TV on DVD

'60s sitcom McHale's Navy boxed set sails onto shelves

McHale's Navy dvd box set is shown in this photo.
McHale's Navy dvd box set is shown in this photo.

What is it? McHale's Navy, Complete Series, 138 episodes on 21 discs from Shout! Factory

When? Now

How much? $169.99

Who's McHale? That would be Lt. Comm. Quinton McHale (Ernest Borgnine), a Navy officer stationed in the South Pacific during World War II. He's not exactly what you'd call "regulation" Navy. He's only in it because of the war and because he knows the area from his sea-bound civilian days.

He doesn't have much time for rules and orders. As captain of PT-73, he runs a pretty loose ship and his undisciplined crew spend a lot of their time gambling, fishing, loafing and romancing local girls, nurses and visiting celebrities. As long as his men succeed in combat, McHale figures why sweat the small stuff?

They're also hiding an amiable Japanese POW and deserter (Yoshio Yoda) who'd much rather work for the McHale crew than end up in a POW camp.

Instead of being housed on the base, McHale and his crew live on McHale Island, where real armed forces personnel dare not set foot.

That attitude drives Capt. Wallace Binghamton (Joe Flynn) bonkers and it's a constant battle of wills as Binghampton tries to rein McHale in and McHale's crew outwits him.

In an effort to get the crew under control, Binghampton assigns McHale a new second in command, Ensign Charles Parker (Tim Conway). But Parker is such a dimwitted, accident-prone bumbler, he's not able to do much good. His good nature quickly endears him to the crew and they take him in as one of their own.

When they do come up against the Japanese (or the occasional German), they're always able to rise to the occasion. Or at least stumble into a victory.

Later, the series moves its location to Italy, but the format stays roughly the same.

Is it a realistic depiction of the Navy in WWII? Sure. The same way Hogan's Heroes was an accurate depiction of a German POW camp.

Sounds kind of wacky. Of course it does. 1960s sitcoms weren't exactly known for their depth and complexity. No, the men serving in the Pacific Theater during WWII probably didn't have this much fun.

If you like Conway's bumbling style and high jinks in the armed forces comedies, this should be right up your alley because, while it's ridiculous, it can be pretty funny too.

Extras? There's a 20-minute cast reunion from 2007, an eight-minute bit with Borgnine and a nine-minute piece with Conway talking about their time on the show and in the (real) service.

In addition to the series, the set has two feature-length movies: McHale's Navy and McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force.

The set comes in a box made to resemble a footlocker and includes some temporary tattoos and postcards.

New this week: The Bold Ones: The Lawyers, Complete Series; Fear the Walking Dead, Season 1; Mystery Science Theater 3000, Volume XXXIV; The Walking Dead, Season 5 Limited Edition; Zoo, Season 1.

Next week: CPO Sharkey, Best of Season 1; Doc Martin, Six Surly Seasons + The Movies; Family Guy, Season 13; Hannibal, Season 3; The Merv Griffin Show, Best of the '60s, '70s and '80s; Under the Dome, Season 3; The Wild Thornberrys, Complete Series.

Style on 11/29/2015

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