The Rat Patrol (1966–1968)

Set in North Africa during World War II, this series chronicles the adventures of a 4-man team of commandos within the Long Range Desert Group. (In utter defiance of historical accuracy, ... See full summary »

Creator:

Tom Gries

Stars:

Christopher George, Gary Raymond, Eric Braeden

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Christopher George	...	Sgt. Sam Troy (58 episodes, 1966-1968)
Gary Raymond	...	Sgt. Jack Moffitt (58 episodes, 1966-1968)
Eric Braeden	...	Capt. Hans Dietrich (58 episodes, 1966-1968)
Lawrence P. Casey	...	Pvt. Mark Hitchcock (58 episodes, 1966-1968)
Justin Tarr	...	Pvt. Tully Pettigrew (54 episodes, 1966-1968)

Storyline

Set in North Africa during World War II, this series chronicles the adventures of a 4-man team of commandos within the Long Range Desert Group. (In utter defiance of historical accuracy, the team consists of three Americans and one Brit.) Armed with jeeps equipped with .50-caliber machine guns--and endless chutzpah--they wage a highly irregular war against Rommel's Afrika Korps. Their most common nemesis is Hauptmann Dietrich, though Dietrich and the Rats join forces from time to time against a common enemy.

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Plot Keywords:

commando | north africa | cult tv | army | north africa campaign | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Adventure | War

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 September 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

Comando en el desierto

Filming Locations:

Amargosa Valley, Nevada, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mirisch-Rich Productions, Tom Gries Productions, United Artists Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (58 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

On January 4th, 1967, while filming a chase scene on the set of "The Rat Patrol", Christopher George's jeep flipped over, pinning the actor underneath the vehicle. George sustained a cardiac contusion, which never properly healed, and scar tissue subsequently developed. A fatal heart attack he suffered on November 28th, 1983 was attributed to this mishap. He was buried in Pierce Brothers Westwood Memorial Park, in Los Angeles, CA.

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Quotes

Sgt. Sam Troy: Let's shake it!

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theatre 3000: Warrior of the Lost World (1993)

User Reviews

One of my all time favorite series...

I am a child of the seventies having grown up in and around the time and as a kid I can remember this being on in the afternoon and played on Saturday afternoon's. Two of my earliest best friends in this world were named Korey and Coy and we would watch this with great enthusiasm being only age 7 to 9 years old. My father at the time owned a jeep and after the show aired we would go outside and play the Rat Patrol. I always seemed to pick Tully to play because he always drove the jeep and we would spend an hour or two just making up our own adventures as we went along. My memories of this are quite strong when I still watch this series as it reflects a time when I had no worries in the world. I am not a violent person because of this series even for all the explosions and gun play it just makes feel good to watch it and because of that it truly is one of my favorite series of all time.