Combat! A Viewer's Companion to the WWII TV Series, Revised Edition

by Jo Davidsmeyer

The compendium is an armchair companion for viewing the classic television series "Combat!," starring Vic Morrow as Sergeant Saunders. "Combat!" was television's longest-running World War II drama and honored the frontline U.S. infantryman.Airing originally on ABC from 1962 through 1967, "Combat!" followed the exploits of the fighting men of Company K's second platoon as they battled their way across Europe. A critical and popular success, "Combat!" lives on in syndication, where it continues to attract new fans.

The gritty drama attracted an impressive roster of guests, including luminaries from the past, current film stars, and the risingn stars of tomorrow. Lee Marvin, Mickey Rooney, Tom Skerritt, James Caan, Beau Briges, Sal Mineo, Eddie Albert, Frankie Avalon, Neville Brand, Charles Bronson, and more all came to "play soldier" with the men of "Combat!"
The book includes comments from Rick Jason, Dick Peabody, Tom Lowell, Pierre Jalbert, Conlan Carter, Jack Hogan, Robert Altman, Robert Blees, Georg Fenady, A.D. Flowers, and Earl Parker. The book has production notes, backstage stories, recollections of the actors, bloopers, reviews of all 152 episodes, and photos. A section of color photos of "Combat!" collectibles is also included.

The compendium is printed on high-quality paper, with a gloss color cover and over 150 photos throughout (both black-and-white and color). Softbound, 8-1/2 by 11 inches.
With a foreword written by Rick Jason (who played Lt. Hanley in the series).

Genres: World War II

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1997

Reviews

[Qt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up watching the 1960s TV show "Combat!," a drama that followed a group of soldiers in World War II. I was delighted with this book, and I'd highly recommend it to fans of "Combat," or to anyone interested in what it's like.

Each episode of the series has a brief synopsis in the book, as well as a list of bloopers or notes about the episode. There are also plenty of photos and stories from the cast, and quite a bit of text--often humorous--about how the series was made, directors, special effects, and so on. There is even a section on memorabilia and collectibles.

I love flipping through the book whenever I feel like revisiting the series without actually watching an episode, and I also love the funny and interesting stories the cast shares.

[julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It may take me a while to finish this book--it goes through each episode, and I don't want to read the review until I've watched the episode recently... But I'm loving all the backstories behind the episodes and the making of the show.

[Toni Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good information for the true combat tv fan.