Combat! (TV Series) The Losers (1966) User Reviews

The Leadership

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 24 July 2019]

Saunders and Littlejohn are assigned to destroy a German bridge with the support of six Gis. However, the meeting point at St Viet is bombed and they do not find the squad. They meet in the debris four soldiers imprisoned waiting for court-martial and Saunders decides to use them to help to accomplish their mission. But he needs to use his leadership to show that they must help him.

"The Losers" is another great episode of "Combat!". The first point that impresses is the location and the effects of the German artillery bombing the town. The story is a great duel between the leadership of Saunders and a group of rogue soldiers: one insubordinate, one coward, one rebel and one black marketer. Littlejohn has a great participation in this episode. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Os Perdedores" ("The Losers")

Saunders Is Boss !

[jmarchese · 9/10 · 17 November 2014]

"The Losers" is a story about 4 soon to be court martialees recruited for special assignment by Sergeant Saunders.

The Sarge has his hands full when most of his squad is wiped out during heavy artillery fire. He discovers 4 jailed soldiers and decides to use them for blowing a bridge. Kline (excellently played by Bill Bixby) is the chief antagonist constantly disobeying everything Saunders requests. Ash & Candell go along with the program but on their own terms. Lennon (excellently played by John Considine) portrays the coward of the group.

Ed Lakso's screenplay creates excellent conflict & character development between Saunders & the group while bringing Littlejohn into the spotlight as mentor to the young Candell. The story flows and has some fine exchanges & dialog between the stubborn Kline and Saunders. Lennon makes as good a coward as Otis Campbell does a drunk.

Director Caffey did a fine job with the combat & artillery sequences and as usual special effects were outstanding. The color programming totally enhances the action scenes.

Very entertaining episode.

Pre Dirty Dozen!

[ShelbyTMItchell · 10/10 · 25 April 2013]

Someone must had a idea for this show as this was the precursor to the Dirty Dozen movie with Lee Marvin. As it is Saunders in the Marvin role before then.

He and LittleJohn must shape a squad of four misfits, including the late Bill Bixby and John Considine, who is really a frightened young soldier and plays it really well. As Considine is known for playing villains. But really comes off as well.

The four soldiers that are court martialed and held until they can probably get their own sentences reduced if they help Saunders and LittleJohn blow up the bridge.

Bixby causes the team trouble from the get go. And really won't shut up until Saunders tells him to in the end. A cast against type for Bixby also known for playing heroes.

Really the precursor to the Dirty Dozen!

Another great episode

[grantss · 8/10 · 14 June 2022]

Great, action-packed episode. Also includes a fair bit of tension and intrigue as tthe squad includes a few men who are due to be court martialled: will they join in and contribute?

Excellent episode

[Guad42 · 9/10 · 24 August 2023]

The plot has been covered by others so just a few comments. I think the script was nicely written and accomplished two things very well. The four jailbirds all get enough dialogue and screen time to establish themselves as individual characters. It was smart to have only Littlejohn with Saunders. Any more squad members would have cut into that time for the guest stars.

The second great thing was Saunders is only 50% successful in getting these jailbirds to see the light. Any other script would have had Lennon (John Considine) leaped up and rush into the final fight to kill a few Germans and save some of our guys. You could see it coming when the scenes cut to him listening to the gunfire as he sat doing nothing. Yet, it didn't happen. Kudos to the writer, Ed Lasko, for that. Take a look at that guy's credits. He did some serious writing. The other non-redeemer was Kline (Bill Bixby). He was a con artist at the start and a con artist at the end. Well, even Sgt Saunders can't win them all.

As always with Combat, the acting is superb. The guest stars make the show and all four come through here. Considine and Billy Gray are still alive at this writing. Bixby died way too young. He was a fine director as well as an actor. Michael Caffey's direction is works well and the action scenes are excellent. Caffey directed the previous episode and did 12 episodes in all. I can see why. He gets it done. He also has a long list of TV credits.

My one complaint is a common one for season 5. There is a blood bath of German casualties. The Americans suffered one man wounded and kill a couple of dozen Germans. Not too realistic.

Still a great episode upgraded by being in color. Highly recommended.

Cut-rate Dirty Dozen

[lor_ · 2 October 2023]

Vic and Littlejohn are assigned to blow up a bridge and need helpers, so they bring along four soldiers from lockup, sort of a mini-Dirty Dozen.

Among the criminals, Bill Bixby stands out as a black marketeer who is a coward and a liar, refusing to follow Vic's orders or deliver his share of the fighting against the Germans. The episode is quite interesting in pitting Vic not only against the enemy but against the recalcitrant troops he's stuck with in order to complete the hazarou mission. During the gun battle, Vic and his men plant the explosives under the bridge and emerge: mission accomplished.

It's a nice mix of action with some varied characters.