The Gallant Men

This was a fun show to watch!! Not has good as Combat or 12 O'Clock High, but quite enjoyable. I thought William Reynolds as Capt. Jim Benedict and Robert McQueeney as Conley Wright were pretty good. Most of the story lines were predictable, but nevertheless fun to watch. Had some really great guest stars( Robert Conrad, Peter Breck, Peter Brown, Guy Stockwell and Van Williams to name a few). This was a Warner Brothers show so I guess that they used most of the T.V actors that were under contract to them and starring in shows of their own as guest stars to help boost the ratings..I also thought that it had the most gut-wrenching theme song that I had ever heard!( I was 8 years old at the time and I damn-near cried every time I heard that song at the end of each episode). The action was enjoyable, but not of the same quality as Combat. This show was canceled after one season. With some better writing, this may have lasted longer.

I'm a lifelong fan of war drama TV shows and no matter how many I see "The Gallant Men" remains my favorite. I wasn't alive when it first aired but I later discovered it through reruns and fell in love.

I notice most people brush it off as a knock-off of "Combat!", but it's every bit as good if not better than "Combat!" (and I'm a big fan of that show, too).

Yes, more Germans get killed than Americans, but unlike "Combat!", the numbers are very close. Many, many Americans (guest stars instead of the main characters, but who would want to watch a show where your favorite characters died one by one?) die throughout the series and the episodes have a tragic, haunting feel. 

The show is almost never light-hearted, taking a serious look at war. Battle scenes are present, but the plots focus more upon the men and the people they encounter, from mute orphans to old friends to a new found love in poignant, almost beautiful moments.

Despite the so-called over-used character's personalities, each man is distinctive and easy for the viewer to bond with. Despite the show's short run the actors managed to bring their characters to life flawlessly.

In short, "The Gallant Men" is a sadly overlooked yet superb series that more people should give a chance to before writing it off as another "Combat!". 

And if anyone in Warner Brothers is out there reading this, I'd pay any price for the complete series on DVD, with or without a single extra. It's that good.

The cable company here in Indiana just had the channel added and it has now become my favorite. There are old TV shows on there that I hadn't seen in years including. Great television Classics like Kung Fu, The FBI, The Man From U.N.C.L.E, The Green Hornet, Superman, My Favorite Martian, 77 Sunset Strip, Surfside Six, Hawaiian Eye, F Troop, The High Chapparal, Lancer, The Legend of Custer, Jesse James, Daniel Boone, The Rifleman, The Lawman, Bronco, Cheyenne, Sugarfoot, Bourbon Street Beat, The Wild, Wild West, The Courtship of Eddie's Stepfather, S.W.A.T. , The Rookies, Harry O, Welcome Back Kotter, The Incredible Hulk, Chico and The Man and many others. All of these shows Call your cable company and ask for The American Life Network! If you are a classic TV nut and love the feeling of nostalgia that a favorite episode of an old TV show can give you, well, You will just love The American Life Network!

It seems with all the forces going against this series, it wasn't surprising it only lasted 26 episodes. The networks really struggled against each other for high rated shows at prime time 7pm to 10pm for me. Altman was much more needed then only directing the pilot. ABC had a better eye on Combat having a better production team, big name guest host every episode, & a cast that worked exceptionally well. William Reynolds admitted he didn't have the drive to become a better actor. Vic Morrow on the other hand took the show over Rick Jason even though both agreed to split top credit. Warner Brothers wouldn't take on guest hosting like Combat did. The competition for prime time slots was furious with shows like Jackie Gleason..... The Gallant Men could of lasted longer had there been more money to doe out. The cast was good & Reynolds also. He left acting early, just lacked personal desire to become a career actor even though he had what it took to be one with his looks on his side. Gallant Men was a good show fighting the war in Italy. The war affected every country in Europe, not just France. Combat covered that country. There was many battles in Italy, where one of my uncles fought. I read a review regarding Robert Conrad being casted into the Gallant Men, yea that would be one of a few more things they could of kept TGM on TV longer. Combat focused on a squad & TGM should of done the same but added two more regular characters. Again this is a money matter. Italy had a lot of mountain battles where writing some episodes tied together in two parts would of really made some great episodes, a string of them. Story telling in a series is a must to have good writers. I believe with a bigger number of cast members where the likes of a Robert Conrad would of fit in snuggly & fighting in Sicily also another major battle ground gave TGM more lasting. There was a lot of actors to hire for the show. Richard Boone, Ty Harding, Peter Brown, Peter Breck, comes to mind. I do not think that two TV WW II series running different days of the week would of tired audiences. Both being in different countries. Look at the decade of the 1950s of Westerns on every channel & network 7 days a week. .

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I (at 13) felt that "The Gallant Men" was a better show than "Combat!" (at least at that time), probably because it was a little more cerebral.

In my 8th grade English class (during the 1962-1963 season) I had the good fortune to have Roger Davis (Gibson) speak to us. (His kid brother was in our class.) He explained at the time that "The Gallant Men" was produced by Warner, while "Combat!" was produced by a production company owned by ABC, so likely "The Gallant Men" was fated to be cut at the end of the season. His prediction was accurate.

(He also explained how the producers kept salary demands in line -- any actor causing trouble could be written out as quickly as a gun can fire.)