NATPE, 2004 – The ACTION channel welcomes back Combat! by celebrating Memorial Day with a 24-hour marathon featuring a new original special showcasing the much beloved and enduring television action series. The Memorial Day marathon will run all day Monday, May 31^st.

The special, currently in production, is hosted by actor Tom Skerritt (Alien, M*A*S*H, and "Picket Fences"), who appeared in six episodes over the series’ five year run, plus interviews with acclaimed Combat! directors Robert Altman, Richard Donner, and the late Burt Kennedy. It will also include exclusive interviews with Combat! actors including the late Rick Jason (Lt. Hanley) and Dick Peabody (Littlejohn). Other interviews feature Tom Lowell (Billy Nelson), Pierre Jalbert (Caje), Jack Hogan (Kirby), and Conlan Carter (Doc), with legendary comedian Shecky Greene (Braddock) talking for the first time about his own unique behind-the-scenes experiences during the show’s first season.

"Combat! was one of our most popular series when it originally aired on ACTION, and it still continues to be so since we brought it back," says Jonathan Shair, vice president, program scheduling and planning. "That’s why we’ve created this original special and marathon for the fans."

Combat!, a breakthrough series that ran from 1962-67 on ABC Television, was a realistic depiction of the exploits of a U.S. Army platoon fighting its way across France during World War II, following D-Day. Realism was the keynote of this series, which starred the late Vic Morrow (Sgt. Chip Saunders) and Rick Jason (Lt. Gil Hanley). Original World War II battle footage was included in some episodes, with stories ranging from straight combat adventure - to the personal human drama of war – to occasional lighthearted humorous themes. The series featured a variety of renowned actors in guest starring roles such as James Coburn, Lee Marvin and Robert Duvall.

Directors such as Robert Altman (M*A*S*H) and Richard Donner (The Lethal Weapon film series), before cutting their film teeth, directed a number of Combat! television episodes. Though Altman directed only ten episodes of the series, he is credited for establishing the realistic look and feel of the show.

One of Hollywood’s preeminent military experts, Capt. Dale A. Dye, another guest in the special talks about the authenticity of the show, and the surreal nature of watching it while serving in Vietnam. Dye comments that during the shooting of Saving Private Ryan, Combat! was the common denominator between him, director Steven Spielberg and star Tom Hanks. "When discussing a scene, we would go, ‘remember that time on Combat!, and we knew immediately what to go for.’"