
A very popular program among men my father’s age who’d drink beer and wax nostalgic over their ‘glory days’ of bombing those pesky ‘Nips’ in The Big One (WWII), McHale’s Navy ran on ABC from 1962 through 1966 and spawned these two theatrical features. While the first, released in 1964, was essentially a feature-length version of the half-hour show, its sequel, McHale’s Navy Joins the Air Force (1965) almost had a touch of surrealism about it. For starters, the lead character, Quentin McHale, played by Ernest Borgnine, isn’t even in it! (Click images to enlarge.)