Combat! (TV Series) Gitty (1966) User Reviews

"You Scream You Learn--You Cry You Learn--You Live You Learn"

[jmarchese · 8/10 · 7 November 2014]

"Gitty" is a story about a young teenage girl who must learn to deal with the realities of war.

The Sarge kills a German soldier (Paul Busch) who tries to get the drop on him. After learning the true identity of this German, Saunders must deal with the painful truth.

Andrea Darvi puts on a fine show as Gitty; she has great on screen chemistry with Vic Morrow and the two carry the episode.

Too much of "Gitty" is old heavy artillery footage used on other Combat episodes. I'm critical of gun butts killing soldiers; it seems this happens too often on combat, not realistic.

The ending combat sequence is excellent and culminates in a giant emotional growth spurt for Gitty. The plot is essentially the same as "No Trumpets No Drums" except Saunders spends less time with Gitty than Caje did with Micheline, and the whole truth comes out this time.

The episode drags until the halfway point and the old railroad cannon is too much a banality to fill in the gaps. However, It's still worth seeing the fine acting of Morrow & Darvi.

Dramatic Episode

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 2 June 2019]

Saunders and his squad are assigned to establish an observation outpost in a church in a French village. On the arrival, Saunders kills a German soldier in self-defense. While in the church, they find the German girl Gitty hidden in the desert church and they learn she is waiting for her father to leave the village. But soon the American soldiers learn that her father was the soldier killed by Saunders.

"Gitty" is a dramatic episode of "Combat!". The expressions of Saunders and his men when they find that the girl is waiting for her father that is dead and they do not know how to tell her the truth is extremely dramatic and sad. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Gitty"

Saunders Great With Children!

[ShelbyTMItchell · 9/10 · 17 November 2013]

Saunders has a soft spot with children. As it is show in episodes like "The Little Carousel" and now "Gitty." As he kills an OSS soldier. And has to search the church as Gitty the girl's name in question is nicknamed that but that is not her real name.

As she awaits her father to come on home. She does not know that Saunders killed her father. Andrea Darvi now a child psychologist and author as an adult these days. Plays the little girl. As Saunders realizes that the soldier is her father.

As he must break it to her gently. But she does not take it well as one could imaging and holds a grudge against the Sgt. But will he make it up to her as both of them are in the crossfire of war.

Children are often the forgotten ones of war. How it affects them. And how they have soldier parents that have to leave them in order for them to fight the war.

Not that much to this episode

[FlushingCaps · 6/10 · 5 March 2019]

This is a simple Combat story of the Sarge and a few others entering a French town (that looks exactly like 85 others they have entered--Oh wait, it IS the same as used on so many--and we have the oft-used need for an observation post, logically to be made in the town's church.

Before getting there, Saunders encounters a German soldier. He has the drop on him and tells him to put up his hands. Instead the soldier tries to whirl to clobber the Sarge. But our guy is too quick and strikes him once in the head with the butt of his Tommy-gun. As usually happens here, probably not so much in real life, that one quick hit kills the man.

The squad moves into the church, but when they go to observe where artillery shells are landing in connection to the big gun the Germans are using, they cannot find their binoculars. They,and we, know they were left in the steeple, but someone moved them. In searching for the glasses and for whoever might have taken them, they find a young girl, about age 13.

She says she's in charge and they must all leave right away. Chip eventually gets the girl, who's nickname of Gitty is the title of this episode, to admit to taking the field glasses, and to tell him that she's waiting for her father. Wisely, Saunders doesn't let her know that he killed the man--at least not now, he doesn't.

We go through an artillery barrage, then as our guys are about to leave, Saunders decides he has to tell Gitty what happened, because they don't want her to continue waiting in this town, what with Germans expected to come. She doesn't take it well, wishing Saunders was dead.

The time Saunders took wound up nearly being disastrous for his squad as just when he's finally ready to leave, several Germans come to town, leading to a long firefight, that injures Saunders.

Seeing Saunders wounded causes Gitti to change her mind, telling the wounded Sergeant that she didn't mean it when she said she wished him to be killed.

The emotional scenes between our star and the young guest star were well-done. But I didn't think there was that much of a story here. The firefight was longer than necessary, without anything changing for several minutes before Saunders decided to try a different tack in the battle.

It wasn't a bad episode, but it does pale when compared to most of the episodes in this marvelous series.

Uneventul

[lor_ · 30 September 2023]

Vic and his squad are setting up a new observation post, located in an abandoned French church, where they find a lone little girl (well played by Andrea Darvi) of the title, who speaks English and looks quite forlorn.

She's waiting for her dad to show up, an older German soldier, that Vic killed in battle on the way to the church. Of course that coincidence (in the script) is planted to add panache to the friendly relationship that develops between the two characters.

Along with a sentimental music score, this episode dealing with the tragedy of war slowly goes nowhere, playing on the heartstrings while the fans wait for some action (finally tacked on at the end) on this ostensibly action-packed show.