The U.S. Military has made mistakes - possibly it is in the middle of several right now. But with it's rules and protocols, it is subject (occasionally) to satires showing the limitations of such rules and protocols. NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS is an example of this - and a successful one.
Will Stockdale (Andy Griffith) is a draftee from the hill country of the south, and he is soon inducted into the Air Force. He actually would have preferred the Army, which he feels is where the real military action is given in war time. He is generally sneered at in the barracks by the other recruits, like Irving Blanchard (Murray Hamilton), who are more urban centered. Only one recruit, Ben (Nick Adams), befriends Will. And Will, in his interest to please, makes the mistake of believing a speech given by the recruits' training Sergeant King (Myron McCormick) that he is always available to advise them (King's idea of advise is anything within the rules to get the idiots away from him when he does not have to be bothered with his training of them).
Griffith had appeared on Broadway in this production, and it won him stardom (and led to his film career and eventually to his television success). He also did a shorter version on television, that is occasionally shown on television. It is considerably different from the movie version, which follows how Stockdale and Ben bedevil King, cost him his stripes, and even pursue him when they are supposed to be dead.
Griffith has been interviewed on television, and has suggested that Will Stockdale, in his direct and simple point of view, represents a "Christ" like character who tries to please. It's a thought, but it misses that Stockdale never tries to set an example or philosophy (as Christ would) about proper moral and religious behavior. Will tries to please, and the wise guys like King figure that they can manipulate him and then spit him out. But they all defeat themselves (Will never tries to beat anyone). King can't stand the big hick, but he appoints him "latrine orderly" to keep the unit's latrine clean. It's demeaning to do that, but Will doesn't realize it. And at the wrong moment Will demonstrates it to the Camp's Colonel (Raymond Bailey - the future Milburn Drysdale on THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES), who puts King on notice to make damn certain that Stockdale passes all the tests he needs to be completed to leave boot camp. King knocks himself out trying to bribe people or get answers for Stockdale, and somehow Stockdale passes. But Blanchard suggests that if Will is drunk and arrested he can be booted out of the military, and it won't be King's fault. King and Blanchard take Will out to celebrate, but they get drunk (Will, used to his father's moonshine, was not affected). They get into a fight (Blanchard is arrested - he'll be kicked out), and King is caught in a torn uniform with drink on his breath (he temporarily loses his stripes).
Corruption is found in the whole service (this is some fifty years before the "Talehook" Scandal involving the Air Corps Academy). When Howard Smith, the General who is awarding posthumous medals to Will and Ben (supposedly killed in a nuclear bomb test that got screwed up) finds out that the medals were actually given to two piles of dust scraps, he threatens to court martial everyone in the Air Force, and later realizes his pension has been jeopardized by the error. In the end Will and Ben get their wishes, but it requires massive amounts of paperwork cover-up.
There are wonderful moments in it, including the scene when Don Knotts is giving a coordination test to Griffith, and the latter just does not realize the toy used has to be used in a certain way - he gets the two wire shapes together as he is supposed to, but by stretching one out of shape (it almost tears Knotts apart, looking at his ruined coordination toy). James Millhollin's camp psychiatrist testing Griffith for any Freudian problems, only to find himself questioned for the nature of the questions and inquiries he's making is another joy. One can never hear of Erskine Caldwell's TOBACCO ROAD again in quite the same way.
And isn't that Jamie Farr who thinks the plane is not over the Midwest, but over the Gulf of Mexico? Wherever it was, it was far from the 4077 M.A.S.H. unit in Korea in terms of geographic distance, if not in terms of spirit of satire.
Will Stockdale (Andy Griffith) is a draftee from the hill country of the south, and he is soon inducted into the Air Force. He actually would have preferred the Army, which he feels is where the real military action is given in war time. He is generally sneered at in the barracks by the other recruits, like Irving Blanchard (Murray Hamilton), who are more urban centered. Only one recruit, Ben (Nick Adams), befriends Will. And Will, in his interest to please, makes the mistake of believing a speech given by the recruits' training Sergeant King (Myron McCormick) that he is always available to advise them (King's idea of advise is anything within the rules to get the idiots away from him when he does not have to be bothered with his training of them).
Griffith had appeared on Broadway in this production, and it won him stardom (and led to his film career and eventually to his television success). He also did a shorter version on television, that is occasionally shown on television. It is considerably different from the movie version, which follows how Stockdale and Ben bedevil King, cost him his stripes, and even pursue him when they are supposed to be dead.
Griffith has been interviewed on television, and has suggested that Will Stockdale, in his direct and simple point of view, represents a "Christ" like character who tries to please. It's a thought, but it misses that Stockdale never tries to set an example or philosophy (as Christ would) about proper moral and religious behavior. Will tries to please, and the wise guys like King figure that they can manipulate him and then spit him out. But they all defeat themselves (Will never tries to beat anyone). King can't stand the big hick, but he appoints him "latrine orderly" to keep the unit's latrine clean. It's demeaning to do that, but Will doesn't realize it. And at the wrong moment Will demonstrates it to the Camp's Colonel (Raymond Bailey - the future Milburn Drysdale on THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES), who puts King on notice to make damn certain that Stockdale passes all the tests he needs to be completed to leave boot camp. King knocks himself out trying to bribe people or get answers for Stockdale, and somehow Stockdale passes. But Blanchard suggests that if Will is drunk and arrested he can be booted out of the military, and it won't be King's fault. King and Blanchard take Will out to celebrate, but they get drunk (Will, used to his father's moonshine, was not affected). They get into a fight (Blanchard is arrested - he'll be kicked out), and King is caught in a torn uniform with drink on his breath (he temporarily loses his stripes).
Corruption is found in the whole service (this is some fifty years before the "Talehook" Scandal involving the Air Corps Academy). When Howard Smith, the General who is awarding posthumous medals to Will and Ben (supposedly killed in a nuclear bomb test that got screwed up) finds out that the medals were actually given to two piles of dust scraps, he threatens to court martial everyone in the Air Force, and later realizes his pension has been jeopardized by the error. In the end Will and Ben get their wishes, but it requires massive amounts of paperwork cover-up.
There are wonderful moments in it, including the scene when Don Knotts is giving a coordination test to Griffith, and the latter just does not realize the toy used has to be used in a certain way - he gets the two wire shapes together as he is supposed to, but by stretching one out of shape (it almost tears Knotts apart, looking at his ruined coordination toy). James Millhollin's camp psychiatrist testing Griffith for any Freudian problems, only to find himself questioned for the nature of the questions and inquiries he's making is another joy. One can never hear of Erskine Caldwell's TOBACCO ROAD again in quite the same way.
And isn't that Jamie Farr who thinks the plane is not over the Midwest, but over the Gulf of Mexico? Wherever it was, it was far from the 4077 M.A.S.H. unit in Korea in terms of geographic distance, if not in terms of spirit of satire.