I am not a huge Vic Morrow fan, but I loved Mail Call. It gives all of us fans an inside look at The Sarges personal life. Deep down inside all that tough facade is a worried man who loves and misses his family. One scene that always sticks out to me is when Saunders is getting ready to go out on his mission. Lt. Hanley is aware that something is terribly wrong: he can see it in his friends every move. The officer is concerned and dying to know the problem. He blurts out"You know, we've been through a lot. We were sargeants together." Instead of getting the warn response he wants, Saunders replys numbly "That's right."
I think that that scene characterizes the change in Saunders from a young punk on Omaha to a tough
as nails soldier who has a wall around him. He doesn't want any close friends; the war has made him old. Even though Hanley is mature, he never loses his hopeful Buddy stance with Saunders. He hates that wall and tries to tear it down. That's the difference between the two I guess.

By jasmine on Unrecorded Date:

IMHO I don't think the difference between Hanley and Saunders is so much that Hanley is willing to go further and open himself up more in the name of friendship than Saunders, but rather that they are differently constituted individuals. Hanley's sunny disposition owes a lot, I think to his ability to deflect much of what goes on around him, once he has determined it does not serve his best interests, while Saunders seems susceptible to the problems and needs of everyone around him whether he likes it or not. I think that Hanley, with less to lose in a world that does not affect him so profoundly, can afford to be more open, while Saunders' natural empathy has caused him, by necessity to shut himself off.

By Rose Ann Schrock (Carbine) on Unrecorded Date:

I never thought of it that way. But, I can see it once I think about it. Except for Hills Are For Heroes, Lt. Hanley always seems oblivious to the war. He knows that it's serious and he is sad when his men are killed, but he sees the big picture. His attitude is: It hurts to think, so I won't think. Saunders is a man's man. He worries and cares too much. The two men are so different in every way that it is almost funny to see them together. I like Lt. Hanley best, but Saunders is special as well. I always wondered what made them so different. Thank you Jasmine for sharing that with me.

Rose Ann

By jasmine on Unrecorded Date:

Thanks for a new and different point of view, Rose Ann. As a longtime Saunders fan, I find it refreshing to be able to see the show from another angle. I think when Saunders and Hanley are together, their differences create an energy. Hanley's indestructible "glass-is-half-full (as opposed to half-empty)" mentality set beside Saunders' skeptical mistrust sets in motion a dynamic tension that pulls the scripts in its own direction and enhances the stories. Hanley takes his commission very seriously. He also has a strong personal bond with Saunders. He and Saunders will often want to approach the same situation differently. These conflicting points pulling in opposite directions simultaneously build suspense and make the show interesting. What will give out first? The rule book? Hanley's patience? Saunders' persistence? The friendship? These two characters are perfectly balanced. Neither one would be as interesting without the other as background. Saunders' absorption with the ills of the world would become numbingly grim without Hanley's amused detachment to lighten it up. Hanley's brisk and congenial glide through life might seem superficial without Saunders. emotional intensity, to anchor it. So I think these two complement each other to everyone's benefit. It's a case of the whole being more than the sum of its parts.

By Rose Ann Schrock (Carbine) on Unrecorded Date:

You are so right, Jasmine! As they say in Hollywood, these two got chemistry! What would the show be like without either one of them?

By Diane M. Judy (Djudy) on Unrecorded Date:

I just read the above discussion and agree with you all but there is something else. Hanley is now
"an officer and a gentleman". He must act accordingly.He gets orders from above and is expected to issue the same to his men regardless of his opinion. He also is not quite as close to the enemy, the civilians, or the soldiers as Saunders is. The Sarge is in the thick of things all the time. He is the one who sees and hears everything and being a sensitive person he reacts to them and he can because he is a noncom.
As the ranking enlisted man he is the one the Lt.
depends upon to let him know the condition of the rest of the squad. The Sarge is his eyes and ears.
Saunders is my favorite. Vic Morrow was an extremely talented actor, certainly under rated in his time.

By Rose Ann Schrock (Carbine) on Unrecorded Date:

I agree heartily with you that Vic (as well as the others) was underrated. I also think that the rest of the cast (my favorite's Rick Jason) was not given their due in the past. Even today, though we fans love them all, the media has not been kind. Almost every old TV personality has been on A and E's Biography or other TV talk shows except them. Thanks, Diane, you gave me a lot of food for thought.
Rose (Hazelnut)

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