McHale's Navy – season 3

McHale’s Navy season 3 episode list

Editorial review of McHale’s Navy season 3 courtesy of Amazon.com

In McHale’s Navy Season 3, Lieutenant Commander Quinton McHale (Ernest Borgnine), Ensign Parker (Tim Conway) and the rest of the misfit crew of PT-73 are back in action on the Taratupa Island Naval Base, setting sail for 36 more adventures in hilarity. This is their final season in the Pacific, before the series moves to Italy next year.

From 1962 through 1966, McHale’s Navy was a must-see staple of ABC television. By the show’s third year on the air, the now-familiar crew had become a classic embodiment of American culture-an unforgettable gang of fun-loving guys who were constantly at odds with authority.

McHale’s Navy season 3 episode list

1. The Ghosts of 73 – Binghamton discovers how superstitious McHale and the crew are. He then devises a plan to scare them into transferring out. But when McHale and the boys find that they’ve been duped, they cook up their own plan … To scare Binghamton into canceling their transfers.
2. Lester, the Skippe.With his letters home, Gruber has led his girlfriend (Jean Hale) to believe that he’s a Lieutenant Commander. However, she pays a surprise visit to Taratupa! McHale reluctantly agrees to help him save face by allowing him to act out the part. The charade almost gets them into big trouble, but winds up working out for the good … It helps foil Binghamton’s plan to have McHale assigned to a British Liaison’s position.
3. It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad War.  Parker’s left alone on the 73 in New Caledonia. McHale attending a staff meeting and the crew are on an unauthorized liberty. He receives an order from Binghamton to pick up the base payroll. But he’s robbed of the $62,000! McHale and the guys frantically try to locate the cash before Binghamton can accuse them of the theft.
4. McHale, the Desk Commando.Binghamton fakes an illness and checks into the base hospital. He appoints McHale as temporary Base Commander to face an unscheduled inspection by a tough admiral. But Binghamton’s plan backfires when McHale and the crew manage to make it through the inspection. And they turn the tables on the Captain.
5. McHale’s Floating Harem.  Binghamton is ordered to provide a safe haven for a Sultan (Henry Corden) and his three daughters. Binghamton is forced to send McHale and the 73 crew to rescue the royal family and bring them to Taratupa. But Virgil sneaks one of the princesses away for a romantic boat ride! Parker must become her stand-in while the guys hustle to return the real princess. Before the Sultan and the Captain discover that she’s missing.
6. Laugh, Captain, Laugh. Accident-prone Parker nearly drowns Binghamton on the 73. The Captain calls for a Fitness Board inquiry to determine Parker’s fitness for duty. McHale and the boys then execute a clever plan – involving laughing gas” – to get Binghamton to change his mind. But it backfires when an admiral from the Board arrives early to investigate Parker’s situation.
7. Will the Alligator Take the Stand? Binghamton devises a scheme to frame McHale and the crew for the theft of his wallet. Parker is arrested and charged with the crime. But the Ensign is cleared at the last minute, when McHale and the boys produce Parker’s star witness… An alligator that has taken a special liking to Parker.
8. The British Also Have Ensigns. Binghamton has an ulterior motive when he temporarily assigns clumsy, bumbling British Sub-Lieutenant Clivedon (Bernard Fox) to the 73 crew. But the Britisher captures Fuji and places him under arrest as a spy! McHale and Parker work up a rather risky plan to free their Japanese friend. Which is complicated by a visit from Clivedon’s admiral cousin.
9. Senator Parker, Suh! After Parker is passed over again for a promotion, Gruber devises a way for him to vent his frustrations. However, it winds up landing the Ensign in the brig, pending Court Martial. Then, they find out about an upcoming visit by the head of the Senate Naval Affairs Committee – whose name just happens to be Parker. McHale and the boys work up a scheme to get their Executive Officer off the hook.
10. The Fountain of Youth. In an attempt to impress gung-ho Admiral “Go-Go” Granger (Ted Knight), Binghamton accompanies McHale and the crew on a mission to an island. Unknown to him, its the hiding place of the crew’s distilling operation. After the still is damaged in an air raid, its contents spill into a stream and, after Binghamton drinks from it, McHale and the guys must convince him that he’s partaken of “The Fountain Of Youth” in order to protect their secret.
11. The Great Eclipse – Binghamton orders McHale to negotiate a treaty with the head-hunting natives of a nearby island, for the construction of an airstrip. But the native Chief refuses to sign until their recently deceased witch doctor has been replaced. When Parker accidentally gets the job, he manages to successfully negotiate the treaty with the help of the sun, the moon, and a cigarette lighter.
12. McHale and His Jet Set.Binghamton has his eye on a piece of oceanfront property in New Caledonia. When it seems that Parker has come into some big money, the Captain hits him up for a loan so that he can acquire it. Parker unwittingly agrees, but after he finds out that his windfall is nearly nothing, Binghamton must join McHale and the 73 crew in a scheme to get out of the deal. It nearly gets them all into big trouble but winds up working out for the good.
13. Christy Goes Traveling – Christy risks being AWOL, when – in a desperate attempt to be with his little daughter on her second birthday – he tries to hitch a ride on a bomber bound for his home town of San Diego. Then major complications develop when, as the result of a letter from Gruber and the guys to Fleet Command, Christy is chosen as the Navy’s “Father of the Year.”
14. The Missing Link – Parker is in big trouble with Binghamton. The Captain has arranged for his transfer to a certain island, a frequent target of Japanese guns. But the Ensign is reprieved when Binghamton’s lovely niece (Marlo Thomas) — an anthropology grad student on a brief visit to the base — talks her uncle into keeping Parker around. She thinks that he’s a throwback to the Neanderthal, and she wants to study him. But poor Ensign Parker misinterprets her interest …
15. Fuji’s Big Romance – Binghamton must put on a show of good will toward the local natives in order to please a visiting V.I.P. But his plan is complicated by Fuji’s love affair with the native Chief’s lovely daughter. And, she has a very jealous boyfriend who’s out to get even.
16. The Stool Parrot – After Binghamton forbids their fraternization with the female personnel of the base, McHale and the guys find a secret hideaway where they can bend the rules a bit with the nurses. After the Captain finds them out, with the help of the crew’s new mascot – a parrot with a very interesting vocabulary – McHale and the guys and girls must quickly whip up a plan to cover themselves.
17. The PT 73 Follies.Marooned on a supposedly deserted island for their mandatory survival test, Parker and Binghamton are captured by a Japanese patrol. McHale and the crew, on their way to New Caledonia to try out for the Navy talent show, are captured as well when they drop in to check on the Captain and Parker. They must all then utilize their various talents in a plan to get out of the situation.
18. The Truth Hurts.In an effort to get the goods on the 73 Crew, Binghamton lures the boys into the hospital under false pretenses. Once there, he has them injected them with sodium pentothal (aka.”truth serum”). This causes them to tell him everything he wants to know. McHale and Parker must then work up a plan to get them off the hook, by literally giving Binghamton a dose of his own medicine.
19. The Late Captain Binghamton.After the Captain has his annual physical exam, the guys see an opportunity to get him out of the way for a while, and “doctor” his X-rays to make it look like he’s dying. But the plan backfires when, in an effort to go out a hero, Binghamton volunteers to lead the 73 crew on a dangerous mission to destroy an enemy fuel dump.
20. McHale’s Floating Laundromat – In an effort to gather evidence of any shady activities, Binghamton appoints Carpenter as the 73’s new Executive Officer, and makes Parker the base’s Laundry Officer. After Parker fouls up, McHale and the guys try to help him out, but Carpenter catches them in the act, forcing McHale to come up with a plan to get out of the situation and get Parker his job back.
21. All Chiefs and No Indians – When Binghamton learns that all Chief Petty Officers are to be shipped out, he talks all the guys into taking the exam for CPO, then fixes the results to see that all of them pass. Now without a crew, the 73 is to be scrapped, and McHale and Parker are to be reassigned. But a very determined Ensign Parker takes it upon himself to keep the 73 in business.
22. Pumpkin Takes Over.After Admiral Rogers mistakes a pretty young nurse (Yvonne Craig) for Binghamton’s wife, McHale and Parker must hustle to keep the situation a secret from Binghamton’s real wife. She’s unexpectedly come to visit the base as part of the Women’s Navy League tour.
23. The Seven Faces of Ensign Parker – After the guys swipe Binghamton’s dictation machine, Parker is nailed for the crime while in the process of returning it, and the Captain throws him into the brig, pending Court Martial. Parker must then work with McHale and the boys in a complicated plan to try to make Binghamton drop the charges, by making him think he’s losing his mind.
24. The Return of Maggie.McHale’s gambling, conniving, saloon-keeping old friend Maggie Monohan (Jean Willes) is back in business in New Caledonia. And Binghamton has been ordered to shut her down. Seeing an opportunity to “kill two birds with one stone,” Binghamton schemes to nail McHale and the crew along with her, but McHale and Maggie join forces in a plan to keep him from doing so.
25. Send This Ensign to Camp – Struck on the head during a Japanese raid, Parker develops regressive amnesia, and thinks he’s returned to his childhood days at summer camp. McHale and the guys must then try to keep the Ensign out of sight long enough to think of a way to cure him, before the Fleet Medical Officer arrives to examine him.
26. By the Numbers, Paint – Major complications develop, when Gruber and the guys – desperate to raise $300 for a tonsillectomy for Christy’s little girl – try to pass off a paint-by-numbers portrait as a genuine “Claude Gauguin,” supposedly painted by the brother of the legendary French artiste.
27. Chuckie Cottontail.While searching McHale’s island for some stolen eggs, Binghamton, Carpenter, and Admiral Hardesty are captured by Japanese soldiers, drunk on egg nog made from the stolen eggs. But they’re soon rescued by the Easter Bunny on his way to an Easter egg hunt, supervised by McHale and the guys, for some native school children.
28. The Great Necklace Caper.Binghamton panics when he learns that Naval Intelligence is coming. They’re investigating the disappearance of a $1000 jade necklace. Which he bought with funds “borrowed” from the Officer’s Club. After the necklace turns up, Binghamton tries to frame McHale and his men with the crime in order to cover his tracks.
29. Will the Real Admiral Please Stand Up?Parker takes full advantage of his situation when he’s temporarily promoted to Admiral, so that he can fill in for Admiral Rogers in negotiations for the drilling rights in an oil-rich island nation.
30. Hello, McHale? Colonna!After running into comedian Jerry Colonna in New Caledonia, McHale and the guys talk him into making an unscheduled stop for a show on Taratupa. But the base doesn’t qualify for a Special Services show. Instead, they must make some special arrangements for an “epidemic” at the base hospital.
31. Rumble on Taratupa.Binghamton tries to frame the 73 crew for the manufacture and sale of illegal liquor. He has them all thrown into the brig pending an investigation. But with a little outside help, McHale and the guys manage to escape from jai. They execute a complicated scheme to make the Captain look insane to the Fleet Legal Officer.
32. All Ahead, Empty.An MIT-trained electronics wizard (Marvin Kaplan) comes to the base to convert the 73 into a fully automated, remote-controlled vessel. McHale and the crew fear that they may soon become obsolete. But they’re reprieved at the last minute, with help from a very unlikely source.
33. The Vampire of Taratupa.Angry after another mishap with Parker, Binghamton assigns him to hazardous coast-watching duty. But he changes his mind since Parker may be the only source of his rare blood type in the South Pacific.
34. Birth of a Salesman. Learning that his stateside employer has closed down, Binghamton lands a job as an insurance salesman… Under the condition that he sell life insurance policies to the 73 crew. But the Captain’s high-pressure sales tactics backfire. It prompts McHale and the guys to work up a plan to get back at him.
35. A Star Falls on Taratupa. Gruber and the guys send a letter to a glamorous movie star (Jean Hale). Surprisingly, she makes the trip to Taratupa with a plan to create some publicity for herself. But her scheme soon goes awry, and someone else winds up grabbing all the headlines.
36. Make Room for Orvie. Binghamton pressures a young new member of the 73 crew into spying on McHale and the guys. The Captain hopes to gather evidence of any shady activities. But his plan is foiled by another new member of the crew. Who proves to be not only very intelligent, but an excellent sailor as well.