''Broadside'' is an American sitcom that aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

during the 1964–1965 TV season. The series, produced by '' McHale's Navy'' creator Edward Montagne, starred Kathleen Nolan, formerly of '' The Real McCoys''.

Synopsis

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 Sheila (alternatively spelled Shelagh and Sheelagh) is a common feminine given name, derived from the Irish name ''Síle'', which is believed to be a Gaelic form of the Latin name Caelia, the feminine form of the Roman clan name Caelius, meani ...

), the alternately chipper and worried Molly McGuire (Lois Roberts), the slow-witted blonde and former exotic dancer Roberta Love (

Joan Staley Joan Staley (born Joan Lynette McConchie; May 20, 1940 – November 24, 2019) was an American actress and model. Early life Staley was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the daughter of James and Jean McConchie. Her father was a minister, a ...

), and the unit's only male recruit, Marion Botnik (

Jimmy Boyd Jimmy Devon Boyd (January 9, 1939 – March 7, 2009) was an American singer, musician, and actor known for his 1952 recording of the song "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus". Early years Jimmy Boyd was born in 1939 Mississippi into a musical fam ...

), 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 gave him co-star billing. 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 motor pool. ''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. Though ratings weren't 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).

Cast

* Kathleen Nolan as Lieutenant Anne Morgan * Edward Andrews as Commander Roger Adrian * Dick Sargent as Lieutenant Maxwell Trotter * Jimmy Boyd as Marion Botnik * George Furth as Ensign Beasley * Sheila James as Selma Kowalski * Lois Roberts as Molly Maguire * Joan Staley as Roberta Love * Arnold Stang as 1st Class Stanley Stubbs

Episodes

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0057738, Broadside 1964 American television series debuts 1965 American television series endings 1960s American sitcoms American Broadcasting Company original programming American television spin-offs Black-and-white American television shows English-language television shows Military comedy television series Television series by Universal Television World War II television comedy series Television series set in 1944 McHale's Navy