Saturday, April 9, 2022

Origin of a Classic: Seven Against The Sea (Alcoa Premiere, 1962)

 Fans of McHale's Navy have been waiting for this one to appear on YouTube, and last year, a few copies turned up.

As we've documented, McHale started as a hour-long drama that aired on Alcoa Premiere, "Seven Against The Sea". Oscar winner Ernest Borgnine is Quinton McHale. Some, but not all of the familiar elements of the subsequent sitcom are there. The moonshine. McHale's friendly relations with the natives. The frosty relationship with a superior officer. Two crewmen, Christy (Gary Vinson, ex-The Roaring Twenties) and Willy (country singer John "Bobby" Wright, billed as Bobby here), carried over into the series.

Intro & outro by host Fred Astaire:


When the series was being put together, producer Edward Montagne and cast member Billy Sands came over from The Phil Silvers Show, as did recurring regular Jane Dulo. Montagne went for a more comedic approach, and sources have cited a Richard Widmark movie, "Destination Gobi", as partial inspiration.

Rating: A.

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