The Linesman

Sgt. Saunders, Kirby, Caje and Littlejohn are assigned to protect Sgt. Barney McKlosky and two other linesman while laying a telephone line from the command base to an outpost. Along their journey, incidents and casualties happen and there is friction between McKlosky, who had a bad experience in Wyoming, and Saunders.

"The Linesman" is one of the weakest episodes of "Combat!". The friction between Sgt. Saunders and other Sergeants has been already explored more than once and the plot is not engaging with the unpleasant and stupid McKlosky. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Eletricista"('The Electrician")

Jack Lord as Sgt. Barney McKlosky is a "field lineman" from the US Army Signal Corp. He and his two men were escorted and protected by Sgt. Saunders, Caje, Kirby, and Littlejohn. Needless to say, he is crucial in ensuring vital communications during combat operations without the Germans eavesdropping, as Lt. Hanley stated.

What others view as a boring episode overlooks the fact that the likes of McKlosky are the linchpin that coordinate military actions across different areas of the battlefield. McKlosky's sense of distrust and negativity are paralyzing and in sharp contrast with his duty to keep communications mobile and information flowing.

Fans of TV star Jack Lord, the hero of "Hawaii 5-O" and "Stoney Burke", should be interested in seeing him as a surly, truly bad guy, clashing with Vic in this otherwise fairly routine "Combat!" segment.

He's a linesman from Montana, now in the Army on an important mission, to install in enemy territory a telephone line connecting headquarters with Company B. Vic and several of his troops are assigned by Rick to protect Lord and his helpers from the Germans, and as things go wrong, including accidents, Lord keeps exploding against Vic and his men. Insubordination on his part is unforgivable and keeps violating orders, with us waiting to see how long Vic will keep his cool before summarily dealing with this nutty fellow sergeant.

Fine location photography (plus of course the usual studio-shot conversations) highlights this vignette, which generates some suspense as German patrols come close to wiping out heroes. Tom Gries' direction falters at the end, with a hurried anticlimax finish.

All that's missing is Glen Campbell's classic song "Wichita Lineman", but that wasn't written and recorded until three years after this episode aired.

"The Linesman" is a story about Technical Sergeant Barney McKlosky (well played by Jack Lord) who knows the feeling of abandonment and can no longer depend on anyone.

After a sniper knocks off one of McKlosky's people he becomes totally cynical of Sergeant Saunders' capabilities. When Lieutenant Hanley gives the order to lay down a telephone line, McKlosky hates the idea of White Rook protecting he and his assistant O'Connor.

"The Linesman" suffers from a mediocre script; there's not enough firefight and no heavy artillery fire to help sustain the episode. Conflict is evident between McKlosky and White Rook; his verbal assault of Littlejohn is hysterical. There's a certain amount of suspense, but running a foot race with the Germans and then hiding from them is not very exciting.

The ending is excellent in that McKlosky finally sees the light by way of Doctor Saunders. One must wonder however if the Germans would be dumb enough to leave the keys in the truck. Two excellent character actors are not enough to overcome a weak screenplay. Overall - a very mediocre episode.

Jack Lord is in charge of laying a phone line from headquarters to an outpost. The wire is on spools that it is mentioned contain 440 yards (1/4 mile) of wire. So of course they frequently empty the spool and have to splice in the next one. And where do these spools come from? Nobody is seen to be carrying extras, and they don't have a cart or anything else loaded with wire. Yet every time one spool runs out...POOF! Another magically appears! HAHAHAHA.

I never liked Jack Lord, and to be honest he is pretty much a jerk through most of this episode. At one point I thought Sgt. Saunders might belt him. I wish he had!