Combat! (TV Series) A Little Jazz (1967) User Reviews

Music and Arrogance

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 1 June 2020]

While going to the front to entertain the soldiers, the truck with a five-man American jazz band has a flat tire and the driver needs to change the tire. When the soldier that is escorting the truck leaves the group to check the surrounding area, the band under the command of their leader Bernie Wallace, decides to play jazz. They are heard by a German patrol and also by Sgt. Saunders and his squad that confront and kill the Germans. However, the driver and the soldier are killed, and Saunders is forced to bring the civilians with his team in their mission. When they reach the empty mill house, Saunders request transportation for the band but he is assigned to hold their position. But soon they are trapped by the Germans in the building and their ammunition is in the end.

"A Little Jazz" is a dramatic episode of "Combat!", with a story of music and arrogance. Dan Duryea has great performance in the role of an annoying character and his duel with Sgt. Saunders has excellent dialogs. It is also good to see the young Dennis Hopper in the role of a drummer. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Um Pouco de Jazz" ("A Little Jazz")

Saunders: "Go Ahead, Make My Day"

[jmarchese · 9/10 · 27 December 2014]

"A Little Jazz" is a humbling of the arrogance & stupidity that go hand & hand with status & conceit.

White Rook must shelter & protect a group of jazz musicians after their escorts are killed by Germans.

James Menzies wrote an excellent screenplay about a group of jazz musicians led by Bernie Wallace (excellently played by Dan Duryea.) Duryea is outstanding; the viewing audience will hate him. Conflict and dialog between The Sarge & Wallace are priceless. Vic Morrow plays a strong lead having to deal with both a seemingly impossible situation and wise guy Wallace. Overall, there's good character development amongst White Rook & the musicians.

Michael Caffey did a fine directing job; combat scenes are graphic and close-ups at key moments tell the story without words.

I saw "A Little Jazz" when it first aired in 1967 and it kept my attention very well. I remembered being bummed out for 3 days after the airing because the most decent & humble of the group reaps great misfortune. I did however enjoy the reality of the story, exactly what I would expect in the face of pride & arrogance.

Reaching the end of the road for Combat!

[joegarbled-79482 · 8/10 · 15 December 2023]

"A Little Jazz" features a US jazz combo whose truck suffers a puncture close to the front line. Oblivious to the danger, they start playing and attract the notice of a nearby German patrol. The patrol decides to open fire but luckily, Chip Saunders and his squad are nearby and saves the musicians though the truck driver and accompanying MP "buy the farm".

Naturally, Chip Saunders is angry at the band's stupidity, but even more so with the band leader (played by Dan Duryea) who repeatedly acts as if the lives and mission of his combo outweighs the job of Sergeant Saunders and his men, and that his status as a civilian with the authority of an officer means that Chip Saunders should obey him when he demands to be escorted back to the safety of the US lines.

Without asking for Chip's permission, the wretched band leader decides to fly a white flag of truce, out of sight of Chip and his squad. The Germans cease firing and a sergeant & soldier are ordered to go forwards and tell the Americans to surrender, hands in the air. Not knowing WHY the Germans stopped firing and assuming that the enemy is merely closing in for the kill, Saunders' squad open up, Caje ends up killing the two Germans under a flag of truce. Saunders and his men can expect ZERO sympathy if taken alive now.

Running short of ammunition and extra Germans having arrived, Saunders does that rare thing of scrounging up weapons and ammunition from dead Germans. As could be expected, the US reinforcements arrive, just in time, to save Saunders and his men.

Very poor and gimmicky story

[lor_ · 22 November 2023]

A poor story idea is enlivened by guest star Dan Duryea by a pompous USO man leading a jazz band near enemy lines, who tries to push Vic around. Not too bright an idea.

So battles with Germans are mixed in with battles between Duryea and Vic. It's frustrating watching a guy seemingly oblivious to the fact there's a war going on. And ridiculous script gimmicks toy with the viewer's empathy and patience leading to a final reel filled with bathos and hokum.

Dennis Hopper is stuck with a nothing role as the jazz group's drummer, given zero characterization which he tries to pep up a bit with familiar mannerisms. He made some terrific, memorable TV appearances in the '60s (while his movie career was on hiatus after a legendary conflict with film director Henry Hathaway) on shows like "The Twilight Zone" and "Arrest and Trial", but was clearly hard up for work when he accepted this assignment.

Annoying civilians, again

[grantss · 6/10 · 2 July 2022]

Thw worst Combat episodes tend to be those where clueless civilians interfere in the efficient running of Hanley/Saunders' unit. These episodes tend to be quite unrealistic, especially as the GIs seem to tolerate their meddling and hindrance. A great example was the episode where a French town changed their name to stymie the Americans' operations. Quite stupid.

This is similar, though not as bad as the aforementioned episode. We have a USO band who think that striking up a tune while trying to hide from the enemy in the middle of a war zone is a good idea. Then, after they've gotten two GIs killed they think they can issue orders to Saunders and co.

The band leader was so annoying I kept hoping Saunders would just shoot him dead on the spot.

The battle scenes aren't bad but thea actions of the band, and the band leader in particular, minimise any engagement with the episode.

The episode is interesting for the appearance of Dennis Hopper though. He appears as the drummer of the band and even in a war drama he's as trippy as anything.