Baby boomers, fall in! Greatest generation, ten hut! Combat reports for duty on DVD with two four-disc sets that collect the complete first season (1962) of television's grittiest, if not best, war series. Anything but gung-ho, Combat succeeded in its mission to capture the sweat, fatigue, tension, and terror of war. The series followed the members of the King Two platoon, led by Lt. Gil Hanley (Rick Jason) and Sgt. Chip Saunders (breakout star Vic Morrow), as they battled their way across Europe following the Normandy invasion in action-filed (but not glorified) scenes that hit home with documentary-like intensity. Some of the most memorable episodes tackled moral dilemmas. In "Forgotten Front" (written under a pseudonym by Twilight Zone scribe Richard Matheson and included in the first set), platoon-member Caje (Pierre Jalbert) must decide whether or not to execute a personable German deserter. In “The Medal” (written by James Bond veteran Richard Maibaum and included in set two), an excellent Frank Gorshin stars as a soldier who takes credit for his dead friend's heroism. Besides Gorshin, other familiar faces who guest-starred include Ted Knight in “The Volunteer,” Robert Culp in “Hill 256," and Harry Dean Stanton in “A Day in June." Among the regulars, Shecky Greene, as the hustler Braddock, enjoyed some of his finest hours in front of the camera; particularly in "The Prisoner," in which he is captured by Germans who mistake him for a colonel (Greene, unfortunately, is missing in action in the second half of the season). These episodes also feature rarely-seen early work by some now-decorated directors, such as Robert Altman, who helmed the harrowing “Survival,” one of Emmy-nominee Morrow's best episodes, in which a severely wounded Saunders must make his way behind enemy lines; “I Swear By Apollo,” in which the platoon takes refuge in a convent; and “Off Limits,” which features former child star Peggy Ann Garner (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn) as an unfaithful married nurse. Thoughtfully compiled extras include "notes, oddities and bloopers" for each episode located on the scene selection menus and an affectionate 23-minute "making-of" on the first set, along with Altman's audio commentary for the episode "Cat and Mouse." Richard Donner, who also earned his stripes with this series, provides lively commentary on set two for his episode, “No Trumpets, No Drums.” We salute Image Entertainment for doing television's greatest World War II series proud. Recommended. (D. Liebenson)
Combat: Season 1, Campaign II; Combat: Season I, Campaign I
Image, 4 discs, 750 min., not rated, DVD: $39.99 November 15, 2004
Combat: Season 1, Campaign II; Combat: Season I, Campaign I
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