In "Alias Captain Binghamton" Joe Flynn plays Captain Binghampton as well as his doppelganger Seaman Smoot.
In "The Big Impersonation" Ensign Parker is found to be a dead ringer for an important British General, and is enlisted in a decoy mission where he has to take his place. Both characters are, of course, potrayed by Tim Conway.
Ernest Borgnine plays Quinton McHale as well as his Italian cousin Giusseppe in the Season 4 episodes "Giusseppe McHale" and "The Return of Giusseppe".
Ernest Borgnine served in the Pacific as a naval officer during World War II. The cap he wears in the show was the actual cap he wore during his service. Note how the crest is smaller in comparison to those on other actors' caps, indicating that it is genuine World War II-issue and not the later style that the costume department procured.note According to the Naval Historical Center, Borgnine was gunner's mate first class, not an officer.
McHale being Italian-American is also brought up a few times, particularly in season 4, though this example is downplayed as his last name is explained by his father being Irish.
Mr. Parker mentions being from Chagrin Falls, Ohio in a few episodes, which is where Tim Conway grew up.
Adaptation Displacement: McHale and his crew originally debuted in an episode of Alcoa Presents called Seven Against the Sea. The film, still starring Ernest Borgnine as McHale, was a much more serious war epic with some comic relief injected by the crew's (much more muted and realistic) shenanigans back at base. Good luck ever seeing it — there seems to be zero interest in releasing it, as the tonal shift is immense (apparently, TV execs liked the premise of Seven Against the Sea and the character McHale, but thought it would work better as a sitcom...)
Creator-Driven Successor: The series shares many behind-the-scenes people with The Phil Silvers Show and was often referred to as Sergeant Bilko in the Navy, due to following a small military unit constantly involved in partying, gambling and other rackets.
Dueling Works: With two movies released the year prior: Sgt. Bilko (since the original McHale's Navy was basically Sgt. Bilko in the Navy!; for added irony, both movies were from Universal), and Down Periscope (indeed, Tom Arnold was offered the lead role in that film and turned it down for this one!).
The film adaptation of McHale's Navy was the last film to use the 1990 Universal Pictures logo. Their films for the next 15 years would use the CGI 1997 Universal Pictures logo with a much grander orchestral overture and the eastern hemisphere lighting up as the Universal logo moves into place.
