Broadside is an American sitcom that aired on ABC during the 1964–1965 TV season. The series, produced by McHale's Navy creator Edward Montagne, starred Kathleen Nolan, formerly of The Real McCoys.[1]

Broadside
Kathleen Nolan with Sheila James, Joan Staley and Lois Roberts, 1964.
GenreSitcom
Written byFrank J. Gill, Jr.
George Carleton Brown
Si Rose
Ray Brenner
Barry E. Blitzer
Benedict Freedman
Earl Barret
Robert C. Dennis
Jack Harvey
Bruce Howard
Bud Nye
Elroy Schwartz
Irving Taylor
Sam Locke
Joel Rapp
Stan Dreben
Howard Merrill
William Raynor
Myles Wilder
Directed byFrank McDonald
Sidney Miller
Edward Montagne
Hollingsworth Morse
Don Richardson
Jean Yarbrough
E.W. Swackhamer
Charles Barton
StarringEdward Andrews
Dick Sargent
Sheila James
Kathleen Nolan
Joan Staley
George Furth
Arnold Stang
Jimmy Boyd
ComposerJerry Fielding
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes32
Production
ProducerEdward Montagne
Running time30 minutes
Production companyUniversal Television
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseSeptember 20, 1964 (1964-09-20) –
May 2, 1965 (1965-05-02)

Synopsis

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The series centered on the women of the Navy (WAVES) on "a supply base somewhere in the South Pacific, 1944," who found themselves transferred to the island of Ranakai to run the motorpool in an otherwise all-male environment. Lt. Anne Morgan (Kathleen Nolan) was in command of the man-crazy, wisecracking Selma Kowalski (Sheila James), the alternately chipper and worried Molly McGuire (Lois Roberts), the slow-witted blonde and former exotic dancer Roberta Love (Joan Staley), and the unit's only male recruit, Marion Botnik (Jimmy Boyd), assigned to the WAVES due to a clerical error.

Their nemesis was the rarefied Commander Roger Adrian (Edward Andrews), who regarded the war as a major intrusion on his idyllic, luxurious lifestyle; he felt that the WAVES experiment would attract official government supervision, endangering his private paradise. Adrian and his easily flustered junior officer Ensign Beasley (George Furth) constantly conspired to get rid of the WAVES, while executive officer Lt. Max Trotter (Dick Sargent) and streetwise sailor Nicky D'Angelo (Don Edmonds) sided with the girls in their counter-attacks on Adrian. Completing the ensemble was Adrian's fussy personal chef Bernard (Richard Jury).

Producer Montagne had produced movie short subjects starring comedian Arnold Stang in the early 1950s. Midway through the Broadside run, Montagne recruited Stang to join the series and offered him co-star billing. Stang was then co-starring with the national touring company of the Broadway hit A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and left the show on October 3, 1964 to join Montagne.[citation needed] Stang replaced both Richard Jury and Don Edmonds in the ensemble cast. He appeared as outspoken master chef Stanley Stubbs, reunited with his high-school classmate Selma of the WAVES motorpool.

Broadside boasted clever scripts and good direction by the McHale's Navy staff, and enthusiastic performances by the ensemble cast. As it was a rule that vehicles on set could only be operated by union members, the cast playing drivers got honorary Teamsters’ cards.[citation needed]

Though ratings were not bad, the series ran for just a single season. The executives at Universal Studios felt the tropical exteriors being used by Broadside and McHale's Navy—and nothing else—were taking up too much space on the backlot, so Broadside was canceled and the setting for McHale's Navy was changed to Italy, which could be shot on the studio's more frequently used sets with European facades.[citation needed] Arnold Stang did not appear in the last two episodes of the network run; ABC had pre-empted the show twice, and these shelved episodes with departed co-star Don Edmonds were burned off to finish the run.

Cast

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Episodes

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No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"Don't Make Waves"Edward MontagneStory by : Si Rose
Teleplay by : Barry Blitzner & Ray Brenner & Frank Gill, Jr. & George Carleton Brown
September 20, 1964 (1964-09-20)
A quartet of WAVES takes over the motorpool on a South Pacific island, with animosity developing immediately.
2"The Non-Permanent Wave"Earl BellamyWilliam Raynor & Myles WilderSeptember 27, 1964 (1964-09-27)
Marion Botnik playfully snaps pictures of the girls violating Navy regulations, but Commander Adrian locks the pictures in a safe so the admiral can see them.
3"Kill 'Em with Kindness"Charles BartonSam Locke & Joel RappOctober 4, 1964 (1964-10-04)
Adrian offers the WAVES delicious, high-calorie foods so that they will be unable to pass the upcoming fitness test.
4"Annie Shoots Down the Cupid"Earl BellamyRalph Goodman & Stan DrebenOctober 11, 1964 (1964-10-11)
Dissension among the WAVES breaks out after each of them has dated a muscular sailor.
5"Lt. Morgan's Secret Marriage"Hollingsworth MorseRalph Goodman & Stan DrebenOctober 25, 1964 (1964-10-25)
Adrian's visiting nephew ends up causing more trouble for him than the WAVES.
6"The Great Lipstick War"E.W. SwackhamerBenedict FreemanNovember 1, 1964 (1964-11-01)
Adrian cuts off the WAVES' makeup supply in the hopes that they will leave, but Morgan quickly sets up a lipstick still.
7"Adrian Gets Nipped"Charles BartonJohn Fenton MurrayNovember 8, 1964 (1964-11-08)
Adrian and the crew pose as the enemy to frighten the WAVES into leaving the island.
8"The Morale of Molly McGuire"E.W. SwackhamerWilliam Raynor & Myles WilderNovember 15, 1964 (1964-11-15)
Molly falls in love, so Adrian schedules a psychological test for her in the hopes that the entire motorpool will be shipped stateside.
9"Adrian's Anniversary Waltz"UnknownUnknownNovember 22, 1964 (1964-11-22)
A WAVES birthday party results in a raid on Adrian's gourmet food cellar.
10"Anne Bugs the Enemy"Charles BartonFrank Gill, Jr. & George Carleton BrownNovember 29, 1964 (1964-11-29)
Adrian sabotages the motorpool to get them flagged for inefficiency. Anne fights back by planting a tape recorder in the commander's headquarters in the hopes that he will make a damaging admission.
11"Ranakai Flips Its Wig"Charles BartonBruce Howard & Bud NyeDecember 6, 1964 (1964-12-06)
The WAVES are tricked by Adrian into thinking that they are victim of a rare tropical disease known as "galloping baldness".
12"My Son, the Egg"Charles BartonSam Locke & Joel RappDecember 13, 1964 (1964-12-13)
Adrian gets the mistaken notion that one of the WAVES is pregnant.
13"Selma, the Love Trap"Hollingsworth MorseSam Locke & Joel RappDecember 20, 1964 (1964-12-20)
The WAVES instruct Selma in the care and feeding of the fragile male ego.
14"The Obstacle Course"Frank McDonaldSam Locke & Joel RappDecember 27, 1964 (1964-12-27)
The WAVES compete against three trained Marines in running a jungle obstacle course, and end up using their ingenuity to come out ahead.
15"Behind the Eight Ball"Don RichardsonElroy SchwartzJanuary 3, 1965 (1965-01-03)
After undergoing involuntary hypnosis, Adrian's attitude toward the WAVES swings wildly between love and hate.
16"The Stowawaves"Hollingsworth MorseWilliam Raynor & Myles WilderJanuary 10, 1965 (1965-01-10)
The WAVES stow away on a cargo ship and are shocked to see that Adrian is aboard.
17"The Wolfman Cometh"Frank McDonaldFrank Fox & Bruce Howard & Bud NyeJanuary 17, 1965 (1965-01-17)
A war correspondent uses the power of the press to wrangle a date with a WAVES lieutenant.
18"Taurus to Aries to Chance"Hollingsworth MorseJack Harvey & Irving TaylorJanuary 24, 1965 (1965-01-24)
After Roberta destroys Adrian's croquet court while trying to warn him about ominous astrological signs, the other WAVES have to make Adrian believe in astrology to avoid having Roberta court-martialed.
19"Adrian Goes Gung-Ho"Bruce HumberstoneBruce Howard & Bud NyeJanuary 31, 1965 (1965-01-31)
While Anne is on leave, Adrian uses sleep-teaching records to try to get the WAVES to leave. After she returns, she tries the same thing on him and implants the idea that he should volunteer for dangerous duty.
20"The Arrival of Stanley Stubbs"Hollingsworth MorseElroy SchwartzFebruary 7, 1965 (1965-02-07)
World-famous chef Stanley Stubbs (Arnold Stang) comes to the island after Adrian begs to have him assigned there.
21"Follow That Pigeon"Hollingsworth MorseBruce Howard & Bud NyeFebruary 14, 1965 (1965-02-14)
After spotting coded messages being sent by carrier pigeon, Adrian becomes convinced that the WAVES are guilty of espionage.
22"Three Wishes"Sidney MillerBruce Howard & Bud NyeFebruary 21, 1965 (1965-02-21)
Adrian acquires a monkey's paw that is supposed to give the owner magical wishing powers. However, he is unaware that a curse is applied if an evil wish is made.
23"Lieutenant Love, Sir"UnknownUnknownFebruary 28, 1965 (1965-02-28)
After calling a Navy hearing to charge the WAVES with inefficiency, Adrian then has them arrested by Brisbane police so they will not be present to defend themselves.
24"Adrian's Phantom Staff Car"Jean YarbroughRobert C. Dennis & Earl BarretMarch 7, 1965 (1965-03-07)
Stanley and Selma allow Adrian's Rolls-Royce staff car to roll off a cliff and into a tree. They have to scramble to limit the consequences.
25"Adrian Gets the Boot"Jean YarbroughJack Harvey & Iving TaylorMarch 14, 1965 (1965-03-14)
Adrian orders the WAVES to undergo boot-camp training while continuing with their motorpool duties. The WAVES fight back by faking an order for Adrian to undergo basic training.
26"Filet on the Hoof"Jean YarbroughElroy SchwartzMarch 21, 1965 (1965-03-21)
Adrian smuggles a steer onto the island. After he discovers that Anne is allergic to animal hair, he assigns her to fatten up the steer.
27"The Great Ranakai Mutiny"Hollingsworth MorseRobert C. Dennis & Earl BarretMarch 28, 1965 (1965-03-28)
After Adrian begins shooting at an imaginary polar bear, Ensign Beasley takes command of the base.
28"Ann Morgan's Home Movies"Hollingsworth MorseStory by : Stan Dreben & Howard Merrill
Teleplay by : Bruce Howard
April 4, 1965 (1965-04-04)
Adrian has movies of the WAVES taken during an unguarded moment so he can use them as evidence that they are neglecting their duties.
29"Witchcraft a Go-Go"Hollingsworth MorseElroy SchwartzApril 11, 1965 (1965-04-11)
Roberta develops extrasensory perception, which causes Adrian to use him to contact his wife, an 18th-century Hawaiian king, Napoleon's cook, and a Chinese emperor who reigned in 6 AD.
30"Once Upon an Island"Frank McDonaldBruce Howard & Bud NyeApril 18, 1965 (1965-04-18)
During the flight to Brisbane for the WAVES' court martial, the airplane door inadvertently opens, which causes Adrian, the WAVES, Ensign Beasley, and Lt. Trotter to sail out over the South Pacific. (Originally, this was supposed to be the last show of the series, but two shelved first-run episodes were broadcast later.)
31"Miss Ranakai"Jean YarbroughWilliam Raynor & Myles WilderApril 25, 1965 (1965-04-25)
Adrian stages a beauty contest to create jealousy among the WAVES. (This was filmed earlier in the season, but pre-empted; Don Edmonds appears instead of Arnold Stang.)
32"Operation Clip-Joint"Charles BartonRay Brenner & Barry BlitzerMay 2, 1965 (1965-05-02)
When Molly needs money for her nephew's operation, Adrian suggests a fund-raising party. He then arranges to raid the party in the company of Admiral Bradford. (Filmed earlier in the season, this had been pre-empted; Don Edmonds appears instead of Arnold Stang.)

References

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  1. ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2007-10-16). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present (9 ed.). Ballantine Books. p. 184. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
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