"F Troop" (1965) TV series 1965-1967

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Creator:

Richard M. Bluel

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

8 September 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | War | Western

Plot:

Becoming a hero by accidentally leading a cavalry charge the wrong way, Lieutenant Wilton Parmenter is given command of Fort Courage...

Plot Keywords:

Fort | U.S. Cavalry | Beautiful Woman | Hekawi Tribe | Army Life

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Forrest Tucker	...	Sgt. Morgan O'Rourke / ... (65 episodes, 1965-1967)
Larry Storch	...	Cpl. Randolph Agarn / ... (65 episodes, 1965-1967)
Ken Berry	...	Capt. Wilton Parmenter / ... (65 episodes, 1965-1967)
Melody Patterson	...	Wrangler Jane Angelica Thrift (65 episodes, 1965-1967)
James Hampton	...	Hannibal Dobbs / ... (65 episodes, 1965-1967)
Frank DeKova	...	Chief Wild Eagle / ... (63 episodes, 1965-1967)
Bob Steele	...	Trooper Duffy (63 episodes, 1965-1967)
Don Diamond	...	Crazy Cat / ... (50 episodes, 1965-1967)
Joe Brooks	...	Trooper Vanderbilt / ... (48 episodes, 1965-1967)
Ivan Bell	...	Trooper Duddleson / ... (41 episodes, 1965-1967)
Ben Frommer	...	Smokey Bear / ... (30 episodes, 1965-1967)

Runtime:

30 min (65 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (season 2) | Black and White (season 1)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Kanab Movie Ranch - 5001 Angel Canyon Road, Kanab, Utah, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Television

Trivia:

The group playing The Bedbugs in the episode "That's Showbiz" was a group known as The Factory. Their frontman, Lowell George, would later gain fame with Little Feat and as a songwriter for other artists.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In a couple of episodes, there are references to the Battle of Little Big Horn. However, this show is set in a period roughly around 1865 to 1867 a full ten years before that battle ever took place.

Quotes:

Sergeant Morgan O'Rourke: F Troop just wouldn't be the same without the Old Man, sir.
Captain Wilton Parmenter: What Old Man?
Sergeant Morgan O'Rourke: Why, you, sir. You're the Old Man.
Captain Wilton Parmenter: That's right. I keep forgetting I'm the Old Man around here.

Movie Connections:

Featured in TV's Illest Minority Moments Presented by Ego Trip (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

F Troop

"Who says I'm dumb?"

Although it only ran for two seasons, "F Troop" was a consistently hilarious western spoof that should have stayed on much longer. It didn't just stick to satirizing westerns--the show managed to throw in vampires (Vincent Price showed up in one episode), James Bond-ish secret agents (Pat Harrington as "Agent B. Wise"), rock bands (Agarn leaves the army to manage a group called The Bedbugs) and just about anything else they could think of. The show was crammed with memorable characters: Ken Berry's well intentioned but bumbling Capt. Parmenter, Forrest Tucker's scheming capitalist Sgt. O'Rourke, Larry Storch's loyal but not particularly bright Cpl. Agarn, Joe Brooks' sight-impaired lookout Cpl. Vanderbilt. The real find, though, was Frank DeKova as Chief Wild Eagle. DeKova parlayed his sinister, menacing appearance into a career of playing cold-hearted killers and various psychos. As conniving Chief Wild Eagle, though, he showed a flair for comed y that was wholly unexpected. Although he went over the top sometimes, he was consistently fun to watch, and you really looked forward to his appearances. There were some truly funny running gags (Parmenter's "Please Jane, not in front of the men" whenever Jane tried to put the moves on him; directions to Fort Courage that always went, "Make a left at the rock that looks like a bear, then a right at the bear that looks like a rock"), but the one that everyone remembers is when O'Rourke would say to Agan, "I don't know why everybody says you're so dumb", and then ten minutes later, in the middle of another scene, Agarn would turn to O'Rourke and say, "Who says I'm dumb?" A truly funny show that should have lasted longer than it did.

P.S. There's a blooper reel in circulation that has about 10 minutes of "F Troop" outtakes on it. If you ever come across it, snap it up. It's even funnier (and far dirtier!) than the stuff that made it into the show.