Classic TV show review - "CPO Sharkey"

     TV shows come and TV go. Some vanish into obscurity, some live forever on reruns. As a general rule, a TV show has to have at least three seasons to be considered for syndication.
     The list of shows that failed is nearly endless. Some shows last two seasons. Many just last one. Some are cut off mid-season and only produce 13 or so episodes. These are usually long forgotten, never to be seen on the airwaves or cablecast again. 
     Then came the internet. Tons of forgotten content are again available for your enjoyment. As a young teen, I always wanted to join the military. I thought I was going to join the Army.
     In December of 1976, a new show come on which caught my attention. It was a TV about Navy boot camp. It was "CPO SHARKEY", starring Don Rickles, an actual Navy veteran. I can't say for sure if this show pushed me towards the Navy, but it did make the Navy seem loke allot of fun.
     Forty six years after my own boot camp experience, I decided to watch both seasons and all 37 episodes. It was free on tubing. I can say that it's entertaining, funny, but full of little technical errors.
     For example, in the opening credits, Rickles is leading a company of recruits. The scene was shot during the fall of 1976, so this was probably Company 76-202. I was on that same "grinder" (parade ground) three years later in Company 79-128. The recruits in the opening and closing scenes are wearing the 1970s era "utility uniform", the same uniform that I wore in boot camp.

     In the photo below is me wearing the same uniform in the summer of 1979. The Utility uniform.

     A major error is wearing of the classic "dungaree" uniform, seen below. This was discontinued sometime after 1970 and reauthorized in the fall of 1979. The shirts, however are stenciled in the proper place, but seem to be way to heavy. As you can see on my shirt, you can barely see the stencil. 
     You'll also notice the the pillar has a stencil on it. That is correct. EVERYTHING in your barracks is stenciled with it's proper naval name. Examples:
A column is a "stanchion".
A column that is part of a wall is a "frame".
The wall Is a "bulkhead".
Stairs are a "ladder".
Floor is "deck".
Ceiling is overhead.
Any decks above you are "topside"
Any decks below you are "below".
Outside the barracks are the "weather decks".
     Another major error are the haircuts. Way too much hair on these guys.

      A very basic error is on the chief. Below you see him wearing a red shoulder cord, which Company Commanders (CC) wear. Missing, however is the the CC badge, worn on the left pocket. As a CC, he should also be wearing the proper name tag above the right pocket, the same way Seaman Pruitt is wearing his in this photo.

     Seaman Pruitt is a major enigma. He's been placed in a leadership position above the recruits. He is wearing a US. Army infantry shoulder cord. According to what I have read, he woukd not be authorized to wesr that, since he is not currently in an infantry formation. His belt buckle is not properly adjusted. There should be NO black showing between the belt buckle and belt tip. His rank shows him to be a Seaman (E-3). His lack of "striker badge" indicates that he is a "non rate" and simply a deck seaman who has not chosen a particular "rate" or profession to pursue. He's only there for comic relief. Sort of a Navy Barney Fife.
     To clarify what a "striker badge" is, the photo below shows the same rank as Pruitt, but a different "rate". Pruitt's rank is Seaman or simply SN. The photo below shows that same rank but different rate. This example is an Ocean Systems Technician Seaman or OTSN. This sailor is already on a professional course. When this sailor is promoted, it will be to the rank of Petty Officer Third Class (or PO3), but the rate will be Ocean Systems Technician Third Class (or OT3). Pruitt should be on a ship learning new skills and not in boot camp leading.


     In this photo, you see the Navy enlisted dress blue uniform. It was part of the group of uniforms which included the summer blues, tropical white longs, winter blues, and winter working blues. In the summer of 1979, the dress blue was being phased out and the old style dress blue was being returned. 

This uniform is known as the dress blues, also known as "Cracker Jacks"
Summer dress whites

Tropical white longs
Summer blues

Winter blues

Dungarees, working uniform.

     Despite all the errors, the show was funny. I loved it. Great memories.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Strangest Photo I Have Ever Taken (so far!)

Image
     After over years it's really hard to remember details. I do remember that it was Hong Kong, back when it was a British Crown Colony. I remember it being a warm, cloudy, and humid that day. I don't recall the exact date, but I think it was January of 1981. The tropical climate of Hong Kong makes for very nice winters!       The exact details of that day are a blur of activity. You wake up in the morning, shower, get dressed, leave the ship via water taxi, land at the pier, go ashore, exchange money, and then hit the streets.      There is lots to do and see in Hong Kong. Every street was a story waiting to be told. The air was filled with strange languages and strange odors. At markets and street corners, vendors were selling strange foods. At that time, the Navy recruiting commercials proclaimed, "It's not just a job, it's an adventure;." Well, this was the adventure part.      ...
Read more

The Contender

Image
     The light was so bright, all he could see was white. The pain in his eyes faded as the light subsided. Slowly, colors came into view. The blue of the floor stood out. A table with items in various colors sat to his left. The wall had no color. It was a light grey.      Slowly things came in to focus. The grey wall was now a cinder block wall which was painted in a smooth, glossy, light grey paint. The table also came into focus. A stack of neatly folded towels were on the table as were a number of metal boxes. He could now see that there were several notices hung on the wall in front of him. To his left was another wall with a row of hooks. Upon each hook were satin robes of various colors.      Juan noticed that he was sitting on the long edge of a long, narrow table. The table had a thin cushion of the same dimensions and was covered in a white sheet. He also noticed that his feet were dangling about a foot from the floor. ...
Read more

The Mexican lullaby.

Image
     In the American tradition, you have "The Boogey Man", a mythical figure of uncertain appearance and equally uncertain characteristics. It was used as an implied threat to children to force compliance to a certain behavior or to get them to avoid doing things they shouldn't do.      Parents might say, "Don't go there or the Boogey Man will get you!" As far as I know, no one ever says what the Boogey Man will  do to you. Just the threat of the Boogey Man getting you is enough of an incentive not to do things.      In Mexican culture, we have two scary creatures. The first is "El Cucuy." This creature originated in Spain and Portugal and was known as "El Coco." Like the Boogey Man, El Cucuy is used to scare children into compliance.       There is also a female scary figure in Latin America - "La Llorona" or "Crying Woman."      Legends vary, but generally, she is the ghost of a women who committed a ...
Read more