Combat on DVD

by Jack Bruno

Once in a while.... A modeler's mind wanders while building a kit and travels back to a place where things going on in the World did not matter. For me, that place was Day Baseball at Wrigley Field, Johnny Quest, Room 222, The Time Tunnel, Twelve O'clock High, The Rat Patrol and COMBAT. As a Boy I would listen with great interest about the stories from the front whenever my Family would get together during Functions.

 I had five Uncles, not to mention my Father, serve in W.W.II. Hence, it was with great interest in the early 60's we would all be glued to the TV because ABC produced a weekly W.W.II Drama called COMBAT. This was a very vivid telling of stories surrounded by real events. To me, it was THE most exciting series and I looked forward to it every Tuesday night in prime time.  For many modelers, such stimulating drama's proved to be the catalyst to becoming a modeler. It was a love of History, Strategy and Natural boyish Military Glory that propelled us to the next level. I could even recall the several W.W.II MARX Playsets I received just from watching and LOVING these Shows.

Perhaps it was this series that propelled current Hollywood Moguls to produce the recent hits, Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers and more. During the summer months, I would play Army in the backyards and found myself asking what would Lt.Hanley and Sgt. Saunders do in this situation. COMBAT was the weekly adventures of a Squad in King Company. The men reflected almost every walk of life .....from a wiseguy (Kirby), a Cajun (Cage), a clumsy Giant (Little John) a Joker (Braddock) and the ever present nice guy (Doc). You would not believe all of the guest stars that you will notice on this set as well as future offerings. Robert Duvall, Charles Bronson, Tom Skerritt, Jame Whitmore, James Caan, Frank Gorshin, John Agar and James Colburn just to name a few!!! As with many shows of that Golden age, most episodes were action filled while at times being brutally honest and tear jerking to downright funny. 

Modelers and History lovers that remember COMBAT can now own the ULTIMATE Collection for their viewing pleasure. The entire First Season has now been released. I purchased the two Sets at a Local BEST BUY. There is a total of 32 Episodes on 8 Disks on the two sets, enough viewing  to keep you busy for a long time. In addition, there is a fantastic COMBAT Website where the info on the First Season was taken, with permission. ( http://www.combatfan.com/) . I cannot recommend this set high enough. If you were a fan, you need this. Another three sets are in the works to be released throughout the year! Watching these episodes has brought back a lot of memories and I'm sure they will for you too.  SPECIAL Thanks to Joe Davidsmeyer for the use of the copied information and kudos for Nancy Durgin for the descriptions.

 Season One Episodes (1962-63)
(one-line descriptors written by Nancy Durgin)

Combat! aired Tuesday nights at 7:30 pm opposite NBC’s “Laramie” and CBS’s “Marshal Dillon” and “The Lloyd Bridges Show.” The first season episodes show a progression of events that trace the history of the Normandy campaign. Events of season one cover D-Day, Falaise, the assassination attempt on Hitler, and the battle around Avranches. There was a time continuity to the first season as the squad drew closer to the liberation of Paris. The show also showed a consistency of casting throughout most of the first season. The squad was not peopled with ever changing faces. Under Altman, the same actors reappeared as the same characters from week to week: Crown, Baker, Davis, Brockmeyer, and others became friendly faces that we came to know. And others, such as Temple and Kelly, we got to know and then see fall to the war. It was a unique continuity for its time and helped create the feeling of a real squad.