re: YouTube Pick Of The Day

For WWII fans (and who didn't love WWII?):




Combat was an hour-long drama series that ran on ABC from 1962-7. It's sort of the original Band of Brothers. Created by screenwriter and war film specialist Robert Pirosh (Oscar winner for Battleground), Combat follows an infantry squad after D-Day as they go through France. Top-notch writing and innovative production, including frequent use of handheld cameras to simulate actual battle footage, give it a grittiness seldom seen in network TV before or since. The late, great Vic Morrow stars as the tough, no-nonsense Sergeant Saunders.




A few notable episodes:

The Glory Among Men -- One of my favorite episodes. The most hated member of the squad is wounded and trapped out in the open. But the Germans don't finish him off -- instead they leave him alive, hoping to draw out the Americans to rescue him. Should the squad risk their lives for someone they despise?

Anatomy of a Patrol -- Trying to get a wounded pilot and valuable reconnaissance film back to HQ, Saunders must match wits with a German sergeant every bit as shrewd as he is. The sergeant is played by a very young James Caan, who speaks some rather impressive German.

The Bridge At Chalons -- The squad must guard a surly demolitions expert while he blows a key bridge. The guest star is no less than the great Lee Marvin.

Hills Are For Heroes -- Essentially a movie, a 2 part episode directed by Vic Morrow. The title is a reference to the film Robert Pirosh wrote which served as sort of a run-through for Combat -- Hell Is For Heroes.

Survival -- Directed by Robert Altman, and another of my favorites. Wounded in a fire and separated from the squad, Saunders wanders through enemy territory in a daze. Virtually half the footage has no dialogue, and Altman employs some unorthodox camera angles (shooting into the sun) previously unheard of in TV.