Rick Jason Combat!-the Detail Fans Keep Missing
- 01. Rick Jason and Combat!: The Detail Fans Keep Missing
- 02. Who Rick Jason Was
- 03. How Rick Jason Joined Combat!
- 04. Jason's Character: 2nd Lt. Gil Hanley
- 05. Jason's On-Set Choices and Firearms
- 06. Jason's Role in the Show's Critical Success
- 07. Casting and Production Details That Matter
- 08. A Hypothetical Cast and Production Table
- 09. Jackson's Later Life and Legacy
- 10. Frequently Asked Questions
- 11. Who was Rick Jason on Combat!?
- 12. How long did Combat! run?
- 13. Did Rick Jason really carry an M1 carbine in Combat!?
- 14. Why is Rick Jason's role in Combat! still considered significant?
Rick Jason and Combat!: The Detail Fans Keep Missing
Rick Jason is best known for playing 2nd Lt. Gil Hanley in the American World War II drama Combat!, which aired on ABC from 1962 to 1967. The show followed a fictional U.S. Army rifle company in France after D-Day, and Jason's role as the earnest, bookish junior officer became his signature performance, anchoring the series alongside Vic Morrow's Sergeant Chip Saunders. What many fans overlook is how Jason's own biography, his early reluctance to take the part, and his real-world relationship with the show's military hardware quietly shaped the way audiences perceived the rifle company and the broader WWII TV genre.
Who Rick Jason Was
Rick Jason (born Richard Jacobson) was an American actor who entered Hollywood after a varied early life that included stockbroker family money and multiple expulsions from prep schools before he enlisted in the military during World War II. His experience in the war gave him a practical bearing that translated on screen into a believable, understated junior officer presence, even though he was not a career soldier. After serving, he studied acting and built a pre-Combat! career in smaller roles and in the 1960 series Dangerous Robin, a crime show that ran for 38 episodes and was notable for incorporating karate into its action scenes.
How Rick Jason Joined Combat!
When offered the lead role in Combat!, Jason initially turned down the part, wary of getting locked into a long-term series after a relatively short stage and film track record. His agent reportedly persuaded him by pointing out that no major war movie had ever lost money at the box office, arguing that the genre's commercial reliability would buffer any risk of type-casting. Jason eventually agreed, and his casting as 2nd Lt. Hanley became a defining turning point both for his career and for the show's tone, since his combination of reserve and decency helped balance Morrow's more volatile Sergeant Saunders.
Jason's Character: 2nd Lt. Gil Hanley
As 2nd Lt. Gil Hanley, Jason portrayed a young, college-educated platoon leader who had to reconcile textbook tactics with the chaotic reality of frontline combat. Hanley was often torn between the demands of officer class discipline and the need to protect his men, which gave the character a moral complexity unusual for network TV in the early 1960s. Fans frequently remember Jason's Hanley as the "thinking officer" who consulted maps, radioed for artillery, and agonized over command decisions, while Vic Morrow's Sergeant Saunders embodied the grizzled, instinctive combat veteran who led from the front.
Jason's On-Set Choices and Firearms
One of the most frequently overlooked details about Jason's role is how personally he engaged with the show's military hardware. Early in production, Jason was slated to carry the heavy M1928A1 Thompson submachine gun as his signature weapon, but after only two days of filming he complained about its weight and successfully lobbied to switch to the lighter M1 carbine. This change proved emblematic of Hanley's character: an officer issued a standard weapon, yet pragmatic enough to adapt equipment choices to real-world conditions.
Once Jason adopted the M1 carbine, Vic Morrow inherited the Thompson, which itself became another on-set anecdote: after two weeks of filming, Morrow also found the Thompson too heavy and began using a lighter wooden replica until he needed to fire, at which point he switched back to the real gun. Comedian Charlie Callas, a devoted fans of the show, later asked Jason for the M1 carbine after the series ended; Jason had the barrel plugged for safety and gave it to Callas, who mounted it above the bar in his home. The exact current location of that prop is unknown, but the episode underscores how Jason's personal connection to the screen prop blurred into the show's legacy.
Jason's Role in the Show's Critical Success
Combat! ran for six seasons and 152 hour-long episodes, making it one of the longest-running American TV series with a World War II setting. Industry estimates suggest that each episode cost roughly two to three times the typical budget of a 1960s hour-long drama, thanks to location shooting, period uniforms, and extensive gunfire effects. Jason's stable, disciplined presence as Hanley helped justify that expense to advertisers and network executives, because his character made the violence feel purposeful rather than sensational.
Over the course of the series, more than 100 notable actors appeared in guest roles, a statistic that underscores how widely respected Combat! became among working performers. Many of these actors later credited Jason and Morrow's professionalism as key to the show's reputation; their on-screen chemistry between the officer and sergeant pairing became a template for later military dramas.
Casting and Production Details That Matter
- The series was created by writer Robert Pirosh, whose early career in film was rooted in comedy movies, a background that informed the show's occasional use of dark humor amid grim situations.
- Several episodes were directed by a young Robert Altman, long before his breakout with films like MASH, which may explain why some episodes feel more fluid and character-driven than standard network fare of the era.
- Supporting actor Pierre Jalbert, who played Pfc. Paul "Caje" Lemay, had no prior on-screen acting experience before being cast; he had worked for years as a technician in MGM's film editing department.
- Laugh-track comedian Shecky Greene left his Las Vegas show at a financial cost to guest on an episode, reportedly because he was a longtime fan of the series.
A Hypothetical Cast and Production Table
Even though some details are illustrative, the table below captures the main cast and production milestones in a way that aligns with publicly available information.
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Series title | Combat! (often stylized with an exclamation mark) |
| Broadcast network | ABC |
| Original run | October 2, 1962 - March 14, 1967 |
| Number of episodes | 152 hour-long episodes |
| Main lead 1 | Rick Jason as 2nd Lt. Gil Hanley |
| Main lead 2 | Vic Morrow as Sgt. Chip Saunders |
| Genre | World War II drama / war series |
| Setting | Fictional U.S. Army rifle company in France after D-Day |
| Notable creative contributor | Robert Altman (directed multiple episodes) |
| Primary filming location | Warner Bros. backlot and surrounding hills in California |
Jackson's Later Life and Legacy
After Combat! ended in 1967, Jason returned to theater and took on a smaller number of film and television roles, though none achieved the same visibility as 2nd Lt. Hanley. In 2000 he published a memoir titled Scrapbooks of My Mind, which offers reflections on his career, including his time on the series and his feelings about the war genre in television.
One week after attending a Combat! cast reunion in Las Vegas in October 2000, Jason died by self-inflicted gunshot wound at age 77, a detail that has since become an unavoidable footnote in discussions of his life and the show. Despite that tragic end, his performance as 2nd Lt. Hanley continues to be cited by historians of TV drama as a rare example of a thoughtful, ambivalent frontline officer who did not retreat into patriotic cliché.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Rick Jason on Combat!?
Rick Jason played 2nd Lt. Gil Hanley, the junior platoon leader of a fictional U.S. Army rifle company fighting in France after D-Day during World War II.
How long did Combat! run?
Combat! aired on ABC from October 2, 1962, to March 14, 1967, spanning six seasons and approximately 152 hour-long episodes.
Did Rick Jason really carry an M1 carbine in Combat!?
Yes; after initially being assigned a heavier Thompson submachine gun, Jason complained about the weight and switched to the lighter M1 carbine, which he carried throughout the rest of the series as Hanley's primary firearm.
Why is Rick Jason's role in Combat! still considered significant?
Jason's portrayal of 2nd Lt. Hanley brought a morally grounded, introspective quality to a war series that could have easily devolved into pure action, helping shape later TV depictions of junior officers under fire. His personal background as a real-world veteran and his hands-on engagement with props like the M1 carbine further deepen his character's authenticity.
Everything you need to know about Rick Jason Combat The Detail Fans Keep Missing
What was Rick Jason's relationship with Vic Morrow like?
Jason and Morrow were essentially co-stars, with production sometimes listing Morrow first in the credits and sometimes Jason, depending on the episode's focal character. Their on-screen partnership between the officer and sergeant became one of the show's defining dynamics.