# C.P.O. Sharkey

C.P.O. Sharkey is an American television sitcom, created by Aaron Ruben, that aired on NBC from December 1, 1976, to April 28, 1978. The series starred Don Rickles in the title role, with Peter Isacksen, Elizabeth Allen, Harrison Page, and Richard X. Slattery featured in the cast. Rickles, who actually served in the Navy during World War II, was already well-known for the indiscriminate insult comedy he used in his stand-up routines and in guest appearances on other TV shows and specials. C.P.O. Sharkey was the third TV series that provided him with a regular vehicle for his humor. (Two previous series in which he starred, both eponymously titled The Don Rickles Show—one a 1968 variety show, the other a 1972 sitcom—each aired for one season.)

## Premise

Don Rickles is U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Otto Sharkey, an abrasive career Navy man stationed at a San Diego naval base, in charge of Company 144, a group of seaman recruits. Sharkey initially comes off as callous, sarcastic, and insulting to everyone around him, but underneath his harsh exterior, he genuinely cares for his men and often goes to great lengths to help with their problems.

## Cast of characters

Members of Company 144 come from a motley mix of ethnicities, including:
* C.P.O. Otto Sharkey, the titular character, is portrayed by Don Rickles.
* Seaman Lester Pruitt (Peter Isacksen), Sharkey's assistant, is a tall, lunkheaded Southerner, who often shares his homespun homilies with the uninterested Sharkey.
* Daniels (Jeff Hollis) is a hip black man.
* Kowalski (Tom Ruben) is Polish.
* Skolnick (David Landsberg) is a Jewish New Yorker.
* Mignone (Barry Pearl) is Italian.
* Rodriguez (Richard Beauchamp) is a Puerto Rican.
* Shimokawa (Evan C. Kim) is a Japanese immigrant.
Others on the base include:
* C.P.O. Dave Robinson (Harrison Page) is Sharkey's colleague and closest friend on the base.
* Lieutenant Whipple (Jonathan Daly) is Sharkey's immediate superior, whose complacency and buck teeth are fodder for Sharkey, though for obvious reasons, he never insults Whipple to his face.
* Captain Quinlan (Elizabeth Allen) is the newly appointed female base commander during season one, whom Sharkey had a hard time accepting at first.
* Captain Buckner (Richard X. Slattery) replaced Quinlan in season two. A former submarine commander and hard-nosed career man, Buckner usually gets right in Sharkey's face and barks orders in a rapid-fire manner, rendering Sharkey unable to respond except in a civil manner.
* Seaman Apodaca (Phillip Simms) also joined the base in season two.

## Production

Creator Aaron Ruben had formerly written scripts for the hit military sitcom The Phil Silvers Show (Sgt. Bilko). Ruben invited scripts from three other Bilko writers: Tony Webster, Gary Belkin, and Arnie Rosen.
Rickles had portrayed a different C.P.O. in the 1961 episode "Professional Sailor" of the CBS military drama-comedy, Hennesey, starring Jackie Cooper.

## Running gags and precedents

In the earliest episodes of the series, Sharkey often ended conversations with each of his recruits by giving them the evil eye and saying "I'm gonna keep an ey-y-y-e on you".
Pruitt, who stood 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m), would invariably hunch forward, looking over the 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) Sharkey when addressing him face-to-face; Sharkey found it uncomfortable to speak to Pruitt this way, and would make snide remarks about Pruitt's height or a mistake he made. (The July 9–16, 1977 cover of TV Guide showed Rickles and Isacksen in character, with Sharkey standing on a foot locker so he could physically be eye-to-eye with a surprised Pruitt.) Some of Sharkey's insults toward Pruitt included:
* "Why don't you put bicycle pedals in your ears and ride yourself outta here!"
* "Why don't you go elope with a moose!"
* "The last time I saw a head like that was on a wall over a bar in Teaneck, New Jersey! Ya big dummy!!"
Lt. Whipple often lectured Sharkey. When he left the room (after bellowing "Carry on!" in his piping voice), Sharkey would often look in the camera and imitate Whipple's buck teeth. He referred to him as Lieutenant Bugs Bunny.
The series was the first primetime sitcom to depict the burgeoning punk rock music scene, with The Dickies, a band from the San Fernando Valley, making a guest appearance in season two.

## The Tonight Show cigarette box incident

When Rickles was a guest on The Tonight Show on December 13, 1976, he accidentally broke Johnny Carson's wooden cigarette box, an heirloom that Carson had kept on his desk since 1967. Carson was off that night and the show was guest-hosted by Bob Newhart. Rickles was doing a skit as an immigration agent and was using Carson's cigarette box as a rubber stamp on papers. After one particular hard slam, Rickles noticed that the box was broken and went into mock panic, closing out by signing the cross.
When Carson returned the following night, he noticed the broken box after tapping his pencil on it and noticing that the lid was broken. Guest host Doc Severinsen explained that Don Rickles had done it and that "Rickles had a fit". After being informed that C.P.O. Sharkey was taping during the episode, Carson took a camera crew and walked across the hallway to the adjacent studio where the show was in the midst of taping. Carson barged into the closed studio and interrupted the taping to yell at Rickles, all to the delight of the studio audiences of both shows. Carson mocked Rickles's comedic style, calling him a "big dummy", and also teased actor Harrison Page, speaking to him in an exaggerated jive accent. As Carson prepared to exit, Rickles announced Carson to his own audience. Carson then mockingly glared at Rickles, shouted: "They know who I am!" and playfully slapped his face before leaving.
On 13 November 1978, nearly seven months after C.P.O. Sharkey had been cancelled, Rickles, guest-hosting The Tonight Show while talking with guest Carroll O'Connor, inattentively started slamming Carson's new cigarette box on the desk, but stopped when he realized what he was doing; this time the box remained intact.
The original incident was often replayed in Tonight Show retrospectives. It was also featured in Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project. In a 2005 interview with The New York Times, Rickles said that the incident was a genuine accident, but Carson and he played up the drama. "Knowing Johnny, he milked it a little bit. And I added to it." He also said he had no idea that Carson would barge in on his set that day. "I was really taken. In those days, those were bigger cameras than they are today. To schlep all that stuff into the other studio was quite an event."
A clip of the event is included as bonus feature on the season-one DVD set.

## Broadcast history

| Season | Time slot (ET) |
| 1976–77 | Wednesday at 8:00–8:30 pm (episodes 1–7) Wednesday at 9:00–9:30 pm (episodes 8–14) Wednesday at 9:30–10:00 pm (episode 15) |
| 1977–78 | Friday at 8:00–8:30 pm (episodes 1–12) Friday at 8:30–9:00 pm (episodes 13–22) |

## Reruns

Reruns aired on Ha!, which became Comedy Central, in the early 1990s. C.P.O Sharkey is currently available on Tubi and Amazon Prime.

## Home media

On May 19, 2015, Time Life released C.P.O. Sharkey – The Complete Season 1 on DVD in Region 1.
On September 22, 2015, Time Life released C.P.O. Sharkey – The Complete Season 2 on DVD in Region 1.

## Episodes
### Season 1 (1976–77)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 1 | 1 | "Oh Captain! My Captain" | Peter Baldwin | Aaron Ruben | December 1, 1976 (1976-12-1) |
| The chauvinistic chief must adjust to the fact that his new commanding officer is a woman. ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Shimokawa Ships Out" | Peter Baldwin | Story by : Walter Bien & Gene Farmer Teleplay by : Aaron Ruben & Gene Farmer | December 8, 1976 (1976-12-8) |
| An enlisted man thinks Sharkey is discriminating against him because he is Japanese. ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "The Dear John Letter" | Peter Baldwin | Story by : Coslough Johnson Teleplay by : Gene Farmer & Aaron Ruben | December 22, 1976 (1976-12-22) |
| Chief Robinson suspects that Sharkey is a real ladies man when he accidentally sees a "Dear Jane" letter in the typewriter. ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Goodbye Dolly" | Peter Baldwin | Aaron Ruben | December 29, 1976 (1976-12-29) |
| The men try to hide an inflatable female doll in the barracks from Sharkey. ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Skolnick in Love" | Peter Baldwin | Story by : Richard Freiman & Stephen Young Teleplay by : Aaron Ruben and Richard Freiman & Stephen Young | January 12, 1977 (1977-1-12) |
| Shy recruit Skolnick decides to marry a cocktail waitress after a two-day courtship, much to everyone's surprise. ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Mignone's Mutiny" | Peter Baldwin | Story by : Larry Siegel Teleplay by : Larry Siegel, Gene Farmer, & Aaron Ruben | January 19, 1977 (1977-1-19) |
| Recruit Mignone's unhappiness with the rigors of boot camp spreads to the other men. ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Kowalski, the Somnambulist" | Peter Baldwin | Story by : Mort Scharfman Teleplay by : Aaron Ruben & Mort Scharfman | January 26, 1977 (1977-1-26) |
| Recruit Kowalski experiences repeated bouts of sleepwalking, for which Sharkey desperately tries to find a cure, or else the young man may face a medical discharge. ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Sunday in Tijuana" | Peter Baldwin | Aaron Ruben | February 9, 1977 (1977-2-9) |
| Sharkey's romantic plans with Natalie are wrecked when his recruits get arrested in Tijuana, Mexico. ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Rodriguez and His Mamacita" | Peter Baldwin | Aaron Ruben | February 16, 1977 (1977-2-16) |
| Recruit Rodriguez is just one of the sailors who get in trouble with Sharkey and the top brass for sneaking women into the barracks. ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Sharkey Boogies on Down" | Peter Baldwin | Story by : Mort Scharfman Teleplay by : Aaron Ruben & Mort Scharfman | February 23, 1977 (1977-2-23) |
| Chief Robinson takes Sharkey to a disco to celebrate his 45th birthday. ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Sharkey Finds Peace and Quiet" | Peter Baldwin | Story by : Rick Mittleman Teleplay by : Rick Mittleman & Aaron Ruben | March 2, 1977 (1977-3-2) |
| The chaos of barracks life leads Sharkey to dream of moving off-base to his own apartment. ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "Sharkey the Marriage Counselor" | Peter Baldwin | Story by : Jim Rogers Teleplay by : Aaron Ruben & Jim Rogers | March 9, 1977 (1977-3-9) |
| Sharkey tries to help a fellow sailor with his marital problems. ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Sharkey's Secret Life" | Peter Baldwin | Story by : Bill Richmond & Gene Perret Teleplay by : Aaron Ruben | March 16, 1977 (1977-3-16) |
| The recruits are convinced Sharkey is gay after his clandestine meeting with an effeminate toupee salesman. ||||||
| 14 | 14 | "The Pizza Party" | Peter Baldwin | Aaron Ruben | March 23, 1977 (1977-3-23) |
| Pruitt plans a pizza party to celebrate the end of boot camp, but does not consult Sharkey. ||||||
| 15 | 15 | "A Wino Is Loose" | Peter Baldwin | Aaron Ruben | March 23, 1977 (1977-3-23) |
| Sharkey must remove a wino who spent the night in the barracks right before a major inspection. ||||||

### Season 2 (1977–78)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 16 | 1 | "The New Captain" | Mel Ferber | Tony Webster | October 21, 1977 (1977-10-21) |
| The new captain proposes to shape up "the chief with the biggest beer belly", a fair description of the outraged Sharkey. ||||||
| 17 | 2 | "Operation Frisco" | Mel Ferber | Arnie Rosen | November 4, 1977 (1977-11-4) |
| Being assigned to submarine duty interferes with Sharkey's plans to have fun in San Francisco. ||||||
| 18 | 3 | "Sharkey Flies over the Cuckoo's Nest" | Russ Petranto | Gary Belkin | November 11, 1977 (1977-11-11) |
| A case of mistaken identity ensues when Sharkey reports to the base hospital for his routine physical, and is mistaken for a mental patient. ||||||
| 19 | 4 | "Don't Make Waves" | Russ Petranto | Arnie Rosen | November 18, 1977 (1977-11-18) |
| Comical chaos ensues as Sharkey's barracks is chosen for an experiment in coed Navy living. ||||||
| 20 | 5 | "Natalie's Ultimatum" | Mel Ferber | Aaron Ruben & Arnie Rosen | December 2, 1977 (1977-12-2) |
| Sharkey' long time girlfriend, Natalie, tires of waiting and gives him an ultimatum about marriage in their relationship. ||||||
| 21 | 6 | "Sharkey the Actor" | Mel Ferber | Arnie Rosen | December 9, 1977 (1977-12-9) |
| Sharkey lands the lead in a Navy training film. ||||||
| 22 | 7 | "Barracks Baby" | Russ Petranto | Story by : Howard Albrecht & Sol Weinstein Teleplay by : Howard Albrecht, Sol Weinstein, Aaron Ruben & Arnie Rosen | December 30, 1977 (1977-12-30) |
| Sharkey must hide a pregnant Mexican woman from INS officials in this Christmas-themed episode. ||||||
| 23 | 8 | "Seven-Eleven Sharkey" | Russ Petranto | Story by : William Raynor & Myles Wilder Teleplay by : William Raynor, Myles Wilder, Aaron Ruben & Arnie Rosen | January 6, 1978 (1978-1-6) |
| Sharkey turns to the dice to help recruit Kowalski win back the money for his mother's trip to Poland that the young man had lost in a craps game. ||||||
| 24 | 9 | "Forget Pearl Harbor" | Mel Ferber | Story by : William Raynor & Myles Wilder Teleplay by : Aaron Ruben | January 13, 1978 (1978-1-13) |
| The behavior of a visiting CPO from the Japanese Navy causes Sharkey to think that he may be a spy. ||||||
| 25 | 10 | "Close Encounters of the Worst Kind" | Russ Petranto | Michael Brown & Andy Ruben | January 27, 1978 (1978-1-27) |
| Sharkey's girlfriend, Natalie, accuses him of being insensitive. ||||||
| 26 | 11 | "Pruitt's Paradise" | Russ Petranto | Arnie Rosen | February 3, 1978 (1978-2-3) |
| Pruitt has been showing signs of lethargy, and Sharkey suspects it is due to a wild night life. ||||||
| 27 | 12 | "Sharkey Meets Pruitt's Sister" | Russ Petranto | Aaron Ruben | February 17, 1978 (1978-2-17) |
| Sharkey and the men try to scrounge up a woman to represent their barracks in the Navy's Miss Topside beauty contest. ||||||
| 28 | 13 | "Sharkey's Back Problem" | Russ Petranto | Michael Brown & Andy Ruben | February 17, 1978 (1978-2-17) |
| Sudden back pains lead Sharkey to worry that he will be ineligible for the "CPO of the Year" competition. ||||||
| 29 | 14 | "It Happened One Night" | Russ Petranto | Story by : Bruce Kalish & Philip Wickham Taylor Teleplay by : Bruce Kalish, Philip Wickham Taylor & Aaron Ruben | March 3, 1978 (1978-3-3) |
| A bomb scare in the female recruits barracks forces them to be housed in Sharkey's building. ||||||
| 30 | 15 | "Tell It to the Marines" | Russ Petranto | Arnie Rosen | March 10, 1978 (1978-3-10) |
| Visiting Marines cause havoc at the training base, as their behavior tests the patience of Sharkey and the other sailors. ||||||
| 31 | 16 | "Sharkey and the South American Way" | Russ Petranto | Aaron Ruben | March 17, 1978 (1978-3-17) |
| Sharkey must instruct a visiting South American sailor in the ways of the United States Navy. ||||||
| 32 | 17 | "Punk Rock Sharkey" | Russ Petranto | Michael Brown & Andy Ruben | March 24, 1978 (1978-3-24) |
| Sharkey ventures into a punk-rock night spot to stop a fight, and comes out with a loose filling and the affections of a teenaged runaway. ||||||
| 33 | 18 | "Pruitt, the Russian Flu-Carrier" | Russ Petranto | Aaron Ruben | March 31, 1978 (1978-3-31) |
| Pruitt infects Sharkey and most of the recruit company with Russian flu, and Sharkey is overwhelmed by home-spun remedies. ||||||
| 34 | 19 | "Captain's Right Hand Man" | Russ Petranto | Story by : Roland Wolpert Teleplay by : Arnie Rosen | April 7, 1978 (1978-4-7) |
| Much to both of their chagrins, Captain Buckner is forced to make Sharkey his personal aide. ||||||
| 35 | 20 | "Fear of Flying" | Mel Ferber | Story by : Howard Albrecht & Sol Weinstein Teleplay by : Howard Albrecht, Sol Weinstein, Aaron Ruben & Arnie Rosen | April 14, 1978 (1978-4-14) |
| Sharkey reveals that he has a fear of flying and is terrifed at an upcoming flight he is required to take because of Navy business. ||||||
| 36 | 21 | "The Even Couple" | Russ Petranto | Aaron Ruben | April 21, 1978 (1978-4-21) |
| Sharkey moves off-base into an apartment to spice up his social life. His plan backfires when the recruits all show up just before a "last chance" date with Natalie yelling loud enough about problems that Sharkey gets tossed by his landlord. ||||||
| 37 | 22 | "The Used-Car Caper" | Mel Ferber | Bob Booker & George Foster | April 28, 1978 (1978-4-28) |
| Sharkey must come to the rescue when his recruits are swindled by a sleazy car salesman into buying a lemon. ||||||