(001) A Day in June
RATING: 4 bayonets
Written by Robert Pirosh
Directed by Boris Sagal
First aired 12-18-62 (Episode 11 of Season 1)
SYNOPSIS:
Rain stalls the American advance through Normandy, allowing Saunders time to
reminisce with the squad about the events leading to D-Day. While waiting in
England for the assault order, raw nerves among the untried troops leads to fights
in the barracks. Braddock is jubilant when he learns he’s won the platoon’s $800 D-Day by drawing the June 6th date. But his happiness is brief, when he
learns their platoon is in the first wave in the assault.
ABOUT THE EPISODE:
The pilot episode, with a new opener tacked on, was recycled as a flashback
and originally aired as the eleventh episode. In syndication, it’s always aired first. The new opening features new squad member Kirby, as well
as an uncredited appearance by Tom Skerritt. In the opening dialogue, they
mention that this happened before Hanley got his battlefield commission,
explaining why the Lieutenant is suddenly a Sergeant, but no attempt is made to explain
why Caje has a different name.
REVIEW: 4 bayonets
Robert Blees derided the pilot as "The Rover Boys in Normandy," but I think "a
Day In June" is a perfect pilot for Combat! Yes, the episode shows a side of both Saunders and Hanley little seen
elsewhere in the series, but this was their pre-D-Day personality. As in real-life,
the D-Day experience changed them all — Caje more than anyone else, since he had a total name change after that day,
from "Caddy" Cadron to Paul "Caje" LeMay.
"A Day In June" offers an incredibly tight script by Academy Award–winning screenwriter Robert Pirosh, great interlacing of original footage with
war newsreels, and a beautiful Omaha Beach recreation. The pilot captures the
indomitable humor, spirit, and bravery of the American fighting man, along with
his fears, failings, and frailty. The scenes in the barracks in England seem
to ring particularly true, having been written by a man who also had spent
bone-chillingly boring and terrifying weeks waiting for orders that might get
everyone killed. Pirosh drew on personal experience in creating the characters of
Caddy and Theo, the Cajun soldiers. Pirosh's unit in France had two Cajun
soldiers. Quiet men who spoke little and did their jobs well, according to Pierre
Jalbert, who played Caddy in the pilot. "I played my character," says Jalbert, "as
someone who did not like to kill, but who did his job the best way that he
could."
NOTES, ODDITIES, AND BLOOPERS:
· Unlike other soldiers, Caje wears a turtleneck.
· This is only instance where Saunders smokes cigar (he is seen with a cigar in "The Squad," but never lights up).
· Saunders hits the beach with an M1 rifle, using it up to the end of show. In
final sequence as he is marching off, he has appropriated an automatic weapon.
· The platoon wades ashore in chest deep water, but no one is wet when they hit
the beach.
CAST:
Rick Jason as Lt. Hanley (appears as a Sgt., but still billed as Lt.)
Vic Morrow as Sgt. Saunders
Shecky Greene as Braddock
Steven Rogers as Doc
Pierre Jalbert as Caddy
Pat Dahl as Hazel
Lisa Montell as Marcelle
Harry Dean Stanton as Beecham (billed as ‘Dean Stanton’)
Henry Daniell as Minister
Brad Weston as Lt. Crowley
Max Dommar as Theo
Frankie Ray as Gardello
Jack Hogan (uncredited)
Tom Skerritt (uncredited)