F Troop is a military sitcom that aired on ABC.
F Troop is set at Fort Courage, Kansas—a fictional United States Army outpost in the Old West—shortly after the American Civil War ended in 1865. Fort Courage was named for fictitious General Sam Courage (portrayed by Cliff Arquette), who had been in the army for forty years. As there were only four generals in the regular army before the Civil War, taking 40 years to advance to the rank of general was fairly common. The show is light on historical accuracy (e.g. the uniforms, weapons, salutes and calling a cavalry company "troop" are incorrect for the period) but heavy on character-based humor; verbal and visual gags, slapstick and burlesque comedy make up the prime ingredients of F Troop.
The commanding officer is the gallant but chronically clumsy and accident-prone Captain Wilton Parmenter, descended from a long line of distinguished military officers. He was awarded the Silver Star after accidentally instigating the final charge at the Battle of Appomattox. Only a private, he was ordered to fetch his commanding officer's laundry. As he rode away, pollen in the air caused him to sneeze repeatedly. A group of Union soldiers mistook his sneeze for an order to charge, turning the tide of the battle. His superiors, wishing to reward his action, promoted him to captain and—in view of his ineptitude—gave him command of remote Fort Courage, a dumping ground for the army's least useful soldiers and misfits. Of the three commanding officers at Fort Courage before Captain Parmenter, two deserted and one suffered a nervous breakdown. He was also awarded the (then non-existent) Purple Heart after he was accidentally pricked in the chest by his commanding officer while receiving his first medal - "the only soldier in history to get a medal for getting a medal."
Cast
Seasons
| Season
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Premiere
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Finale
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|
|
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#
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| ABC
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| Season One
|
September 14, 1965
|
May 10, 1966
|
|
|
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34
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| Season Two
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September 8, 1966
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April 6, 1967
|
|
|
|
31
|
In-Depth
DVD Releases
External Links
