Rat Patrol and Combat on DVD. (1 Viewer)

[steel wheels]

During the last couple of weeks, I have been watching old episodes of the TV war sitcoms the Rat Patrol and combat. These were some of the best tv war sitcoms ever made. I remember as a kid, it was a weekly ritual for my brother and me to watch these shows back in the 1960's. I highly recommend these DVD sets to all you ww-2 guys on this forum. I originally thought the 152 episode, 5 year combat collection was pricey, until I realized I have spent more for a tank. So I purchased the set, as well as the Rat patrol, and they have provided me with great entertainment and a lifetime of memories.

 

[OldDragon]

Hi SW

I seem to remember from a long, long ago that the Combat TV series was in black & white.

Well now .. Combat is being re-run on TV and (surprise me ) is in color. I was wondering if the whole series have been digitized in color or something like that ... Or perhaps, it just some latter episodes that were done in color.

Will appreciate any clarification ... if the series has been re-done in color, I will be interested to add the DVDs to my collection.

OD

 

[jac28]

Hi SW

I seem to remember from a long, long ago that the Combat TV series was in black & white.

Well now .. Combat is being re-run on TV and (surprise me ) is in color. I was wondering if the whole series have been digitized in color or something like that ... Or perhaps, it just some latter episodes that were done in color.

Will appreciate any clarification ... if the series has been re-done in color, I will be interested to add the DVDs to my collection.

OD

The first season or two were in B&W, later seasons in color. I don't know the exact time when the series switched to color.

Jim

 

[gk5717]

The last season of Combat was the only one in color.
I also have the entire Combat series on DVD, and yes as a 12 year old kid watching it it was good. But now years later and my knowledge of history etc, it is simply entertaining.
Gary

 

[jazzeum]

I have a few of the Combat DVD sets and really enjoy them because (I guess) it takes me back. Besides that, however, some of the stories are good, with some famous directors directing. I prefer it in B & W as it gives a certain grittiness to it.

 

[modwalls]

Those were great shows, they are my childhood for sure. Everyone in my neighborhood wanted to be Sgt. Saunders, I always wanted to be Kirby. The Rat Patrol was cool to, I never got the fact you had the Captain in a Aussie hat, a driver in a foreign legion cap, and a Brit in a beret, and a driver in a army helmet. But the battle scenes were always neat to watch. The good guys always won, a bit far fetched, but that is how our hero's always are.

 

[OldDragon]

Hi All

Yes it was a favorite of yesteryear ... but today,Sgt Saunders looks a bit weird to me. His helmet cover seems to be a Pacific Marine issue ... ?

Artistic license perhaps

OD

 

[jazzeum]

Hi All

Yes it was a favorite of yesteryear ... but today,Sgt Saunders looks a bit weird to me. His helmet cover seems to be a Pacific Marine issue ... ?

Artistic license perhaps

OD

That helmet always puzzles me as completely out of place. There must be a story behind it.

 

[Capitolron]

I LOVED THE RAT PATROL !

 

[Harrytheheid]

I LOVED THE RAT PATROL !

Ummm....Yeah, we know.

Cheers Grand Jury Foreman - or whatever...
H

 

[desk11desk12]

I love combat, I remember it was on at 7 pm pst, every Tuesday. Know I have the entire series on DVD. I love those M3A2 painted in gray with german markings. LOL

Carlos

 

[gk5717]

Speaking of Saunders helmet, have you noticed most of the time he wears it on the back of his head so a tuffle of his blond hair is showing. I guess that,s for the ladies that were watching.
I watched an episode of Combat last night that reminded me of the Naked Gun movies.
They were having a horendous firefight in the living room of a house, about 4 Germans & 4 GI,s, with automatic weapons and M-1,s blazing. They would fire a burst, then duck behind a chair or table for cover. As if a chair would stop a bullet!!
Thought of Police Squad Lt. Drebin having a gun battle with a bad guy with only a trash can seperating them.
Gary

 

[UKReb]

Back in the dark monochrome days of British TV a single region had Combat for one season only. As a youngster I tried to catch every episode as it made such a hell of a change from our British TV war efforts of awfully nice gentlemen with awfully nice German guards escaping from Stalag camps every week all filmed in a cardboard studio.

There were two episodes of Combat that I still remember today. I believe one was called "A Walk with an Eagle" almost a pre-runner of SPR where the sergeant and his team are sent behind enemy lines to rescue a downed flyboy who is a hero back home which helps the war effort. Morrow challenges the pilot on why must he lose good men to rescue him.
The other episode sees the sergeant and his team pinned down by a Kraut MG nest, he loses half his team trying to kill the nest until in the last minutes of the episode a Sherman turns up and obliterates Jerry with one muzzle shot. The look on Vic Morrows face deserved an Oscar.

Then the BBC got the Rat Patrol great stuff! But it lasted 5 weeks here in the UK because it caused one hell of a fuss that even got debated in Parliament. The complainants were the 8th Army veterans who were not going to put up with American heroics in the Western Desert thankyou very much, it was bad enough having Errol Flynn win Burma all on his own but they are not going to take El Alamein etc etc. But it worked and the BBC were forced to drop the series. Unbelievable! after all it was just Hollywood entertainment and such a change from the austere British stuff we had to put up with. But Monty's old boys were having none of it and congratulated themselves on their second victory when it was taken off British TV.
Sweet memories.
Reb

 

[steel wheels]

I believe that reruns of "Combat" is being shown in the U.S on the American Life cable channel at 7pm EST. I cherish those shows, because in this day and age of reality tv crap, we will never see television of that kind again. Their is also a great book available called Combat a viewers companion", by Jo Davidsmyer. It chronicles every episode with text and photo's. The entire cast is asked to look back on this great series, and one of its stars the late Rick Jason wrote the introduction.. It is readily available and autographed from the author on e-bay. I received mine last week and I highly recommend it.

 

[Harrytheheid]

Then the BBC got the Rat Patrol great stuff! But it lasted 5 weeks here in the UK because it caused one hell of a fuss that even got debated in Parliament. The complainants were the 8th Army veterans who were not going to put up with American heroics in the Western Desert thankyou very much, it was bad enough having Errol Flynn win Burma all on his own but they are not going to take El Alamein etc etc. But it worked and the BBC were forced to drop the series. Unbelievable! after all it was just Hollywood entertainment and such a change from the austere British stuff we had to put up with. But Monty's old boys were having none of it and congratulated themselves on their second victory when it was taken off British TV.
Sweet memories.
Reb

it was bad enough having Errol Flynn win Burma all on his own

You know, its funny you should mention it Reb, I watched this one just 2 days ago;

Check out the blurb on the back...

And here's another Classic

 

[maddadicus]

Combat has always been my favorite series...How many of you would admit to pulling out your army men when the show came on, and play out the fight scenes..I would name my soldiers after the guys on the show..I know..I know...my mom dropped me on my headMichael

 

[modwalls]

Combat has always been my favorite series...How many of you would admit to pulling out your army men when the show came on, and play out the fight scenes..I would name my soldiers after the guys on the show..I know..I know...my mom dropped me on my headMichael

That was half the fun growing up with Toy Soldiers, the imagination. I think everybody did that, name certain figures after Combat series guys. I Sgt. Saunders was the Marx Battle Groung Thompson Grenade throwing Gi. Kinch, Kirby, Little John, and Doc, then whatever poor guy went out on patrol with them. One thing you knew for sure, he was going to be the KIA. I don't want to forget Lt. Hanley, he was the Marx GI waiveing guy or officer.

 

[steel wheels]

I always played Rat Patrol with my friends. Loved firing the machine gun, and blowing up German petrol. I also remember when Combat came to an end on Tuesday night, I would have to go to bed because school was the next day, but I would stay awake in my bed for a 1/2 hour thinking about the following weeks episode. In those days you always got teased with scenes for the upcoming episode that would follow next week. Funny thing though, my son who is at the same age, that I was back then, shows little interest in the show. I guess with all the modern contraptions that kids have today, Combat isn't as good as Playstations "Call To duty"!

 

[L Flowers]

I saw a tv show, on a channel called alife, called 12 o'clock high. When was this series on tv? I never heard of it...only the movie by that title.

 

[UKReb]

I saw a tv show, on a channel called alife, called 12 o'clock high. When was this series on tv? I never heard of it...only the movie by that title.

Hi Larry

The series ran for about 80 episodes starting in 1964. Produced by 20th Century Fox TV one of the Exec Producers was Quinn Martin who dominated TV in the 70's with hour long action series such as The Fugitive/The Invaders etc.

This series was little short on action but had pretty good story lines and is basically a salute to all the aircrews of the US 8th Air Force who flew on those deadly day-time raids over Germany. Filmed on location at an air-base in California with Robert Lansing in the lead role, but who left after the first series following a bust-up with Quilnn Martin. The black and white cinematography gave the same gritty look as Combat but when the series changed to color it didn't have the same impact.
It did become a good training ground for a number of future US TV stars of the 70's such as Roy Thinnes/Burt Reynolds/Michael Callan/Frank Gorshin/Pete Duell etc all playing small parts. Deserves a release on DVD.
Reb