Combat! (TV Series) The Tree of Moray (1965) User Reviews

The French Collaborator and the Maquis

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 19 April 2018]

Hanley, Caje, Kirby and Littlejohn are assigned to bring the French collaborator Duval to the Allied lines to be sent to London to be interrogated since he has important information about the Germans. However the Maquis leader Etienne wants to hang the traitor Duval from the Tree of Moray, where many Frenchmen were killed by the Germans. Along their journey, Hanley and his squad have to face Etienne and his men many times. Who will keep the custody of Duval?

"The Tree of Moray" is a different episode of "Combat!". Lt. Hanley protecting a collaborator and fighting Maquis is an unusual situation. The face of Hanley when Etienne describes what the crimes shows how upset he is with his mission. The guest star Robert Loggia has great performance. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "A Árvore de Moray" ("The Tree of Moray")

A Test of Willpower

[jmarchese · 8/10 · 28 August 2014]

"The Tree of Moray" is a test of will power between Lieutenant Hanley and French underground leader Etienne (well played by Robert Loggia.)

Hanley, Caje, Kirby, and Littlejohn rendezvous with Rene (played by Robert Ellenstein) who is to bring them to Duval, another French underground leader who has valuable information that could shorten the war and save thousands of lives. Etienne and his underground fighters want Duval for a different reason and will not see eye to eye with Hanley. After a major setback, Hanley sticks to the game plan and comes up with an excellent idea.

Conflict and dialog between Hanley and Etienne are excellent, a testament to excellent screen writing by Anthony Spinner & Don Tait. Hanley displays good old American ingenuity in dealing with Etienne and shows why he wears the Lieutenant's bar. There's enough combat to sustain the episode but scenes are trite compared to other episodes. Caje lives up to the personification of Combat creator Robert Pirosh's idea for his character. Lieutenant Hanley does have his moments dealing with the Frenchmen and a few of his lines are very memorable particularly when Etienne gets smart with him.

The ending sequence is very memorable showing one last head butting match between Hanley & Etienne and finely portraying both the American and French spirits.

Not so hot

[lor_ · 23 August 2023]

Robert Loggia guests as a French resistance leader in an episode while Vic takes a week off.

Rick's mission is to capture a French collaborator to take back for interrogation, and Loggia is after the same man. The action is quite contrived as they all compete for the prize: namely capturing the traitor Duval.

All the while Rick plays it gruff, and one can't help thinking that Vic would have done a better job had the mission been assigned to him instead.

Loggia does a fine job of putting across the revenge theme, but the black and white treatment of the issues, plus some lousy studio shots used for fake exteriors drag down this episode.