Combat Sergeant

{{Short description|American TV military series (1956)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox television | image = | caption = | genre = War drama | writer = | director = | starring = Michael Thomas Cliff Clark Mara Corday Dominick Delgarde Frank Marlowe Bill Slack | theme_music_composer = | composer = | country = United States | language = English | num_seasons = 1 | num_episodes = 13 | executive_producer = | producer = | camera = | company = National Telefilm Associates | runtime = 30 minutes | channel = Syndication | first_aired = {{Start date|1956|06|29}} | last_aired = {{End date|1956|09|27}} }}

'''''Combat Sergeant''''' is an American television program that originally aired on ABC from June 29, 1956, to September 27, 1956.<ref name="tt" />

== Premise == The series was set in Africa during World War II. Actual footage of the war was spliced into episodes.<ref name="tt">McNeil, Alex (1996). ''Total Television'', New York: Penguin Books, 4th ed., p. 173.</ref> Sergeant Nelson's orders, which came from General Harrison, led him into spying on Germans, coordination of efforts of various Allied military forces, and other activities. Romance sometimes resulted.<ref name="brooks" />

==Characters and cast== *Sergeant Nelson - Michael Thomas<ref name=brooks/> *General Harrison - Cliff Clark<ref name=brooks/> *Abdulla - Dominick Delgarde<ref name="brooks">{{cite book |last1=Brooks |first1=Tim |last2=Marsh |first2=Earle F. |title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present |date=June 24, 2009 |publisher=Random House Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-307-48320-1 |page=274 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w8KztFy6QYwC&dq=%22Combat+Sergeant%22+ABC&pg=PA274 |access-date=December 30, 2023 |language=en}}</ref> *Lieutenant Kruger - Bill Slack<ref name="tt" /> *WAC Corporal Harbin - Mara Corday<ref name="tt" />

==Production and syndication== Jack H. Skirball was the producer of ''Combat Sergeant'' and George Blair was the director. The writers were DeVallon Scott and Julian Harmon.<ref name=":0" /> The show was initially broadcast on Fridays from 8 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time. In September 1956 it was moved to Thursdays from 9 to 9:30 p.m. E. T.<ref name="brooks" /> Thirteen episodes were filmed<ref name="billboard2">{{cite magazine |date=1956-08-18 |title=Half-Hr. Series Put Into Synd. So Far In '56 |magazine=Billboard |page=22}}</ref> by Universal-International.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=December 9, 1957 |page=3 |title=U-I Joins Hwd. Majors in TV Pix Production |magazine=Billboard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yh0EAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Combat+Sergeant%22+ABC&pg=PA3 |accessdate=December 30, 2023 }}</ref>

''Combat Sergeant'' was produced by National Telefilm Associates, and had originally been intended as a first-run syndicated program; it was offered to individual television stations in March 1956,<ref name="billboard2"/> but saw no sales. The series was offered to ABC, which purchased the program. After a brief summer run on ABC in 1956, the series was rerun on the syndicated NTA Film Network starting in summer 1957.<ref name="Billboard">{{cite magazine|date=1957-06-24|title=NTA Block to Storer Group|magazine=Billboard|page=12|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yR0EAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Combat+Sergeant%22+ABC&pg=PA12}}</ref>

==Critical response== The trade publication ''Broadcasting'' called ''Combat Sergeant'' the "purest form" of "the classic TV formula" of good versus bad, as the U. S. Army took on Nazis and their associates.<ref name=":0">{{cite magazine |date=July 16, 1956 |page=14 |title=Combat Sergeant |magazine=Broadcasting |url=https://archive.org/details/broadcastingtele51unse/page/n237/mode/1up?view=theater |accessdate=December 30, 2023 }}</ref> The review noted how Thomas "heroically portrayed" Nelson and concluded, "If another pure-and-simple, rough-and-tumble, ride-and-fight series is what TV needed, this is it."<ref name=":0" />

A review of the episode "Flight Into Eternity" in the trade publication ''Variety'' said that it began "as a semi-documentary" but soon had its hero "in and out of more unlikely anti-climactic scrapes than ''Man Called X'', ''Range Rider,'' and Hotshot Charlie together."<ref name=":1">{{cite magazine |date=July 4, 1956 |page=25 |title=Combat Sergeant |magazine=Variety |url=https://archive.org/details/variety203-1956-07/page/n24/mode/1up?view=theater |accessdate=December 30, 2023 }}</ref> It said "Thomas is a fresh-faced kid who performa adequately, and the rest look like soldiers should."<ref name=":1" />

The trade publication ''Motion Picture Daily'' called the premiere episode "a lively, action-laden and authentic appearing story."<ref name=":2">{{cite magazine |date=July 9, 1956 |page=6 |title=Combat Sergeant |url=https://archive.org/details/motionpicturedai80unse/page/n41/mode/1up?view=theater |magazine=Motion Picture Daily |access-date=December 30, 2023 }}</ref> It said that the episode achieved "a rather high degree of suspense and action" and concluded by calling the show "a good series, well produced, smartly directed."<ref name=":2" />

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{IMDb title|id=0048856|title=Combat Sergeant}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Combat Sergeant}} Category:1956 American television series debuts Category:1956 American television series endings Category:Black-and-white American television shows Category:English-language American television shows Category:American Broadcasting Company television dramas Category:Drama television series about World War II