Garrison's Gorillas
Encyclopedia
Garrison's Gorillas was an ABC
TV series
broadcast from 1967 to 1968; a total of 26 hour-long episodes were produced. It was inspired by the 1967 film The Dirty Dozen
, which featured a similar scenario of training Allied prisoners for World War II
military missions.
The Garrison's Gorillas pilot
episode entitled "The Big Con", guest-starring Telly Savalas
, was filmed as an episode of Combat! which it replaced, but never aired. It was instead broadcast as the first episode of Garrison's Gorillas when it was aired. Several "Combat" characters appear in the pilot. Garrison's Gorillas was canceled at the close of its first season and replaced by The Mod Squad
in 1968. It managed to gather a cult following in China
in the 1980s.
at the end of the war if they worked out. And if they lived. The alternative was an immediate return to prison. If they ran, they could expect execution for desertion. The four were: Actor (Cesare' Danova
) a handsome, resonant-voiced con man; Casino (Rudy Solari), a tough, wiry safe-cracker and mechanic; Goniff (Christopher Cary) a slender, likable Cockney cat burglar; and Chief (Brendan Boone) a rugged, somber American Indian
who handled a switchblade
like he was born to it. Led by West Pointer
First Lt. Craig Garrison (Ron Harper
) and headquartered in a secluded mansion in England, this slippery group ranged all over Europe
in exploits that often took them behind enemy lines. In the pilot, Lt. Hanley from "Combat" gives them the name "Gorillas". Other recruits were sometimes brought in where special skills were required. In the episode "Banker's Hours", Jack Klugman
is recruited to help loot a vault. In "The Magnificant Forger" comedian Larry Storch
turns in one of a solid dramatic performance as a con brought in to help 'doctor' a Gestapo
list of American agents. And in the two-parter "War And Crime/Plot to Kill" a con played by Richard Kiley is recruited because he was a dead ringer for a German field marshal
who was part of a plot to assassinate Hitler
.
TV Guide
reviewer Cleveland Amory
said of the show in 1968 that despite it being ludicrously one-sideded, a second-hand idea, and third degree violence, that it was a first rate show.
published a short-lived five issue comic book
based on the series lasting from January 1968 to October 1969)
Two spin-off novels were written by Jack Pearl: the first a mass-market adult paperback published by Dell, called, simply GARRISON'S GORILLAS; the second aimed at the Young Adult (YA) market and published by Whitman, titled GARRISON'S GORILLAS AND THE FEAR FORMULA. Both are of course long out of print, but fairly easy to find at reasonable prices from eBay and other antiquarian & collectible book sites.
Though the first five seasons of "Combat!" are out on DVD, the sixth season, "Garrison's Gorillas", oddly is not.
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
TV series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
broadcast from 1967 to 1968; a total of 26 hour-long episodes were produced. It was inspired by the 1967 film The Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen is a 1967 film directed by Robert Aldrich and released by MGM. It was filmed in England and features an ensemble cast, including Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Telly Savalas, and Robert Webber. The film is based on E. M...
, which featured a similar scenario of training Allied prisoners for World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
military missions.
The Garrison's Gorillas pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
episode entitled "The Big Con", guest-starring Telly Savalas
Telly Savalas
Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas was an American film and television actor and singer, whose career spanned four decades. Best known for playing the title role in the 1970s crime drama Kojak, Savalas was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Birdman of Alcatraz...
, was filmed as an episode of Combat! which it replaced, but never aired. It was instead broadcast as the first episode of Garrison's Gorillas when it was aired. Several "Combat" characters appear in the pilot. Garrison's Gorillas was canceled at the close of its first season and replaced by The Mod Squad
The Mod Squad
The Mod Squad is a television series that ran on ABC from September 24, 1968, until August 23, 1973. This series starred Michael Cole, Peggy Lipton, Clarence Williams III, and Tige Andrews...
in 1968. It managed to gather a cult following in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
in the 1980s.
Plot
This action series focused on a motley group of commandos recruited from stateside prisons to use their special skills against the Germans in World War II. They had been promised a paroleParole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
at the end of the war if they worked out. And if they lived. The alternative was an immediate return to prison. If they ran, they could expect execution for desertion. The four were: Actor (Cesare' Danova
Cesare Danova
Cesare Danova was a television and screen actor. Born as Cesare Deitinger in Bergamo, Italy to an Austrian father and an Italian mother, he adopted Danova as his stage name after becoming an actor in Rome at the end of World War II. He emigrated to the United States in the 1950s to make the film...
) a handsome, resonant-voiced con man; Casino (Rudy Solari), a tough, wiry safe-cracker and mechanic; Goniff (Christopher Cary) a slender, likable Cockney cat burglar; and Chief (Brendan Boone) a rugged, somber American Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
who handled a switchblade
Switchblade
A switchblade is a type of knife with a folding or sliding blade contained in the handle which is opened automatically by a spring when a button, lever, or switch on the handle or bolster is activated A switchblade (also known as an automatic knife, pushbutton knife, switch, Sprenger, Springer,...
like he was born to it. Led by West Pointer
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
First Lt. Craig Garrison (Ron Harper
Ron Harper (actor)
Ronald Robert "Ron" Harper is an American television and film actor.- Biography :Harper was born in Turtle Creek in Allegheny County near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Mabel Grace Champion and George Harper...
) and headquartered in a secluded mansion in England, this slippery group ranged all over Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in exploits that often took them behind enemy lines. In the pilot, Lt. Hanley from "Combat" gives them the name "Gorillas". Other recruits were sometimes brought in where special skills were required. In the episode "Banker's Hours", Jack Klugman
Jack Klugman
Jacob Joachim "Jack" Klugman is an American stage, film and television actor known for his roles in sitcoms, movies, and television and on Broadway...
is recruited to help loot a vault. In "The Magnificant Forger" comedian Larry Storch
Larry Storch
Lawrence Samuel "Larry" Storch is an American actor best known for his comic television roles, including voice-over work for top cartoon shows, including Mr...
turns in one of a solid dramatic performance as a con brought in to help 'doctor' a Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
list of American agents. And in the two-parter "War And Crime/Plot to Kill" a con played by Richard Kiley is recruited because he was a dead ringer for a German field marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
who was part of a plot to assassinate Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
.
TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
reviewer Cleveland Amory
Cleveland Amory
Cleveland Amory was an American author who devoted his life to promoting animal rights. He was perhaps best known for his books about his cat, named Polar Bear, whom he saved from the Manhattan streets on Christmas Eve 1977...
said of the show in 1968 that despite it being ludicrously one-sideded, a second-hand idea, and third degree violence, that it was a first rate show.
Spinoffs and tie-ins
Dell ComicsDell Comics
Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium...
published a short-lived five issue comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
based on the series lasting from January 1968 to October 1969)
Two spin-off novels were written by Jack Pearl: the first a mass-market adult paperback published by Dell, called, simply GARRISON'S GORILLAS; the second aimed at the Young Adult (YA) market and published by Whitman, titled GARRISON'S GORILLAS AND THE FEAR FORMULA. Both are of course long out of print, but fairly easy to find at reasonable prices from eBay and other antiquarian & collectible book sites.
Though the first five seasons of "Combat!" are out on DVD, the sixth season, "Garrison's Gorillas", oddly is not.