The Gallant Men

Infobox Television
show_name = The Gallant Men


caption = William Reynolds and Robert McQueeney in "The Gallant Men"
format = World War II series
runtime = 60 minutes
creator = Richard Bluel
executive_producer=William T. Orr
starring = William Reynolds
Robert McQueeney
country = USA
network = ABC
first_aired = October 5, 1962
last_aired = June 1, 1963
num_episodes = 26

"The Gallant Men" was 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 WWII 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 WWII series. The regular cast, gifted with character shields, 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 (1958 film)" but also used scenes from "A Walk in the Sun".

Regular cast

Episode list

Tie ins

* The Louis Marx and Company released a 1962 military playset with character figures from the show joining the usual American and German toy soldiers

* Dell Publishing produced one issue of an American comic book based on the show.

External links

* [http://aa.1asphost.com/CTVA/US/Military/GallantMen.htm Classic TV Archive page for "The Gallant Men"]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055675/ IMDb page for "The Gallant Men"]
* [http://www.tv.com/the-gallant-men/show/5940/summary.html TV.com page for "The Gallant Men"]
* [http://epguides.com/GallantMen/ Episode guide and descriptions for "The Gallant Men"]
* [http://www.americanlifetv.com/programs.php?programid=GM AmericanLife TV Network page for "The Gallant Men"]