Combat! (TV Series) Any Second Now (1962) User Reviews

A Tense and Dramatic Episode Directed by Robert Altman

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 21 May 2017]

Sgt. Saunders and Lt. Hanley drive a jeep to Lore and while Saunders goes to a hotel to rest, Hanley goes to a tavern to have a decent meal. The nurse Anne Farell helps Hanley to order the meal since he does not speak French and they have a chat. Meanwhile her date and former British boyfriend Lt. David Woodman, who is an uptight officer, has an argument with Hanley and refuses to seek protection in the wine cellar during a bombing by the Germans. Later Woodman, who is a specialist in disarming bombs, is informed that a time bomb was dropped in the church and has not exploded. He heads to the church to blow-up the bomb and finds Hanley trapped under the debris of the church. What will Woodman do?

"Any Second Now" is a tense and dramatic episode of "Combat!" directed by Robert Altman. The plot shows how stressed a soldier may become after years of war and the friction between even allied buddies. There is practically no action scene and the conclusion is well resolved. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Qualquer Segundo" ("At Any Second")

My second experience with Combat!

[bensonmum2 · 6/10 · 16 June 2006]

In this episode of Combat!, Lt. Gil Hanley (Rick Jason) finds himself trapped under rubble in a church. Atop the rubble sits an unexploded bomb. It's up to a burned out British bomb disposal expert with a hatred for Americans to save the day - and Lt. Hanley.

The only thing I've got to compare "Any Second Now" with is "A Day in June", the only other episode of Combat! I've seen. So, that's just what I'll do - compare the two. "Any Second Now" doesn't fair well. Where "A Day in June" featured an interesting band of guys, each with a chance for some screen time, "Any Second Now" focuses on one of the shows two leads, Jason's Lt. Hanley. And this episode suffers from it. Yes, this episode is well written and contains some decent drama (although it's predictable drama), but without the other characters, the fun is gone. I missed the guys. Even co-star Vic Morrow is only around for a couple of thankless moments.

I'm not saying it's bad, it's just not as good as the "A Day in June". I just hope that the rest of the episodes are more like "A Day in June" and less like "Any Second Now".

Taut suspenser

[lor_ · 28 July 2023]

Rick stars in a tense story directed by Robert Altman.

Elen Willard is a fresh face as a British nurse who briefly serves as romantic interest for Rick, who in a cheerful, "handsome leading man" role for a change, compared to his usual no-nonsense performances. Alex Davion guest stars as a gruff British lieutenant with a chip on his shoulder (anti-American mode). He's a real jerk in the setup, paying off dramatically when the story gets dead serious.

An unexploded bomb needs defusing, and Davion is the expert who can do the job. It's a time bomb that landed in a church, and Davion takes over, bossing everyone else around. Just his luck, Rick is trapped in the wreckage of the church, putting his life a risk as Davion prepares to detonate rather than defuse the bomb.

Instead of relying on gimmicks, Altman uses the sharp dialogue between Rick and Davion to sustain and accelerate the story's suspense.