Sept. 6, 1964 - Physical fitness will play an important role on television this season. Five new shows will emphasize the excitement of military life and the rigors of basic training.
“The Lieutenant,” last season’s view of the U.S. Marine Corps, gave its last performance over the weekend, but the Marines will be back again in “Gomer Pyle.”
The comedy, on CBS, deals with a naive hillbilly. It will have an appropriate counterpart on ABC, which will offer “No Time for Sergeants.” That show deals with a naive hillbilly — in the Army.
Besides “Sergeants” and two military holdovers — “McHale’s Navy” and “Combat” — ABC will present “Broadside,” described as a “nautical comedy” set on a Navy base in the South Pacific during World War II; “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea,” an adventure into science fiction aboard an atomic submarine; and “Twelve O’Clock High,” which pays its respects to the Air Force.
“Actually, I don’t believe these programs can be grouped together,” said Edgar Scherick, vice president for programming of ABC.
“Aesthetically, they are entirely different. ‘Sergeants’ is a farce, but ‘Twelve O’Clock High’ is a serious dramatic attempt to convey the problems of men in the Air Force.”
The war, he added, provides a suitable framework for comedy because of the hierarchy of authority inherent in the military system. “You seek a situation that will lend itself to humor,” Mr. Scherick explained.
Serious war stories have a strong appeal, he continued, since the suspense is similar to that of the Western. “There are the good guys and the bad guys,” Mr. Scherick said. “Decisions are made quickly.”
NBC, which produced “The Lieutenant,” will not include any new shows with a military background. “We aren’t doing monster shows either,” a network spokesman said.
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