I was once reading a TV history book where the author was talking about "McHale's Navy" and noting the series' similarities and differences to "The Phil Silvers Show".

The author said that the "McHale" series, while popular, never quite reached the "classic" status of "Bilko"...and a big reason could have been the relationship between McHale, Bilko and their respective commanding officers.

McHale's Capt. Binghamton (Joe Flynn) truly HATED McHale and wanted to destroy the man...however, while Bilko got on Col. Hall's nerves, you always had the impression that Hall secretly LIKED Bilko and enjoyed having him around. Bilko livened up the Colonel's work day, and both men DID miss each other during those instances when Bilko would be transferred out of Hall's outfit.

I thought that this was an interesting comparison between the two series!

That's a good point. I don't remember McHale's Navy as well as Bilko, but when I think about it, Capt. Binghamton was more obnoxious than Colonel Hall; and that gave the Bilko show some pleasantness that was maybe missing in McHale's Navy. Btw, my favorite episode of Bilko is the very last one, Weekend Colonel, in which Col. Hall has a double who Bilko attempts to exploit. A real riot.

Speaking of Phil Silvers (Bilko) and Joe Flynn (Binghamton) anyone notice that except for height difference in uniform they were identical almost? I used to think Flynn was Silvers.