Unlike "Gilligan's Island" and many other TV comedies from the 60's "F-Troop" wasn't quite as large in syndication as other shows. As a result my memories of the show are pleasant and fond. I don't feel that the show overstayed its welcome because it didn't get quite the constant rotation of many other comedies from the 60's. Watching it again recently I could easily see why the show didn't make the big splash of "Gilligan's Island" - while the actors are terrific (particularly Ken Berry who's comedic skills were often under utilized later in his career with the exception of one or two TV shows) the material was funny but not gut busting. Nor did the show break the conventions of the genre such as shows like the satirical "Captain Nice" (a TV comedy about a superhero starring William Daniels that was created by Buck Henry which SHOULD see a DVD release even though it lasted a paltry 15 episodes before NBC cancelled it in 1967). ***

F-Troop a fort on the edge of the wild frontier. The fort is run by bumbling but lovable Captain Wilton Parmenter (Ken Berry). Although he "runs" the fort it really belongs to two lovable con men named Sgt. O'Rourke (Forrest Tucker) and Cpl. Agarn (Larry Storch) who manage to do everything from selling bootleg whiskey to making off with army supplies and returning with a profit. Add in the dead eye shot Wrangler Jane (Melody Patterson) who is in love with the clueless Parmenter and you've got potential for comedic hi jinks that the show just doesn't deliver on. Part of the problem was the weak and stale writing on the series. Kids wouldn't notice a vaudeville joke that was older than stale bread but most adults would. The cast did the best that they could with the material and made the show better than it was. Often fondly remembered by boomers, the show just doesn't have the chops to make it worth picking up on DVD. Interestingly, Storch and Tucker became something of a comedy team appearing in other projects together. The show is mildly entertaining.

We get a 30 minute documentary on the series "Fall in with F Troop" featuring Ken Berry discussing the show and its impact on the career of the performers. Since the show ran for two seasons, it had enough episodes to carry on in syndication insuring that the show was seen by more kids than when it originally ran.

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