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)

William T. Orr

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

References

  1. ↑ Gallant Men, The: Complete Collection
  2. ↑ Playset Magazine, Issue 68, March/April 2013, "The Gallant Men Play Sets."
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