Reviews of the TV Show COMBAT! by Jo
Davidsmeyer
Anatomy of a Patrol
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SYNOPSIS: Saunders' squad and a German patrol race to recover the pilot and reconnaissance photos from a downed American plane. Saunders engages in a personal battle of wits with his counterpart: another sergeant, similar to Saunders, who cares deeply for his squad. Each tries to accomplish his mission while keeping his men alive. But for one to succeed, the other must fail. Ultimately, Saunders outsmarts the German, but at a cost in both American and German lives. REVIEW:
In the series, we see surprisingly little of Saunders actually commanding his men. It's rare that we get to see inside the mind of this soldier as he leads his men on patrol. (Yes, we always see him ordering his men around. But here we watch as he commands them through a structured plan and engagement.) "Anatomy" shows him not as the man, but as the soldier--as the perfect soldier. The story contrasts and compares him with his counterpart leading the German patrol. As both work to cross- purposes, the script and direction draw marked similarities between Saunders and his nemesis, the German Sergeant played by James Caan (whose German is pretty terrible). What we see in this "enemy" is another young, bright man, like Saunders, who cares deeply for his men. Each is trying to accomplish his mission to the best of his ability. But for one to succeed, the other must fail. Watching the episode, I get the impression that if these sergeants met outside a war environment, they would have much in common and could become fast friends. Ultimately, we see Saunders outsmart his counterpart, but even so, he's not "smart" enough to achieve this victory without suffering losses. The plot of this episode is indistinguishable from the film "The Enemy Below," right down to the use of a corpse as a diversion. (The same plot is later used by Classic Trek in the episode starring Mark Lenard as the Romulan Commander.) Still, script writers Bob and Esther Mitchell make this tried-and-true story of admirable foes in a head-to-head challenge of wits seem fresh and original. The action is especially exciting in this episode. The most spectacular firefights filmed for Combat! were shot by Director Bernard McEveety for this episode. You'll see these shots again and again in dozens of episodes that follow. I've always found these action sequences particu- larly thrilling; however, after reading the Twilight Zone books, on this most recent viewing of "Anatomy" I found that these "exciting" shots suddenly seemed quite dangerous. It took a lot of freeze-framing and slow-motion to finally convince myself that when it looks like blanks are being shot directly at an actor just twenty feet away, that the blanks are actually being intercepted by a fortuitously placed hillock or shrub. Often the guns are aimed at the ground; but the action is so rapid and the muzzle flashes and explosions so seemingly wild that it creates a most wonderful illusion. William Smith (credited in this episode as Bill Smith), puts in a good job as Caan's right-hand-man (and the corpse that Caan must sacrifice to try to complete his mission). My only odd thought about this episode, is the niggling point that always bothers me when watching exterior scenes in Combat!: why are there so many semi-tropical plants in "France"?
NOTES, ODDITIES, AND BLOOPERS: · The plot of this episode is indistinguishable from the 1957 submarine film The Enemy Below, right down to the use of a corpse as a diversion.· William Wellman, Jr., son of Hollywood maverick director "Wild" Bill Wellman, appears as Woody.· The action sequences are especially exciting and are used again and again in dozens of episodes that follow.CAST: Vic Morrow as Sgt. SaundersRick Jason as Lt. Hanley James Caan as Sgt. Beckman William Sargent as Blocker
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