Combat! episode reviews by Jo Davidsmeyer * Episodes are rated from 0 to 4 bayonets

(099) Hear No Evil

RATING:

2-1/2 bayonets

Written by Tim Considine and John Considine
Directed by Sutton Roley
First aired 26-Oct-1965
Episode 7 of Season 4

SYNOPSIS:

A grenade leaves Saunders deaf, helpless to defend against unheard dangers. Seeking safety in a deserted abbey, Saunders befriends a stray dog. With the dog acting as his ears, Saunders strikes out toward his lines. En route, the dog is killed, Saunders bags a prisoner, and regains his hearing.

REVIEW:

Morrow suffers through hearing deprivation and fifty pages of weak script in "Hear No Evil." Morrow is great to watch as his Saunders struggles back to his lines after a near encounter with a grenade. But when the script resorts to a cute dog exhibiting Lassie-like intelligence so that our hero can escape, the story fails.

The story is little improved when Saunders replaces his hearing-ear-dog with a German soldier (played by Peter Haskell, who will return to guest in two fifth-season episodes). The script is by the writing team of Tim and John Considine. John played Temple in two first-season episodes; his brother/co-writer was a child actor at Disney.

Director Sutton Roley helps bring out the best from both Morrow and this weak script. Roley's strong visuals add interest to a contrived story that tries to be as grand as "Survival, " but falls short. In first draft, the script had more dialogue, with Saunders often talking to himself and even naming the dog.

ABOUT FILMING THE EPISODE:

evil1.jpg (14568 bytes) Earl Parker doubles for Morrow in all the French Chateau shots. The film used under the opening credits shows Earl's remarkable ability to mimic Morrow and to perform with his same sense of timing and drama. "Earl Parker became Vic Morrow," says Georg Fenady. "I mean, we could shoot over the shoulder with him. Get him three feet in front of the camera and you'd never know it wasn't Vic. He had his mannerisms, his everything. It was unbelievable."

NOTES, ODDITIES, AND BLOOPERS:

The "castle" in the opening credits is Chateau Chambord in the Loire valley. "Saunders" struggling past the chateau in those shots is really Earl Parker, his stunt double.
The ruins that "Saunders" (again, Earl Parker) visits are the ruins at Chinon in the Loire valley, France.

CAST:

Vic Morrow as Sgt. Saunders
Rick Jason as Lt. Hanley [does not appear]

Richard Tretter as Johnson
Gene Otis Shane as Medic
Gary Lasdun as German Squad Leader
Edgar Winston as German Soldier
Roger Gentry as German Soldier
Chris Anders as German Motorcyclist
Tom Pace as German Motorcyclist
Ernst Winters as German in Jeep
Bruce Hayes as German in Jeep
William Harlow as G.I.
and
Peter Haskell as German Hostage