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 Pictures of Combat! Cast on Location at Korbel Winery
Several episodes of Combat! were filmed at the Korbel winery. These images of
the cast at Korbel were provided to this site by the Korbel historian whom I met on a trip
to Korbel winery that I took with fellow Combat! fans Nancy Durgin and Carolyn
Elliott in August of 2002.
We enjoyed a pleasant drive down from San Jose through wine country. It's a great trip
for any Combat! fan interested in visiting these filming locations. Be aware
though, that the land has changed so much since the 1960s that you will find it very
difficult to recognize any of the locations. Even within the winery, the hill featured
prominently in the episode "The Gun" isn't there anymore! The winery leveled the
hill to better improve grape production. Also, the river featured in "The
Losers" is now half as wide as in the 1960s -- no, the water hasn't receded, the
property owners narrowed the river. Only one bank is recognizable from the episode. You
can still recognize the river from "Birthday Cake," which you can view easily
from the road above. Korbel has a nice cafe for lunch and vineyard tours are available.
The steps leading to the office look the same today as when the cast posed for these
pictures (Carolyn, Nancy, and I have pictures of ourselves on these steps!)
The Heck brothers, who ran the winery, were always happy to host the cast and crew. The
cast enjoyed their trips to Korbel, especially since the Heck brothers provided them with
wine and started their mornings with Mimosas, which explains many of the expressions in
these photos.
One benefit that Korbel received from hosting the episodes on their property was free
demolition. The Heck Brothers required that the production would remove at least one
Redwood stump for each episode. So, when next you view an episode filmed at Korbel and see
one of the spectcular explosions, you'll know that those flying splinters are not European
Oak, but California Redwood.
More information about Korbel location filming.
Left to right: Pierre Jalbert, Ben Heck, Paul Heck,
Adolf Heck, Jack Hogan, Dick Peabody (in rear), and Vic Morrow.
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