SYNOPSIS:
A German field hospital, filled with wounded men and cut off by the American advance,
becomes the squad's observation post. An embittered Saunders turns even colder when an
S.S. patient critically wounds one of his squad. Bauer, a German orderly in the field
hospital, pleads with Saunders to allow him to take a truck to recover the plasma
desperately needed by both the wounded American and the German casualties.
REVIEW:
The war has taken its toll on Sgt. Saunders. In "The Wounded Don't Cry,"
Saunders has become an embittered soldier, untrusting and unwilling to treat the enemy as
a human being. This is a marked contrast to the Saunders of just two episodes ago in
"Masquerade," where he argues for compassion for a wounded German. No longer one
of Kanger's "American suckers," Saunders' compassion has been replaced by
mistrust and hate.
This emotional state, though, does not survive past the closing credits. When Saunders
must travel with a German prisoner on a mission of mercy, it becomes a journey to recover
not just plasma, but Saunders' humanity. The instrument of change is Bauer -- an
introspective ex-school teacher who is charming, harmless, hates the SS, and is nice to
birds.
The plot is thoroughly predictable. Though the premise should allow opportunity for
soul-searching and analysis of the human condition, writer James Komack does not let such
matters interfere with his simplistic tale. Instead of writing Germans as human beings, he
separates them into "good: Germans and "bad" Germans: Wehrmacht good, SS
bad.
Makes life so simple. And how does the script reveal this dichotomy? By showing SS
soldiers killing an innocent school teacher and a Wehrmacht soldier returning a cute bird
to its nests. Later, this nice Wehrmacht soldier guns down the evil SS, his fellow
countryman, without any remorse or hesitation. "The Wounded Don't Cry" is
mindless, action/adventure masquerading as drama.
Morrow's acting is more multi-facetted than the script. Morrow plays a Saunders at odds
with own beliefs. His hard, unromanticized description of watching his soldiers die
because they trusted a flag of truce is so revelatory in its simplicity. It shows how
Saunders changed from the wise-cracking scamp of "A Day In June" to this
war-weary creature who sees plots in a simple act of mercy.
Saunders is distrustful of all Germans -- even the saintly Bauer. Unfortunately, there
is little chemistry between Morrow and German-born actor Karl Boehm (playing Bauer). Boehm
struggles valiantly with the role, but perfect characters are hard to relate to; and the
script allows nothing of human nature to intrude into this German paradigm of virtue.
Under Komack's direction, the action never flags long enough for the audience to think
too deeply. Forget about the unexplored possibilities in this episode, just enjoy it for
escapism. As a piece of adventure fluff, "The Wounded Don't Cry" is an
enjoyable, light romp through the countryside with our favorite Sergeant. Watching Morrow
emote for an hour is rarely a waste of time. This episode is a solid, middle-of-the-road,
two-bayonetter.
NOTES, ODDITIES, AND BLOOPERS:
- The two-story field hospital set is also used in "The General and the
Sergeant."
- First time the squad encounters the German 241st Infantry, who they will chase across
France for the next two seasons. Fighting takes place around LeMans.
- The bird in the nest looks terrified. It flaps its wings and tries to get out of the
nest, but its leg looks tied down.
- Saunders and Caje have a close encounter as the Sarge rolls over him, avoiding the
grenade blast.
- When Bauer shoots one of the Germans, his weapon has no magazine.
ABOUT FILMING THE EPISODE:
Dick Peabody recalls working with Leonard Nimoy, a close friend of Vic Morrow's, who
recommended Peabody for Nimoy's acting workshop. "I was with Leonard about six
months, every Saturday for about three hours. And he was a wonderful teacher. I learned a
lot from him. [...] Leonard Nimoy is one of the most socially conscious guys I have ever
known. Genuinely nice. Total integrity. He was a good acting teacher."
CAST:
Vic Morrow as Sgt. Saunders
Rick Jason as Lt. Hanley
(does not appear)
Pierre Jalbert as Caje
Jack Hogan as Kirby
Tom Lowell as Nelson
Dick Peabody as Littlejohn
Conlan Carter as Doc
Guest starring Karl Boehm
as Carl Bauer