The Rat Patrol

:"This article is about the TV show. For the bicycle club, see Rat Patrol. For the track by They Might Be Giants, see Long Tall Weekend. For the unreleased album by The Clash, see Combat Rock."

Infobox television
show_name = The Rat Patrol


caption = Opening title
format = Action / Drama / War
runtime = 30 minutes per episode
creator = Tom Gries
starring = Christopher George
Gary Raymond
Lawrence P. Casey
Justin Tarr
Eric Braeden
country = USA
network = ABC
first_aired = September 12, 1966
last_aired = March 18, 1968
num_seasons = 2
num_episodes = 58
imdb_id = 0060018

"The Rat Patrol" was an American TV program that aired on ABC during the 1966-1968 seasons. The show followed the exploits of four (three American and one British) Allied soldiers who were part of a long range desert patrol group in the North African campaign during World War II. Their mission: "to attack, harass and wreak havoc on Field Marshal Rommel's vaunted Afrika Korps".

Background

The show was inspired by and loosely modelled on the New Zealand/British/Rhodesian Long Range Desert Group, which used modified trucks armed with machine guns as their transport through the treacherous desert terrain. The title of the program refers to the nicknames given to some of the British Commonwealth forces in the North African campaign (Rats of Tobruk or Desert Rats). Consequently, at the time of original telecast many English viewers took offense at the dominance of American characters on the program the result being that the show was pulled from British televisionFact|date=December 2007.

Cast

The four members of the allied patrol were:

eason 2

1-

Season 2, Episode 4: The Darers Go First RaidOriginal Air Date: 2 October 1967

Season 2, Episode 5: The Love Thine Enemy RaidOriginal Air Date: 9 October 1967

Season 2, Episode 6: The Darkest RaidOriginal Air Date: 16 October 1967

Season 2, Episode 7: The Death Do Us Part RaidOriginal Air Date: 30 October 1967

Season 2, Episode 8: The Do-Re-Mi RaidOriginal Air Date: 6 November 1967

Season 2, Episode 9: The Kingdom Come RaidOriginal Air Date: 13 November 1967

Season 2, Episode 10: The Hide and Go Seek RaidOriginal Air Date: 20 November 1967

Season 2, Episode 11: The Violent Truce RaidOriginal Air Date: 27 November 1967

Season 2, Episode 12: The Life for a Life RaidOriginal Air Date: 4 December 1967

Season 2, Episode 13: The Fifth Wheel RaidOriginal Air Date: 11 December 1967

Season 2, Episode 14: The Two If by Sea RaidOriginal Air Date: 18 December 1967

Season 2, Episode 15: The Street Urchin RaidOriginal Air Date: 25 December 1967

Season 2, Episode 16: The Pipeline to Disaster RaidOriginal Air Date: 1 January 1968

Season 2, Episode 17: The Boomerang RaidOriginal Air Date: 8 January 1968

Season 2, Episode 18: The Fatal Reunion RaidOriginal Air Date: 15 January 1968

Season 2, Episode 19: The Decoy RaidOriginal Air Date: 22 January 1968

Season 2, Episode 20: The Touch-and-Go RaidOriginal Air Date: 5 February 1968

Season 2, Episode 21: The Field of Death RaidOriginal Air Date: 12 February 1968

Season 2, Episode 22: The Double Jeopardy RaidOriginal Air Date: 19 February 1968

Season 2, Episode 23: The Hickory Dickory Dock RaidOriginal Air Date: 26 February 1968From the DVD: On the Eve of a dangerous mission, Moffitt receives word that his younger brother has been killed by a German bomb in London.

Season 2, Episode 24: The Tug of War RaidOriginal Air Date: 4 March 1968

Season 2, Episode 25: The Never-Say-Die RaidOriginal Air Date: 11 March 1968

Season 2, Episode 26: The Kill at Koorlea RaidOriginal Air Date: 18 March 1968

DVD releases

MGM Home Entertainment has released both seasons of "The Rat Patrol" on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time. The First Season is also available on Region 2 DVD. On May 13, 2008, MGM will release a 7-disc boxset of the complete series.

References

External links

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* [http://www.bigredhair.com/movies/ratpatrol.html Bigredhair.com "Rat Patrol" fan site]
* [http://www.klio.net/RATPATROL/indoctrination.html Klio.net "Rat Patrol" fan site]
* [http://www.suncompass.fandom.tv/index.htm Sun Compass "Rat Patrol" fan site]
* [http://www.western-locations-spain.com/andalucia/almeria/rambla_lanujar/cine/index "Rat Patrol Locations in Spain" fan site]