Customer Reviews

Combat - Season 5 Invasion 1

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The most obvious change here in Season 5 was the switch to color film. I won't say that the show is diminished by this move but it really is different. A great comparison is the one experimental color episode of Perry Mason, which BTW just didn't work. The same effect happened with "The Fugitive" which also moved to color in it's final season and experienced the same apparent decline.

With the pallette change and a reduction of episodes produced (25), the show just feels so different with our attention now focused more on the visual rather than the expressive aspects. Even Saunder's broad range of facial expressions emoting a vast repertoire of emotions is different; not bad, just not the same.

As I am a strong opponent of "colorization" of B&W movies and TV shows, I almost would reverse myself this one time and have this season "grayscaled".

But regardless of my opinions on color, Combat! stills stands head above ANY TV show ever produced and ALL five seasons hold their own. I heartily recommend the complete 5 season set.

Own all five seasons and hated to see it end.Combat was still rolling along when it was suddenly cancelled.Many blamed the
color version of season five helped kill the show,but that is
far from the truth.Season Five is/was terrific as well as the
first four.From what i understand,the producers back in the
60's wanted to get the show to syndication as quickly as possible
and thus the reason for cancelling.....more money!Today its just
the opposite,keep the show running to make more money.I am glad
i purchased this complete series,the only drawback was the time-
compressed issues of the first 4 seasons.Image claimed that
these time-compressed versions produced the best possible picture
quality and couldnt get hold of the original.I hope that this is
true,but wonder - how did they find Season Five?Also heard that
the entire series is going to be released in December in one
complete box package,better not be non-time compressed or i will
not be a happy camper!
To the person below - Time compressed basically is this:
The show (film)s speed is increased so more commercials can
be squeezed in once a show hits syndication.There isnt any
cutting or missing footage,however the extra time,say 2 or
3 minutes for commercials is made up by the films speed.The
film runs faster,usually barely noticed by the human eye,but
careful study you can sometimes see a slight difference
in lip sync to the words.In combat,its not all that noticeable
in most episodes.

While the fifth season still had excellent episodes and the DVD quality and extras of the fifth season are all great, the big change was the series went from black and white to color. I saw these episodes back in the 1960's when I was a kid and even though I saw the fifth season back then, we didn't have a color tv set so when I watched these DVD's it was the first time I saw these episodes in color. It was a real treat to see them in color, but it gives the show a very different feel. Since I grew up watching the original episodes in B&W and since news coverage of wars was all in B&W when I was a kid, I guess the black and white episodes just seemed more real to me, and I do prefer seeing COMBAT! in black and white. However, my 11 year old boy who loves war games on his Playstation and computer, loves watching COMBAT! on dvd with me and really enjoyed the color episodes more than the black and white. I guess it's just what you're used to. He grew up with color, so when he wants to watch a Combat! episode with me, he always goes for the fifth season. Color or black and white, you can't go wrong with these great episodes and a great DVD release that does the series justice.

Season 5 of Combat was the series first in color. Some preferred the first four black and white seasons feeling the black and white gave it a more gritty, newsreel feel. I liked the black and white and the color. I much preferred the color of the 1960s series I loved to the color we see on TV today. Many series that started in black and white switched to color during this period, among them "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea," "The Wild Wild West," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," "Lost in Space," "Gunsmoke," "The Fugitive," etc. All I can say is that the color episodes were a lot more enjoyable to watch.
Combat is easily the most highly-remembered W.W.II series. It premiered on ABC in 1962, the same year as another W.W.II infantry series, the Warner Bros. produced "The Gallant Men." Combat took place in France, "The Gallant Men" in Italy. Yet Combat lasted 5 years, The Gallant Men was cancelled after only one season. I watched both at the time and actually preferred The Gallant Men. Since that time however, I have seen every Combat episode on these sets. I also have managed to collect about half the episodes of The Gallant Men on videotape. I now believe Combat to have been the better show. Combat had more action and one other thing The Gallant Men did not: Vic Morrow. With his distinctive gait and Brando-type demeanor plus his ever-present machine-gun, Morrow was, to Junior High School kids like myself, without a doubt the coolest guy on TV. His loss in that "Twilight Zone" movie fiasco was a tragedy.
Combat had many great and memorable episodes. One, the 2 part Morrow-directed "Hills are for Heroes" (4th. season) was a harrowing experience and is still one of the best episodes of any series that I have ever seen. I also like "Bridge at Chalons" (second season) with Lee Marvin perfectly cast as Sgt. Turk, one of the angriest characters I've ever seen on TV. Watching him and Vic Morrow's Sgt Saunders, (a pretty angry guy himself) go at it is a lot of fun. (These two characters belong in the "Angry Hall of Fame.")
Like so many other dramatic series of the 1960s, Combat had great guest stars. Beside Lee Marvin, you had Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Nick Adams, Jack Lord, Mickey Rooney, Richard Basehart, Tab Hunter, Rock and Rollers Frankie Avalon and Bobby Rydell, plus many more. They all did Combat.
Combat was still doing well ratings-wise in the 5th season. (It knocked the horrendous "Girl from U.N.C.L.E. on NBC off the air.) The scripts were still good. Yet it was suprisingly and unceremonioussly cancelled by ABC to make way for another W.W.II series "Garrison's Gorillas." (I've read that many members of the cast and crew were quite angry and upset at ABC for Combat's unexpected cancellation.) "Garrison's Gorillas," a "Dirty Dozen" ripoff about an army lieutenant and 4 paroled criminals who pull off missions against the Germans was actually a fairly enjoyable series. Yet it too was cancelled after only 1 season. (They should have just left Combay on already.) ABC had a bad habit of cancelling good series after only 1 season during this period. (Anybody remember "The Green Hornet" or "The Time Tunnel?")
Anyway you can't go wrong with any season of Combat. (I peronally prefer the later seasons to season one. In season one they were still working the kinks out. But thats just my opinion.) Some of the extra features are excellent including some terrific retrospectives and audio commentaries.

Great TV program from yesteryear. Shame they don't make them as good today!!!

I watched this program when I was an early teen. If you are a Combat Fan, the color series was the best.

Many programs of the era had their own introductory music and this program was no exception; the music was by Leonard Rosseman.

They always start out with "staring Rick Jason and Vic Morrow." Instead of great sweeping epics this program focuses on a single squad with their trials and tribulation with confronting the Germans in WWII. Each episode is one hour and has to oppose a problem and a solution in that time. This was back in the time of professional privates.

In 1967-1968 Vietnam if you were lucky certain areas actually had TV broadcasting at 1600 hrs. You guessed it; this was one of the programs. I wonderer what the locals thought of the episode?

This would be a good series to own. Not just for the nostalgia, but the personal conflicts portrait in the program are still with us today.

If you are buying this item, I assume you have already purchased the first three seasons. And can not help but add to the collection and go on from her. I am also sure that by now you have your favorites marked for reviewing.


Combat - Season 5 Invasion 2 ~ Rick Jason

After watching the first 4 seasons, I was a bit apprehensive about the final season being in color. No problem! It was different, but just as entertaining.

The quality of the episodes held up well, although after 5 seasons there is a bit of repetition. You might be afraid that Morrow was getting tied of the part, but it does show on screen.

Season five of Combat! had a considerable number of changes, most of them not very good. The most obvious change is the switch to color. Strangely, Combat! did not play as well in this medium. Some blame this change as a major reason for its decline. I feel it was a drop off in the quality of scripts. If your foundation is weak it's hard to build a strong building. The acting was still outstanding but the directors were now all second-line. And, let's face it, Combat! was beginning to get stale. The character of Kirby went through a major change also; he was no longer the complainer or dissenter, he was now spouting the company line. The character of Pvt. McCall (William Bryant) had been added on a semi-regular basis & he was the dissenter of the group.

This set opens with "The Gun" which was the premiere episode of season five. The squad is ordered to destroy a German fortified position. A tank is called in but it's put out of action by a German artillery piece. The squad goes after the artillery piece, capture it, then move it by hand across rough terrain. This episode features Wayne Rogers (M*A*S*H). In "The Losers" Saunders is forced to use four soldiers that are being held for court martial on a mission. Bill Bixby (My Favorite Martian, The Incredible Hulk) & Bill Gray (Father Knows Best) are guest stars. "A Child's Game" has the squad pitted against a squad of green teenage Germans. "The Brothers" features Fernando Lamas as the older of two French brothers in the French underground. Sal Mineo is the younger brother who isn't made of the necessary material to be in the underground. Unfortunately the older brother doesn't realize this until it's too late. "The Furlough" has Saunders traveling to London to see a woman who was engaged to a man who had been killed in action while in Saunders' squad. "Cry for Help" features Robert Duvall as a German medic who's been captured by Hanley. "Ollie Joe" features Robert Walker, Jr. as the title character & also has Claude Akins as a guest star. "Gadjo" features Ricardo Montalban as the leader of a group of Gypsies who wants Saunders to turn over a German SS officer that's responsible for killing many of them. "Anniversary" guest stars Telly Savalas who's sniping at Germans & Americans because he wants to be left alone.

None of these episodes are among the best of Combat! nor are any of them my personal favorites. It's sad because Combat! was a groundbreaking series that was done reasonably realistic. It had been a quality show up to this point.

There are bonus features with the set that include: Notes, Oddities & Bloopers by Jo Davidsmeyer for most episodes; a photo gallery; & audio commentaries on two episodes, ""The Gun" (Warren Stevens), "Cry for Help" (Conlan Carter); "Combat! This Season in Color, Part 1".

I don't know why Amazon shows me as having bought this DVD, because I haven't just yet. But I probably will, eventually.

I do own the first four seasons of Combat! They are in Black and White. I'll probably wind up buying this, cuz I love the series. But being about WW II, it seems to lend itself more to B&W than color. So for whatever reason, I just didn't feel as moved to buy the last (in color) season.

But all in all, I highly recommend the entire series. I saw them all as a kid, and a few years back, The History Channel broadcast all of them, and this was before they had come out on DVD. I really appreciated seeing them again, and it was something I just had to own. WW II was the last really NECESSARY war the U.S. has fought, and the men and women who served deserve our undying gratitude.

If you are a fan of WW II media, you should get this. If you are younger than a "Baby Boomer", you NEED to see these, whether you buy them here or not.

larry the reviewer