hyped garbage

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Everyone on this message board has such specific memories of "Hennesey." All I remember is that it was one terrific program. Apparently it had broad appeal, because I can remember my mother, in her late 40s, and I, in my early 20s, both sitting down to watch it and enjoying it tremendously. Probably Abby Dalton had a lot to do with a young man's attraction to it. I wish it would be brought out on DVD -- I would be first in line to buy it -- or that TV Land would run it. I do remember James Komack as the wacky dentist, and the gravel-voiced Roscoe Karns. I wish I could remember the theme music, since so many here have praised it. One episode does stick in my mind, perhaps because I faced the draft at the time: A young sailor was a draftee, and he caused some kind of trouble, or got into some kind of trouble. That impressed me, because by that time the other armed services were not drafting, except in rare instances of not meeting their recruitment quotas. Draftees all went to the Army.

I really looked forward to each weeks program. The cast was stellar and the writing was excellent. I remember one night that I watched Hennesey, I was to leave for the Army the next day. It made me laugh and took some of the pressure off of me. I spent some time in the army and wish that I would have had a CO like Roscoe Karns. The same goes for the time that I spent in an Army Hospital. Oh if I only would have had a nurse like Nurse Hale. The Army nurses that took care of me were great and Abbey Dalton did a very realistic job of portraying military nurses. I wish that the programs were available on DVD, I would buy all of them. Many have praised the theme song and I agree with them. It was a very good show and it is sad that it is not available so that a new generation of people can enjoy it.

Jackie Cooper played a WWII Army vet who went to medical school and entered the Navy as a doctor. In the first episode when the new doctor reports to his new commanding officer at the naval hospital, the CO looks over his personnel record, notes the Army experience and asks Hennesey, 'Have you ever been to sea?' No, sir.' 'Have you ever been on a ship?' 'No, sir.' 'Can you identify water?' 'In daytime, I can, yes, sir.' In the series, James Komack played a hip nonconformist dentist who reputedly filled his own teeth. Henry Kulky as Max probably had the best role of his career as the sensitive Goliath who--in one episode--saved the arm of a sailor who had it caught in a machine. Max picked up the sailor and turned him over to unwind the arm from the gears. The show was blessed with a great cast and excellent writers. The show was funny without being silly and serious without sinking into melodrama.

I remember the remarkable thing about "Hennesey" was that it was a dry, adult comedy WITH NO LAUGHTRACK. My mother used to love the show for that reason alone. The absence of that psychological prod actually made the absurdities funnier. We the audience were being treated as adults who could laugh when it was funny. This was an innovative and bold move in television of the time. I really notice the idiocy of American TV when it is rebroadcast here in Italy. The use of the laughtrack to manipulate the audience into thinking something is funny is really noticeable here, where it is rarely employed. Also, the use of implausible situations, as mentioned above, was lacking. The show stood or fell on the quality of the characters and writing. Whoever chooses to re-release this show will have an uphill battle to avoid inserting these banal mechanisms to please sponsors.