THE GALLANT MEN: Operation Secret 1963
"The Gallant Men" was an American television series that debuted on ABC in the fall of 1962. It followed a company of US soldiers from the Sept 1943 invasion at Salerno, and their battles up the boot of Italy. The series ran for a total of 26 episodes during 1962-63. Leading the cast is Robert McQueeney, who also narrates the story. McQueeney is a newspaper reporter who follows the company on their exploits. (Sort of an Ernie Pyle clone) The rest of the regulars are played by, William Reynolds, Robert Ridgely, Francis X Slattery, Eddie Fontaine, Roland La Starza, Roger Davis and Robert Gothie. There are the standard types sprinkled throughout, the joker, the card sharp, the loner etc. This is the 20th episode.
This episode has the company taking another control of anther Italian village. In the local villa, newspaper man, Robert McQueeney, discovers a set of US dog-tags on a crypt in the villa's cellar. He questions the villa's owner, Maria Machado about the dog-tags but does not get any information. He then checks with graves registration and finds that the dog-tags are unknown. The person and number does not exist.
Of course the newsman continues to root around for answers to this mystery. He follows the clues and interviews various servicemen, German prisoners of war etc. What he finds is a mission launched by the Americans to fool the Germans into sending troops to the wrong place when they land at Salerno.
The story is a sub-par take on the excellent 1956 film, THE MAN WHO NEVER WAS. This one really does not come off at all with the actors all looking rather ill at ease. Guest star Ray Danton is the only bright light, he plays an O.S.S. officer who was in charge of the plot. Not one of the better episodes.
"The Gallant Men" was an American television series that debuted on ABC in the fall of 1962. It followed a company of US soldiers from the Sept 1943 invasion at Salerno, and their battles up the boot of Italy. The series ran for a total of 26 episodes during 1962-63. Leading the cast is Robert McQueeney, who also narrates the story. McQueeney is a newspaper reporter who follows the company on their exploits. (Sort of an Ernie Pyle clone) The rest of the regulars are played by, William Reynolds, Robert Ridgely, Francis X Slattery, Eddie Fontaine, Roland La Starza, Roger Davis and Robert Gothie. There are the standard types sprinkled throughout, the joker, the card sharp, the loner etc. This is the 20th episode.
This episode has the company taking another control of anther Italian village. In the local villa, newspaper man, Robert McQueeney, discovers a set of US dog-tags on a crypt in the villa's cellar. He questions the villa's owner, Maria Machado about the dog-tags but does not get any information. He then checks with graves registration and finds that the dog-tags are unknown. The person and number does not exist.
Of course the newsman continues to root around for answers to this mystery. He follows the clues and interviews various servicemen, German prisoners of war etc. What he finds is a mission launched by the Americans to fool the Germans into sending troops to the wrong place when they land at Salerno.
The story is a sub-par take on the excellent 1956 film, THE MAN WHO NEVER WAS. This one really does not come off at all with the actors all looking rather ill at ease. Guest star Ray Danton is the only bright light, he plays an O.S.S. officer who was in charge of the plot. Not one of the better episodes.
