The Gallant Men
| The Gallant Men | |
|---|---|
 William Reynolds and Robert McQueeney in The Gallant Men | |
| Created by | Richard Bluel |
| Starring |
William Reynolds Robert McQueeney |
| Country of origin | USA |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Gordon Bau (make-up) |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | October 5, 1962 – June 1, 1963 |
The Gallant Men is a 1962–1963 ABC television series which depicted an infantry company of American soldiers fighting their way through Italy in World War II.
Description
The company commander was Capt. Jim Benedict, played by William Reynolds, who later appeared in the long-running series, The F.B.I. Their exploits were narrated by a newspaper correspondent — Conley Wright, played by Robert McQueeney — who accompanied them on their missions. The show lasted only one season. It succumbed to tough competition from the other networks and so-so responses from critics and audiences. The show also faced unfavorable comparisons with ABC's other World War II series launched the same year, Combat!.
The Gallant Men tended to be formulaic in plotting and characterization, with such well-worn stereotypes as ladies' man PFC Pete D'Angelo (played by Eddie Fontaine), hard-as-nails Sgt. John McKenna (Richard X. Slattery), and inseparable buddies Pvt. Ernie Lucavich (Roland La Starza) and Pvt. Sam Hanson (Robert Gothie). The show also betrayed more than an occasional touch of Stormtrooper effect, an ironic term for a World War II series (the regular cast easily and frequently dispatched large numbers of German troops while experiencing minimal or no injuries themselves). This was particularly unrealistic for the Italian campaign, where the Allies suffered heavy casualties from determined German resistance that lasted until the end of World War II in Europe.
The series not only featured stock footage from Warner Bros war films such as Force of Arms and Darby's Rangers but also used scenes from A Walk in the Sun.
Regular cast
| Actor/Character | |
|---|---|
| William Reynolds | Capt. Jim Benedict |
| Robert McQueeney | Conley Wright |
| Robert Ridgely | Lt. Frank Kimbro |
| Richard X. Slattery | 1st Sgt. John McKenna |
| Eddie Fontaine | PFC Pete D'Angelo |
| Roland La Starza | Pvt. Ernie Lucavich |
| Roger Davis | Pvt. Roger Gibson |
| Robert Gothie | Pvt. Sam Hanson |
Episode list
| No. | Title | Initial airing | Director | Writer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Battle Zone | October 5, 1962 | Robert Altman | Halsted Welles |
| 2 | Retreat to Concord | October 12, 1962 | Richard C. Sarafian | William Bruckner |
| 3 | And Cain Cried Out | October 19, 1962 | Charles R. Rondeau | Ken Pettus |
| 4 | The Ninety-Eight Cent Man | October 26, 1962 | Richard C. Sarafian | Richard L. Adams |
| 5 | One Moderately Peaceful Sunday | November 2, 1962 | Richard C. Sarafian | Montgomery Pittman |
| 6 | Lesson for a Lover with Dennis Cross | November 9, 1962 | Charles R. Rondeau | Richard Landau & Jerry Davis |
| 7 | And the End of Evil Things | November 16, 1962 | Richard C. Sarafian | David Lang |
| 8 | Some Tears Fall Dry | November 23, 1962 | Charles R. Rondeau | Don Tait |
| 9 | Fury in a Quiet Village | November 30, 1962 | Richard C. Sarafian | Stephen Lord |
| 10 | Signals for an End Run | December 7, 1962 | Richard C. Sarafian | David Giler & Berne Giler |
| 11 | Robertino | December 14, 1962 | Charles R. Rondeau | Herman Groves |
| 12 | Advance and Be Recognized | December 29, 1962 | Robert Totten | James O'Hanlon & George O'Hanlon |
| 13 | To Hold Up a Mirror | January 5, 1963 | Charles Smith | |
| 14 | Boast Not of Tomorrow | January 12, 1963 | Charles R. Rondeau | Ken Pettus |
| 15 | The Dogs of War | January 19, 1963 | Charles R. Rondeau | Jason Wingreen & Ken Pettus |
| 16 | The Bridge | January 26, 1963 | Herman Groves | |
| 17 | The Leathernecks | February 2, 1963 | ||
| 18 | Next of Kin | February 9, 1963 | Robert Sparr | Ken Pettus |
| 19 | Operation Secret | February 16, 1963 | Robert Sparr | Richard Landau |
| 20 | The Warriors | February 23, 1963 | ||
| 21 | One Puka Puka | March 2, 1963 | David Lang | |
| 22 | Ol´ Buddy | March 9, 1963 | ||
| 23 | A Taste of Peace | March 16, 1963 | Ken Pettus | |
| 24 | The Crucible | March 23, 1963 | ||
| 25 | Tommy | March 30, 1963 | James O'Hanlon & George O'Hanlon | |
| 26 | A Place to Die (with Michael Parks and Roger Davis) | June 1, 1963 | Charles R. Rondeau | Herman Groves |
DVD release
On July 24, 2012, Warner Bros. released The Gallant Men: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1 via their Warner Archive Collection.[1] This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively in the US and only through Warner's online store.
Tie ins
- The Louis Marx and Company released a 1963 military playset with character figures from the show joining the usual American and German toy soldiers.[2]
- Dell Publishing produced one issue of an American comic book based on the show.
References
- ↑ Gallant Men, The: Complete Collection
- ↑ Playset Magazine, Issue 68, March/April 2013, "The Gallant Men Play Sets."