The Rat Patrol - The Complete Second Season (1966)

Rat Patrol-2nd season

Thank god we get a complete series with this excellent release of season 2 Rat Patrol. the image quality here is almost " too good " to be off network T.V as it's source. Chistopher George was uber cool and back then they actually still had old WW2 surplus vehicles still working to use actual vintage eqipment, ever see a real German Tiger tank? The only downside is they were 30 minute episodes so plot developement could only go so far, but who cares...50 caliber machine guns mounted on desert jeeps, I'm there baby! and who could forget that theme music... June 19, 2008

great wartime TV

I enjoyed this TV series many years ago, and enjoyed watching them all over again. June 19, 2008

Rat Patrol - season 2

The package arrived quickly and was in excellent condition. We are certainly enjoying it. Thanks ! May 1, 2008

Sgt. Troy and the boys are back for their final season!

Though it only lasted two seasons, "The Rat Patrol" is still one of the best of the genre: a slam-bang thirty minutes of derring do and American-flag waving bravado that still holds up after four decades.

Like its initial season, the second one features the sandswept locales of northern Africa (actually Spain and southern California), crisp direction and storytelling, great music from composer Dominic Frontiere, and movie-like production values. Christopher George still leads his men as the brave and crafty "Sgt. Troy" while Gary Raymond (Moffitt), Lawrence Casey (the popular Hitch) and Justin Tarr (Tully) round out the squad. Hans Gudegast is equally effective as the "Nazi with a heart," Captain Dietrich.

If the show had lasted a third season, it's likely that Dietrich would probably have defected because he shows a softer side in several episodes from this season, sometimes even relunctantly aiding the Rat Patrol or the Allies.

Most of the twenty-six installments in this compilation are well-made with outstanding and inspired performances from the principals and guest stars.

Though the short-running time of each episode does not leave much time for personal relations about the characters, the viewer does learn that Troy has a brother ("The Field of Death Raid" with George's actual brother playing the part. We also learn that Englishman Moffitt had a romantic relationship with a French woman ("The Fatal Reunion Raid) and also loses a brother in "The Hickory Dickory Dock Raid."

Other outstanding episodes are the touching "The Love Thine Enemy Raid," the tense "The Truce at Aburah Raid," the truly exciting "The Hide and Go Seek Raid," and the thought-provoking "The Life for a Life Raid."

Guest star John Anderson is brilliant as a British general in "The Pipeline to Disaster Raid" while Michael Tolan is fine, playing against type, as a loyal Indian to English soldier Ben Wright in "The Fifth Wheel Raid."

No show about WWII would be complete with the stereotypical evil Nazi and this year there are many standouts: Phil Burns as an officer targeted for death in "The Kill at Koorlea Raid and " Charles Irving in the aforementioned "The Fifth Wheel Raid." Most chilling is Richard Davalos as an SS Officer that comes unglued and meets a most deserving end in "The Decoy Raid."

Inspired casting can be found in Jewish-American actor Milton Selzer playing an Arab father in "The Trial by Fire Raid." Fabrizio Mioni is quite good as a defecting Italian in what-could-possibly-be-called the show's sole "comic" episode: "The Never Say Die Raid."

Unfortunately, Dick Sargeant, however, is not believable as a Nazi posing as an American in "The Boomerang Raid."

The set has no bonus features but is close-captioned with English and Spanish subtitles.

It has a running time of 662 minutes on three single-sided discs. March 31, 2008

steve c

Growing up watching The Rat Patrol was great, but I never expected it to be this much fun watching it again some 40 years later. It's also nice watching a show that has no adult language. The characters also depict a much higher level of ethic (even in war) than is seen ANYWHERE today. March 30, 2008

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