The Wackiest Ship in the Army (TV series)
The Wackiest Ship in the Army is an American comedy-adventure series that aired for one season on NBC between September 19, 1965, and April 17, 1966. Produced by Harry Ackerman and Herbert Hirschman, the series was loosely based on the 1960 film starring Jack Lemmon and Ricky Nelson, which itself was a fictionalized account of a real wartime vessel.
| The Wackiest Ship in the Army | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy |
| Created by | Danny Arnold Herbert Margolis, based on the story "Big Fella Wash-Wash" by Herbert Carlson, in the July 1956 issue of Argosy |
| Starring | Mark Slade Jack Warden Gary Collins |
| Theme music composer | Howard Greenfield Jack Keller Helen Miller |
| Composer(s) | Nelson Riddle |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 29 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Harry Ackerman |
| Producer(s) | Herbert Hirschman Joseph Dackow |
| Running time | 45–48 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Herbert Margolis Productions Joseph M. Schenck Productions Screen Gems |
| Distributor | Screen Gems |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | September 19, 1965 – April 17, 1966 |
Although often referred to as a comedy series, the show violated three unwritten rules which unofficially defined TV sitcoms at the time: it was an hour in length (almost all comedy series were only a half-hour, and the few attempts at hour sitcoms were unsuccessful), it had no laugh track, and characters were sometimes killed in it.
Synopsis
The series is set in the Pacific theater of World War II and centers on the crew of the USS Kiwi, a leaky wooden twin-masted schooner whose mission is to place spies behind Japanese lines. Its old-fashioned, non-combatant appearance works in its favour, and it sails under false colours (the Swiss flag) when in enemy waters. The Kiwi is jointly commanded by Army Major Simon Butcher (Jack Warden), who's in charge of shore operations, and Navy Lieutenant, junior grade Richard "Rip" Riddle (Gary Collins), who's in command when the vessel is afloat. The crew consists of:
- Mike Kellin: CPO Willie Miller (also in the 1960 film, and listed in the series opening credits)
- Mark Slade: Radioman Patrick Hollis
- Fred Smoot: Machinist Mate Seymour Trivers
- Rudy Solari: Gunner's Mate Sherman Nagurski
- Don Penny: Pharmacist Mate Charles Tyler, ship's cook
Notable guest stars
Guest stars included:
- James Hong: Agaki (3 episodes)
- Jill Ireland
- Robert Loggia
- Harry Morgan
- Chips Rafferty (also in the 1960 film)
- George Takei
- Jack Soo
Production notes
The theme music and scoring were by Nelson Riddle.
Ship
The USS Kiwi was based on the real-life USS Echo, a 40-year-old schooner or scow that was transferred to the United States Navy from the government of New Zealand during World War II. It was returned to New Zealand in 1944.
Episode list
| # | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "Shakedown" (pilot) | September 19, 1965 |
| 1-2 | "The Sisters" | September 26, 1965 |
| 1-3 | "Goldbrickers" | October 3, 1965 |
| 1-4 | "The Day the Crew Paced the Deck" | October 10, 1965 |
| 1-5 | "The Colonel and the Geisha" | October 17, 1965 |
| 1-6 | "Bottoms Up" | October 24, 1965 |
| 1-7 | "The Stowaway" | October 31, 1965 |
| 1-8 | "Boomer McKye" | November 7, 1965 |
| 1-9 | "Vive La Kiwi" | November 14, 1965 |
| 1-10 | "The Lady and the Luluai" | November 21, 1965 |
| 1-11 | "A Shade Of Kaiser Bill" | November 28, 1965 |
| 1-12 | "...and Tyler Too" | December 4, 1965 |
| 1-13 | "Last Path To Garcia" | December 11, 1965 |
| 1-14 | "I'm Dreaming Of A Wide Isthmus" | December 18, 1965 |
| 1-15 | "The Lamb Who Hunted Wolves" (part one) | January 2, 1966 |
| 1-16 | "The Lamb Who Hunted Wolves" (part two) | January 9, 1966 |
| 1-17 | "What Is Honor- A Word" | January 16, 1966 |
| 1-18 | "Hail the Chief" | January 30, 1966 |
| 1-19 | "Liberty Was A Lady" | February 6, 1966 |
| 1-20 | "My Father's Keeper" | February 13, 1966 |
| 1-21 | "Brother Love" | February 20, 1966 |
| 1-22 | "And Two If By Sea" | February 27, 1966 |
| 1-23 | "The Ghost Of Lord Nelson-San" | March 6, 1966 |
| 1-24 | "Voyage To Never Never" | March 13, 1966 |
| 1-25 | "Girl In the Polka-Dot Swimsuit" | March 20, 1966 |
| 1-26 | "Chinese Checkers" | March 27, 1966 |
| 1-27 | "My Island" | April 3, 1966 |
| 1-28 | "Fun Has More Blondes" | April 10, 1966 |
| 1-29 | "Routine Assignment" | April 17, 1966 |
References
- "TV Tie-in Book Collection, 1945-1999". Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library. Retrieved November 5, 2017.