COMEDIES THAT CENTER on the life in the military are a commonplace sort of genre. Even before the days of TV, the Service Comedy was a guaranteed crowd pleaser. We have only to look at such examples in the theatrical release category as WHAT PRICE GLORY? (Two versions), THE SGT.DOUBLEDY "B" Movie Series (from Hal Roach), Martin & Lewis in JUMPING JACKS and even TELL IT TO THE MARINES (starring Lon Chaney).AS FAR AS examples on the small screen, we have PHIL SILVERS SHOW/YOU'LL NEVER GET RICH, McHALES' NAVY, ENSIGN O'TOOLE, HOGAN'S HEROES and the short lived series THE SOLDIERS (with Hal March & Tom D'Andrea).EACH ONE OF these has at its central element some sort of ongoing friction between some conniving officer & his men with the Commanding Officer. Hence we see Sgt. Bilko & his Platoon vs Colonel Hall, Sgt. O'Rourke & Cpl. Agarn vs Lt. Parmenter, Hogan vs Klink, etc.PERHAPS BECAUSE IT gave the production company a chance to strike out into a slightly different direction, F TROOP was born. After all, each of the previous TV Service Comedies were set in contemporary times; no one had thought of setting a series in the Old West, circa 1870's and having the antagonists in the U.S. Cavalry.WELL, THE IDEA did get off of the drawing board and was filmed by Warner Brothers' TV Unit. Its success seems impossibly short today, as it lasted only two seasons. One of its years was done in B&W, the other in Color. Music was supplied by Hollywood Veteran, William Lava; whose career had included work in Warner's Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies animations, Republic Serials and his Television output.BEING THAT THIS series went for the obvious gag and was not at least subtle, we wonder what did make it so memorable? In one sense, it is the BILKO Show or McHALE in a different packaging. The only essential difference would be substituting horses for jeeps, planes and warships.UPON FURTHER REVIEW, we discover that it is the work of the cast that made it click. The teaming of Forrest Tucker (Sgt.O'Rourke) and Larry Storch (Cpl. Agarn) was one of those pleasant accidents that work out so well. They function as a sort of straight man & stooge comedy team and do it well. How often they used the running gag of, "I don't know why people say you you're so dumb. Agarn!", followed by (after a dissolve to another scene) "Who says I'm so dumb, Sarge?" INSTEAD OF HAVING a hard boiled, commanding officer (such as those on McHALE or BILKO, F TROOPS' antagonist is a sort of man child. Innocent and Naïve, Ken Berry's characterization of the Lieutennant was never cross with his men and also never aware of all of the shenanigans that were playing out.COMIC CARICITUER OF the local non hostile Indian Tribe were provided by Frank DeKova (Chief Wild Eagle), Don Diamond (Crazy Cat), Edward Everett Horton (Roaring Chicken) and others. Those of the Hokowi tribe were more interested in doing business than making war. (We often wonder if, knowing human nature, these types weren't really commonplace in the West!) WE RECALL SEEING Forrest Tucker some years after F TROOP had gotten the ax. It was on some talk show (Merv Griffin, maybe?). He said that they wanted to get together and revive the series for some new episodes; but alas, it never materialized!NOW, WE KNOW why everybody says that Network Execs are so dumb!

Yes, it was a shameless gag show, but I mean that in a good way. They made constant use the of one-liners, running gags, and slapstick falls, and they always kept it coming. F Troop is much like my image of Vaudeville. The period, the setting? Almost immaterial. That was only so they would have an excuse to wear costumes.One of my favorite gags was the smoke signal. Either Wild Eagle or Crazy Cat would stand in a pensive posture and give dictation to the braves who were behind him, waving a blanket over a fire. Meanwhile, O'Rourke would be squinting into the sky, reading the smoke billows. It would always read like a business letter, beginning with a formal salutation and including phrases like "regarding:" or "as per your earlier communication."

*WARNING! THIS COMMENT MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!* F-Troop has to rank right up there with McHALE'S NAVY and M*A*S*H* as one of the all-time great military comedies. Ken Berry was great as Captain Wilton Parmenter, Fort Courage's bumbling idiot of a commander, though his intentions were good. Whenever Parmenter would get into a sticky situation with visiting brass, it was always Sgt. O'Rourke and Cpl. Agarn (Forrest Tucker and Larry Storch) who saved the day and made their Captain look good. Tucker and Storch were a great comedy team. James Hampton (who would go on to play Burt Reynolds' sidekick in THE LONGEST YARD and Michael J. Fox's father in TEEN WOLF) was hilarious as Trooper Hannibal Dobbs, the company Bugler who couldn't play a note. The addition of Dobbs to F Troop is a somewhat curious one because since Dobbs was a Southerner and the Civil War had just ended, Hannibal Dobbs would have, in reality, been ineligible for service in the United States Army. Ineligible or not, Dobbs was still hilarious and I even liked his back and forth banter with Agarn ("I'm Warning you, Dobbs!") If I were Captain Parmenter, I would have finished, "Jane. How many times have I told you? Not in front of the men." with "Why don't we go into my bedroom?" (Note: during the Second Season, Melody Patterson was, in fact, of legal age.) I also liked the entrepreneurial Hekawis, Wild Eagle and Crazy Cat. They weren't your typical Indians. They were opportunistic Capitalists with good heads for business - almost as good heads as O'Rourke and Agarn. My favorite episode has got to be "Our Brave in F Troop". The one where Chief Wild Eagle has a toothache and he has to visit the Army Dentist. Unfortunately, there are a number of delays in getting the Chief's tooth pulled. Most of them were courtesy of General Sam Courage (after whom Fort Courage is named), who keeps promoting him through the ranks. He ends up with the rank of Major before his "disappearance" is conveniently arranged by O'Rourke and Agarn with a little assistance from the befuddled General Courage.

It doesn't get better than this. Made in 1965 the comedy was pure and unedited fun with a gigantic heart. Larry Storch plays Forrest Tucker's sidekick but manages to run away with the scene without upstaging his fellow thespians. Forrest Tucker was the straight man who delivered the stability and rock bottom level-headedness that only a major con-man can pull off with such savwarfair. Ken Berry was aptly caste as the bumbling commander of an already "messed-up" troop of goofs, layabouts, and losers. The troops of F-Troop were a misfit bunch of misfits too unfit to do anything but procrastinate and mess up any assignment they were given. And last but not least, the Indians! I loved every scene they were in... (Frank DeKova as Chief Wild Eagle! :) - those wacky injuns were 40 years ahead of their time for today's modern "Native American" casinos! :)So here's to one of the best all-time TV comedy shows ever to grace the TVs of many American homes - clink the champagne and a tip my hat boys! (I can hear the bugle now ... here comes Agarn to lay one on that darn bugler! :)Larry Storch .... Cpl. Randolph AgarnForrest Tucker .... Sgt. Morgan O'RourkeKen Berry .... Capt. Wilton ParmenterMelody Patterson .... Wrangler Jane Angelica ThriftJames Hampton .... Trooper Hannibal DobbsFrank DeKova .... Chief Wild EagleBob Steele .... Trooper DuffyJoe Brooks .... Trooper VanderbiltDon Diamond .... Crazy CatMay God richly bless each and every one of them! ... in Jesus' name, amen! :)-LD______________________________________________my faith: http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/jbc33/