"Combat!" (1962) TV series 1962-1967

User Rating:

8.7/10   

Writers:

Esther Mitchell (multiple episodes)
Vic Morrow (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Release Date:

2 October 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Plot:

Combat!, a one-hour WWII drama series on television, followed a frontline American infantry squad as they battled their way across Europe...

Plot Keywords:

WWII | Sergeant | Lieutenant

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Vic Morrow	...	Sgt. Saunders (152 episodes, 1962-1967)
Rick Jason	...	Lt. Hanley (152 episodes, 1962-1967)
Pierre Jalbert	...	Caje / ... (115 episodes, 1962-1967)
Jack Hogan	...	Kirby (112 episodes, 1962-1967)
Dick Peabody	...	Littlejohn (99 episodes, 1962-1967)
Conlan Carter	...	Doc / ... (66 episodes, 1963-1967)

Runtime:

60 min (152 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Selmur Productions

Trivia:

The distinctive helmet that Vic Morrow's Sgt. Saunders character wore in the series was covered with a piece of nylon cut from a U.S. paratrooper's camouflaged T-5 main parachute canopy, not a cloth Marine Corps cover as assumed by many viewers.

Quotes:

Sgt. Chip Saunders: [a typical "pep talk" to his squad] ... All right, just knock it off. YOU KNOCK IT OFF! You people make me sick. Go on, look at yourselves. You call yourselves a squad? You're a bunch of GOOF-UPS! Littlejohn, you cause nothing but trouble! You mind everybody's business except your own...

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Man Who Shot Chinatown: The Life and Work of John A. Alonzo (2007)

Combat was one of the best dramas of the 60s

I was all of 4 years old when Combat first aired and 9 when it went off the air. But to this day, I still fondly remember that show. The Combat theme and most of the music for the show is hard to forget. I remember wanting to be like Sergent Saunders---tough but compassionate. And even though, I later started to realize that the squad probably went through a division (ok....maybe not a division.....but at least a regiment) all by itself in the 150 plus episodes, that never detracted from the tension, thrills, and emotion the shows provided. All the regulars did such a great job portraying their characters, I sometimes had a hard time remembering it was only a show and that they were actors. When an ensemble cast can do that, you know they have to be good. And all the great guest stars...too many to mention. This was what TV was meant to be. I just bought the first seasons' dvds and I will definitely continue to purchase the rest of the seasons.