User Reviews

NOW HERE IS a title that we'd given up on writing about. It appears until recently, no one seemed to have heard of it. Could it have been a figment of our imagination, a dream, a piece of undigested pork, perhaps? But alas, no, for here it is!

WE DON'T HAVE much in the way of factual material to offer. So, we'll have to use our powers of recollection and bring what we must call anecdotal experiences in formulating our review. That's all we have, memory; which of course, can be both a blessing and a curse simultaneously.

THE PROGRAM WAS shown via syndication here in Chicago. It was shown over Channel 5, our NBC wholly owned subsidiary. The call letters were WNBQ; now having changed to WMAQ. It was telecast in the pre-nightly news slot, 9:30 PM.

THE SHOW WAS produced only 11 short years after the ending of all hostilities in World War II; so, not surprisingly the anthology series featured stories based on real experiences of the enlisted men in that conflict. Inasmuch as our Armed Forces were expanded to their maximum size via the Selective Service Act (aka the Draft), the very appropriate title of "CITIZEN SOLDIER" was chosen.

THE SERIES HAD no great, spectacular or panoramic battle scenes that had been come the custom in so many theatrically released films of the day. Nor did the series need them; for it was the telling of the individuals' stories that was the heart and soul of this series.

THAT'S NOT TO say that the series looked cheap; because its frugality was not detrimental to its appearance. The uniforms, costuming of the native Europeans and the (limited) use of military vehicles, all added up to the look of absolute realism.

WE HAD HEARD somewhere that, although this was an American production, that it was filmed at some locations in Europe. We have nothing in the way of any printed material to refer to as substantial evidence. Here's hoping that some further information will surface of real value.

WE DO HAVE one more bit of anecdotal info to impart before we go. That would be referring to an interview that Bob Denver (Gilligan, himself) offered up in an interview done on some now unknown daytime game show done years ago. We recall that he referenced CITIZEN SOLDIER as having been a series on which he had some of his earliest work.

AND HERE WE thought that we'd dreamed up this whole title!

UPDATE: Since writing this review in June, 2014, I finally contacted the chief archivist at Channel 10 in Sydney, a Mr Paul Perigo, in May, 2018. He told me that Channel 10 no longer has any tapes of 1960s shows, and unfortunately, was unable to give me any leads on the series Citizen Soldier.

However, I note that another Australian IMDb reviewer, Paul Svenson, said in July 2017 that he could remember the theme clearly, and was planning to ask a pianist to play and record it. If you read this Paul, please go ahead and post on Youtube. I'd love to hear that stirring music again. Unlike you, I can't remember how it went but I'm sure I'd recognize it in a second. For the record, the theme music was written by the German composer, BERT GRUND, who wrote a string of other TV and movie themes and soundtracks during his illustrious career. I remember his name on the Citizen Soldier credits very clearly.

***My original review is below:

This was the unheralded forerunner to "Saving Private Ryan" and Band of Brothers. Like that movie and series, it had an honest and unsentimental credibility to it. I clearly remember watching this series when I was a kid. Channel 10 in Sydney (Australia) showed this in the late 1960s, when I was in Year 9 or 10 of high school. (Who knows, Channel 10 may still have the original reels in their archive vaults.) I assume it was shot in black and white, notwithstanding the fact that colour TV didn't come to Australia until about 1974.

However, even with intense internet searches over the years, I haven't been able to find out a lot about this series. Just some mentions in US Army catalog lists is all I could find. No wonder some people might think it's only a figment of some people's imagination!

I really looked forward to watching it after I got home from school around 1968.Because it was shot relatively soon after the Second World War, and shot on locale outdoors, it had a very authentic look, and definitely not with a staged, studio hue to it. Many of the episodes were filmed in winter, and it certainly looked very raw, muddy and chilly. The snow looked cold and totally uninviting, and the frost on everyone's breath was real! It made me feel frozen and miserable just looking at it.

I remember the whole series having a semi-documentary look. (Unlike "Combat!" starring Vic Morrow, which was and certainty looked like it was shot in sunny California, complete with "French" eucalyptus trees, and very co-operative Germans who always seemed to shoot too early, and obligingly stood up in the open to make excellent targets of themselves for the taciturn Chip Saunders and his platoon. Oh, and the Germans were always shouting either "Raus, raus!" or "Schnell!" Not much range there.)

Citizen Soldier had a certain honesty, as from memory, it didn't glamorize the 1944-45 war in northern Europe. It lived up to its title - the experience of ordinary men, only shorty before civilians, caught up in extraordinary circumstances. The fact that there were no big name actors or regular cast members added to its credibility. Of course, so much time has elapsed that I can't remember how much Ra-Ra American patriotism it had, but probably no more than "Saving Private Ryan".

I can remember only scenes, not whole plots. For example, there was one scene, based on a true event, where an American soldier is "shot" by a German sniper and plays dead in the snow, while carefully keeping his walkie-talkie next to him so he can keep directing artillery fire. In another episode, also supposedly based on fact, an American chaplain is captured. Just before some hardline Germans are about to execute him, he is saved in the nick of time by the arrival of a superior German officer who insists on observing the rules of war.

I particularly remember the great opening theme music as the titles rolled. It was written by BERT GRUND. Unfortunately, I can't remember it well enough to hum it, but I do remember it was quite stirring, in the same way that William Rogers' theme music for "Victory at Sea" is. I can still remember the theme leading into opening scenes of men and tanks advancing into the snow and cold of a European blizzard a la "Patton". I wish someone would locate it and put it on Youtube, or perhaps put on a whole episode. Why not, as there are so many openings of other old TV series on Youtube now. If only I could just hear the theme music and opening credits once more, it would bring back so many memories, making me a VERY happy Baby Boomer!

Like the other reviewers, I can recall watching this enthralling series on TV back in the late 1960s, early 1970s, on Aussie TV. It looked and felt realistic and it's really sad there is absolutely zilch on you-tube at present (Feb 2015). I haven't checked, but I get the feeling the series never appeared again on Australian (or at least, Sydney) TV after colour arrived, in 1974. That said, there were plenty of other repeated US and British TV series which continued to get a run after the advent of colour TV. After all, it was still some time before the majority of people switched to colour TV sets: they were expensive when they first hit the market, and credit cards were yet to be issued in any kind of great supply. Perhaps, as adults, if we were to see an episode or two nowadays of Citizen Soldier it would not be as impressive as we recall, but it does seem strange that the series appears to have been lost into some TV studio's vault, perhaps never to see the light of day again, sadly.

At last.

Like all the other comments here I thought I was never going to find anything about this series and that maybe it didn't exist.

It would seem that the majority of us can recall seeing this series on Channel 10 in Sydney on weekday afternoons 16:00 or 16:30hrs?

Most episodes that I seen to remember were shot in the snow suggesting it featured a lot about the Ardennes campaign in Dec 1944.

Having been through all episodes of Combat (which has its moments - interestingly a lot of the scenarios from 'Saving Private Ryan' are very similar to those in Combat!) and The Gallant Men(another misjudged series with only 1 series(?) which I prefer far better than Combat) I also began searching for Citizen soldier but to no avail until I finally pulled it up here.

Are there any updates since 2015?

I was only six years old at the time Citizen Soldier first was aired on TV in the western portion of the state of Michigan, United States. Interesting to know that it was broadcast in Australia. To this day I can still hear the theme song of Citizen Soldier inside my head. I used to hum the tune as I played army back in those days. Apparently, I'm not the only one that has been looking for the video of the TV show Citizen Soldier. I'd give almost anything to be able to have a recording of that theme song from Citizen Soldier so that my grandsons could hear what I heard back in 1957 whenever Citizen Soldier was broadcast to our TV. I can still hum it to my grandsons but it just isn't good enough. Hopefully, someone can come up with one of the old video tapes of the show and put it on YouTube so we can enjoy it before our time on this earth is over.

As with the previous reviews this is my first information to be able to start with the search for this small but impressive documentary drama.

In Sydney on every afternoon this programme was part of our TV upbringing or in some ways our programming as young boys for the soldiers of the future conflicts. The music is still fresh in my mind and with the help of a pianist I hope to be able to ascertain the body and name of the artist that was given the opportunity to place his or her music to the show. With Citizen Soldier we had on the same afternoons Combat, the World at War series, Commando, McCales Navy( more of comedy) Phantom Agents, Shintaro, Singing Sword, Rocket Man,and many more elusive named science fiction and war torn shows.

Citizen Soldier was the show that I run with World at War series in its documentary feel and the plots that felt real. Maybe channel Ten may have some reels in their archives( must make that call?).

I will keep an eye on these posts and hope a copy rises from our past.

I have to thank 'the Cutlers' for their contribution for info and the writer of the music composer, BERT GRUND

I vaguely recall this brief series since I was about 10 or 11 when it aired. I was really into WWII stuff due to my veteran dad and uncles, and Revell model kits. I believe it was filmed in Germany using post-WWII era tanks (like the M-48 Patton) for both the US and Germans with applicable markings. (Kids into armor could spot obvious inconsistencies like that). I suspect the US Army cooperated with the filming by, perhaps, providing the tanks and some German-based US troops as extras. The series recreated various ETO battles in a small scale unit environment. I believe each story focused on one or more US Army heroes and medal recipients, generally draftees or National Guardsmen called to fight, thus the series title. I enjoyed watching it at that age and it was typical of low budget 1950s era B&W TV series of the time.

You can find these episodes strewn across the internet. You'll have to make an effort, but you'll find them. BTW, there was a 2016 movie called Citizen Soldier, but that was a one-off.

The series is WW2 as told by those who fought it. You would think with all the trillions at the disposal of Netflix, Amazon and HBO Max they could remake a series like this with stories of heroism from the last 20+ years of fighting. But no, these outlets need to groom children and shame parents who reject political indoctrination of children.

This is what the world looks like when evil is triumphant.