Series Description

The C.P.O. Sharkey TV show was a 30 minute comedy series on NBC about a Navy Chief Petty Officer who was responsible for making sailors out of new recruits.

C.P.O. Sharkey Cast

Don Rickles .... Chief Petty Officer "C.P.O." Otto Sharkey
Harrison Page .... Chief Robinson
Richard X. Slattery ... Captain "Buck" Buckner
Elizabeth Allen .... Captain Quinlan

C.P.O. Sharkey Trivia:

Sharkey was a "lifer" in the Navy having already served 24 years. He was stationed at the Naval Training Center in San Diego, California.

Don Rickles got his start doing stand-up comedy in night clubs. He made his first movie appearance in the hit film, "Run Silent Run Deep (1958)". He appeared in several other mediocre films before his next hit, "Kelly's Heroes (1970)". From 1973 to 1984, Don made a lot of appearances on the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts. Don's early night club experience was ideal for those appearances! He was the master of insults, with nicknames, "Mr. Warmth" and "The Merchant of Venom". Don did such a good job that he stepped in as master of ceremonies when Dean Martin himself was roasted!

Capitalizing on his role as the master of insults, Don Rickles (C.P.O. Sharkey) could be viciously mean to his recruits at times but he actually cared deeply for them on the inside.

Elizabeth Allen had been the "Away We Go" girl on the "Jackie Gleason Show". She was also the strange department store salesperson on the Twilight Zone episode where Anne Francis played a Mannequin that was brought to life.

Don Rickles guest-hosted on "The Tonight Show" several times for Johnny Carson. One night, Don broke Johnny's favorite ashtray. When Johnny returned to the show and discovered it broken, he questioned the band members and found out that Don had broken it. He "acted" as if he was extremely upset and charged off the Tonight Show stage while a camera followed him to another set nearby where the C.P.O. Sharkey TV show was being taped! Johnny burst right in while the tape was rolling and started chewing Rickles out for what he'd done. That may be the only time anyone ever saw Don Rickles speechless! It was hilarious!

At the end of the first season, C.P.O. Sharkey's commander was a beautiful woman named Captain Quinlan. When the show returned in the second season, she had been replaced as commander by a man named Captain "Buck" Buckner.