It's World War II, and Andy Griffith (Matlock) is a college student who isn't doing well with his classes or his girlfriend, so he joins the Coast Guard. He is assigned kitchen duty on the USS Periwinkle where crotchety Walter Matthau (Grumpy Old Men, Dennis the Menace) is the chief chef, and soon, a romantic rival for Felicia Farr (Kiss Me, Stupid!). Lots of fun abounds on board this military comedy in the spirit of No Time for Sergeants.