Mail call brings a note from Gloria to hubby Christy that a neighbor will let her use his ham radio to call Christy so he can hear their little baby girl say "Da-Da" which she has just learned to do.
Since McHale's boys haven't done anything lately to annoy the captain, McHale and Parker go to ask if they can use the base's radio, for the time Christy's wife will be calling is that very evening, 5 o'clock Taratupa time.
McHale comes into Binghamton's office and tells the captain he'd like to ask a little favor, and talks about using the radio room that evening-before he tells him why. This was a rare instance of Quinton being stupid. Even with Binghamton, he might have gotten permission had he asked this way: "Sir, mail call today brought news from Christy's wife that their little girl can now say "da-da." She is going to try to call on the radio tonight so Christy can hear the little girl he's never even seen. Could we use the radio just long enough for a short time for this?"
Instead, Binghamton hears they want a favor and he immediately suspects hanky-panky and not only tells them they can't but orders Elroy to stand guard with a machine gun outside and to make sure none of McHale's men goes near that radio shack.
So the boys create a diversion to take Carpy away from his post-Tinker disguised as a nurse, calling for help as Virgil carries her into the trees near the radio hut. Carpenter chases after them, but somehow can't catch them. They get inside and talk to Christy's wife, but she cannot get the little girl to say anything. They lose communication thanks to Japanese soldiers jamming their frequency. The Japs hear the Da-Da and other baby talk and think it is some kind of code.
Binghamton comes by to check and he and Carpenter wind up catching them next to the hut, with Tinker in his nurse's outfit, so he plans to bring them all up on court martial charges-including Tinker charged with "impersonating a nurse...in a war zone."
But before he can act on these charges, Admiral Rogers phones and he wants Binghamton to send out every boat to find that Japanese jamming station-including the 73.
The men go out, and thanks to dumb luck by Parker, who explodes a hand grenade that chases the enemy away, leaving behind a working ham radio. So before turning it in, our guys take it back to their base to try tomorrow night to see if Christy can hear Da-Da.
Trying to figure out the Japanese radio, Willy keeps using the jamming frequency-and a US ship tracks where the jamming signals are coming from. A phone call tells Binghamton map coordinates, and he pin-points that the signals are coming from McHale's Island. He and some SPs raid the hut where they hear the communication-they too first think the baby talk is some kind of code-but once Binghamton is convinced that the story about Christy and his daughter is the truth, he melts like a new daddy, happily talking to the little girl, who is heard, not seen, saying "Da-Da and other things as everyone enjoys seeing the captain in a good mood.
The unevenness of Binghamton's character here makes much of this show ludicrous. He is too nasty in denying use of the radio and not giving McHale a chance to explain why he wants it. Ordering Carpenter to take a tommy gun when standing guard is quite excessive. Then he softens like butter in an oven on hearing the little girl-telling everyone how much he'd wishes he had had children.
The notion that Elroy couldn't catch up to Virgil while carrying Tinker also doesn't ring true.
There were some laughs, but overall this was just a weak episode. A 5.
Since McHale's boys haven't done anything lately to annoy the captain, McHale and Parker go to ask if they can use the base's radio, for the time Christy's wife will be calling is that very evening, 5 o'clock Taratupa time.
McHale comes into Binghamton's office and tells the captain he'd like to ask a little favor, and talks about using the radio room that evening-before he tells him why. This was a rare instance of Quinton being stupid. Even with Binghamton, he might have gotten permission had he asked this way: "Sir, mail call today brought news from Christy's wife that their little girl can now say "da-da." She is going to try to call on the radio tonight so Christy can hear the little girl he's never even seen. Could we use the radio just long enough for a short time for this?"
Instead, Binghamton hears they want a favor and he immediately suspects hanky-panky and not only tells them they can't but orders Elroy to stand guard with a machine gun outside and to make sure none of McHale's men goes near that radio shack.
So the boys create a diversion to take Carpy away from his post-Tinker disguised as a nurse, calling for help as Virgil carries her into the trees near the radio hut. Carpenter chases after them, but somehow can't catch them. They get inside and talk to Christy's wife, but she cannot get the little girl to say anything. They lose communication thanks to Japanese soldiers jamming their frequency. The Japs hear the Da-Da and other baby talk and think it is some kind of code.
Binghamton comes by to check and he and Carpenter wind up catching them next to the hut, with Tinker in his nurse's outfit, so he plans to bring them all up on court martial charges-including Tinker charged with "impersonating a nurse...in a war zone."
But before he can act on these charges, Admiral Rogers phones and he wants Binghamton to send out every boat to find that Japanese jamming station-including the 73.
The men go out, and thanks to dumb luck by Parker, who explodes a hand grenade that chases the enemy away, leaving behind a working ham radio. So before turning it in, our guys take it back to their base to try tomorrow night to see if Christy can hear Da-Da.
Trying to figure out the Japanese radio, Willy keeps using the jamming frequency-and a US ship tracks where the jamming signals are coming from. A phone call tells Binghamton map coordinates, and he pin-points that the signals are coming from McHale's Island. He and some SPs raid the hut where they hear the communication-they too first think the baby talk is some kind of code-but once Binghamton is convinced that the story about Christy and his daughter is the truth, he melts like a new daddy, happily talking to the little girl, who is heard, not seen, saying "Da-Da and other things as everyone enjoys seeing the captain in a good mood.
The unevenness of Binghamton's character here makes much of this show ludicrous. He is too nasty in denying use of the radio and not giving McHale a chance to explain why he wants it. Ordering Carpenter to take a tommy gun when standing guard is quite excessive. Then he softens like butter in an oven on hearing the little girl-telling everyone how much he'd wishes he had had children.
The notion that Elroy couldn't catch up to Virgil while carrying Tinker also doesn't ring true.
There were some laughs, but overall this was just a weak episode. A 5.