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COMBAT!


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Anybody remember another ABC show in the mid 60s called BLUE LIGHT, as i remember, it was a ww2 spy show seems like.

Hi All,

I remember BLUE LIGHT! Wasn't it on for only one or two years and had Robert Goulet as the star. Or was that Robert Vaughn?

Terry

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  • 1 month later...
I am surprised there are no COMBAT topics in here. This show happens to be one of the main reasons I love WWII. I started watching it on a LA TV channel as a young kid Saturday afternoons when it came on and became a huge fan of Lowell Thomas who played Billy in the first and some of the second season. Just wondering if there is any more COMBAT fans out there and does anyone else have the whole series on TV?

 

I loved COMBAT as a kid. Since my dad was in WW2, the show was even more interesting to me. While dad never talked about the war, except if one of us asked a question, then he'd answer the question.

 

Anway, I love the show, and I went out and bought the whole boxed set from Amazon. I'm glad I did.

 

Brian (bammerbb)

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The same season that Combat premiered (I think on ABC) another similar series premiered on CBS or NBC. As I remeber, the other series was Titled "Brave Men" and it portrayed American soldiers fighting in Italy. There was only a pilot and a couple of episodes before it ws canceled. Does ANYONE remember or know anything about this series? Gary

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Is it just me or is there a really common theme here (and yes count me in). If we did a forum poll...would we find that the Combat experience is a root cause of sorts for this very forum?

 

I think you are right. I know that TV show had a lot to do with spurring my interest in WWII. I used to watch it with my dad and usually it would get him talking about the war.

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The same season that Combat premiered (I think on ABC) another similar series premiered on CBS or NBC. As I remeber, the other series was Titled "Brave Men" and it portrayed American soldiers fighting in Italy. There was only a pilot and a couple of episodes before it ws canceled. Does ANYONE remember or know anything about this series? Gary

Hi-

You're thinking of "The Gallant Men."

I vaguely remember watching it as a kid.

More info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gallant_Men

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Gallant Men, yep that's it. THANKS, I was 10 years old when that show ran, and that is the last I'd heard of it. Somewhere along the line I reimagined the title as "Brave Men." which was the title of one of the books written by Ernie Pyle. (and covering the Italian campaign) I'd forgotten that the show featured a war correspondent in Italy. I wonder now of the possible influence in that show of the work of Pyle. (Maybe if it'd survived into a 2nd or 3rd season the cast might have moved to the Pacific....) Gary

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"Blue Light" stared Robert Goulet. Robert Vaughn was the "Man from U.N.C.L.E."

 

 

 

Hi All,

I remember BLUE LIGHT! Wasn't it on for only one or two years and had Robert Goulet as the star. Or was that Robert Vaughn?

Terry

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  • 3 months later...
Corsair pilot
I am surprised there are no COMBAT topics in here. This show happens to be one of the main reasons I love WWII. I started watching it on a LA TV channel as a young kid Saturday afternoons when it came on and became a huge fan of Lowell Thomas who played Billy in the first and some of the second season. Just wondering if there is any more COMBAT fans out there and does anyone else have the whole series on TV?

I loved this show. I bought the series on DVD and watch it often. Glad to hear other people like this show.

kenny

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  • 1 year later...
history-buff1944

Heck yes...who doesn't like Combat !?!

 

 

Im not being a smart arse but--the Germans I know detest the series same with Hogan's Heroes and The Rat Patrol.

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I know this is a bit late, but I have had surgery and can't get around too well yet, so what better place to be, eh? I remember COMBAT. We as kids used to play army (and fight over who was Sgt. Saunders), no older than 9-10. Still remember the show quite well. What I didn't get was the lack of equipment, ammo and the continual Thompson use by Saunders and no visible ammo or he had a 10,000 round magazine. Even then I used to wonder. Butt all in all loved the show and still occasionally get to see an episode. (We always had the Combat test the day after at school as to who really watched and who was faking, no lie!

 

Claymore

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history-buff1944

I am surprised there are no COMBAT topics in here. This show happens to be one of the main reasons I love WWII. I started watching it on a LA TV channel as a young kid Saturday afternoons when it came on and became a huge fan of Lowell Thomas who played Billy in the first and some of the second season. Just wondering if there is any more COMBAT fans out there and does anyone else have the whole series on TV?

 

 

Im a fan, I have the series box set and "Billy" no longer acts and is a School teacher in Wasington State.

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  • 7 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Just saw this. Combat! And 12 O'Clock High along with my first GI Joe in 1965 set the wheels in motion for the WW 2 history obsession that's gone on ever since. The quality of the writing and the acting in Combat! Set it apart from the rest. The fight in the neighborhood was always who got to be Saunders. As my dad was in the service at the time and a 1st Lt. I was "stuck" playing the LT as my dads helmet liner had an Lt bar on it :)

 

My best friends dad had been a Sergeant during Korea so he usually got to be Saunders.

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  • 10 months later...

Might be time to bring this out from the depths....I've been conducting a marathon viewing of Combat (via YouTube) and I've got to say for the time and budget it's really not that bad- though most of the situations are pure Hollywood fantasy. XXX PLOT SPOILER XX Saw an episode entitled "The Hell Machine" Saunders along with a noncom and a captain are riding along in a jeep when they hit a landmine. The captain is badly injured and the whole German army is approaching-what happens? A German tank comes tracking up and the crew just happens to be dead?? The tank thus becomes their vehicle for escape. Wow? who thought of that one?

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This show was WAY before my time...

 

I have been meaning to take a look, maybe a DVD or two...

 

Its a shame Vic Morrow and those two children met their end in such a brutal way

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something I noticed about 1960's era shows like Combat and the Rat patrol is the stories are kind of like something out of a Comic book? like Sgt Fury or Sgt ROCK

 

the bad guys like the German officer in the Rat patrol never gets killed, they always spare his life, numerous episodes show the Rat patrol infiltrating behind German lines and get right in their camp, attack and get away everytime like a comic book story

 

entertaining but cheesy

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I obtained this repro Wehrmacht coat years ago out of the Southern Calif area. Even though I have no direct provenance attesting to the fact that it came off of a Combat TV set, I believe there's a very high probability it was used for the show. It has a "Western Costume Hollywood" stamp and it's a dead-ringer for the German uniforms you see on the show - particularly the very large eagle, smooth buttons, and fat shoulder boards.

 

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post-322-0-50984000-1407085898.jpgpost-322-0-34624100-1407085910.jpg

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That's the correct combat German tunic.

There were racks of them along with matching caps and helmets.

I like the fact that m51s and wrong helmets were used as it was just army stuff and innocent.

Today's stitch counting is over the top myself included who participate in this witch hunt.

 

Combat was fun.

Playing war in the back garden with a green plastic helmet with plastic leaves moulded on was also fun.

 

Owen

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  • 2 months later...
Trooper B.A.R

Here's 2 of my Combat Vic Morrow autographs. Have several from Rick Jason also many of the Combat squad who attended the cruises. Vic Morrows I got from a reputable dealer who authenticates, and is a leader in the industry, also writes articles for the Authograph Collectors magazine.

 

post-122493-0-02854900-1412594200.jpg

post-122493-0-40704100-1412594226.jpg

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  • 3 months later...

Loved that show. Every Tuesday night I'd put on my plastic US helmet and Thompson Sub-machine gun and sit in front of the TV. I couldn't wait to see what would happen with Sgt. Saunders, Cage, Kirby, Little John and Doc. I also thought that it had one of the most memorable TV themes around for that time. I'm going to have to check for it on Netflix or Amazon.

 

Semper Fi

 

Manny

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Kirby all the way! BAR!

 

Have the complete series, watched all 152 episodes in like under 30 days!

 

I must say it was great seeing all the old stars making guest appearances however man I hated those episodes when they had French kids helping them or causing problems.

 

Hills are for Heroes was one of the best dramatic episodes I can remember.

 

One of my favorite episodes, that I remember the name was 'The Silver Star'

 

Semper Fi

 

Manny

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