I've found it very interesting to see the genesis of the idea that eventually became Combat! in looking at older films of the series developer, Robert Pirosh. Pirosh was born in 1910 and was thus 35 when War Two ended, the right age for it to have made a lasting impression on him. In 1949, he took a chance on a fairly young and inexperienced actor, giving him the lead in his Oscar-winning portrayal of the Battle of the Bulge. Van Johnson as Holly carried the movie "Battleground". In it, and in James Whitmore's character of Kinnie, the platoon sergeant, you see the beginnings of the characterization of Chip Saunders. Holly has leadership thrust upon him, after the squad leader is wounded, but takes to like a duck to water. He depicts a combat-savvy soldier, picking up on English speaking infiltrators and saving the men under his command several times, not unlike Saunders. The movie was made by MGM over the indignant objections of part-owner Samual Goldwyn, who eventually was fired from his own studio because of it (Dore Shary served as executive producer, and eventually took over as studio head). Pirosh not only wrote the script, but associate produced the film. Two years later, he was involved with another Van Johnson picture, much overlooked, the story of the 442nd RCT, "Go For Broke". Not only the writer, this time he directed it as well. Again, Johnson's portrayal of an up-from-the-ranks lieutenant is strangely reminiscent in many ways of Lt. Gil Hanley, especially as he gains in experience.

A stickler for realism, actual combat footage was used in both pictures. He became a master at telling the story of small infantry units. In 1962, as we all know, he developed Combat! for the struggling ABC Television Network, which had yet to make a profit since being spun off from NBC after the war. Combat! put them in the black, at least on Tuesday nights, for the first time. He also wrote the story and did the screenplay for the 1962 big-budget war flick "Hell if for Heroes" with Steve McQueen, Bobby Darin, Fess Parker, Bob Newhart (of all people), Nick Adams and more. Critically aclaimed, it, too, told the story of a small infantry unit in War Two, with it's share of Kirbys, Littlejohns and Nelsons, as well as a Saunders or two.

If you follow his filmography, you can see where his ideas for Combat! came from and how the characterizations developed. Of course, the occasional humour injected, especially in the Littlejohn-Nelson encounters, probably dated back to his 1937 story for the Marx Brothers classic film, "A Day At The Races".

For Combat! afficiondos who haven't seen "Hell is for Heroes", "Go For Broke" and especially "Battleground", you are really missing something. Check them out. There are various internet tickler services out there that will email you when any of them show up on the small screen.

Any comments, criticisms or questions will be willingly entertained...

By Nancy LionStorm (349hvywpnscrew) on Unrecorded Date:

Hi Dana!

If you go through this web site you'll see that all that you've written about is covered in detail. Jo's book, "Combat!" does the same.

- HWC