The Rat Patrol FULL Opening With Sponsor ID: Camel Cigarettes

[MrWitchman1967]

why was justin tarr not in the opening credits?

[ChuckieInMT]

This is so much THE SH**!!! I've always wished I could be runnin' the .60 cal from the roll bar, since Rat Patrol came out and now I'm 48!

Crap, where does time go?

Nice post to take us back a ways -

[kirkindog]

I remember this show as a kid. I never watched it but i loved the intro so much that i had a rat patrol lunchkit...lol

[555paint]

@kirkindog still got it? probably worth a lot in good condition

[mpjgbx]

Those nasty Nazi's didn't stand a chance against two jeeps with machine guns.

[nw5052001]

i had the rat patrol jeep toy as a kid.....i can remeber opening it on xmas... i can almost remember the wrapping paper it was in ..what i cant remember is what happened to it.... i dont remember breaking it or lighting it on fire......I want my toy back

[Lockbar]

@nw5052001Lucky I kept my Gi Joe rat patrol jeep I got for christmas in 1967. In the 1990's sold it to a GI Joe collector friend for $500!!! Five hunded bucks was worth more to me than my childhood memories.

[RJ8812]

heh, it's Victor Newman

[chatothestud12]

este programa lo transmitian en mexico en 1970 con el titulo de comandos del decierto

[BrittneeGee]

"Sam's Club" (warehouse store) carries the entire series in a DVD Collection for about $20 I just saw it there today!!

[HachiZenki]

Got it on DVD. God, I loved this show when I was a kid.

[798becky]

@chuckcollins well why don,t you look it up then

[798becky]

@chuckcollins - FYI - Post re: "just to let you now troy,s a sergeant not a captain" - posted by my 12yo autistic son who gets hung up on the details (and knows the details). Apologies if offended. I didn't know he was posting in my name.

[798becky]

just to let you now troy,s a sergeant not a captain

[danno131305]

@798becky Loved this show as a kid. Still do! Can t find it on TV anywhere these days. That s sad, It s an all time classic in my mind.

[whiskeyify]

Ch56 here in los angeles was showing this on weekends along with Combat. It didn't last long before they took both shows off...I guess the ratings were bad.

I always thought this show was pretty cool.

[gocartwill1]

nice desprition!

[555paint]

how ironic that the only tv show about the north african theatre was brought to you by Camel cigs

[TVFREAKMAN]

@555paint

Which of course along with other brands killed more people in the world than both wars put together!!!!

[555paint]

@TVFREAKMAN yeah they also handed out cigs to USA soldiers like candy....

[Dietpepsivanilla]

Where's Justin Tarr?

[cessnaace]

I worked for a TV station in the 80s that would run this show, but only if there were a technical problem with another show. Most of what we ran was on 16mm film. We always kept an episode of The Rat Patrol handy, in case of problems. Chances were, just as soon as we'd begin running the opening to The Rat Patrol, in would come the chief engineer wanting to know what the problem was. lol.

STAY AWESOME! :)

[chuckcollins]

@cessnaace Do you remember the time during the '88 Olympics in primetime that WSET lost the network and had to run "THE RAT PATROL"? I remember Jeff Taylor came on camera to explain what had happened and then they went to the film. I was much disappointed when they never got a chance to finish the story because about twenty minutes later, Channel 13 regained the signal.

[spacepatrolman]

@cessnaace A local museum advertised that they were showing on the waterfront i asked if they had a video tape they said that they were going to project a 16mm print on the wall is that ok i said is that ok thats great what a blast

[MarkJ1961]

The Camel Cigarette "billboard" announcer sounds more like CBS & Desilu announcer Roy Rowan, not really Fred Foy who did indeed announce the ABC Radio version of Lone Ranger and many other ABC Radio and ABC-TV shows over the decades.

[tomservo56954]

@MarkJ1961 If that's true, it would be ironic...for its two season run THE RAT PATROL aired head to head with THE LUCY SHOW in the Monday at 8:30 PM time slot.

[spacepatrolman]

@edybeast He was typecast so he changed his name he also did combat

[Werribeesteve]

This show would have to have been the ultimate in hollywood crap where history is rewritten and the truth doesn't get in the way of an exciting show. Nevertheless, when we were kids we loved it. Especially the time the American guy got mixed up and put his Aussie slouch hat on back to front!

[tripjet999]

Tobacco was illegal even then, as it has long been illegal to poison people, no matter how slowly you do it! BAN THE TOBACCO DRUG, NOW!

[1942PANTHERV]

BOY IF THEY COULD REDO THIS SERIES USING AUTH EQUIPMENT....AND THE TECH OF TODAY....IT WOULD BE GREAT..OF COURSE...4 GUYS IN OPEN JEEPS WOULD HAVE BEEN CHOPPED UP BY THE GERMAN MG42 MACHINE GUN...BUT..IT'S TV

[birdmanofbooze]

@1942PANTHERV It is amazing that relatively shortly after WWII, they could screw up the equipment and uniforms so badly....

[1942PANTHERV]

@birdmanofbooze tell me about it......of course alot of german equipment was destroyed....the allies wanted to basically obliterate the mere existance of these machines..and america should have adopted the tigers and panthers for thier use..russian t34s overran the american tanks in korea..only air power saved them.....thank god reagan saw the potential for developing the m1 abrahms to replace our weak armor......

[adventussaxonum]

@birdmanofbooze -"It is amazing that relatively shortly after WWII, they could screw up the equipment and uniforms so badly...."

Yeah,you're right. Those members of the LRDG and SAS looked just like Americans!

[BubbaFart]

To paraphrase Austin Powers: Amazing how North Africa looks nothing like the American Southwest...lol. I loved watching this show as a kid.

[ManyThunderingWolves]

...camel with that famous walk a mile flavor."

So they can bury you six feet under.

[Philliesrock97]

in the second season justin tarr was not on the show for a few episodes so he was left out of the intro

[samslover]

Ummm, Where is Justin Tarr in the intro??? And it's SGT Troy, not Capt....

[chuckcollins]

@samslover You play Rat Patrol your way and I'll play Rat Patrol MY way! ;)

[RobARug]

@samslover The Tarr is Justin the cigarettes only. (Pun intended) :)

[spacepatrolman]

@RobARug The announcer is fred foy who did the lone ranger the dick cavett show and the very intense trailer to dr.Zhivago

[NP4Mayans]

If the bullets didn't get you, the cigarettes did! (The sponsor was Camel cigarettes.)

[GOOSEYGOOSE9]

I Miss Americanlife TV Network They Taken That Off Four Years Ago Three Months After My Dad Died And A Month Right After My Stepgrandma Mildred Died. I Like To Write Them A Letter And Ask Them To Have It Back So It Can Have Classic TV Shows From The 1950's And The 1960's. I Play Rat Patrol With My Australlian Bush Hat,OD Green Officers Shirt,OD Green Polyester Slacks,Cartridge Belt,Right Hand Holster And Toy Automatic Pistol Then As Well As A Mattel Toy Guerrilla Tommy Burst.

[gartios11]

my friend swears at call of duty his name is rat patrol

[swanningaround]

O yeah! The best! American GIs in action. Rommel and his guys had no chance when they arrived. Medal of Honor stuff! Way to go, guys!

[ryoushii]

A couple of questions.

What are Americans doing fighting Germans in North Africa in 1941?

Why are the Germans using M3 Grants and M2 Halftracks?

[Spartacus217]

Once you smoke the Camels, you can't walk the mile.

[jhoward1957]

The second baddest intro of all time

[chuckcollins]

@jhoward1957 Okay. I give up. What is the first? TJ Hooker?

[jhoward1957]

@chuckcollins Dont make me laugh Chuck. The baddest of all time is "THE RIFLEMAN' Staring another guy named Chuck.

[chuckcollins]

@jhoward1957 I loved that one and another one about equally called "WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE" starring a guy named Steve.

[jhoward1957]

@chuckcollins Your on a roll man. These were the best. I wish we could restore some of the good we had in those days

[userjoe1020]

@chuckcollins Everyone here is Old. Let's talk about Hannah Montanna.

[chuckcollins]

@userjoe1020 Realistically, if one were to remake episodes of "THE RAT PATROL", it would be highly likely that Miley Cyrus would portray the part that Christine Longet originally played. Albeit, her French accent might not be as good!

[spacepatrolman]

@chuckcollins just keep the guns locked up when claudine is around

[chuckcollins]

@spacepatrolman Didn't Bon Jovi do a song about her? "Shot through the heart..."

[spacepatrolman]

@chuckcollins yea right he is from new jersey along with the 4 seasons , don sebesky the knickebockers,bruce springstien .the knockouts ,dizzy gilespie ,bill evans ,yuseff lateef ,les paul,

[Laceykat66]

Oh come oh . . .

Haven't we all wanted to sail over a sand dune in a jeep and fire a 50 cal gun at the bad guys????

That would be so cool

(practical or not)

[propmastere]

Sorry to correct you, FrankDaTank, but the "Desert Rats" was the nickname for the British 8th Army. The SAS were a completely separate group who fought behind enemy lines. They fought alongside the LRDG(Long Range Desert Group), who acted as the SAS's taxi service to the targeted locations. Later the SAS did acquire Jeeps from the US Army and outfitted them with twin Lewis K guns and attacked German airfields with tracer and magnesium ammo, setting the planes on fire.

[FrankDaTank1218]

Did you ever hear of the "Desert Rats" SAS group, they actually did this, there mobility allowed them to outflank the german slow moving turrets, and they fired bazookas from there jeeps as well. look it up.

[chuckcollins]

Wow. The more you know... That's one to grow on. Now I'm going to my local library to read more about it.

[GOOSEYGOOSE9]

Please have This TV To air The Rat Patrol.

Please have It Back On The americanlife TV Network.

[Juliaflo]

American Life TV Network simply STINKS now. If you agree, raise your hand.

(I do like St. Elsewhere, however).

[chuckcollins]

@Juliaflo You do know that when you thought ALN was good, it was owned by the Moonies? And now the newe owner, Robert Schuller of the Crystal Cathedral fame, is the one who is smelling it up readlly bad.

[Juliaflo]

@chuckcollins Why can't people just leave well enough alone?

[SeanElGatoTelevision]

@chuckcollins: It's Schuller's son (and Chuck Norris' kid brother) who's fouling it up now.

[chuckcollins]

@SeanElGatoTelevision My cable company removed that channel two years ago and I cannot say that I miss it that much. Most of the programmes are available on DVD now anyway. The few that are not will be.

[GOOSEYGOOSE9]

@Juliaflo I Miss The Americanlife TV Network.

[Juliaflo]

@GOOSEYGOOSE9 They took it off? That's dirty pool.

[GOOSEYGOOSE9]

@Juliaflo i used to watch this show as a toddler. with my mom and dad at nine months old.

[GOOSEYGOOSE9]

@Juliaflo i would really play rat patrol or WWII shows at camp parkview once a year.

[GOOSEYGOOSE9]

@Juliaflo I Need Americanlife TV Network Back On Comcast Over In Washington State. So I Can Watch It Again.

[Juliaflo]

@GOOSEYGOOSE9 Comcast took it off? Horrors.

[GOOSEYGOOSE9]

@Juliaflo i would dress up in my austraillan slouch hat,WWII Od Green Officers army shirt,OD Green Bugle Boy Dacron Synthetic Polyester Gabardine Slacks,Carry My Mattel Guerilla Toy Tommy Burst Submachine Gun,Cartridge Belt,Right Hand Holster,Toy Automatic Pistol,I Would Bring That To Camp Parkview Once A Year And Play Combat!,The Gallant Men,12 O'Clock High,The Rar Patrol,Hogan's Heroes And Garrison's Gorillas.

[GOOSEYGOOSE9]

I wore my WWII OD Khaki Officers Shirt. the Other Day 4 Months ago. because i Am Sergeant Troy. with my austrailan slouch hat.

[GOOSEYGOOSE9]

I Will Order A Slouch Hat. and a toy automatic pistol. and a right hand holster,cartridge belt.and a mattel guerrilla toy tommy burst or a regular tommy burst so i can play rat patrol.

[GOOSEYGOOSE9]

I Got A World War II OD Khaki Officers Shirt. In The Mail So I Can Watch Combat,The Gallant Men,The Rat Patrol And Hogan's Heroes So I Can Help Those Men Win The War against the enemy.

[jeffchandler1962]

years ago on the Geraldo program, like already stated there was a reunion of the Mission:Impossible TV cast and Lynday Day George said that her hersband Christopher was injured during filming of this series when a jeep flipped over on him that he would never get better and would die of the injuries to his heart, he lived until 1983. Though smoking and drinking, if he did that, didn't help

[tonywallacess45]

I didn't watch this when I was young and was shut out of the conversations when my friends would talk about it at school. I remember that the teacher liked it too so the whole class was into the conversation but me. Being a soldier now, it seems pretty ri-goddam-diculous. Two jeeps with .50 cals taking down whole Panzer Divisions. C'mon. Great theme song, though.

[vagabondsongs]

yeah...my dad would laugh at it a lot then too..but it was great fun..that's all. did you get to watch Combat?

[whiskeyify]

I remember watching this when it first came on the air, my friend & I were high school students.

we talked his dad into buying a jeep for us.

Back then you could go to a jeep dealer here in california and find lots of old jeeps for sale.

I think we paid around $750--$800 for one, it was a 1944 model. We had a lot of fun with it.

[chuckcollins]

You paid $750 to $800 for a 1944 Jeep in 1966?!! That's one EXPENSIVE vehicle! I assume it came with the gun mounted for a price like that.

[whiskeyify]

That was the going price for a used MB, my 2 neighbors each had one. One was a 1944 ford model, the other was a 1942 willys.

I remember going to Milne Bros. jeep in Pasadena to look for one, they had several on the lot that day, they were asking $750.

I really didn't haggle with the salesman. My dad was with me and he wanted me to buy something else, he couldn't understand why I wanted this old jeep. Anyway my brother had already bought a CJ-2A (cilivian jeep, made in 1946).

[ewkeane]

look at the production numbers of jeeps, and its little wonder these little trucks can be found around the world. the parts, when sold by AMC dealers, had a special price code, and organic parts to AMC that could be used in Jeep applications were sold at a premium price.

If an AMC partnumber is preceeded by a J, then it can be used on a jeep.

[Blairluvr]

The Germans are driving the Grant tanks bc in the early 1960s, it was easier to find old Allied tanks than it was to find running German tanks. Computer generated images (as seen on Saving Pvt Ryan was not available). If you ever seen the movie, "Battle of the Bulge" (also from the 1960s), you will notice that the Germans are driving repainted US Army M-60 tanks (which were introduced 15 years after WW2).

[ryoushii]

Can anyone explain why the Germans appear to driving M3A5 Grants, which was standard issue in the British and US Armies?

[mrblondnyc]

Because it was a low-budget show and most people wouldn't know the difference. OK?

[Maxeriel]

No Panzers on the movie lot, I guess.

[DarkwingDork]

For God sake people, it's been known that smoking tobacco gives you lung cancer since the start of the 20th century, and they've been putting warning messages on cigarette packs since the 1920s. No one who smokes is a victim of tobacco companies... they have only themselves to blame if they get sick.

[wotrabbitfish]

camel, best damn cigaret ever, hell if they could make it non-toxic I'd pay 10 bucks a pack to go back to it

[moonshinerman]

In this opening sequence they used the same jeep coming over the hill because when the other one comes over in the other opening, the guy almost falls out. He is hanging onto that .50 for dear life.

[tripjet999]

Sad that the tobacco pushers and their weapon of mass destruction were ever allowed to sponsor anything! They should be prosecuted for murder and genocide of the human race. BAN TOBACCO NOW!

[chuckcollins]

Anyone who started smoking in the past 40 years made a conscious decision to do so in the face of incontrovertible evidence of the ill-effects that they were going to bring upons themselves. While the tobacco companies know better and continue to produce their products of perfidity, they did not round people up and put them on trains! If you want to affect change, posting comments on Youtube isn't going to get it done. Contact your congressman, senator and the FDA and tell them about it.

[VirginiaPatriot]

Chuck, you yanking my chain?

[VirginiaPatriot]

And does anyone remember that HANS GUDEGAST in the opening credits later changed his name to ERIC BRAEDEN? Yep. The soap star. Chris George died pretty young as I recall. Great 60's show I watched as a young teenager.

[chuckcollins]

Really? Sonuvagun! I hear tell he got to scrappin' with another feller up on that there soap opry show and that he was involved in some kind of computer thang way back when. Chris George is dead? Oh no! Did the Grizzly get 'em?

[the60sKid]

Hey chuckcollins an FYI. it wasn't Captain Troy. It was Seargent Sam Troy. Moffitt was also a Sgt., Hitchcock and Tully were both the rank of Private (Pvt.)

[tonywallacess45]

You are right about Chris George. He lived a hard life, booze, women and partying. The doctors told him he'd die young and he told them he didn't care. He lived hard, died young and left a good-lookin' corpse.

[Juliaflo]

His legacy lives on in his niece Vanna Maria Rosich---Vanna White to you.

Merry Christmas.

[swanningaround]

This is great! A documentary about the "Rat Patrol". This was the most famous legendary "All American" unit which took on Rommel's Afrika Korps. While run by the great General Patton, specialists from the Anzacs and France were there too. Naturally the US GIs took center stage. Cool guys!

[rattinox]

I wouldn't be the Martian I am today without this show. These guys were my ultimate heroes.

Note: the US only fought in North Africa for about six months, so in theory the Rat Patrol must have been formed shortly after the Operation Torch landings in November 1942. The British had already been fighting the Krauts for two years before we got there.........

[GOOSEYGOOSE9]

i used to watch this show with my mom and dad at an early age. my late dad watched this series besides combat,the gallant men,that one and hogan's heroes. i got that on DVD Now. todays TV is nothing but junk. they show now. and i know. what is dominic frontierie doing now. as well as his wife doing. dominic frontierie did the music for the TV series. what is he doing right now.

[chuckcollins]

At last report, Dominic Frontiere was living in New Mexico and staying out of prison. I will assume he is retired because it is hard to imagine any other nice reason that his awesome composing services haven't been utilized at all in the last twenty years.

[frio109]

I have never heard of him but I am guessing he did the sound track?

[spacepatrolman]

He also did the outer limits ,invaders ,washington behind close doors ,one of chicagos albums ...

[chuckcollins]

And nine months in a federal penitentiary.

[frio109]

I like this music. It sounds good with the rattle of 50's and explosions...........

[spacepatrolman]

Why do you say staying out of prison his wife owned  a baseball team .

[chuckcollins]

Which team did she own?

[spacepatrolman]

It was a football team the rams

tom gries worked on wanted dead or alive before this .

[the60sKid]

In 1986, Frontiere entered a federal penitentiary for nine months of incarceration. Frontiere had scalped tickets to the 1980 Super Bowl, tickets he obtained through his ex-wife, Los Angeles Rams owner Georgia Frontiere. He was estimated to have scalped as many as 16,000 tickets, making a half million dollars in profit that he failed to report to the IRS. Frontiere pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year and a day in prison, three years probation, and fined $15,000

[spacepatrolman]

Sargent barry sadler shot his manager in the leg and went to a work farm type prison for a year ,tupper saucy was a jazz pianist who jumped bail when he was charged with income tax evasion and lived in the woods for 11 years then he came back and went to jail for 9 months and wrote survival books .

[mabodc1]

That was the best show going when I was a little boy -- I wish I could find streaming episodes online...

[A1RSTR1KE]

lol

[SuperCowboy62]

Man I have looked all over youtube to see if anyone has or would upload the show!! If you have any would upload a couple of them for a disable guy it is really hard to get out love to see this show . thanks if you can if not its ok too.

[rtermini]

those are great cigs

[m16a1rifle]

RAT PATROL RULES!!!!

[lukepettyjohn2]

this sounds similar to the intro of fergalicious

[chuckcollins]

More like the other way around! It's most definitely sampling but not in an egregious manner. It works for the song. I just hope Dominic Frontiere was paid at least $15,000 for it.

[LeppKingGathbertI]

though i smoke, i consider myself fortunate that i am not a got derned rat frasser nazi. :)

[mrmarkymark77]

i loved yhis show as a kid. amazing what 2 jeeps and 4 guys can do,

[erikinhawaii]

I remember being 5 when this show was on. I clearly recall trying a Camel cig non-filter for the first time. I became a 2 pack smoker by the age of 12, my lung is doing ok nowadays.

[sexymama1966]

wow:)

[tranurse]

yeah, a long time ago. he and peter bregman, i think that is his name, who plays jack abbot.

[woodley91406]

Wow! You have your choice of filtered or unfiltered.

[macprohawaii]

Funny those old Camel cigarette sponsors..

[n52nimbus]

When "Rat Patrol" came out I was young ( 14 ) but not THAT young. I knew:

A) There were no American units like the one portrayed

B) These guys would have all been toast on their first attack against the REAL Afrikakorps.

[n52nimbus]

I liked Hans Gudegast in "The Forbin Project."

[tranurse]

too bad he became victor newman

[spacepatrolman]

He was typecast he also did combat,I smoked camel filters good thing I quit .

[tranurse]

wel, by changing his name to eric braeden, he was able to do different kinds of things.

[spacepatrolman]

fred foy is the anouncer he did the lone ranger and the dick cavette show,also the trailer for dr.zhivago.

[tranurse]

ok, i was talking about hans gudegast, he changed his name to eric braeden, and the rest is history. at least soap opera history.

[spacepatrolman]

He was suspended from that soap opera for getting in a fist fight with another actor.

[3rdconfederate]

I thought I was the only one who ever remembered "The Forbin Project."

[the60sKid]

He was also the bad guy Dr. Otto Hasslein in Escape from the Planet of the Apes in 1971.

[badflamenco]

"The Rat Patrol": Guys in Jeeps with 50-caliber machine guns shooting up Tiger tanks. Yeah, like that really happened. Sure did look neato on TV back then, though. My brother's patrol in the Boy Scouts called themselves the "rat patrol" in honor of the show. They wreaked about as much havoc, too. I was JASM and had to preside over their getting drummed out of the Scouts.

[3rdconfederate]

Your brother got drummed out of the Scouts---like in "Branded?"

[badflamenco]

Yep. Full ceremony with him and his buds turning in their patches etc. They did stuff like roll boulders down a mountin toward camp, broke into a snack bar, stuff like that. No swords but I am sure the Scoutmaster would gladly have broken their dic ks over his kn ee.

[the60sKid]

This was one of the episodes Justin Tarr "Tully" wasn't in. seeing how he's missing from the credits.

[chuckcollins]

53 episodes and he NEVER had a story!

[the60sKid]

A contributing factor to Christopher George's death is believed to have been a 1967 mishap suffered on the set of The Rat Patrol when his jeep flipped over and pinned him beneath the vehicle. The accident left Christopher with a bad heart that contributed to his death.

[chuckcollins]

That's very sad. After The Rat Patrol, Christopher George starred in one more programme, "The Immortal". It lasted less than one season. He never had another series nor the career that he should have had.

[the60sKid]

Yeah, I liked the Immortal too. A too short series.

[spacepatrolman]

Thats what his wife the actor / director linda day george said on a talk show was it donnahu when they had a reunion of mission imposible actors when the movie came out ,christopher george is vanna whites uncle?

[tapthatt2012]

one of my favorite tv themes

[Dreamliner3131]

The German Officer Dietrich(Hans Gudegast) can now be seen on Daily Soap Opera he changed his name to Eric Braeden.

[antimatterXXXIII]

This was the same guy - Dominic Frontiere - who did the music for the original "Outer Limits" first season. Compare this theme to the incidental music in the episode "The Zanti Misfits".

He was once married to a former showgirl who inherited the LA Rams from her next husband, Carol Rosenbloom - in later life she went back to her former name - Georgia Frontiere.

[chuckcollins]

He also did the famous "Closet Killer" Paramount theme. Or is that infamous? Talk about scary!

His best themes are some of the greatest ever in television including "Search", "Vegas", and "Matt Houston". They are too cool for TV.

[smr61754]

I loved this show. How cool that a few guys in 2 jeeps could kick Rommel's Afrika Corps in a half hour every week...LOL!!

[antimatterXXXIII]

Yeah there was a lot of sci-fi on TV back then...

[emmtampa]

I loved this show...they kicked ass...

[fromthesidelines]

R.J. Reynolds [Camel, Winston] was the primary sponsor of the series during its first season (1966-'67)...