Ensign O'Toole

A true waste of a potential great cast. I have to blame the writers here. This sitcom seemed to have weekly shows minus its two chief attractions: Dean Jones and Jack Mullaney. There were several episodes that didn't even have the cast in them, just the guest star. One almost has the feeling that the cast were all waiting for their real shows to turn up. Maybe the writers sensed that and decided not to bother about scripts. Unfortunately, while most of the cast had careers, no one really made super star status. Dean Jones cranked out some Disney films but never had that one role. If anyone came close it was probably Beau Bridges.

Among several service comedies, Ensign O'Toole found itself just another casualty. The show was in good company. Hennessey with Jackie Cooper, Abby Dalton, and Roscoe Karns was probably the success. Broadside with Kathleen Nolan, Mr. Roberts with Roger Smith, and Operation Petticoat with John Astin, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Jim Varney ( Hi there Vern)-just sank. A few out there might recall C.P.O. Sharkey with Mr. Warmth himself, Don Rickles only set sail for two seasons. Maybe Navy comedies aren't right or write for TV.

You might catch Ensign O'Toole sailing the shores of MeTV or Cozi or Decades for a few episodes and be able to try and figure out what might have been.