Hennesey
Jackie Cooper as Hennesey
Genre	Comedy drama
Created by	Don McGuire
Starring	Jackie Cooper Abby Dalton
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	96
Production
Executive producers	Jackie Cooper E.W. Swackhamer
Producer	Jackie Cooper
Running time	24–26 minutes
Production companies	Hennesey Productions Jackie Cooper Productions Outlet Productions (in association with the CBS Television Network)
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	September 28, 1959 (1959-09-28) – September 17, 1962 (1962-09-17)

Hennesey is an American military comedy-drama television series that aired on CBS from 1959 to 1962, starring Jackie Cooper and Abby Dalton.

Cooper played a United States Navy physician, Lt. Charles W. "Chick" Hennesey, with Abby Dalton as Navy nurse Lt. Martha Hale. In the story line, they are assigned to the hospital at the U.S. Naval Station in San Diego, California.

Extended cast

Jackie Cooper as Lt. (later Lt. Commander) Charles "Chick" Hennesey, M.D.
Abby Dalton as Lt. (JG) Martha Hale, R.N.
Roscoe Karns as Capt. (later Rear Admiral) Walter Shafer
Henry Kulky as Chief Petty Officer Max Bronski
James Komack as Harvey Spencer Blair, III, D.D.S.
Arte Johnson as Seaman Shatz
Herb Ellis as Dr. Dan Wagner
Robert Gist as Dr. Owen King
Stephen Roberts as Commander Wilker
Harry Holcombe as William Hale
Ted Fish as Chief Branman
Frank Gorshin as Seaman Pulaski
Norman Alden also as Seaman Pulaski

Episodes

Season 1: 1959–60

Nº	Ep	Title	Directed by:	Written by:	Original air date
1	1	"Hennessey"	Hy Averback	Don McGuire	September 28, 1959 (1959-09-28)
Series pilot.
2	2	"Hennesey Meets Honeyboy Jones"	Unknown	Don McGuire	October 5, 1959 (1959-10-05)
3	3	"Hennesey Meets Harvey Spencer Blair III"	Unknown	Don McGuire	October 12, 1959 (1959-10-12)
4	4	"Hennesey and Peyton Place"	Unknown	Unknown	October 19, 1959 (1959-10-19)
5	5	"Shore Patrol"	Don McGuire	Unknown	October 26, 1959 (1959-10-26)
6	6	"Pork Chops and Apple Sauce"	Gene Reynolds	Hugh King	November 2, 1959 (1959-11-02)
7	7	"The Baby Sitter"	Robert Butler	Unknown	November 16, 1959 (1959-11-16)
8	8	"Hennesey Meets Mrs. Horatio Grief"	Unknown	Unknown	November 23, 1959 (1959-11-23)
9	9	"Hennesey Goes Home"	Unknown	Unknown	November 30, 1959 (1959-11-30)
10	10	"Hennesey and the Lady Doctor"	Robert Butler	Don McGuire	December 7, 1959 (1959-12-07)
11	11	"Harvey Blair Returns"	Gene Reynolds	Don McGuire	December 14, 1959 (1959-12-14)
12	12	"The Christmas Show"	Unknown	Unknown	December 21, 1959 (1959-12-21)
13	13	"The Matchmaker"	Unknown	Unknown	December 28, 1959 (1959-12-28)
14	14	"More of Harvey Spencer Blair"	Unknown	Unknown	January 4, 1960 (1960-01-04)
15	15	"Space Man"	Unknown	Richard Baer	January 11, 1960 (1960-01-11)
16	16	"Hennesey Joins the Marines"	Gene Reynolds	Don McGuire	January 18, 1960 (1960-01-18)
17	17	"Hennesey Meets Fuji"	Robert Butler	Hugh King	January 25, 1960 (1960-01-25)
18	18	"Hello, Cobra Leader"	Don McGuire	Unknown	February 1, 1960 (1960-02-01)
19	19	"Hennesey and the Ancient Vehicle"	Unknown	Unknown	February 8, 1960 (1960-02-08)
20	20	"Dr. Blair Again"	Unknown	Unknown	February 15, 1960 (1960-02-15)
21	21	"The Annapolis Man"	Unknown	Unknown	February 22, 1960 (1960-02-22)
22	22	"Hennesey Meets Mr. Wilkins"	Unknown	Unknown	February 29, 1960 (1960-02-29)
23	23	"Senior Nurse"	Unknown	Richard Baer	March 14, 1960 (1960-03-14)
24	24	"Scarlet Woman in White"	Unknown	Richard Baer	March 21, 1960 (1960-03-21)
25	25	"Angel Face"	Unknown	Richard Baer	March 28, 1960 (1960-03-28)
26	26	"What Is Dr. Blair?"	Unknown	Unknown	April 4, 1960 (1960-04-04)
27	27	"We're Glad It's You"	Unknown	Unknown	April 11, 1960 (1960-04-11)
28	28	"Calling Dr. King"	Unknown	Richard Baer	April 18, 1960 (1960-04-18)
29	29	"Which One Is Wagner?"	Unknown	Richard Baer	April 25, 1960 (1960-04-25)
30	30	"Big Brother"	Unknown	Richard Baer	May 2, 1960 (1960-05-02)
31	31	"Bonjour, Mr. Hennesey"	Unknown	Unknown	May 9, 1960 (1960-05-09)
32	32	"Goodbye, Dr. Blair"	Unknown	Unknown	May 16, 1960 (1960-05-16)

Season 2: 1960–61

Nº	Ep	Title	Directed by:	Written by:	Original air date
33	1	"Hail to the Chief"	Don McGuire	Richard Baer (t)	October 3, 1960 (1960-10-03)
34	2	"Tell It to the Chaplain"	Don McGuire	Richard Baer	October 10, 1960 (1960-10-10)
35	3	"Hennesey à la Gunn"	Don McGuire	Don McGuire	October 17, 1960 (1960-10-17)
36	4	"The Marriage of Dr. Blair"	Unknown	Unknown	October 24, 1960 (1960-10-24)
37	5	"The Captain's Dilemma"	Unknown	Richard Baer	October 31, 1960 (1960-10-31)
38	6	"Miss San Diego Navy"	Unknown	Unknown	November 14, 1960 (1960-11-14)
39	7	"Hennesey and the Submarine"	Unknown	Unknown	November 21, 1960 (1960-11-21)
40	8	"Come Home, Dr. Rogers"	Unknown	Unknown	November 28, 1960 (1960-11-28)
41	9	"Harvey's Horse"	Unknown	Unknown	December 5, 1960 (1960-12-05)
42	10	"The Underfed Fullback"	Unknown	Richard Baer	December 12, 1960 (1960-12-12)
43	11	"The Reunion"	Unknown	Richard Baer	December 26, 1960 (1960-12-26)
44	12	"The Hat"	Unknown	Richard Baer	January 2, 1961 (1961-01-02)
45	13	"The Stutterer"	Unknown	Richard Baer	January 9, 1961 (1961-01-09)
46	14	"The Promotion"	Unknown	Richard Baer	January 16, 1961 (1961-01-16)
47	15	"The Specialist"	Unknown	Richard Baer	January 23, 1961 (1961-01-23)
48	16	"Harvey Spencer Blair and His Electric Money Machine"	Don McGuire	Don McGuire	January 31, 1961 (1961-01-31)
49	17	"Hennesey vs. Crandall"	Unknown	Richard Baer	February 6, 1961 (1961-02-06)
50	18	"Join the Navy, Please"	Unknown	Unknown	February 13, 1961 (1961-02-13)
51	19	"The Apartment"	Unknown	Don McGuire	February 20, 1961 (1961-02-20)
52	20	"Max Remembers Papa"	Unknown	Richard Baer	February 27, 1961 (1961-02-27)
53	21	"The Novelist"	Unknown	Unknown	March 6, 1961 (1961-03-06)
54	22	"Harvey's Doll"	Unknown	James Komack	March 13, 1961 (1961-03-13)
55	23	"The Wedding"	Unknown	Unknown	March 27, 1961 (1961-03-27)
56	24	"The Green-Eyed Monster"	James Komack	Richard Baer	April 3, 1961 (1961-04-03)
57	25	"Admiral and Son"	Unknown	Richard Baer	April 10, 1961 (1961-04-10)
58	26	"The Nogoodnik"	Unknown	Richard Baer	April 17, 1961 (1961-04-17)
59	27	"Harvey's Pad"	Unknown	Richard Baer	April 24, 1961 (1961-04-24)
60	28	"The Patient Vanishes"	Unknown	Richard Baer	May 1, 1961 (1961-05-01)
61	29	"Shore Patrol Revisited"	Unknown	Unknown	May 8, 1961 (1961-05-08)
62	30	"A Star Is Born"	Unknown	Unknown	May 15, 1961 (1961-05-15)
63	31	"His Honor, Dr. Blair"	Don McGuire	Don McGuire	May 22, 1961 (1961-05-22)
64	32	"The Signover"	Unknown	Unknown	June 5, 1961 (1961-06-05)

Season 3: 1961–62

Nº	Ep	Title	Directed by:	Written by:	Original air date
65	1	"The Gossip-Go-Round"	Jackie Cooper	Richard Baer, James Komack	September 25, 1961 (1961-09-25)
66	2	"The Holdout"	Jackie Cooper	Richard Baer	October 2, 1961 (1961-10-02)
67	3	"Welcome Home, Dr. Blair"	Jackie Cooper	James Komack	October 9, 1961 (1961-10-09)
68	4	"The Cohen Mutiny"	Unknown	Don McGuire	October 16, 1961 (1961-10-16)
69	5	"My Daughter, the Nurse"	Unknown	Richard Baer	October 23, 1961 (1961-10-23)
70	6	"Aunt Sarah"	Unknown	Richard Baer	October 30, 1961 (1961-10-30)
71	7	"Get Me Clyde Dingle"	Unknown	Unknown	November 13, 1961 (1961-11-13)
72	8	"Professional Sailor"	Jackie Cooper	Richard Baer	November 20, 1961 (1961-11-20)
73	9	"Aloha, Dr. Hennesey"	Unknown	Richard Baer	November 27, 1961 (1961-11-27)
74	10	"Remember Pearl Harbor?"	Jackie Cooper	Richard Baer	December 4, 1961 (1961-12-04)
75	11	"The Sightseers"	Unknown	Richard Baer	December 11, 1961 (1961-12-11)
76	12	"Going Home"	Unknown	Richard Baer	December 18, 1961 (1961-12-18)
77	13	"Santa Hits Harvey"	Unknown	Richard Baer	December 25, 1961 (1961-12-25)
78	14	"The Man in the Crow's Nest"	Unknown	Richard Baer	January 1, 1962 (1962-01-01)
79	15	"Hysteresis Synchronous Can Be Fun"	Unknown	Unknown	January 8, 1962 (1962-01-08)
80	16	"Harvey and the Ring"	Unknown	Richard Baer	January 15, 1962 (1962-01-15)
81	17	"Little Girl"	Unknown	Unknown	January 22, 1962 (1962-01-22)
82	18	"Tight Quarters"	Unknown	Unknown	January 29, 1962 (1962-01-29)
83	19	"Close Enough for Jazz"	Unknown	Unknown	February 5, 1962 (1962-02-05)
84	20	"Patti's Tune"	Unknown	Unknown	February 12, 1962 (1962-02-12)
85	21	"The Hobby"	Unknown	Unknown	February 19, 1962 (1962-02-19)
86	22	"Harvey's Pills"	Unknown	Unknown	February 26, 1962 (1962-02-26)
87	23	"The Bicep Caper"	Unknown	Unknown	March 5, 1962 (1962-03-05)
88	24	"The Old Pro"	Unknown	Unknown	March 12, 1962 (1962-03-12)
89	25	"Big Bertha"	Unknown	Richard Baer	March 19, 1962 (1962-03-19)
90	26	"Buttons and Bones"	Unknown	Unknown	March 26, 1962 (1962-03-26)
91	27	"No Down Payment"	Unknown	Unknown	April 2, 1962 (1962-04-02)
92	28	"The Best Man"	Unknown	Unknown	April 9, 1962 (1962-04-09)
93	29	"Calling Doctor Good-Deed"	Unknown	Unknown	April 13, 1962 (1962-04-13)
94	30	"Hennesey Meets Soupy Sales"	Jackie Cooper	James Komack	April 23, 1962 (1962-04-23)
95	31	"Martha"	Unknown	Unknown	April 30, 1962 (1962-04-30)
96	32	"I Thee Wed"	Unknown	Richard Baer	May 7, 1962 (1962-05-07)

Guest stars

Actor and singer Bobby Darin was cast in the second episode (October 5, 1959) as "Honeyboy Jones". That same week Darin became famous with his version of the song, "Mack the Knife".^[1]

Prior to being cast as Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show, child actor Ron Howard played "Walker", a little boy temporarily left in Hennesey's care in the 1959 episode "The Baby Sitter". Gary Hunley, another child actor, appeared in the same episode.

Charles Bronson, en route to a long film career, was cast twice as Lt. Cmdr. Steve Ogrodowski, a Navy intelligence officer.

Don Rickles was cast in the 1961 episode "Professional Sailor" as CPO Ernie Schmidt. From 1976 to 1978, Rickles played the lead with the same rank in the NBC military sitcom, C.P.O. Sharkey.

Bandleader Les Brown and His Band of Renown and comedian Soupy Sales appeared in separate episodes as themselves.

Other guest stars:

Production notes

The series theme tune by Sonny Burke was a jazzy hornpipe played by tuba and piccolo. Hennesey was also innovative for being the first series to employ what has since become a standard device in television: beginning the dialog and action of each episode during opening credits.

Cooper starred in, produced, and directed the series, drawing upon his real-life experience as a World War II Navy veteran and his continuing service for many years as an officer in the United States Naval Reserve. He was a former child actor who starred in the Our Gang comedies of the early 1930s and then moved into feature films.

Beginning in 1960, scriptwriter Richard Baer wrote 38 of Hennesey's episodes, which earned him an Emmy nomination.^[2]

For the series finale, "I, Thee Wed", broadcast on May 7, 1962, characters Chick and Martha were married following their series-long romance.