Combat! episode reviews by Jo
Davidsmeyer
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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:
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:
NOTES, ODDITIES, AND BLOOPERS:
CAST:Vic Morrow as Sgt. Saunders Richard Tretter as Johnson Fan comments about this episode - add your own comment!
Related Reading:
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Combat! Episodes
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(099) Hear No Evil 
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. 
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." 
Other season four Combat! episodes:
