F-Troop
 This
military farce about the gallant incompetents of F Troop at Fort
Courage was set in Kansas in 1866, during the final days of the
Civil War.
The CO was the wide-eyed, bumbling Captain Parmenter, who had
been promoted from private during the last days of the war when he
accidentally led a charge in the wrong direction - towards the
enemy!
Unbeknownst to the captain, Sgt. O'Rourke had already
negotiated a secret (and highly profitable) treaty with the Hekawi
Indians, from whom he also had an exclusive franchise to sell
their souvenirs to tourists via O'Rourke Enterprises.
The treaty benefited both sides because it permitted the
Indians to trade and upgrade their living conditions, and the
troops to maintain the illusion that they were involved in a
deadly land war while actually being in no danger.
The only flaw in this otherwise happy arrangement was the
troublesome Shugs, a genuine war-mongering tribe (with whom there
was no peace treaty) who occasionally went into action.
 Corporal Agarn was O'Rourke's chief aide and assistant schemer
and Wrangler Jane the hard-ridin', fast-shootin' (and very
scrumptious) cowgirl who was out to marry Parmenter.
A lot of colourful Indians passed through the Fort in one-time
special appearances. Some of those included: Wise Owl (Milton
Berle); Roaring Chicken (Edward Everett Horton); 147-year-old
Flaming Arrow (Phil Harris) and Bald Eagle (Don Rickles).
Other
special appearances included: Sgt. Ramsden (Paul Lynde) and Wrongo
Starr (Henry Gibson).
F Troop was an entertaining enough production which, in
similar dubious taste to Hogan's Heroes made light of a
deadly serious period of history.
The theme of conniving military men pulling the wool over the
eyes of their superiors recalled the antics of Sgt Bilko and his
platoon, but F Troop failed to hit the dizzy heights
achieved by The Phil Silvers Show.
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