From:
"doug783" <doug783@yahoo.ca>
Date: Sat Mar 29, 2003 3:08 pm
Subject: 12 O'CLOCK HIGH..OVER...AND OUT!!!!!!!!!Dear
Friends,
Well,it had to happen. This week we ran out of fresh episodes of the air series to report
on. Three remaining colour episodes from year three and we"re back to the start in
b/w, with Robert Lansing, and John Larkin, minus Paul Burke and Chris Robinson. It's been
REALLY enjoyable to be your field reporter every week since the History Television run
began early last December. Was getting used to the newer looking colour episodes like I
was for Combat series 5 for the first time late 90s. So when Thursday's airing came on in
black and white a downer feeling overcame me. So for the final time, until in a stroke of
genius History resurrects GARRISON'S GORILLAS, and/or brings back RAT PATROL for similiar
reportage, the final three as as follows...
SIX FEET UNDER. An allied ground advance overruns a key German
outpost,coming across boxes of Luftwaffe files but no translator. Gallagher and Komansky
aer sent to oversee the translation of the documents and their return to England. In this
most-Combat!-styled episode, Martin Milner leads the ground unit along with
future Garrison's Gorilla RUDI SOLARI. Attempts to fly in a translator are thwarted by
surrounding German flak and fighter strikes, so Gallagher has to rely on a teenager
supposedly played by GERALD MICHENAULD, from THE TOWN THAT WENT AWAY, to do the
translating, while his younger brother is treated for being collaterally wounded at the
start of the episode. During radio communications with area groundf and armoured units
references are made to individual LOVE and KING COMPANIES!! And Milner's helmet is a good
copy of Vic's camo helmet. Along from the Nazi side is LAWRENCE MONTAIGNE. And back at
Wing in Archbury is JAMES SIKKING from A LONG WAY HOME(s). RICHARD ANDERSON reprises his
short term role as brig Gen Phil Doud. Why the title 6 FEET UNDER? Well, most of the key
events take place in a cellar, where they found the files and hidden safe with more Nazi
goodies, and the local teens get trapped in a grenade explosion and surface fire.
THE HUNTERS AND THE KILLERS featured no on or off-camera Combat!
people but did tell of the rivalry that existed between the air corps and the Navy, as the
918th is aske dot co-operate with the Navy in nailing an elusive wolfpack of U-Boats. With
screen legend RALPH BELLAMY as a Commodore clashing a bit with Gallagher all because of
something that went on between Bellamy's character and Joe's father.
A LONG TIME DEAD had PETER GRAVES as a troubled pilot prone
to mental freezes during Combat! resulting in irrational behaviour / actions. Tom Skerrit was one of his crew or the crew he lead in a mission that had him go into a
mind-numb and ditch Komansky out the bomb bay door when wounded. HANK BRANDT, our
seasoned German in Combat!, played Major Cross who gets tangled in this story of
mental breakdowns occurring in battle.
Okay guys and dolls that's it. I now return you to your regularily scheduled postings..
Best Wishes,
Doug Pelton
From:
"doug783" <doug783@yahoo.ca>
Date: Sat Mar 22, 2003 1:59 pm
Subject: 12 O'CLOCK HIGH Hi!,Again!
Dear Friends,
Greetings from Spring bound Mississauga, Ontario....
We continue getting fresh episodes, in colour, of the series three months after History
started this initial cable run. Published references indicate a 78 episode total for the
whole series,but I feel that that total has already been passed.
TO SEEK AND DESTROY centered around a wayward V1 "robot
bomb," as it was called in the script, winding up in Sweden. Our boys must race to
the site, get to the downed rocket, and find out where individual parts are being
manufactured in order to bomb those individual factories, thus crippling the Nazi rocket
project even more thoroughly. They have to depend on a British expert on the fledgling
enemy rocket technology, whose nerve is shot and assuaged by the bottle. His drinking
problem complicates matters when they make it into Sweden to the allied recovered rocket
before the Gestapo. ANY SECOND NOW's Elen Willard appeared as a va-va-voomed up friend of
Sgt. Komansky's who shelters the Brit after going AWOL on a binge.
THE FIGHTER PILOT features perpetually pre-occupied DON GORDON
from CROSSFIRE as the leader of Mustang pilots who con their way into the 918th, their
assimilation into blending in with the bomber crew concept revealing falsified credentials
and an open disregard to the 918th discipline.
BURDEN OF GUILT had Matthew Broderick's dad JAMES as a driven
pilot who's on General Britt's and Colonel Gallagher's carpet for bomb runs that fail to
nail a critical U-Boat pen at Nordensohm.
THE ACE is an old friend of Gallagher's whose rep is that of
an accomplished pinpoint bomber, having made that so in the Pacific and Italy. The pilot
played by JAMES WHITMORE from the CASSOCK uses a DAM BUSTERS-styled skip delayed-fuse bomb
to achieve his strikes. The episode's target is a building in a German village housing
scientists working on a possible Nazi A-bomb. They use shielding around the building of
captured allied officers, hence the need to nail this structure to avoid the nearby pow
housing. The arial photos and scale model of the village conflict with the actual reality.
With certain landmarks changed since that intel was gathered, the first attempt nails the
pow building instead. THUNDER FROM THE HILL's BEN WRIGHT appeared as a British army
advisor. JOE MAROSS appears as Major Ken Chandler, a character continuing on into.....
....GRAVEYARD. The lily is shot down, the crew bail out and
wind up at the captured Nazi compound, manned by two US soldiers, one of whom, changes his
identity. Ditching at the same time is a Luftwaffe pilot played by JON VOGHT. This episode
has three prominent black actors: OSSIE DAVIS as the id-changer pacifist, LAND OF THE
GIANTS' DON MARSHALL as the other one in this Island of Italy compound guarding some
captured Nazi's. LLOYLD HAYNES from ROOM 222 appears as a fighter squadron leader. Voght's
presence changes the control of power at this base. complicating rescue attempts. Regular Combat!
German soldier actors CHRIS ANDERS and HORST EBERSBERG rounded things up.
Last night we had the recent S.A.G. awards on local tv. partway through this they
film-clipped a montage of those guild members who passed on last year. Surprised to see
RON SOBLE from MORE THAN A SOLDIER and HEADCOUNT in with the rest of the departed.
Observation....when the series goes from the skies to ground level, involving troops from
both sides, the uniforms appear too clean and well-pressed, as if the wearers never got them
dirty as was the used look of Combat's G.I.s of soiled jackets, scruffed up helmets, worn
out boots. And those gunfire sound effects!!! One sequence actually used the sound effect
used when Saunders fired off his famous Tommy gun.
Okay that's the fun and serious stuff. See you in 7..
Doug
From:
"doug783" <doug783@yahoo.ca>
Date: Mon Mar 17, 2003 4:40 pm
Subject: 12 O'CLOCK HIGH Report a tad late.....
Dear Friends,
DUEL AT MONT ST. MARIE was a blend of I SWEAR BY APOLLO and
CRY IN THE RUINS wherein the 918th had to have commandoes tell NUNS in another CONVENT on
a hill under a higher located Kraut anti-aircraft battery, to evacuate. Our boys and the
local Germans are confined in the retreat. We had Joe
Campanella as a chaplain, Richard Anderson back home waiting to launch the bomb run,
dependable underground contact EMILE GENEST, still worry-warting JOHN MILFORD from Billy The
Kid, and Horst Ebersberg.
FACE OF A SHADOW had Jack Lord playing a
griping-chip-on-his-shoulder commander living the high life in Italy with LUCIANNA
PALUZZI! And fellow Combat!-belly-acher PHILIP PINE. Peter Hellman was around as
a German. Lord's character got the heave from flight training by Gallagher and therein
lies the "chip!" Directed by Dick Peabody's fave Richard Benedict.
PRACTISE TO DECEIVE was a far-fetched plan by German military
types planning to off crazy ole Adolph back in berlin. This was all before D-Day. Combat!
vets JOHN VAN DREELEN, SASHA HARDIN were in this POW camp that started things off for
Gallagher as he was to link up with this old WW1 German Navy vet and family friend after
that war and get him and important papers back to London to validate the plot and
surrender. Horst Ebersberg was also in on this. The inside man in the POW camp was JAN
MERLIN.
A DISTANT CRY featured instrument flight evaluator ROY THINNES
being challenged to face up to the realities of mid-air combat after a troubled pilot
under his inspection, played by ROBERT BLAKE!, dies in combat. WAYNE ROGERS came along as a
crew member.
THE ALL-AMERICAN blended in THE CELEBRITY and MAIN EVENT as a
pre-wrapped football hero enters the 918th with an annoying manager and, like his role in
THE RINGER, MART HULSWIT does his best to struggle to prove he can cut it in combat much
to the horror of his manager on this publicity thing played by NORMAN FELL. You know,
"Don't get my boy hurt!"
Happy St.Patrick's Day,
see ya next weekend,
Doug
From:
"doug783 <doug783@yahoo.ca>
Date: Fri Feb 28, 2003 9:14 pm
Subject: 12 O'CLOCK HIGH report
DEAR FELLOW COMBATFANS...
Usually I wait until Saturday to do the weekly report from the 918th Bomb Group, but I have
the pc all by myself tonight fresh from five more WWII Drams...
ANGEL BABE was a B-17 that had RODDY MCDOWALL from THE LONG
WALK as the Technical flight sergeant. Ya see he and its crew had reached a mission limit
of 50 and the plane was to be re-commissioned as a p.r. tool back Stateside. But things
evolved that led one to belief like her crew that the plane KNEW what was going on. LEE
PATTERSON the basement hidden CAPTAIN HOWARD from 9 PLACE VENDEE also was in on
this tale of "possession!"
DECOY had Gallagher being used along with MICHAEL CALLAN as
stranded on a chunk of rock in the North Sea bait for a U-Boat intent on torpedoing help
coming there way,after being shot down and forced to belly land in the drink. No C! people
but a novel story that kept moving on two fronts.
THE HOLLOW MAN was a pilot freshly-returned to the 918th after
a few years of traumatic status as a P.O.W. PAUL CARR From HILLS was someone kinda
"on" to the troubles this pilot was having fitting back in. The SS Officer
leading the interrogation was CURT LOWENS a regular teevee Nazi officer. Seems that I
can't find him in Jo's book, help. Script co-written by GUSTAVE FIELD.
CROSS HAIRS OF DEATH dealt with a flight training washout
JAMES FRANCISCUS from DECISION conning his way into the 918th out of prving to himself
that he could've hacked it, had he made it and not gotten the heave earlier on. ROGER PERRY
from THE MASQUERS and H.M WYNANT from COUNTERPLAY and POINT OF VIEW where those in the
crew he did get as far as going on missions with, who were early on suspicious of his
behaviour. Which was played nervously again by Jimmy like he did with the demo man in
DECISION. Entering the storyline trying to hide something that could get him in trouble
along the way.
DAY OF RECKONING had regular WWII series Nazi players HANS
GUDEGAST and JOHNNY VAN DREELEN spearheading a brazen bombing mission-target-the 918th
airfield!! After inflicting considerable death and damage to our familiar buildings and
bailing out over the airfield, they spend the rest of the hour trying to evade
capture, commandeer GI uniforms, whilst engineering an effort to destroy the bomb dump with
pilfered ammunition. Also recovered from the bail out was JAN MALMSJO from A SUDDEN TERROR
and CHAPEL AT ABLE-FIVE. Base security guards were played by Combat! vets WILLIAM
CORT and......ein Rosenman drum roll please.....WALT DAVIS!!! Yeaaahhhhhh!!!! And true to
his Combat! luck Walt never got credited for his few appearances with a carbine
in hand. This episode and CROSS HAIRS were directed by ALAN
CROSLAND, JR, who did his share of our series episodes.
I took in the interview with VIC that was conducted in 65. Loved it, could hear his
trademark Brooklyn draw voice behind every sentence. Thanks........
Have fun with this and see y'all next week We may be moving into the colour season that
wound up the series as a whole.
P.W.O.R.
Doug
From:
"doug783 <doug783@yahoo.ca>
Date: Sat Feb 22, 2003 10:06 pm
UNDERGROUND had Gallagher making it back to England with a busload of
Combat-friendly types in tow, ROBERT WALKER JR, our G.I. Perfect OLLIE JOE was this
so-called German deserter, CLAUDINE LONGET as a wife of an unseen contact, SASHA HARDIN as
another underground-er in German garb, MAURICE MARSAC from a handful of C-eppies, EMILE
GENEST and NORBERT MEISEL from the end credits ... whew!
THE OUTSIDER was ENCOUNTER's Jimmy Macarthur as a P-51 pilot who didn't
fit in, tried too hard to get his first kill, a somewhat cross between OLLIE JOE and the
Culley character in Combat!'s OUTSIDER. Common storyline format. A bit appearance
in one scene was LEE MILLAR "German radio operator" from OP FLY TRAP. Also a
return appearance of the soon-to-be Catwoman LEE MERIWETHER that had me drooling...
BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD had an on board radar system tested throughout
developed by Burgess Meredith, Batman supervillain number two this week on the show. The
German's at a radar station of there own were lead by ALF KJELLIN, who made it very
PERSONAL between him and the 918th. Meredith's understudy was ROBERT DOYLE a familiar face
I can't shake, Combat or not. And some other people in a top-heavy guest cast episode that
makes it hard to successfully try to nail down the face with a name and in two or three
seconds time!
25th MISSION has 60s-70s drama guest star BRADFORD DILLMAN as
a pilot with anxiety attacks under stress and BEFORE stress. Tommy SKERRIT appears again
along with ANTOINETTE BOWER our little tranced BATTLE OF THE ROSES girl.
SURVIVOR features the first directorial appearance of Combat
second half vet ALAN CROSLAND JR. Directing an anti-social, problem type DON GORDON from
CROSSFIRE basically playing his glaring tense driven type
of man. His in air and off-duty behaviour were continuing points of controversy. JILL
IRELAND was the widow of his only friend he blames for letting die.
Today on our SPACE (SciFi)Channel OUTER LIMITS classic episode was the O.B.I.T. episode
that had ALAN BAXTER who played the short-lived CAPT. ROBERTS from the IMPOSTORS.
That's it from here. Wherever you live hopefully you'll dig yourselves out of whatever
Snowstorm's gone through your "front line!" We're getting one now that's gonna
require SILVER SERVICE snowshoes.
Until the Ides of March...
Cheers, Doug Pelton
From:
"doug783 <doug783@yahoo.ca>
Date: Sat Feb 15, 2003 4:02 pm
Subject: Re: Dictionary needed here! Along with Another 12
O'CLOCK HIGH Report.
GREETINGS FRIENDS!,
Hello from Mississauga Ontario, freezing worse than Mickey Rooney's feet from the SILVER
SERVICE. Can relief be on the way? We need warmer weather up here as much as Hanley needed
a) artillery support to tale the Bunkers and b) a tank or two to localise the operation.
Through HISTORY Television up here, I Ordered the updated edition of Jo's much-used book.
It arrived on February the 13th,a day before the Vic Morrow would-have-been birthday.
Imagine that. S2 must have had something to do with it. The photos reused and recropped
here seem to be printed on better stock this time. I like the episode reviews and the
bayonet scale. But half a bayonet? Did it break off during a struggle? What would have it
taken for an episode to earn the grand total of five? One gets the impression that the
turkeys accumulated more and more as the seasons wore on. Loved having the INDEX, but there
are notable omissions like Norbert Meisel over the series, Kurt Landon, Hank Brandt, Chris
Howard also making numerous appearances, ditto for Lisa Pera recently on 12OH...
Speaking of 12OH.....on with the show..
THE JONES BOYS dealt with brothers in the service and the
strife that carried over from family to service. Peter Mark Richman was an Allied
officer, Andrew Prine one of the Jones boys, frequent German ED DEEMER shows up as an MP,
and Burt Douglas.
STORM AT TWILIGHT has 44-year-old Major Stovall,series reg
FRANK OVERTON spurned on to a return to active flying combat when he hears that his son is
missing in action on theground. This one had the elements of MAIL CALL and THE LETTER as
it centred on the stress,fear of the unknown,helplessness that these two COMBAT episodes
had run through Saunders.Anthony Spinner wrote this one,TED KNIGHT a regular Kraut Officer
was temporary wing commander until Gallagher got back after an injury.WILLIAM CORT who was
Pvt. Harmon in WALK WITH AN EAGLE was also featured. Our traditional favourite artilery
sound effect used dozens of times in Combat! managed to show up in stock footage
of 88s sending up flak and in the next episode...
FALLING STAR ... James Daly [who played] Major Cole from
ENCOUNTER was this WWI air combat legend basically out of place in the current war.
Directed by Laslo Benedek it rung a similiar echo of DOUGHBOY when Eddie Albert's
character was eventually depended on,mental lapses notwithstanding, to save the episode's
bacon in the end. Paul Comi was also in this.
THE SLAUGHTER PEN featured John Van Dreelen yet again
essaying his usually suave Nazi officer type at a pesky radar station resisting Allied
bombing allowing the episode title to live up to its name. A joint attack of allied ground
commandoes and the 918th was mounted, all co-ordinated by MICHAEL RENNIE and Harry
Guardino. JOHN ALDERSON who was the personable Sgt. Rawlings in BUGLES lead the brits. In
the radar station we had semi-Combat!-regular PETER HELLMAN who was
"German Truck Driver" in LUCK WITH RAINBOWS, amongst other spot roles. There
were others in this station that I remember from our show but
went uncredited as far as I could get from the end-credits. Like one of the Germans
Saunders and GARY LOCKWOOD had captured in OPERATION FLY TRAP.
WHICH WAY THE WIND BLOWS featured Diane Merrill trying to stay
afloat in the usual macho world of the war despite eras circumstances. She was a weather
survey officer recruited to help the 918th reach a critical target.her
"struggles" throughout were like the ones LIZ ALLEN encountered in NO
HALLELULIAHS FOR GLORY.
That's it gotta saddle this up...
Doug
From:
"doug783 <doug783@yahoo.ca>
Date: Mon Feb 3, 2003 3:36 pm
Subject: Re: combat videos and delayed 12 O'CLOCK HIGH Report
Dear Friends,
Had a busy weekend hence this filing a few days after I normally do this...while the
just-concluded week is fresher in my memory...
WE'RE NOT COMING HOME centred around a raid deep into
Germany,with the unit hightailing it southward to decoy the pursuing Luftwaffe. However
ace German pilot GUNNAR HELLSTROM and his underling SASHA HARDEN are in hot pursuit. The
Lily is shot at and forced to lad in Yugoslavia where they run into local resistance
fighters headed by MICHAEL FORREST the artillery commander who stiffed HANLEY's requests
for anything during HILLS ARE FOR HEROES. Background Combat!-Nazi HANS HEYDE was
also in this one
R/X FOR A SICK BIRD directed by RICHARD DONNER had a storyline
centring around on-base sabotage of the 17s prior to take-offs. Gallagher had to
co-operate with THE QUIET WARROIR's J.D. CANNON and a Yugoslavian Officer played by HANS
GUDEGAST (aka ERIC BRAEDEN). HANS's character turned out to be the leader of this
infiltration ring GIA SCALA the Italian actress from GUNS OF NAVARRONE was the lead female
guest star. Someone named JAMES BROLIN appeared as an airman. During R/X FOR A SICK BIRD
the infiltrators' ring is being rounded up. The radio-tapping hideout of GUDEGAST's is
raided by the good guys. Soldier opens fire with an M1 CARBINE, the type HANLEY and CAJE
used, but the sound effects types synched in RAPID FIRE MACHINE GUN sound effects.
THEN CAME THE MIGHTY HUNTER was a nearly-plagiarised
episode copy of THE SHORT DAY OF PRIVATE PUTNAM including BEAU BRIDGES playing yet another
underaged recruit,exhibiting the asame traits and saving the Lily's bacon in the end
before getting shipped back Stateside. TOM SKERRITT was in this as someone pestering the
kid. LASLO BENEDEK helmed this one.Also Bridges' character finds solace and refuge with an
older female local,this time an English pub's operator's daughter.
GRANT ME NO FAVOUR was written in part by ANTHONY SPINNER
Co-writer of THE TREE OF MORAY
THE IDOLATER was GARY LOCKWOOD a childhood friend who's back
to try and prove something to Gallagher like aerial showboating and solo attacks on
non-arranged targets. GIDEON'S ARMY concentration camp survivor ALBERT SZABO appeared at
the end of this one s a Russian officer, congratulating the unit on the episode's bomb
runs. This was co-written by Gustave Field who wrote THE GENERAL AND THE SERGEANT.
In the first season of the original OUTER LIMITS, those with tapes or the new dvds can
look for SASHA HARDEN as a United Earth Force looie being held prisoner on the planet Ebon
during the NIGHTMARE episode starring MARTIN SHEEN. WALT DAVIS is also in the
SPECIMEN:UNKNOWN episode about this deadly alien plant species brought back to earth.
Then I got perusing the 80s MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE guide of mine and have run into a whole
lot of Combat! people sprinkled over the years the show was on. From year 7 1972-73
episode titled TWO THOUSAND had VIC in lotsa make-up playing a nuclear physicist. The
guide has a photo of VIC under the fake beard and latex as series co-star GREG MORRIS
Looks on. And there's this other episode I'd spend the next half-hour looking for
again,which has PIERRE as a guest star. Next time out I'll get the title and year number.
Gotta go thanks,
Doug
From: Douglas
Pelton <doug783@yahoo.ca>
Date: Sat Jan 25, 2003 7:56 pm
Subject: Name That Episode
12 O'CLOCK HIGH Report Changing of the Guard...
Hello one and all. This week marked the move from season one to season two with
Wednesday's episode.
MONDAY's was V FOR VENDETTA with Gary Sgt, Meider-OPERATION
FLY TRAP Lockwood and Ken THE HOSTAGES Motor Poll Sgt. BERRY in it. Tuesdays was one where
THE HERO frm Savage's past a WWI ace came back to the Second One. Pappy Hartley was played
by every one's favourite fake priest JAMES (Father Herzbrun) WHITMORE. Like EDDIE ALBERT'S
second-season DOUGHBOY, Whitmore's character found it hard to identify with the current
campaign being waged on the same turf. Also Peter Deuel was in it. Pappy would want to
solo things all along contrary to the group approach in effect out of Archbury
....end of season one....
SEASON Two saw THE LONELIEST PLACE IN THE WORLD for new
star PAUL BURKE from POINT OF VIEW as Colonel Gallagher. Savage's 17 was downed in the
teaser so Burke takes over. The episode dealt with enemy in-air infiltration using
captured US bombers to wolf things in sheep's clothing. CLAUDINE LONGET from PARTISAN and
SILVER SERVICE appeared as a London-based underground media rep, intel liasion. Paul Carr
from HILLS ARE FOR HEROES was in the new crew along with new regular CHRIS ROBINSON as a
sergeant. Occasional German soldier from Selmur CHRIS HOWARD appeared as one of the
straggler pilots. ALl this was directed by RICHARD DONNER again.
BIG BROTHER was the one JACK LORD was in,see relevant
messages elsewhere on site, as Gallagher's infantry leading brother. Burke's plane was
forced down to this collection of allies base lead by Lord in the same mood as he was when
Little John dropped that reel of radio line! Douglas Henderson was also in this one
THE HOT SHOT was Warren Oates as a P-51 Mustang group
leader who clashed on all levels with Galagher, Jill Ireland was a piece of off duty
decoration whilst our first Combat! regular, William Bryant, guested as Major
Marriott. GUNNAR HELLSTROM from I SWEAR BY APOLLO and NO TIME FOR MERCY was the leading
Stuka ace pilot. Directed by Richard Donner.
Cheers,
Doug
From:
"doug783 <doug783@yahoo.ca>
Date: Sat Jan 11, 2003 5:07 pm
Subject: Weekly 12 O'Clock High r
Hello from 12 O'Clock Canada,
Me here, Doug Pelton with the report.
TO HIENIE WITH LOVE dealt with the airman with a father who
became a member of the American Nazi Party before the war. There were questions about the
son's loyalties as they may affect missions. Greg Mullaly a German sgt. from BENEATH THE
AHSES was featured. Gilbert Ralston wrote the show.
THE TICKET dealt with pilot Earl Holliman who's luck and
attitude changed when he won a lottery prize of 2o,ooo pounds and went out to marry his
new girlfriend ELEN WILARD from ANY SECOND NOW.
THE TRAP was as close to one of Jo's "beamers"
episodes,as Savage was trapped in a cellar during a german air raid.Written by Richard
Newhafer, the people trapped in this predicament also had a sensitive bomb ticking in the
mound of debris obscuring their way out.
THE END OF THE LINE had POINT OF VIEW'S Sgt. O'Neill, PAUL
BURKE, as a flight officer being groomed for a pinpoint dam busters styled raid on a
german dam. Complicating things in this Dean Reisner script were his being sucked in my a
local lady running a scam to on money and affection out of US servicemen. Our very own
SUTTON ROLEY got another crack at this his second episode to be aired so far up here. A
Brritish officer assigned to the Dam Bombing Run was played by BEN WRIGHT who was
Boulange,an underground contact in THUNDER FROM THE HILL.
That's it ladies and gentlemen,have a wonderful week...
Saddling up,
Doug
From: Douglas
Pelton <doug783@yahoo.ca>
Date: Sat Dec 28, 2002 9:26 pm
Subject: 12 O'Clock High Weekly report
Dear Jo and Fellow Dog Soldiers,
Another week has gone by in the world of the 918 Bomber Group. Each episode was loaded
with Combat! crossover so, without any further ado ...
DECISION was an episode that had downed US fliers in a bomb
run target area near a parts factory. Combat! vet, from the episode ANIVERSARY,
John Van Dreelan was the commander of the P.O.W. situation. BUCK TAYLOR and PETER DURYEA
from JONAH were prisoners.
APPOINTMENT AT LIEGE was concerned with GARY LOCKWOOD
(Operation Flytrap) and his personal axe to grind based on a tragic bombing run that cost
the lives of his crew then. Also we had PETE DEUEL.
THE SUSPECTED had Eddie Binns from the episode RESCUE and
ANTOINETTE BOWER from BATTLE OF THE ROSES.
SOMETIMES SOLDIERS KILL had a murder suspect in the unit
with John Williams from THE FURLOUGH as a Scotland yard inspector on the heels of a murder
that involved General Savage. Resident G.I. Prick TOM SKERRIT was also on hand. This
episode was helmed by our frequent director SUTTON ROLEY.
HERE'S TO COURAGEOUS COWARDS featured our quicksand
technician BRANDON de WILDE as a conscientious objector clerk in Savage's office who's
challenged to put aside his objections to help in and undermanned situation,as a wing
gunner.
Okay people, have awonderful New Year full of cheer
and more weekly reports like this one. In 2003....:-}
It's Your Plane!
Doug Pelton (aka Canloan 53)
From: Douglas
Pelton <doug783@yahoo.ca>
Date: Thu Dec 19, 2002 10:50 pm
Subject: 12 O'CLOCK HIGH
Week two of Twelve O'Clock High. So far this week regular French villager Jacques Roux
was in one, ditto for Elen Willard from ANY SECOND NOW as a betrothed Air base nurse who's
gonna get hitched to the best belly turret gunner in the Wing. JED TAYLOR from a Combat!
episode that escapes me has been on twice.Today CHAPEL AT ABLE-FIVE's Fritz Weaver played
a downed German officer holding Savage and GLYNIS JOHNS captive in her palatial
London-area estate. THE TIME TUNNEL's JOHN ZAREMBA also guest starred. Also DANA WYNTER,
female lead from SINK THE BISMARK, was in a Kleenex-friendly episode set in the Scottish
countryside.
The gunfire sound effects and anti-aircraft sound effects sound strange. They need(ed)
Finn Ulback's Combat-ters. which sound more organic ballistically.
I've always loved DOMINIC FRONTIERE's music for THE OUTER LIMITS and the INVADERS, so I
love his tension-reflecting bits, but the rest could have been lifted from a '40s
production of the same ilk.
Like Combat! most of the British characters Twelve O'Clock High come off as a
tad bit too caricatured, like the intent was to have them come off as too eager to please
the Yanks. But not as stubborn as the C.O. refusing to leave the beleagured train
depot in WHAT ARE THE BUGLES BLOWIN' FOR?
But it's a little strange to now join you people as once being served with Combat!,after
being a bit arrogant in that regard for years and years. Join the club, I guess. That's
this week's Flyboys Report from The
Greater Toronto Area. See you next week?!?!
From:
"doug783 <doug783@yahoo.ca>
Date: Fri Dec 13, 2002 9:47 pm
Subject: 12 O'CLOCK HIGH
So far in the first week, we've had Combat! series
vets Emile Genest and Jay Novello in one episode and today's was penned by god old Eddie
Lakso.The dramas are a bit top-heavy in dialogue set pieces and not on action,but there's
only so much you can get out of repeated stock footage of bombing runs and mid-air
battles. It's gonna be fascinating to see this series for the first time, really, moreso
than Combat 1997, which was a rediscovery.
And to see the Combat! talent overlap. My other greatest challenge is finding
a gift tie-in period comic from the series I got last year but can't find,now that it
represents my lone collectible of the show. I am a proud owner of the 2003 C Calendar,
which is a continuance of the quality improvement curve going back to the first one.
Better photo reproduction, especially the months grid fillers.
I've also ordered the revised edition of Jo's book through History's website up
here,taking advantage of a free shipping offer up to December 20th. In clearing out
vast quantities of group messages doubling as my Yahoo Email I noticed a Jop e-missive
complaining that a small clique of group posters are the only ones to do so,out of a
membership in the hundreds. Okay I'll admit to my dereliction of duty. Consider this as an
apology.
May I take this time to wish everyone along our front lines a Very Morrow Christmas and
a Hanley New Year.
That's it for now,contact me,react to this,that's what Jo wants,so....
Taking The Point One More Time,
Doug Pelton CANLOAN53 |