

This was above and beyond what I expected. It was quite cute and funny. It's an old show so of course the special effects were amusing.

Yall did a great job getting it to me, it looks great.yall kick but, keep doing it.