F Troop
Cover art from the 2006 DVD release of the 1st season of F Troop showing stars (clockwise from top) Forrest Tucker, Larry Storch, Melody Patterson and Ken Berry
Genre	Comedy
Created by	Richard Bluel Seaman Jacobs Ed James Jim Barnett
Starring	Ken Berry Forrest Tucker Larry Storch Melody Patterson James Hampton Frank Dekova Bob Steele Joe Brooks
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	65
Production
Running time	Approx. 22 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	ABC
Original run	September 14, 1965 – April 6, 1967
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

F Troop is a satirical American television sitcom that originally aired from 1965-1967 on ABC. It premiered in the United States on September 14, 1965, ran for two seasons and finished its first run on April 6, 1967, for a total of 65 thirty-minute episodes. It originally began as a black and white series. It premiered on the ITV network in the UK on October 29, 1968, and was repeatedly screened until July 16, 1974. The series was also broadcast nationally in Australia on ABC-TV. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Forrest Tucker (right) in Cosmic Monsters. ... Larry Storch (born January 8, 1923) is an American actor best known for his comedic television roles, including voiceover work for cartoons, and his live-action role the bumbling Corporal Randolph Agarn on F Troop. ... Melody Patterson is an actress best known for her role as Wrangler Jane in the 1960s TV series F Troop. ... Kenneth Ronald Ken Berry (born November 3, 1933, in Moline, Illinois) is an American dancer, and comedic actor. ... Comedy has a classical meaning (comical theatre) and a popular one (the use of humour with an intent to provoke[[ laughter in general). ... Ed James is the host of Heart Breakfast with Ed James on West Midlands Radio Station 100. ... // History Jim Barnett begun its game working in 1991. ... Kenneth Ronald Ken Berry (born November 3, 1933, in Moline, Illinois) is an American dancer, and comedic actor. ... Forrest Tucker (right) in Cosmic Monsters. ... Larry Storch (born January 8, 1923) is an American actor best known for his comedic television roles, including voiceover work for cartoons, and his live-action role the bumbling Corporal Randolph Agarn on F Troop. ... Melody Patterson is an actress best known for her role as Wrangler Jane in the 1960s TV series F Troop. ... James Hampton (born July 9, 1936) is an American actor best known for his roles in The Doris Day Show, The Longest Yard, Teen Wolf (1985), Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach (1988) and Sling Blade (1996). ... Frank Dekova Italian actor (born March 17,1910) once taught languages as a school teacher in New York. ... Bob Steele was born Robert Adrian Bradbury in 1907 in Portland, Oregon, into a vaudeville family. ... Joe Brooks is a British singer from South Hampton UK. He is very talented, doing shows with the Jonas Brothers and Jesse Mcartney. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The American Broadcasting Company ( oftenly known as ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... September 14 is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... The American Broadcasting Company ( oftenly known as ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... September 14 is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Black-and-white is a broad adjectival term used to describe a number of monochrome forms of visual arts. ... It has been suggested that Channel 3 (UK) be merged into this article or section. ... October 29 is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1968 Gregorian calendar. ... July 16 is the 197th day (198th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 168 days remaining. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... The Australian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC is Australias national non-profit public broadcaster. ...

Story

F Troop is set at Fort Courage, Kansas, a fictional United States Army outpost in the West, in 1865, the year the American Civil War ended. The commanding officer at Fort Courage is the gallant but chronically clumsy and accident-prone Captain Wilton Parmenter (Ken Berry), the descendant of a long line of military leaders. He is awarded the Medal of Honor after accidentally instigating the final charge at the Battle of Appomattox: he is meant to call "retreat", but he sneezes just as he is about to speak and his troops mistake this for the order "Charge!" His superiors soon realize his ineptitude and post him to remote Fort Courage, a dumping ground for the least useful or trustworthy soldiers. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The United States Army is the largest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... The cowboy, the quintessential symbol of the American Old West, circa 1888. ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total... Kenneth Ronald Ken Berry (born November 3, 1933, in Moline, Illinois) is an American dancer, and comedic actor. ... The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Ulysses S. Grant Robert E. Lee # Strength Army of the Potomac, Army of the James Army of Northern Virginia Casualties 164[1] ~500 killed and wounded[1] 27,805 surrendered and paroled The Battle of Appomattox Courthouse was the final...

Much of the humor on the show was derived from the schemes of Captain Parmenter's non-commissioned officers, Sergeant O'Rourke, and Corporal Agarn, and the local Indian tribe, the Hekawis, alternately seeking to expand and conceal their enterprising business, as well as the struggles of Parmenter to exert his authority and escape the matrimonial plans of his girlfriend, shopkeeper "Wrangler" Jane. A matrimonial is a form of advertisement, such as those placed in the classified section of a newspaper, presenting personal information about a person so that they can get married to another individual. ...

Opening theme music

The circumstances of the F Troop story line are illustrated in the show's opening theme:

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!

Regular characters

Parmenter's subordinates at Fort Courage include the devious Sergeant Morgan O'Rourke (Forrest Tucker), the Sgt. Bilko of his day, and his dimwitted sidekick, Corporal Randolph Agarn (Larry Storch), O'Rourke's business partner in the illegal O'Rourke Enterprises. O'Rourke's business dealings involve illegally running the local saloon and an exclusive-rights treaty with the local Indian tribe (the Hekawi) to sell their "authentic" souvenirs to tourists. Forrest Tucker (right) in Cosmic Monsters. ... Opening Logo The Phil Silvers Show (originally titled Youll Never Get Rich) was a comedy television series which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959 for a total of 143 episodes (including a 1959 special). ... Larry Storch (born January 8, 1923) is an American actor best known for his comedic television roles, including voiceover work for cartoons, and his live-action role the bumbling Corporal Randolph Agarn on F Troop. ... Look up saloon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Single European Act A treaty is a binding agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely states and international organizations. ...

Captain Parmenter, the "Scourge of the Appomattox", is credited with keeping the peace, which is in fact really kept by O'Rourke's secret treaty with the Hekawi. When the need to keep up appearances arises, the troopers and the Hekawi stage mock battles for the benefit of outsiders.

Love interest is provided by Captain Parmenter's beautiful but tomboyish girlfriend "Wrangler" Jane Angelica Thrift (played by then 15 1/2-year old Melody Patterson), who runs the local general store. She is determined to marry the naive Parmenter and is often obliged to rescue him from his various predicaments. A tomboy is typically described as a girl who behaves according to the gender role of a boy, though the term is also applied to women. ... Melody Patterson is an actress best known for her role as Wrangler Jane in the 1960s TV series F Troop. ...

Other regular characters troopers include F Troop's inept bugler, Private Hannibal Shirley Dobbs (James Hampton), who can only play "Yankee Doodle and "Dixie" with regularity, tunes like Reveille, Assembly and Retreat he can only occasionally play well; Private Vanderbilt (Joe Brooks), the legally blind lookout (20/900 in each eye, according to Agarn); Private Duffy (1930s western star Bob Steele), a slightly senile survivor of the Alamo. Private Hoffenmueller (John Mitchum), who can speak Hekawi, Sioux and many other languages however cannot speak English as his original language is German; Private Duddleson (Ivan Bell) the sleepy, 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. Military bugle in Bâ™­ A French marine bugler at a ceremony in Kuwait City celebrating the success of Operation Desert Storm in 1991 Bugler redirects here. ... James Hampton (born July 9, 1936) is an American actor best known for his roles in The Doris Day Show, The Longest Yard, Teen Wolf (1985), Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach (1988) and Sling Blade (1996). ... Yankee Doodle is a well-known American song, often sung patriotically today . ... DIXIE is an obsolete protocol for accessing X.500 directory services. ... Joe Brooks is a British singer from South Hampton UK. He is very talented, doing shows with the Jonas Brothers and Jesse Mcartney. ... Bob Steele was born Robert Adrian Bradbury in 1907 in Portland, Oregon, into a vaudeville family. ... Alamo may mean: The Battle of the Alamo, a battle fought during the Texas Revolution Alamo Mission in San Antonio, a building in Texas which was the focus of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836 Alamo Beer, a brand from King of the Hill TV series Alamo Rent A...

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 regular "Indian" characters (none of whom were really Native American) include Chief Wild Eagle (Frank Dekova), his assistant and heir-apparent Crazy Cat (Don Diamond), and aged medicine man Roaring Chicken (veteran actor Edward Everett Horton). Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska. ... Frank Dekova Italian actor (born March 17,1910) once taught languages as a school teacher in New York. ... Edward Everett Horton (March 18, 1886 - September 29, 1970) was an American actor with a long career including motion pictures, theater, radio, television and voice work for animated cartoons. ...

Creation and production

Although the show's opening credits claim F Troop was created by Richard Bluel, a final arbitration by the Writer's Guild of America eventually gave Seaman Jacobs, Ed James, and Jim Barnett credit. Arbitration is a legal technique for the resolution of disputes outside the courts, wherein the parties to a dispute refer it to one or more persons (the arbitrators or arbitral tribunal), by whose decision (the award) they agree to be bound. ... The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is the collective bargaining representative, or labor union, for writers in the motion picture and television industries. ... Ed James is the host of Heart Breakfast with Ed James on West Midlands Radio Station 100. ... // History Jim Barnett begun its game working in 1991. ...

Episode writers included Arthur Julian, Stan Dreben (Green Acres), Seaman Jacobs, Howard Merrill (The Dick van Dyke Show), Ed James 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. Green Acres was an American television series that was produced by Filmways, Inc. ... The Dick Van Dyke Show was an American television situation comedy which aired on CBS from October 3, 1961 to September 7, 1966. ... Ed James is the host of Heart Breakfast with Ed James on West Midlands Radio Station 100. ... James B. Allardice (b. ... The Munsters was a 1960s American television sitcom depicting the home life of a family of horror movie monsters. ... My Three Sons was a television series sitcom that ran from September 29, 1960 to August 24, 1972. ... Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. was a television series that ran on CBS from 1964 to 1969, with episodes rerun in mid-1970. ... Hogans Heroes was an American television situation comedy that ran from September 17, 1965 to July 4, 1971 on the CBS network for 168 episodes. ...

The series was directed by Charles Rondeau and Leslie Goodwins and produced by William T. Orr and Hy Averback. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

The story is in some ways a comedy derivative of the John Wayne film, Fort Apache (a running joke in the film is the number of soldiers at the fort named O'Rourke). In actual fact, it bears more than a slight resemblance to a 1964 Glenn Ford film called Advance to the Rear, which appeared just one year before F Troop aired. John Wayne (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979) was an iconic, Academy Award-winning, American film actor. ... Fort Apache is a 1948 western film starring John Wayne and Henry Fonda and directed by John Ford. ... Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Glenn Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was an acclaimed Canadian-born actor from Hollywoods Golden Era with a career that spanned seven decades. ... Advance to the Rear is a light-hearted western comedy film set in the American Civil War. ...

The entire series was shot on the Warner Bros. backlot and sound stages in Southern California. Warner Bros. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ...

Syndication and afterlife

Although only two seasons were produced, F Troop enjoyed a very healthy second life in syndication, much like fellow two year run entries The Munsters, 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 the fact that there were only 65 episodes to run. The Munsters was a 1960s American television sitcom depicting the home life of a family of horror movie monsters. ... The Monkees were a pop-rock quartet created and based in Los Angeles in 1965 for an NBC American television series of the same name. ... The Addams Family is a creation of American cartoonist Charles Addams that appears in print cartoons, television shows, movies and video games. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ...

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-white episodes and three color episodes. Previously, the series had been digitally remastered and released on ten VHS tapes by Columbia House in 1998, with 30 of the 65 episodes represented in that series. September 27 is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Black-and-white or black and white) can refer to a general term used in photography, film, and other media (see black-and-white). ...

Following the successful sales from the "Television Favorites" release, Warner Home Video released F Troop: The Complete First Season, with all 34 black-and-white episodes included.

Warner Bros. has also announced it will, on May 29, 2007, release The Complete Second Season of F Troop. The DVD will feature interviews with original F Troop cast members, writers and other production personnel, not to mention behind-the-scenes information. May 29 is the 149th day of the year (150th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

Notable guest stars

The program featured guest-starring roles and/or cameo appearances by:

• Sterling Holloway (the voice of Disney's Winnie The Pooh)
• Don Rickles as Chief Wild Eagle's obnoxious son Bald Eagle
• U.S. TV legend Milton Berle as a crooked Indian detective Wise Owl
• Acerbic comedian Paul Lynde as Sgt. Ramsden
• Cliff Arquette, better known as Charley Weaver from Hollywood Squares, as General Sam Courage, the Fort's namesake
• Veteran Hollywood character actor Jack Elam
• Jamie Farr (best known as Klinger from M*A*S*H) as "Standup Bull"
• Lee Meriwether and Julie Newmar, both of whom played Catwoman in the 1960s television series Batman
• TV veteran Parley Baer
• Mike Mazurki (Geronimo)
• Zsa Zsa Gabor as a traveling gypsy
• Vincent Price as Count Sforza, a suspected vampire
• Phil Harris as 147-year old Flaming Arrow, determined to take back their land
• Harvey Korman as Heinrich Von Zeppel, a Prussian balloonist
• Henry Gibson as "Wrongo" Starr, an extremely unlucky soldier
• Little Feat guitarist Lowell George and drummer Richie Hayward as members of the anachronistic Beatlesque band, the Bedbugs.[1], [2]

Sterling Price Holloway, Jr. ... Donald Jay Rickles (born May 8, 1926 in New York City, New York) is an American comedian and actor. ... Milton Berle (July 12, 1908 - March 27, 2002) was an American comedian who was born Milton Berlinger according to his birth certificate. ... Paul Edward Lynde (June 13, 1926-January 10, 1982) was an American comedian and actor. ... Clifford Arquette (December 28, 1905–September 23, 1974) was an actor and comedian, famous for his role as Charley Weaver. ... The Hollywood Squares title screen The Hollywood Squares was an American television comedy and game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win money and prizes. ... Jack Elam (November 13, 1920 — October 20, 2003) was an American film actor. ... Jamie Farr (born Jameel Joseph Farah on July 1, 1934) is an American television and film actor and popular game show panelist. ... M*A*S*H at the Internet Movie Database Finest Kind - Fan Site w/ News, Episode Guides, Video Clips U.K. Fan Site w/ Interviews, Episode Guides Best Care Anywhere - Fan Site w/ Episode Guides, Memorable Moments TV Tome Yahoo Groups M*A*S*H email discussion group Categories: Comedy... Lee Meriwether in The Time Tunnel. ... Julie Newmar as Catwoman Julie Newmar (born August 16, 1933 as Julia Charlene Newmeyer) is an American actress, dancer, and singer. ... Catwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics Batman franchise and created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Parley Baer (August 5, 1915 - November 22, 2002) was an American character actor in film, television, and radio. ... Mazurki in Nightmare Alley (1947) Mike Mazurki (born Mihailo Mazurski on December 25, 1907 in Tarnopol, Galicia, Austria-Hungary (now Ternopil, Ukraine); died December 9, 1990 in Glendale, California) was a Ukrainian-born actor and professional wrestler who appeared in over 100 movies. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Zsa Zsa Gábor (born Sári Gábor on February 6, 1917)) is a Hungarian-American actress and socialite. ... Vincent Leonard Price Jr. ... Phil Harris and Alice Faye Phil Harris (born Wonga Philip Harris) (June 24, 1904 – August 11, 1995) was an American singer, songwriter, jazz musician and comedian. ... Actor Harvey Korman in the 1974 comedy Blazing Saddles. ... Henry Gibson (born September 21, 1935 in Germantown, Pennsylvania) is an American actor who was famous as a cast member of Rowan and Martins Laugh-In. ... Lowell George (born April 13, 1945 in Hollywood, CA - June 29, 1979) was an American musician, singer and guitarist, with the rock group Little Feat and as a solo artist. ... Richie Hayward (born February 6, 1946 in Clear Lake, Iowa) is a world class drummer and one of the founding members of the band Little Feat. ... An anachronism (from Greek ana, back, and chronos, time) is an artifact that belongs to another time, a person who seems to be displaced in time (i. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Feature film

F Troop is currently being developed into a feature film by writer/director, Bob Logan (Repossessed, Meatballs 4, Up Your Alley, Yard Sale).^{[citation needed]} Bob Logan, sometimes called Bobby Logan, is an American film director and writer. ... Repossessed was a 1990 comedy film that spoofed The Exorcist. ... Released in 1992 is the fourth installment to the Meatballs franchise. ... Up Your Alley is the thirteenth episode of the first season of the American television comedy show, Home Improvement. ...

External links

• F Troop at the Internet Movie Database
• BBC Comedy Guide
• F Troop Episode Guide
• F Troop fan site