DVD Release Date: March 20, 2007 (Shout! Factory)
B&W / 1962-63
MSRP: $44.98
Number of Discs: 5
Number of Episodes: 36
Running Time: 15 hours
Running Time of Special Features: 19 minutes
Languages, Subtitles, Closed Captioning: English; No
subtitles or closed captioning
Special Features: The Crew Reunion
Introduction:
From 1962 to 1966, MCHALE'S NAVY was ABC's must-see
comedy series. The series was set in Pacific theatre
of World War II and focused on the crew of the PT 73,
led by Lt. Cdr. Quinton McHale (Ernest Borgnine).
McHale's second in command is Ensign Charles Parker
(Tim Conaway). Also in the cast were McHale's
commander, Captain Wallace Burton Binghamton (Joe
Flynn) and his aid, Lt. Elroy Carpenter (Bob
Hastings). Rounding out the exceptional cast are
future MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW regular Gavin McLeod as
Joseph Haines, and Yoshio Yoda as Fuji, a Japanese
P.O.W. The plots usually revolved around the efforts
of Captain Binghamton to rid himself of the crew of PT
73.
Memorable Episodes / Notable Guest Stars:
Some of the more memorable episodes include "An Ensign
for McHale" in which Binghamton enlists Ensign
Parker's help in taming McHale and his "pirates." "PT
73, Where Are You?" in which Virgil Edwards loses the
73 and McHale and the crew must arrange for a
replacement boat. "Who Do the Voodoo?" in which Chief
Urulu puts a curse on Capt. Binghampton when he
refuses to provide monetary compensation for damages.
"The Day They Captured Santa Claus" is the one in
which McHale and his crew run into a Japanese ambush
on Christmas Day while playing Santa Claus to a group
of native children. "Six Pounds from Paradise" in
which Capt. Binghampton plots to fatten up McHale and
get the overweight commander shipped out of his
command. "Portrait of a Peerless Leader" in which
Capt. Binghamton sees a chance to get McHale out of
his command by having him transferred to teach at a PT
boat school. "Parents Anonymous" is the one in which
McHale and the crew decide to adopt little Kim Su and
hide her from Binghamton. "McHale's Millions" in which
McHale and his PT 73 crew find $4 million in cash.
"The Monster of McHale's Navy" in which an admiral's
10-year-old son creates havoc on PT 73.
Memorable guest stars this season include Harry Von
Zell, Jane Dulo, Anna Lee, Ted Knight, Mike Farrell,
Arte Johnson and more.
Packaging:
The main box art features the entire cast on the cover
and in color (unlike the series, which was completely
in black and white). The set is a thin-pack, and
features three slip sleeve cases that hold the discs.
When you first open the set, there is a small pamphlet
that falls out that lists the cast, the episodes, and
which discs they are on--very handy and a nice
inclusion. Case 1 features Ernest Borgnine on the
cover and holds Discs 1 and 2. Case 2 features Joe
Flynn (I believe) and holds Discs 3 and 4. Case 3
features Tim Conway and holds Disc 5.
When you insert the disc, the menu immediately pops
up. There is a bamboo movie screen that features clips
from the series. On the right hand side is the same
picture that is on the main menu (the cast in the PT
73) and the theme music is looping in the background.
There is a Play All option as well as an Episodes
selection that takes you to a sub-menu that lists the
episodes.
Video and Audio Quality:
For a show about 45 years old, the episodes have held
up pretty well and I have to say that Shout! Factory
does a good job of re-mastering them. Each episode
runs a good 25 minutes, so they are all likely uncut
in length, which is a huge plus! The audio itself is
fine and nothing to be concerned about. In addition,
there are chapter skips available, which is always
nice and a must to have!
DISC 1
1- An Ensign for McHale (25:22)
2- A Purple Heart for Gruber (25:31)
3- McHale and His Seven Cupids (25:43)
4- PT 73, Where Are You? (25:21)
5- Movies Are Your Best Diversion (25:31)
6- Operation Wedding Party (25:28)
7- Who Do the Voodoo? (25:33)
DISC 2
8- Three Girls on an Island (25:35)
9- McHale's Paradise Motel (25:32)
10- The Battle of McHale's Island (25:32)
11- The Day They Captured Santa Claus (25:32)
12- Beauty and the Beast (25:35)
13- The Captain's Mission (25:34)
14- Send Us a Hero (25:30)
DISC 3
15- The Captain Steals a Cook (25:33)
16- The Ensign Gets a Zero (25:34)
17- The Big Raffle (25:33)
18- One of Our Engines Is Missing (25:30)
19- The Natives Get Restless (25:34)
20- The Confidence Game (25:32)
21- Six Pounds from Paradise (25:30)
DISC 4
22- Washing Machine Charlie (25:35)
23- Nippon Nancy Calling (25:22)
24- One Enchanted Weekend (25:32)
25- The Mothers of PT 73 (25:34)
26- H.M.S. 73 (25:31)
27- A Wreath for McHale (25:32)
28- Portrait of a Peerless Leader (25:34)
DISC 5
29- Instant Democracy (25:32)
30- Camera, Action, Panic (25:36)
31- Alias Captain Binghamton (25:34)
32- Parents Anonymous (25:28)
33- McHale's Millions (25:31)
34- The Hillbillies of PT 73 (25:31)
35- The Monsters of McHale's Island (25:31)
36- Uncle Admiral (25:31)
Special Features:
There is just one extra but it is a good one!
- The Crew Reunion (19:19)
In 2007, after forty years, the crew of PT 73 reunite
to discuss the show--features a roundtable discussion
by Ernest Borgnine, Don Hastings, Tim Conaway, Edson
Stroll, and Carl Ballantine.
Final Comments:
Overall, Shout! Factory always does a great job with
their sets. The crew reunion was wonderful to watch,
but it is a shame it was only around 20 minutes, could
have been much longer! I also wish there would have
been some commentary to give a little behind the
scenes information out that would have been nice.
Borgnine and Conaway I am sure would have been up for
it! The episodes are uncut, which is a huge plus and
the episodes are in great condition. Again, a solid
release by Shout! Factory and I cannot wait until the
Second Season!
