McHale's Navy S1E2 — A Purple Heart for Gruber

6.8

McHale's Navy•Season 1•Episode 2

A Purple Heart for Gruber

6.8/10 · 99 votesOct 18, 196230 min

Ranked #36 of 36 in Season 1•−0.7 vs season avg

Lester Gruber has been given the job of laundering Captain Binghamton's uniforms. When a Japanese sub fires on the PT 73, the uniforms are destroyed, and Lester's finger is scratched, prompting him to put in for a Purple Heart.

Directed bySidney Lanfield

Written byDanny Arnold

Previous episodeE1 · An Ensign for McHale Next episodeE3 · McHale and His Seven Cupids

Seasons4

Season 1 Episodes36

An Ensign for McHale still

An Ensign for McHale

A Purple Heart for Gruber still

E2 6.8Now viewing

A Purple Heart for Gruber

McHale and His Seven Cupids still

McHale and His Seven Cupids

PT 73, Where Are You? still

PT 73, Where Are You?

Movies Are Your Best Diversion still

Movies Are Your Best Diversion

Operation Wedding Party still

Operation Wedding Party

Who Do the Voodoo? still

Who Do the Voodoo?

Three Girls on an Island still

Three Girls on an Island

McHale's Paradise Motel still

McHale's Paradise Motel

The Battle of McHale's Island still

The Battle of McHale's Island

The Day They Captured Santa Claus still

The Day They Captured Santa Claus

Beauty and the Beast still

Beauty and the Beast

The Captain's Mission still

The Captain's Mission

Send Us a Hero still

Send Us a Hero

The Captain Steals a Cook still

The Captain Steals a Cook

The Ensign Gets a Zero still

The Ensign Gets a Zero

The Big Raffle still

The Big Raffle

One of Our Engines Is Missing still

One of Our Engines Is Missing

The Natives Get Restless still

The Natives Get Restless

The Confidence Game still

The Confidence Game

Six Pounds from Paradise still

Six Pounds from Paradise

Washing Machine Charlie still

Washing Machine Charlie

Nippon Nancy Calling still

Nippon Nancy Calling

One Enchanted Weekend still

One Enchanted Weekend

The Mothers of PT 73 still

The Mothers of PT 73

H.M.S. 73 still

H.M.S. 73

A Wreath for McHale still

A Wreath for McHale

Portrait of a Peerless Leader still

Portrait of a Peerless Leader

Instant Democracy still

Instant Democracy

Camera, Action, Panic still

Camera, Action, Panic

Alias Captain Binghamton still

Alias Captain Binghamton

Parents Anonymous still

Parents Anonymous

McHale's Millions still

McHale's Millions

The Hillbillies of PT 73 still

The Hillbillies of PT 73

The Monster of McHale's Island still

The Monster of McHale's Island

Uncle Admiral still

Uncle Admiral

Cast12

Ernest Borgnine

Ernest Borgnine

Quinton McHale

Joe Flynn

Joe Flynn

Captain Wallace B. Binghamton

Tim Conway

Tim Conway

Ensign Charles Parker

Carl Ballantine

Carl Ballantine

Lester Gruber

Gary Vinson

Gary Vinson

George Christopher

Billy Sands

Billy Sands

'Tinker' Bell

E

Edson Stroll

Virgil Edwards

J

John Wright

Willy Moss

Y

Yoshio Yoda

Fuji Kobiaji

Gavin MacLeod

Gavin MacLeod

Happy

Roy Roberts

Roy Roberts

Bob Hastings

Bob Hastings

Lt. Elroy Carpenter

Crew2

D

Danny Arnold

Writer

Sidney Lanfield

Sidney Lanfield

Director

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Episode Summary

"A Purple Heart for Gruber" is episode 2 of McHale's Navy season 1. It scored 6.8/10 from 99 votes, ranking #36 of 36 episodes this season (season average 7.5). Directed by Sidney Lanfield and written by Danny Arnold, it aired on October 18, 1962.

Next: E3 · McHale and His Seven Cupids Best of Season 1