F Troop
Encyclopedia
F Troop is a satirical American television sitcom that originally aired for two seasons on ABC-TV
. It debuted in the United States on September 14, 1965 and concluded its run on April 6, 1967 with a total of 65 episodes. The first season of 34 episodes was filmed in black-and-white
, but the show switched to color for its second season. Reruns premiered on the ITV
network in the United Kingdom on October 29, 1968, and were screened repeatedly until July 16, 1974. The series was also broadcast nationally in Australia on ABC-TV
and in Ireland on Telefís Éireann
.
—a fictional United States Army
outpost in the Old West
—shortly after the American Civil War
ended in 1865. There's also a town of the same name adjacent to the fort. Fort Courage was named for fictitious General Sam Courage (portrayed by Cliff Arquette
), who had been in the army for forty years. As there were only four generals in the regular army before the Civil War, taking 40 years to advance to the rank of general was fairly common. The show is light on historical accuracy, (e.g. the uniforms, weapons, salutes and calling a cavalry company "troop" are incorrect for the period) but heavy on character-based humor; verbal and visual gags, slapstick and burlesque comedy make up the prime ingredients of F Troop.
The commanding officer is the gallant but chronically clumsy and accident-prone Captain Wilton Parmenter (Ken Berry
), descended from a long line of distinguished military officers. He was awarded the Medal of Honor
after accidentally instigating the final charge at the Battle of Appomattox
. Only a private, he was ordered to fetch his commanding officer's laundry. As he rode away, pollen in the air caused him to sneeze repeatedly. A group of Union soldiers mistook his sneeze for an order to charge, turning the tide of the battle. His superiors, wishing to reward his action, promoted him to captain and—in view of his ineptitude—gave him command of remote Fort Courage, a dumping ground for the army's least useful soldiers and misfits. Of the three commanding officers at Fort Courage before Captain Parmenter, two deserted and one suffered a nervous breakdown. He was also awarded the (then non-existent) Purple Heart
after he was accidentally pricked in the chest by his commanding officer while receiving the Medal of Honor - "the only soldier in history to get a medal for getting a medal."
Much of the humor of the series derives from the scheming of Captain Parmenter's crooked but amiable non-commissioned officers, Sergeant Morgan O'Rourke (Forrest Tucker
) and Corporal Randolph Agarn (Larry Storch
). They, along with the local Indian
tribe, the Hekawis—led by Chief Wild Eagle (Frank DeKova
)—are alternately seeking to expand and conceal their illicit businesses, covertly and collectively referred to as "O'Rourke Enterprises". At one point, rations and pay were drawn for 30 men at Fort Courage, even though only 17 were actually accounted for. This was apparently to help finance the dealings of O'Rourke Enterprises. Although O'Rourke and Agarn take full advantage of Captain Parmenter's innocent naïveté, they are also fond of and fiercely protective of him, and woe be to anyone out to harm him. Parmenter also struggles to exert his authority outside the ranks. He tries to escape the matrimonial
plans of his girlfriend, shopkeeper–postmistress Jane Angelica Thrift, known locally as "Wrangler Jane" (Melody Patterson
), though he is seen to be a bit more affectionate towards her during the second season.
, many of the Hekawi Indians were played by veteran Yiddish comedians using classic Yiddish shtick. The regular "Indian" characters (none of whom were played by Native American
actors) include:
. In several episodes, one of the featured stars plays a double role:
, Phil Harris
(as 147-year old chief, Flaming Arrow), Don Rickles
, Cathy Lewis
, Milton Berle
, Jack Elam
, Lee Meriwether
, Vincent Price
, Paul Lynde
, Zsa Zsa Gabor
, Patrice Wymore
, Cliff Arquette
(aka Charley Weaver), Julie Newmar
, Mike Mazurki
, George Gobel
, character actor Henry Brandon
, and British-born character actor Bernard Fox. Pat Harrington Jr. imitated Don Adams
of Get Smart
, as secret agent "B. Wise". Other notable actors who played minor roles include Frank McHugh
, Sterling Holloway
, Victor French
, Vic Tayback
, Fred Clark
, Mary Wickes
, Tony Martinez, Paul Petersen
and Jamie Farr
, who became famous in the 1970s as the cross-dressing Corporal Klinger in M*A*S*H.
Season Two (Color, 1966–1967)
which usually played fast and loose with historical accuracy. However, writers Austin and Irma Kalish, interviewed for the 2007 DVD release of the series, revealed that some scripts had their origins in actual events or authentic 19th century army protocol. One episode, titled "The Sergeant and the Kid", tells the story of 10-year old Joey Walker (Peter Robbins
), who tried to join F Troop. This episode is loosely based on the true story of John Lincoln Clem, a 10-year old from Newark, Ohio
who tried to enlist in the United States Army at the outbreak of the Civil War. Clem would end up serving in the army for 54 years, and be promoted to major general
upon his retirement in 1916. Likewise, "The Day They Shot Agarn" had its roots in historically accurate regulations obtained from a period cavalry manual, according to Austin Kalish.
by the Writers Guild of America
eventually gave Seaman Jacobs
, Ed James, and Jim Barnett credit.
Episode writers included Arthur Julian (who, alone, wrote 29 of the 65 episodes), Stan Dreben (Green Acres
), Seaman Jacobs, Howard Merrill (The Dick van Dyke Show
), Ed James
, Austin and Irma Kalish, and the highly successful comedy writing duo of Tom Adair and James B. Allardice
, who collaborated on some of the most successful American TV sitcoms of the 1960s, including The Munsters
, My Three Sons
, Gomer Pyle, USMC and Hogan's Heroes
.
The series was directed by Charles Rondeau and Leslie Goodwins
, among many others, and produced by William T. Orr
and Hy Averback
. I. Stanford Jolley
, Forrest Tucker's former father-in-law, appeared as Colonel Ferguson in the 1966 episode "Survival of the Fittest". The entire series was shot on the Warner Bros.
backlot in Burbank, California
.
Melody Patterson lied about her age to get the part of Wrangler Jane. She was only 15 at the time of her audition and 16 when filming started. As a result the romance between Jane and Parmenter was kept very low key during the first season. By the time production of the second season started, Patterson had turned 18 and Parmenter's affections were made stronger and Jane was made more sexually aggressive.
The show's ratings were still healthy after the second year, but according to Tucker, Warner Bros.' new owners, Seven Arts
, discontinued production because they thought it was wasteful for so much of the Warner Ranch to be taken up by a single half-hour TV show. Producer William Orr says the studio was unhappy with the added costs of producing the show in color during its second season.
, The Monkees
, and The Addams Family
, from the same era. The show was a particular favorite on Nick at Nite
in the 1990s, running from 1991 to 1995 despite an archive of only 65 episodes.
has reportedly been working on a feature version of 'F Troop', to be produced by Logan and Alan Hall
.
episodes and three color episodes. Previously, at the close of the VCR era, 30 of the series' 60 episodes were digitally remastered and released in 1998 on ten VHS tapes by Columbia House.
Following the successful sales from the "Television Favorites" sampler release, Warner Home Video released F Troop: The Complete First Season, with all 34 black-and-white episodes included. The Complete Second Season of F Troop was released on DVD on May 29, 2007. The DVD features interviews with original F Troop members, writers and other production personnel, as well as behind-the-scenes information. However, only one major actor from the series, Ken Berry, was interviewed for the half hour special. There were also audio segments of an interview with actor Joe Brooks ("Private Vanderbilt").
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. It debuted in the United States on September 14, 1965 and concluded its run on April 6, 1967 with a total of 65 episodes. The first season of 34 episodes was filmed in black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
, but the show switched to color for its second season. Reruns premiered on the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network in the United Kingdom on October 29, 1968, and were screened repeatedly until July 16, 1974. The series was also broadcast nationally in Australia on ABC-TV
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
and in Ireland on Telefís Éireann
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
.
Setting and story
F Troop is set at Fort Courage, KansasKansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
—a fictional United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
outpost in the Old West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
—shortly after the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
ended in 1865. There's also a town of the same name adjacent to the fort. Fort Courage was named for fictitious General Sam Courage (portrayed by Cliff Arquette
Cliff Arquette
Clifford Charles Arquette was an actor and comedian, famous for his role as Charley Weaver.-Early life and career:...
), who had been in the army for forty years. As there were only four generals in the regular army before the Civil War, taking 40 years to advance to the rank of general was fairly common. The show is light on historical accuracy, (e.g. the uniforms, weapons, salutes and calling a cavalry company "troop" are incorrect for the period) but heavy on character-based humor; verbal and visual gags, slapstick and burlesque comedy make up the prime ingredients of F Troop.
The commanding officer is the gallant but chronically clumsy and accident-prone Captain Wilton Parmenter (Ken Berry
Ken Berry
Kenneth Ronald "Ken" Berry is an American dancer, comedic actor and singer. He began on stage as a dancer and later starred in television sitcoms.-Life and career:...
), descended from a long line of distinguished military officers. He was awarded the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
after accidentally instigating the final charge at the Battle of Appomattox
Battle of Appomattox Courthouse
The Battle of Appomattox Court House, fought on the morning of April 9, 1865, was the final engagement of Confederate States Army General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia before it surrendered to the Union Army under Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, and one of the last battles of the American...
. Only a private, he was ordered to fetch his commanding officer's laundry. As he rode away, pollen in the air caused him to sneeze repeatedly. A group of Union soldiers mistook his sneeze for an order to charge, turning the tide of the battle. His superiors, wishing to reward his action, promoted him to captain and—in view of his ineptitude—gave him command of remote Fort Courage, a dumping ground for the army's least useful soldiers and misfits. Of the three commanding officers at Fort Courage before Captain Parmenter, two deserted and one suffered a nervous breakdown. He was also awarded the (then non-existent) Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
after he was accidentally pricked in the chest by his commanding officer while receiving the Medal of Honor - "the only soldier in history to get a medal for getting a medal."
Much of the humor of the series derives from the scheming of Captain Parmenter's crooked but amiable non-commissioned officers, Sergeant Morgan O'Rourke (Forrest Tucker
Forrest Tucker
Forrest Tucker was an American actor in both movies and television from the 1940s to the 1980s. Tucker, who stood 190 cm tall and weighed 93 kg , appeared in nearly 100 action films in the 1940s and 1950s.-Early life:Forrest Meredith Tucker was born in Plainfield, Indiana, a son of...
) and Corporal Randolph Agarn (Larry Storch
Larry Storch
Lawrence Samuel "Larry" Storch is an American actor best known for his comic television roles, including voice-over work for top cartoon shows, including Mr...
). They, along with the local Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribe, the Hekawis—led by Chief Wild Eagle (Frank DeKova
Frank Dekova
Frank Dekova was an Italian-American character actor.-Biography:Dekova was born in New York City and taught at a school in New York before joining a Shakespeare repertory group...
)—are alternately seeking to expand and conceal their illicit businesses, covertly and collectively referred to as "O'Rourke Enterprises". At one point, rations and pay were drawn for 30 men at Fort Courage, even though only 17 were actually accounted for. This was apparently to help finance the dealings of O'Rourke Enterprises. Although O'Rourke and Agarn take full advantage of Captain Parmenter's innocent naïveté, they are also fond of and fiercely protective of him, and woe be to anyone out to harm him. Parmenter also struggles to exert his authority outside the ranks. He tries to escape the matrimonial
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
plans of his girlfriend, shopkeeper–postmistress Jane Angelica Thrift, known locally as "Wrangler Jane" (Melody Patterson
Melody Patterson
Melody Patterson is an American actress best known for her role as Wrangler Jane in the 1960s TV series F Troop...
), though he is seen to be a bit more affectionate towards her during the second season.
Opening theme music
The dubious efficiency of F Troop is clarified in the show's opening theme. The words of the song (by Irving Taylor) were only used in the first season's opening credits, along with comical F Troop battle scenes intercut with stock Hollywood Western footage. The second season opening credits used only the instrumental ending part, over still cartoon scenes and caricatures of the main cast.- The end of the Civil War was near
- When quite accidentally,
- A hero who sneezed, abruptly seized
- Retreat and reversed it to victory!
- His Medal of Honor pleased and thrilled
- His proud little family group;
- While pinning it on, some blood was spilled
- And so it was planned he'd command... F TROOP!
-
- Where Indian fights are colorful sights
- And nobody takes a lickin',
- Where paleface and redskin
- Both turn chicken!
- When drilling and fighting get them down
- They know their morale can't droop
- As long as they all relax in town
- Before they resume with a bang and a boom... F TROOP!
F Troop officers & enlisted men
- Captain Wilton Parmenter (Ken BerryKen BerryKenneth Ronald "Ken" Berry is an American dancer, comedic actor and singer. He began on stage as a dancer and later starred in television sitcoms.-Life and career:...
) – the so-called "Scourge of the West", he is credited with keeping the peace (which is in fact really kept by O'Rourke's secret treaty with the Hekawi tribe.) Chief Wild Eagle knows him by a different title: "The Great White Pigeon". When the need to keep up appearances arises, the troopers and the Hekawis stage mock battles for the benefit of outsiders. Parmenter is successful at keeping the peace – he just doesn't know why. Originally from Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, he is well-meaning and sweet-natured, although essentially clueless. He is invariably kind and encouraging to his men – and always bravely (albeit ineptly) leads them into action. A perpetual klutz, Parmenter is unable to fold maps or even dismount properly, and frequently becomes entangled with his ceremonial sword.
- Sergeant Morgan Sylvester O'Rourke (Forrest TuckerForrest TuckerForrest Tucker was an American actor in both movies and television from the 1940s to the 1980s. Tucker, who stood 190 cm tall and weighed 93 kg , appeared in nearly 100 action films in the 1940s and 1950s.-Early life:Forrest Meredith Tucker was born in Plainfield, Indiana, a son of...
) – the Sgt. BilkoThe Phil Silvers ShowThe Phil Silvers Show is a comedy television series which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959 for 142 episodes, plus a 1959 special. The series starred Phil Silvers as Master Sergeant Ernest G...
of his day, originally from Steubenville, OhioSteubenville, OhioSteubenville is a city located along the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio on the Ohio-West Virginia border in the United States. It is the political county seat of Jefferson County. It is also a principal city of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. O'Rourke's business dealings involve illegally running the local saloon and an exclusive-rights treatyTreatyA treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...
with the local Indian tribe (the Hekawi) to sell their "authentic" souvenirs to tourists through the shady, undercover O'Rourke Enterprises operation. (Doubly ironic is that Tucker had actually served in the US Cavalry prior to World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and played a similar "O'Rourke" cavalry sergeant on GunsmokeGunsmokeGunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
). Many of his schemes fail. Apparently the only competent soldier in F Troop, it is mentioned that O'Rourke was a veteran of the Mexican-American War, but nothing is said about the Civil War. Presumably, he spent the war years at Fort Courage.
- Corporal Randolph (No Middle Initial) Agarn (Larry StorchLarry StorchLawrence Samuel "Larry" Storch is an American actor best known for his comic television roles, including voice-over work for top cartoon shows, including Mr...
) – O'Rourke's dimwitted sidekick and business partner in the illegal O'Rourke Enterprises scheme, originally from Passaic, New JerseyPassaic, New JerseyPassaic is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 69,781, maintaining its status as the 15th largest municipality in New Jersey with an increase of 1,920 residents from the 2000 Census population of 67,861...
. His name is a play on both Randolph ScottRandolph ScottRandolph Scott was an American film actor whose career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of genres, including social dramas, crime dramas, comedies, musicals , adventure tales, war films, and even a few...
and John AgarJohn AgarJohn George Agar was an American actor. He starred alongside John Wayne in the films Sands of Iwo Jima, Fort Apache and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, but was later relegated to B movies, such as Tarantula, The Mole People, The Brain from Planet Arous, Flesh and the Spur, and Hand of Death...
. The episode "El Diabolo" features his Mexican bandit cousin who, like all the other members of his family, looks exactly like him. One running gagRunning gagA running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....
involves Agarn's delayed reactions: Agarn makes a suggestion; O'Rourke: "Agarn, I don't know why they say you're so dumb!" At an inappropriate moment a few minutes (or a few scenes) later, Agarn, suddenly indignant, demands: "Who says I'm dumb?!" Like O'Rourke, Agarn apparently spent the Civil War years at Fort Courage. Devious, cowardly, confrontational and often overly-emotional, Agarn frequently collapses in tears with the phrases "Oh, Cap'n!" or "Oh, Sarge!" (depending on whose chest he buries his head in). Whenever he becomes frustrated by something one of the troopers does wrong (which is often), short-tempered Agarn hits him with his hat. (Larry Storch was nominated for an Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for "Outstanding performance by an actor in a leading role in a comedy series" in 1967.)
- Private First Class Hannibal Shirley Dobbs (James HamptonJames Hampton (actor)James Wade Hampton is an American actor, television director, and screenwriter.-Early life:Though born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Hampton was reared in Dallas, Texas, where his father operated a cleaning business. He majored in theatre arts at the University of North Texas in Denton...
) – F Troop's inept buglerBugle (instrument)The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure, since the bugle has no other mechanism for controlling pitch. Consequently, the bugle is limited to notes within the harmonic series...
, originally from New Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, who can only play "Yankee DoodleYankee Doodle"Yankee Doodle" is a well-known Anglo-American song, the origin of which dates back to the Seven Years' War. It is often sung patriotically in the United States today and is the state anthem of Connecticut...
" and "DixieDixieDixie is a nickname for the Southern United States.- Origin of the name :According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the origins of this nickname remain obscure. According to A Dictionary of Americanisms on Historical Principles , by Mitford M...
" with regularity. Standard U.S. ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
tunes like "Reveille", "Assembly" and "Retreat" are only occasionally played competently. A southern "mama's boy", he is also Captain Parmenter's personal assistant, as well as serving in the fort's cannon crew—usually with disastrous results. Private Dobbs is a personal thorn in Agarn's side, with his regular taunts resulting in Agarn's frequent retort, "I'm warning you, Dobbs!", or threatening him with a court-martialCourt-martialA court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
.
- Private Vanderbilt (Joe Brooks) – a legally-blind lookout (20/900 in each eye, according to Agarn) who also answers questions in the lookout tower with incongruous responses such as, "No, thank you Agarn. I just had my coffee." He once allowed two Indians wearing feather head-dresses to enter the fort unchallenged. Asked why, he replied, "I thought they were turkeys." A running gagRunning gagA running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....
has Agarn or Dobbs kicking the fort's cannon in frustration after it doesn't fire, only to see one of its wheels come off, setting off a chain reaction: the cannon fires a cannonball into one of the tower's support legs, causing it to collapse and send Vanderbilt crashing to the ground. In one episode he shoots his pistol in a crowded barracks—and manages to miss everyone.
- Private Duffy (Bob SteeleBob Steele (actor)Bob Steele was an American actor. He was born Robert Adrian Bradbury in Portland, Oregon, into a vaudeville family. After years of touring, the family settled down in Hollywood in the late 1910s, where his father, Robert N...
) – an elderly cavalryman with a limp, the result of his "old AlamoAlamoThe Battle of the Alamo was a battle fought during the Texas Revolution.Alamo may also refer to:-Places:*Alamo Mission in San Antonio, Texas*Alamo, California*Alamo, Georgia*Alamo Township, Michigan*Alamo, Nevada*Alamo, New Mexico...
injury" acting up again. Duffy claims to be the lone survivor of the siege of the Alamo in 1836. Duffy loves to recount his exploits alongside Davy CrockettDavy CrockettDavid "Davy" Crockett was a celebrated 19th century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician. He is commonly referred to in popular culture by the epithet "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S...
and Jim BowieJim BowieJames "Jim" Bowie , a 19th-century American pioneer, slave trader, land speculator, and soldier, played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution, culminating in his death at the Battle of the Alamo...
, "shoulder to shoulder and backs to the wall". Parmenter discovers that Duffy is listed in army records as having been killed in action. (Steele was a 1930s and '40s Western movie and serialWestern (genre)The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
star, and appeared in a 1926 movie about meeting Davy Crockett at the Alamo.)
Townspeople
- "Wrangler" Jane Angelica Thrift (Melody PattersonMelody PattersonMelody Patterson is an American actress best known for her role as Wrangler Jane in the 1960s TV series F Troop...
) – Captain Parmenter's beautiful but tomboyTomboyA tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...
ish, sexually aggressive girlfriend, dressed in buckskins and a cowgirl hat. She runs the local general storeGeneral storeA general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
and post office, and is also the best sharpshooter in the town. She is determined to marry the naïve Parmenter, and is often obliged to rescue him from his various predicaments. The character had her own theme music; a banjo piece usually played on the soundtrack to cue her entrances, or initial appearance in each episode. Patterson was only 16 years old when the series began.
- Charlie – "The fastest drunk in the West" is the town drunk (veteran stuntman Harvey Parry). Fort Courage got Charlie from Dodge City. "We were lucky to get him – Dodge had a spare." —Capt. Parmenter.
The Hekawi tribe and tribal members
The Hekawi tribe supposedly derived their name from an incident in which the tribe became lost, exclaiming "Where the heck are we?", which then became "We're the Hekawi" The original name for the tribe, 'Fugawi', was to be changed after the censors discovered the sentence "Where the Fugawi?" They are partners in O'Rourke Enterprises and produce most of the company's products. They are a peace-loving tribe, (mainly due to cowardice). The chicken-hearted braves of the Hekawis, "the tribe that invented the peace pipe", are "lovers, not fighters", according to their leader. Agarn has to teach them how to do a war dance. They have a 50/50 deal with O'Rourke and have a still which produces the whiskey for the saloon. As a sly jest based on the myth that Native Americans are the 13th tribe of IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, many of the Hekawi Indians were played by veteran Yiddish comedians using classic Yiddish shtick. The regular "Indian" characters (none of whom were played by Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
actors) include:
- Chief Wild Eagle (Frank DeKovaFrank DekovaFrank Dekova was an Italian-American character actor.-Biography:Dekova was born in New York City and taught at a school in New York before joining a Shakespeare repertory group...
) – the shrewd, cranky but essentially good-natured leader of the Hekawi tribe, and business partner in the illegal O'Rourke Enterprises scheme. Like all the Indian characters portrayed in F Troop, he speaks in a Burlesque-Indian, broken English dialect. Often O'Rourke, Agarn, Parmenter, and Jane come to him for advice when they have a problem. Wild Eagle has an old Indian saying for every occasion, which even he sometimes admits he does not know the meaning of. He is portrayed as being the brother-in-law of Sitting BullSitting BullSitting Bull Sitting Bull Sitting Bull (Lakota: Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake (in Standard Lakota Orthography), also nicknamed Slon-he or "Slow"; (c. 1831 – December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux holy man who led his people as a tribal chief during years of resistance to United States government policies...
and the cousin of GeronimoGeronimoGeronimo was a prominent Native American leader of the Chiricahua Apache who fought against Mexico and the United States for their expansion into Apache tribal lands for several decades during the Apache Wars. Allegedly, "Geronimo" was the name given to him during a Mexican incident...
. Wild Eagle once said that the peaceful Hekawis originally lived in Massachusetts, until the Pilgrims arrived and "ruined the neighborhood". DeKova's contribution to the series was deemed so important that, beginning in the second season, he is listed in the opening credits.
- Crazy Cat (Don DiamondDon DiamondDonald Alan "Don" Diamond was an American radio, film, and television actor who portrayed "Crazy Cat", the sidekick and heir apparent to Chief Wild Eagle on the popular 1960s television sitcom, F Troop .-Career:...
) – Chief Wild Eagle's assistant and heir apparent. He often speculates on when he will become chief, and is subsequently rebuked by Chief Wild Eagle. He is not a featured character until the second season. "Craze" (as O'Rourke and Agarn sometimes call him) does become "acting chief" in an episode titled, "Our Brave in F Troop" (when O'Rourke and Agarn have to somehow sneak Wild Eagle into Fort Courage to see the army dentist so he can get his tooth pulled). Crazy Cat humorously comments on the situation, "When Wild Eagle away, Crazy Cat play."
Recurring characters
In order of number of appearances:- Private Duddleson (Ivan Bell) – a sleepy, slovenly, obese soldier who is hit on the head repeatedly by Agarn for having his body in line but not his belly, or sleeping when he's supposed to be at attention.
- Private Hoffenmueller (John MitchumJohn MitchumJohn Mitchum was an American actor from the 1940s in films and, later, television. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and the younger brother of Julie Mitchum and Robert Mitchum, he initially appeared in only unbilled and extra roles before gradually receiving bigger character parts in middle age...
) – an incomprehensible trooper who can only speak in his native German. According to the fort's personnel records (doctored by O'Rourke to inflate the payroll) Hoffenmueller can speak CherokeeCherokeeThe Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
, SiouxSiouxThe Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
, ApacheApacheApache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
, and Hekawi. "We can use you as an interpreter ... just as soon as you learn to speak English" —Capt. Parmenter.
- Smokey Bear (Ben Frommer) – an overweight, usually silent Hekawi brave in black braids and a Fire Ranger's hat.
- Roaring Chicken (Edward Everett HortonEdward Everett HortonEdward Everett Horton was an American character actor. He had a long career in film, theater, radio, television and voice work for animated cartoons. He is especially known for his work in the films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.-Early life:Horton was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Isabella...
) – an aged Hekawi medicine manMedicine man"Medicine man" or "Medicine woman" are English terms used to describe traditional healers and spiritual leaders among Native American and other indigenous or aboriginal peoples...
(veteran actor Horton appeared as Roaring Chicken in the first season only, and only in certain episodes. Horton also guest starred on the 1960s BatmanBatman (TV series)Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
as a villain called "Chief Screaming Chicken").
- Medicine Man (J. Pat O'MalleyJ. Pat O'MalleyJames Patrick O'Malley was an English singer and character actor, who appeared in many American films and television programs during the 1940s–1970s, using the stage name J. Pat O'Malley...
) – an unnamed Hekawi "doctor" who prescribes various tribal dances to treat diverse ailments.
- Major Duncan (James GregoryJames Gregory (actor)James Gregory was an American character actor noted for his deep, gravelly voice and playing brash roles such as McCarthy-like Senator John Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate , the audacious General Ursus in Beneath the Planet of the Apes, and loudmouthed Inspector Luger in Barney Miller...
) – Captain Parmenter's superior from Territory Headquarters, who usually "brings a saddlebag full of trouble", according to O'Rourke.
- Private Leonard "Wrongo" Starr (Henry GibsonHenry GibsonHenry Gibson was an American actor and songwriter, best known as a cast member of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and for his recurring role as Judge Clark Brown on Boston Legal.-Early life:...
) – a jinxed soldier. He appears in "Wrongo Starr and the Lady in Black" and in "The Return of Wrongo Starr." Alternative explanations are given for the origin of the jinx. The name is a play on BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
drummer Ringo StarrRingo StarrRichard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
.
- Pete (Benny Baker) – the bartender at O' Rourke's saloon.
Other members of F Troop
Several members of F Troop were only mentioned or only seen in passing. They are listed in approximate order of their first mention or appearance in the series:- Gilbert and Sullivan
- Lewis and Clark
- Stanley and Livingston
- Holmes and Watson
- Hogan
- Hightower
- Anderson
- Henderson
- Scully (there is also a bartender named Scully in Season Two)
- Jones
- Barnes
- MacIntosh
Double roles
According to Austin and Irma Kalish (interviewed for the 2007 DVD release of the second season), the writers deliberately took advantage of the multiple talents of their versatile cast, especially Larry Storch's expertise at mimicry and Ken Berry's gift for improvising physical comedyPhysical comedy
Physical comedy, also known as slapstick, is a comedic performance relying mostly on the use of the body to convey humour.Physical comedy, whether conveyed by a pratfall , a silly face, or the action of walking into walls, is a common and rarely subtle form of comedy...
. In several episodes, one of the featured stars plays a double role:
- Larry Storch portrays Agarn's Canadian fur-trapper cousin Lucky Pierre in "The Singing Mountie", and Agarn's RussianRussiansThe Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
soldier cousin Col. Dimitri Agarnoff in "Only One Russian Is Coming! Only One Russian Is Coming!" In the episode "El Diablo", Storch plays four roles in addition to Corporal Agarn: Agarn's MexicanMexican peopleMexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
bandito cousin Pancho Agarnado, Granny Agarn, Uncle Gaylord Agarn and Carmen Agarnado. In one episode, Agarn pretends to be George WashingtonGeorge WashingtonGeorge Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
; in another, General Ulysses S. GrantUlysses S. GrantUlysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
.
- In "Wilton the Kid", Ken Berry plays Parmenter's outlaw doppelgängerDoppelgängerIn fiction and folklore, a doppelgänger is a paranormal double of a living person, typically representing evil or misfortune...
, Kid Vicious.
- In "Did Your Father Come from Ireland?", Forrest Tucker plays O'Rourke's Irish father.
Guest stars
Many established actors and comedians appeared as guest stars in the show, including Harvey KormanHarvey Korman
Harvey Herschel Korman was an American comedic actor who performed in television and movie productions beginning in 1960...
, Phil Harris
Phil Harris
Harris and Faye married in 1941; it was a second marriage for both and lasted 54 years, until Harris's death. Harris engaged in a fistfight at the Trocadero nightclub in 1938 with RKO studio mogul Bob Stevens; the cause was reported to be over Faye after Stevens and Faye had ended a romantic...
(as 147-year old chief, Flaming Arrow), Don Rickles
Don Rickles
Donald Jay "Don" Rickles is an American stand-up comedian and actor. A frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Rickles has acted in comedic and dramatic roles, but is best known as an insult comic....
, Cathy Lewis
Cathy Lewis
Cathy Lewis was an American actress remembered best for numerous radio appearances but making a number of film and television appearances in the last decade of her life....
, Milton Berle
Milton Berle
Milton Berlinger , better known as Milton Berle, was an American comedian and actor. As the manic host of NBC's Texaco Star Theater , in 1948 he was the first major star of U.S. television and as such became known as Uncle Miltie and Mr...
, Jack Elam
Jack Elam
William Scott "Jack" Elam was an American film actor best known for his numerous roles as villains in Western films and, later in his career, comedies .-Early life:...
, Lee Meriwether
Lee Meriwether
Lee Ann Meriwether is an American actress, former model, and the winner of the 1955 Miss America pageant. She is perhaps best known for her role as Betty Jones, the crime-solving partner in the long-running 1970s crime drama, Barnaby Jones. The role earned her two Golden Globe Award nominations in...
, Vincent Price
Vincent Price
Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
, Paul Lynde
Paul Lynde
Paul Edward Lynde was an American comedian and actor. A noted character actor, Lynde was well known for his roles as Uncle Arthur on Bewitched and Harry MacAfee, the befuddled father in Bye Bye Birdie...
, Zsa Zsa Gabor
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Zsa Zsa Gabor is a Hungarian-born American stage, film and television actress.She acted on stage in Vienna, Austria, in 1932, and was crowned Miss Hungary in 1936. She emigrated to the United States in 1941 and became a sought-after actress with "European flair and style", with a personality that...
, Patrice Wymore
Patrice Wymore
Patrice Wymore is an American television, film, and stage actress of the 1950s and 1960s.-Early life and stage career:...
, Cliff Arquette
Cliff Arquette
Clifford Charles Arquette was an actor and comedian, famous for his role as Charley Weaver.-Early life and career:...
(aka Charley Weaver), Julie Newmar
Julie Newmar
Julie Newmar is an American actress, dancer and singer. Her most famous role is Catwoman in the Batman television series.-Early life:...
, Mike Mazurki
Mike Mazurki
Mike Mazurki was an Austrian-born American actor and professional wrestler who appeared in over 100 movies. His towering 6' 5" presence and intimidating face usually got him roles playing tough guys, thugs, strong men, and gangsters.Mazurki was born as Mikhail Mazurkevych in Tarnopol, Galicia,...
, George Gobel
George Gobel
George Leslie Gobel was an American comedian and actor. He was best known as the star of his own weekly NBC television show, The George Gobel Show, which ran from 1954 to 1960 .-Early years:He was born George Leslie Goebel in Chicago, Illinois, His father, Hermann Goebel, was a...
, character actor Henry Brandon
Henry Brandon
Henry Brandon was an American character actor in over 100 films, famous for playing Indian, Arab, Persian, Turkish, Native American and East Asian roles, usually villains....
, and British-born character actor Bernard Fox. Pat Harrington Jr. imitated Don Adams
Don Adams
Don Adams was an American actor, comedian and director. In his five decades on television, he was best known as Maxwell Smart in the television situation comedy Get Smart , which he also sometimes directed and wrote. Adams won three consecutive Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Smart...
of Get Smart
Get Smart
Get Smart is an American comedy television series that satirizes the secret agent genre. Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry, the show starred Don Adams , Barbara Feldon , and Edward Platt...
, as secret agent "B. Wise". Other notable actors who played minor roles include Frank McHugh
Frank McHugh
Francis Curray "Frank" McHugh was an American film and television actor.Born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, McHugh came from a theatrical family. His parents ran a stock theatre company and as a young child he performed on stage...
, Sterling Holloway
Sterling Holloway
Sterling Price Holloway, Jr. was an American character actor who appeared in 150 films and television programs. He was also a voice actor for The Walt Disney Company...
, Victor French
Victor French
Victor Edwin French was an American actor and director.-Early career:Born in Santa Barbara, California,...
, Vic Tayback
Vic Tayback
Victor "Vic" Tayback was an American actor.-Life and career:Tayback was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, the son of Helen and Najeeb James Tayback. His parents were immigrants from Aleppo, Syria. Tayback moved with his family to Burbank, California, during his teenage years and attended...
, Fred Clark
Fred Clark
Frederick Leonard Clark was an American film character actor.-Career:Born in Lincoln, California, Clark made his film debut in 1947 in The Unsuspected. His 20-year film career included almost 70 films, and numerous television appearances...
, Mary Wickes
Mary Wickes
Mary Wickes was an American film and television actress.-Career:Wickes was born as Mary Isabelle Wickenhauser in St. Louis, Missouri, of German Irish Protestant extraction. She graduated at the age of eighteen with a degree in political science from Washington University in St. Louis, where she...
, Tony Martinez, Paul Petersen
Paul Petersen
William Paul Petersen is an American movie actor, singer, novelist, and activist. Primarily known for his character-type roles in the 1960s and 1970s, as an adult Petersen established the organization A Minor Consideration to support child stars and other child laborers through legislation,...
and Jamie Farr
Jamie Farr
Jamie Farr is an American television, film, and theater actor. He is best known for having played the role of cross-dressing Corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger in the television sitcom M*A*S*H.-Early life:...
, who became famous in the 1970s as the cross-dressing Corporal Klinger in M*A*S*H.
Episodes
Season One (Black & White, 1965–1966)- Scourge of the West (Pilot episode)
- Don't Look Now, One of Our Cannons Is Missing
- The Phantom Major
- Corporal Agarn's Farewell to the Troops
- The Return of Bald Eagle
- Dirge for the Scourge
- The Girl from Philadelphia
- Old Ironpants
- Me Heap Big Injun
- She's Only a Build in an Girdled Cage
- A Gift from the Chief
- Honest Injun
- O'Rourke vs. O'Reilly
- The 86 Proof Spring
- Here Comes the Tribe
- Iron Horse Go Home
- Our Hero, What's His Name?
- Wrongo Starr and the Lady in Black
- El Diablo
- Go for Broke
- The New I. G.
- Spy, Counterspy, Counter Counterspy
- The Courtship of Wrangler Jane
- Play, Gypsy, Play
- Reunion for O'Rourke
- Captain Parmenter, One Man Army
- Don't Ever Speak to Me Again
- Too Many Cooks Spoil the Troop
- Indian Fever
- Johnny Eagle Eye
- A Fort's Best Friend is Not a Mother
- Lieutenant O'Rourke, Front and Center
- The Day the Indians Won
- Will the Real Captain Try to Stand Up?
Season Two (Color, 1966–1967)
- The Singing Mountie
- How to Be F Troop Without Really Trying
- Bye, Bye, Balloon
- Reach for the Sky, Pardner
- The Great Troop Robbery
- The West Goes Ghost
- Yellow Bird
- The Ballot of Corporal Agarn
- Did Your Father Come from Ireland?
- For Whom the Bugle Tolls
- Miss Parmenter
- La Dolce Courage
- Wilton the Kid
- The Return of Wrongo Starr
- Survival of the Fittest
- Bring on the Dancing Girls
- The Loco Brothers
- From Karate with Love
- The Sergeant and the Kid
- What Are You Doing After the Massacre?
- A Horse of Another Color
- V is for Vampire
- That's Show Biz
- The Day They Shot Agarn
- Only One Russian Is Coming! Only One Russian Is Coming!
- Guns, Guns, Who's Got the Guns?
- Marriage, Fort Courage Style
- Carpetbagging, Anyone?
- The Majority of Wilton
- Our Brave in F Troop
- Is This Fort Really Necessary?
Historical inaccuracies
The series is a broad, lighthearted military farceFarce
In theatre, a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases,...
which usually played fast and loose with historical accuracy. However, writers Austin and Irma Kalish, interviewed for the 2007 DVD release of the series, revealed that some scripts had their origins in actual events or authentic 19th century army protocol. One episode, titled "The Sergeant and the Kid", tells the story of 10-year old Joey Walker (Peter Robbins
Peter Robbins
Peter Robbins may refer to:* Peter Robbins , author of Filthy Rich and Stolen Fruit* Peter Robbins , voice of Charlie Brown* Peter M. Robbins, industrialist and builder of the submarine Alicia...
), who tried to join F Troop. This episode is loosely based on the true story of John Lincoln Clem, a 10-year old from Newark, Ohio
Newark, Ohio
In addition, the remains of a road leading south from the Octagon have been documented and explored. It was first surveyed in the 19th century, when its walls were more apparent. Called the Great Hopewell Road, it may extend to the Hopewell complex at Chillicothe, Ohio...
who tried to enlist in the United States Army at the outbreak of the Civil War. Clem would end up serving in the army for 54 years, and be promoted to major general
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
upon his retirement in 1916. Likewise, "The Day They Shot Agarn" had its roots in historically accurate regulations obtained from a period cavalry manual, according to Austin Kalish.
- The official surrender of General Robert E. Lee to General Ulysses S. GrantUlysses S. GrantUlysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
at Appomattox Court House, VA on April 9, 1865 did not, in fact, end the Civil War. The war did not come to a final end until June 23, 1865. So it's possible that when Captain Parmenter arrived at Fort Courage, the Civil War may have still been ongoing.
- One episode, titled "Old Ironpants", features General George Armstrong CusterGeorge Armstrong CusterGeorge Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
. Given the time period (mid-1865 to 1867) in which F Troop is supposedly set, Custer should no longer have been a general. His commission as a general of volunteers expired on January 31, 1866. Afterwards, he was reduced in rank to captain and would eventually rise to lieutenant colonel, (although as a courtesy, he could be addressed as "General".)
- Little BighornLittle BighornLittle Bighorn may refer to:* Little Bighorn River, a tributary of the Bighorn River in Wyoming and Montana* Battle of the Little Bighorn, took place near the river in 1876...
is mentioned from time to time throughout the run of the series. However, the Battle of Little Bighorn would not take place for another ten years.
- Captain Parmenter is shown receiving the Silver StarSilver StarThe Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
, an award that would not be created until 1918, (as the Citation StarCitation StarThe Citation Star was an award of the United States Army which was first established by the United States Congress on July 9, 1918. The Citation Star was a silver star device pinned to the World War I Victory Medal to denote those who had been cited for extreme heroism or valor...
). It did not become a medal until 1932.
- One episode, "Marriage, Fort Courage Style", shows Agarn in a dream sequence watching stereopticonStereopticonA stereopticon is a slide projector or "magic lantern", which has two lenses, usually one above the other.These devices date back to the mid 19th century, and were a popular form of entertainment and education before the advent of moving pictures...
slides of "a new game this fellow named Doubleday invented called baseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
". When his dream wife pesters him to do the chores, he retorts by saying, "Not now, I'm watching the game!" It's been proven that Abner DoubledayAbner DoubledayAbner Doubleday was a career United States Army officer and Union general in the American Civil War. He fired the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter, the opening battle of the war, and had a pivotal role in the early fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg. Gettysburg was his finest hour, but his...
never invented baseball, never claimed to, and probably never even saw a professional game. Doubleday's connection to the game also occurred decades after the show takes place, meaning he could not have even been referring to the Doubleday legend.
- In "How to be F Troop Without Really Trying", Lt. Mark Harrison (Les Brown, Jr.) quotes a line from the song "Jeepers CreepersJeepers CreepersJeepers Creepers may refer to:* "Jeepers Creepers" , a popular 1938 song* Jeepers Creepers , a 1939 western film starring Roy Rogers* Jeepers Creepers , a 1939 animated short film featuring Porky Pig...
" to Wrangler Jane. "Jeepers Creepers" wasn't composed by Johnny MercerJohnny MercerJohn Herndon "Johnny" Mercer was an American lyricist, songwriter and singer. He is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others...
until 1938.
- One episode features a "Singing Mountie" (Paul LyndePaul LyndePaul Edward Lynde was an American comedian and actor. A noted character actor, Lynde was well known for his roles as Uncle Arthur on Bewitched and Harry MacAfee, the befuddled father in Bye Bye Birdie...
), but if the series is set in the mid-1865 to 1867 time period, then the "mounties" would not exist yet. The formative organization that would eventually become the Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceRoyal Canadian Mounted PoliceThe Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
, the "North-West Mounted Police", was not founded until 1873.
- In "That's Show Biz", the gang performs the songs "Mr. Tambourine ManMr. Tambourine Man"Mr. Tambourine Man" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan, which was released on his 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home. The Byrds also recorded a version of the song that was released as their first single on Columbia Records, reaching number 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and...
" (which was written by Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
in 1964) and "Lemon TreeLemon TreeThe term Lemon tree may refer to:* Lemon Myrtle, an Australian native tree with a distinct lemon smell, used in cooking and as an anti-bacterial agent.* Citrus limon, the tree bearing the lemon .Lemon Tree may also refer to:...
" (which was a folk song written by Will HoltWill HoltWill Holt is an American singer, songwriter, librettist and lyricist known first and primarily as a folk performer during the 1950s and 1960s and as an interpreter of the music of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht in performances and recordings with Martha Schlamme...
in the 1960's and recorded by such popular singing artists as Peter, Paul, and Mary and Trini LopezTrini LopezTrini Lopez is an American singer, guitarist and actor.-Career:Lopez was born in Dallas, Texas, on Ashland Street in the Little Mexico neighborhood. He began his entertainment career in Dallas playing at the Vegas Club, a nightclub owned by Jack Ruby...
).
- There's no way that Duffy could have been wounded at the AlamoAlamoThe Battle of the Alamo was a battle fought during the Texas Revolution.Alamo may also refer to:-Places:*Alamo Mission in San Antonio, Texas*Alamo, California*Alamo, Georgia*Alamo Township, Michigan*Alamo, Nevada*Alamo, New Mexico...
in 1836, as no white adult males are known to have survived the battle. It's also impossible that Captain Parmenter would have been able to discover through army records that Duffy had been "killed in action". In 1836, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
was not yet part of the United States, and only became an independent nation after the battle. So, Duffy would have been listed as a member of the army of the Republic of TexasRepublic of TexasThe Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
. (Of course, it's possible that Duffy may only be indulging in spinning some "tall talesTall TalesTall Tales may refer to:* Tall Tales , 2004* Tall Tales , by American band The Hot Club of Cowtown* "Tall Tales" , an episode of the television series Supernatural-See also:...
".)
- In the episode entitled, "Don't Look Now, One of Our Cannons is Missing", Agarn (pretending to be General Ulysses S. Grant) says that he had lunch at the White House with President and Mrs. Lincoln the day before arriving at Fort Courage. There is no way Grant could have made the trip from Washington to Kansas in one day. Also, by the time Captain Parmenter arrived at Fort Courage after receiving his medal after the Battle of Appomattox, President Lincoln's assassinationAssassinationTo carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
would already have taken place. At the time of Lincoln's assassination, Grant and his wife were in Philadelphia.
Creation and production
Although the show's opening credits claim F Troop was created by Richard Bluel, a final arbitrationArbitration
Arbitration, a form of alternative dispute resolution , is a legal technique for the resolution of disputes outside the courts, where the parties to a dispute refer it to one or more persons , by whose decision they agree to be bound...
by the Writers Guild of America
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
eventually gave Seaman Jacobs
Seaman Jacobs
Seaman Block Jacobs was an American screenwriter. He wrote episodes for several TV shows, such as The Addams Family, The Lucy Show, I Dream of Jeannie, The Andy Griffith Show, Here's Lucy and Diff'rent Strokes...
, Ed James, and Jim Barnett credit.
Episode writers included Arthur Julian (who, alone, wrote 29 of the 65 episodes), Stan Dreben (Green Acres
Green Acres
Green Acres is an American television series starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm...
), Seaman Jacobs, Howard Merrill (The Dick van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show is an American television sitcom that initially aired on the Columbia Broadcasting System from October 3, 1961, until June 1, 1966. The show was created by Carl Reiner and starred Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. It was produced by Reiner with Bill Persky and Sam Denoff....
), Ed James
Ed James (writer)
Ed James was an American television writer and producer during the 1950s and 1960s. Among his credits are contributions to the long running television sitcoms Father Knows Best and F Troop...
, Austin and Irma Kalish, and the highly successful comedy writing duo of Tom Adair and James B. Allardice
James B. Allardice
James B. Allardice was a prominent American television comedy writer of the 1950s and 1960s....
, who collaborated on some of the most successful American TV sitcoms of the 1960s, including The Munsters
The Munsters
The Munsters is a 1960s American family television sitcom depicting the home life of a family of monsters. It starred Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster and Yvonne De Carlo as his wife, Lily Munster. The series was a satire of both traditional monster movies and popular family entertainment of the era,...
, My Three Sons
My Three Sons
My Three Sons is an American situation comedy. The series ran from 1960 to 1965 on ABC, and moved to CBS until its end on August 24, 1972. My Three Sons chronicles the life of a widower and aeronautical engineer named Steven Douglas , raising his three sons.The series was a cornerstone of the CBS...
, Gomer Pyle, USMC and Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes is an American television sitcom that ran for 168 episodes from September 17, 1965, to March 28, 1971, on the CBS network. The show was set in a German prisoner of war camp during the Second World War. Bob Crane had the starring role as Colonel Robert E...
.
The series was directed by Charles Rondeau and Leslie Goodwins
Leslie Goodwins
Leslie Goodwins was an English film director and screenwriter. He directed nearly 100 films between 1926 and 1967...
, among many others, and produced by William T. Orr
William T. Orr
William T. Orr was an American television producer associated with a series of western and detective programs of the 1950s-1970s....
and Hy Averback
Hy Averback
Hyman J. Averback, known as Hy Averback , was a radio, television, and film actor who eventually became a producer and director.-Radio:...
. I. Stanford Jolley
I. Stanford Jolley
Isaac Stanford Jolley, Sr., known as I. Stanford Jolley was a prolific American character actor of film and television, primarily in western roles as cowboys, law-enforcement officers, or villains...
, Forrest Tucker's former father-in-law, appeared as Colonel Ferguson in the 1966 episode "Survival of the Fittest". The entire series was shot on the Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
backlot in Burbank, California
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
.
Melody Patterson lied about her age to get the part of Wrangler Jane. She was only 15 at the time of her audition and 16 when filming started. As a result the romance between Jane and Parmenter was kept very low key during the first season. By the time production of the second season started, Patterson had turned 18 and Parmenter's affections were made stronger and Jane was made more sexually aggressive.
The show's ratings were still healthy after the second year, but according to Tucker, Warner Bros.' new owners, Seven Arts
Seven Arts Productions
Seven Arts Productions was founded in 1957 by Ray Stark and Eliot Hyman. The company was a frequent producer of movies for other studios, including The Misfits for United Artists, Gigot for Twentieth Century-Fox, Lolita for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Is Paris Burning? for Paramount Pictures.Over...
, discontinued production because they thought it was wasteful for so much of the Warner Ranch to be taken up by a single half-hour TV show. Producer William Orr says the studio was unhappy with the added costs of producing the show in color during its second season.
Syndication
Although only two seasons were produced, F Troop enjoyed a healthy second life in syndication, much like fellow two-year run entries The MunstersThe Munsters
The Munsters is a 1960s American family television sitcom depicting the home life of a family of monsters. It starred Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster and Yvonne De Carlo as his wife, Lily Munster. The series was a satire of both traditional monster movies and popular family entertainment of the era,...
, The Monkees
The Monkees (TV series)
The Monkees is an American situation comedy that aired on NBC from September 1966 to March 1968. The series follows the adventures of four young men trying to make a name for themselves as rock 'n roll singers. The show introduced a number of innovative new-wave film techniques to series...
, and The Addams Family
The Addams Family (TV series)
The Addams Family is an American television series based on the characters in Charles Addams' New Yorker cartoons. The 30-minute series was shot in black-and-white and aired for two seasons in 64 installments on ABC from September 18, 1964, to April 8, 1966...
, from the same era. The show was a particular favorite on Nick at Nite
Nick at Nite
Nick at Nite is the nighttime Cable network that broadcasts over the channel space of Nickelodeon on Sundays from 8.p.m.-7.am., Monday through Fridays from 9 p.m.-7 a.m. and Saturdays from 10 p.m.-6 a.m. . Though it shares channel space with Nickelodeon, A.C. Nielsen Co...
in the 1990s, running from 1991 to 1995 despite an archive of only 65 episodes.
Feature Film
Writer/director Bobby LoganBob Logan (film director)
Bob Logan, AKA Bobby Logan, is an American film and television producer, writer & director. His productions include Repossessed, Meatballs 4 Up Your Alley and Yard Sale....
has reportedly been working on a feature version of 'F Troop', to be produced by Logan and Alan Hall
Alan Hall
Berthold Allan Couldwell Hall , commonly known as Allan Hall, was an English professional footballer who played for Park Labour, Doncaster Rovers, Middlesbrough, Bradford City, Lincoln City, Tottenham Hotspur, Blackpool and Gainsborough Trinity.- Football career :Hall began his career at non-League...
.
DVD releases
On September 27, 2005, Warner Home Video released the first F Troop DVD compilation as part of its "Television Favorites" series. The six-episode DVD included three black-and-whiteBlack-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
episodes and three color episodes. Previously, at the close of the VCR era, 30 of the series' 60 episodes were digitally remastered and released in 1998 on ten VHS tapes by Columbia House.
Following the successful sales from the "Television Favorites" sampler release, Warner Home Video released F Troop: The Complete First Season, with all 34 black-and-white episodes included. The Complete Second Season of F Troop was released on DVD on May 29, 2007. The DVD features interviews with original F Troop members, writers and other production personnel, as well as behind-the-scenes information. However, only one major actor from the series, Ken Berry, was interviewed for the half hour special. There were also audio segments of an interview with actor Joe Brooks ("Private Vanderbilt").