👉 go to video settings ⚙️ to change your subtitle language. This is not a story of war,
but of men, boys really. Eight were here in New Guinea,
not because they wanted to be, but because there was a job to be done
and someone had to do it. In the fall of 1942, the Japanese were less than 30 miles
from our base of Port Moresby. Our first step
on the long and bitter struggle to Tokyo. This base was surrounded
by only a few airstrips such as this one. Here, there were no more
than eight airplanes expected every morning and every evening
to intercept the Japanese flights that threatened Australia. That's how I like it, Pudge. -You're the one to fly it, Lieutenant.
-Yes, and now she'll really fly. Lieutenant is at it again? Yes, funny thing about it is,
he's always right. -Hi, Mace, you up already?
-No, walking in my sleep. Hey, an animal was screaming last night,
did you hear it? I think my mother heard it
and she's in New York. I wonder what kind of an animal it was,
who can learn all their names? -Who's standing by?
-Derby, Johnny, Ham, and Minor. -Any coffee?
-Yes, of course. -Hanley?
-In a minute, sir. -How's the leg, mate?
-Okay. -You should've stayed longer in Sydney.
-Doing what? I know what I'd be doing. You'd be surprised how bleak civilization
can be after months of you, Louie. -Meet any girls while you were there?
-Two. Aussies? Yes, one of them had a mother
who needed an operation. How do you suppose a routine
as corny as that got clear over here? -American movies.
-What are you doing, inviting the bugs in? No, it's just a little gag
I'm rigging up for you. Electrical therapy
or maybe it's a lie detector. No, it's a radio from that wrecked C-47,
I got it in our fighter frequency so you can tell what's going on
while we're up there. Wonderful thing, science. Can I get the hit parade? It isn't it good you can get us,
just flip this switch, you see? What'll you do, an all-request program? For you, anything. Sheer genius. You're wasted fighting a war, Louie. You should be at home
working on scientific research. -That's what I keep telling MacArthur.
-All right, you guys up already? Whatever gave you that idea? Did you all hear
that screaming last night? It sounded like some animal. After three months of screaming animals,
he thinks screaming might be of an animal. Okay, even a razor's dull some mornings. -Any coffee?
-Yell for it. -Hanley?
-All right, that's it. Last night was a great moment
in my career. I dreamed I was a brilliant composer,
wrote a tune in my sleep, listen to this. -Well, how do you like it?
-Sure I didn't. -How does the rest go?
-I don't know, that's when I woke up. Oh, what a night,
I didn't sleep a wink. Johnny's the only man alive
who can dream without sleeping a wink. Well, maybe I slept a wink,
as a matter of fact, two winks. I also dreamed about that girl from Texas,
scared me to death. At this point, a girl from anywhere
would scare me to death, but who wants to live forever? She kept reaching for me
with those long arms of hers. What girl was this? You remember at Kelly Field,
the one that lived with one with warts? Oh, yes, she had a sister
with funny teeth. Yes, I got them kicked out
two timing the sergeant. You know, the one with warts
wasn't so bad. -Really?
-Not after you got used to them. -Warts?
-Yes, just little ones. We must have traveled
in different circles at Kelly Field. Why not ease up on the throttle, Ham? I purposely dived low hoping to pull out
faster than him and he goes in the soup. You know you can't out maneuver the zeros. I know but I think I can pull back
on the stick harder than he can. I flip over, swing around, get them neat,
cut loose and what do you think happens? -You miss him?
-Yes, I miss him. -How'd you know?
-You told me yesterday and the day before. Hey, Dick, did the old man say
when the supply bomber was due? -Yes, pretty soon, why? -Mail, I ought to hear from home.
-Maybe something happened to the ship. I don't know, it takes long
for a mail to come through. -What are you so anxious about?
-My wife. Oh, yes,
hey, how does it feel to be married? How would I know? You can laugh but I'm telling you
the guns ain't sighted right. -I'm sighted right.
-The guns aren't sighted right. Most guns aren't sighted right. I'll say they're not, all I hit is clouds. -Our clouds.
-Yes, clouds. I haven't even seen you hit a cloud. -I need to talk to the old man.
-He's still asleep. -Hey, where the coffee?
-Yell for it. -Hanley.
-Coming. Someone want coffee? What takes you long
in the kitchen, Hanley? Well, I'll tell you, sir. I spend most of my day
planning your well-balanced meal. What about the other 23 hours
and 59 minutes? I'm working on a cure for snake bite. You know what? -I was bit by a snake once.
-What happened? Believe it or not, within 12 hours,
that snake died of blood poisoning. Well, here's a dawn of another day. -Hardly nobody knows what it'll bring.
-Hardly anybody. -Hardly anybody.
-Hardly anybody. -Name one person who knows.
-The Japs know. -How do they know?
-They know what to try. -Sure, but not what we're going to try.
-We ain't trying anything. Yes, but they don't know. This is the most idiotic conversation
I've ever tuned in on. All I was trying to make clear
is that fate is a very uncertain thing. Why for all we may be heroes
before the day is over. -We are heroes.
-Who says so? We're all aces, aren't we? -So what?
-We've all been decorated? -So what?
-Look, I'm a hero and decorated. In my book, that makes me a hero. You guys too, I guess. Who thinks the old man isn't a hero? Well, sure, but he's the old man. Who ever heard of a CO with an outfit
like ours who wasn't a hero? Well, if we're not heroes,
why decorate us then? Maybe to give us
something we could hock after the war. Hey, that's subversive. I sent mine to my girl. She was impressed by the whole thing. She showed it to her old man. He said it's the only thing I'd given her
that he didn't have to finish paying for. Hey, what's that, Hanley, a cake? No, sir. My wife says she makes
a wonderful strawberry shortcake. No, it's not that. It's a scoreboard
of what the squadron's been doing. We're the only outfit without a sign
and we got the best record. I thought we ought to advertise a little. Sure I know we lost a few ships,
but we don't have to mention that. I still think it's a pretty good score. Sure it is, but well… It could be a jinx. It's very nice, Hanley. Thank you. Where will I put it, sir? Anywhere, just put it
against the wall there. Yes, sir. Take that thing out of here, Hanley. I thought maybe we… Yes, sir. How is Sydney, Mace? Oh, you wouldn't like it, Skipper. Nothing but girls talking
about us miracle men here. -Talk about us?
-Yes, we're a sensation. A girl asked for my autograph. No kidding, what'd you put down? My name, that's all she wanted. What I'd give to spend
just one day in Sydney. There are a few American nurses there now. What I'd give to spend one day
with an American nurse. We'll get lays before long. What you do, Skipper,
catch up on your movies? What does a guy do with free time
if he doesn't like dames? I knit. Mace, is it true that in Sydney the dames
call the old man winged innocent? Same old routine. That's us, boys. -Yes.
-Scramble. How many? Eight are on their way upstairs now. I'll be right over. -Bad one?
-Yes. What's that? -Supplies.
-It's the fat cat. He would come in now. Have radio tell him to stay clear
until the boys get off. I'm going over to operation,
come on, Louie. Sergeant, Major Wright
wants B-24 to keep circling while all the ships get off the field. Yes, that's right. Okay. -Got a cigarette?
-Sure. -Light?
-Yes. -It''s going to be a nice day.
-Yes. What's up there, Harry? The hitting moor is being enforced. -This might be a big one.
-It might be, Major. Madam to Ruby Blue,
madam to Ruby Blue, over. It's headquarters now, go ahead, sir. Ruby Blue to madam,
Ruby Blue to madam, over. It's locust season, Ruby. They're swarming,
crops near you chewed to the ground. No gulls available. Wheat threatened. Repeat, light the fires
and burn them out, over. Ruby Blue to Madam, early season,
early season, over. West of tomorrow,
over and out. Roger and out. No replacement, sir. They want us to hold out
until they finish the new strip. Hey, what does wheat mean? Australia, we're threatened. Looks like we're in for pasting now. Any time now. Do you want that supply ship in now? Yes, as soon as you've checked the flight. -Worried?
-Yes. For that radio I fixed up for Mace,
I hope it works. Hey, why don't you leave it on,
we can pick up something. Nobody but Louie
knows the combination of that thing. Boy, are you jumpy? You should have stayed
in Sydney like the Skipper said. I was jumpy there too. Boy, I wish I was in Sydney right now. -Or maybe Minnesota?
-Yes. Hey, where is that supply ship? Minor is not the only guy
that likes to get mail. -Expecting any?
-No. -Haven't you any folks, Dick?
-No. Hey, there's your mailman right now. Why aren't you flying? Cold, they're feeding me sulfur. Boy, I hope Ham uses his head today. Why, what's the matter? He's been diving too low,
takes too long to pull out. He can take care of himself. Yes, but I hope he uses his head. What head, he flies by the seat
of his pants that throttle jockey. -Mace?
-Yes. Mace, did you ever see that picture
where death takes a holiday? Yes, I saw it. -What was it called?
-Death Takes a Holiday. Yes, that's the one. Do you suppose anything
like that really might happen? Could be. Do you suppose that's
what's happening to us? -No.
-Why not? Well, if you'll remember in the picture,
when death took a holiday, nobody died. That's right. But you have to admit, it looks funny. -What does?
-Well, the whole thing. The way we've been
getting out of things very narrowly. The way that shell went off your cockpit
and only got a leg wound. It's enough for me. Then when they shot Louie's motor
up last week, he was just getting ready to bail out
when it started again. Then Minor getting home
with his compass and radio gone. Why keep yelling about it? Call it God or luck or moving pictures
or whatever you want, but the important thing
is we're all still okay. Don't you ever wonder
about things like that? Of course. I've been wondering
about things since I was six years old. Why didn't I get killed that time
that truck hit my bicycle? Why did the little girl die next door
when she stepped on a rusty tack? I lived for two days in a howling blizzard and a man freezes to death
in the subway in New York. -This is still different.
-No, it isn't. If you're shot in the head you may die,
if you're don't, you may not. There's no guarantee either way. If you're a guy with bad luck,
you're taking just as many chances walking in the park
as you are sticking your neck into a prop. Do you really believe that? No, but it sounds encouraging. What do you say? Let's try make this thing work. I want to know what those demons
of the sky are doing. Skipper want you back over at operations. Yes, all right. Boys are talking less this morning. Why don't you leave it alone,
it'll warm up in a minute. -Is Ham flying my plane today?
-No, he's flying his own. His still bragging. I wish they'd send us some new magazines. According to this, Caruso just left Japan
on a peace mission to Washington. -Hi, may I come in?
-Sure, come on in. No. No. No! I know I'm awfully tired,
but I couldn't look that bad. Look out, Mace,
this may be a trick of the Japs. Yes, I know,
I've heard of those booby traps. I suppose this is a shock. Shock? Why no,
this happens every hour on the hour. I came in on the supply ship,
we just landed. I just took off. My name is Jean Gillis. I'm terribly sorry. This is Lieutenant Rasti
and I'm Mace Willard. How do you do? You can just call me Louie. -Hello, Louie.
-You just came in on the supply ship? -Yes, we flew in from Brisbane.
-Why? What difference does it make
why she flew in if she's here? Sit down, Jean,
and we'll get you some coffee. -Thanks, I'd love some.
-Hanley, I'm going crazy. No, it's all very simple, Louie. I'm part of an entertainment group, but I got sick in Brisbane
and they went without me. -They're meeting me here.
-You mean there're more coming? The other four are flying in later. We're putting on a show
for you tomorrow night. -Girls?
-Three of them are, very pretty too. Mace, they're finally sending us
something worthwhile. I can't believe it. A girl, a real live girl. You are a girl, aren't you? I think so. Stop looking at her
like she's a Christmas package you'd like to open. It's not Christmas yet. It's okay for you to talk Mace,
you just saw one in Sydney. You're the first girl
I've seen in six months. -That's a long time.
-I should say it is. Why, it's almost six months. Mace, perfume. -Chanel No. 5?
-What's left of it. Johnny Murphy from flight. Zeroes at three o'clock,
have you got them? -I got them.
-Me too. Is anything wrong? No, not a thing,
just the boys out scrambling. Zeroes up above, about 5,000. -Is he the boss?
-No, that's Johnny. The old man's over at operations
directing from the ground today. There's a mess of them. Ruby Blue to Charlie Blue Leader,
hit and run, Derby. Charlie Blue Leader to Ruby Blue,
right, Skipper. Ham and Minor take the right wing,
let's bust them up. I hope Ham uses his head. He isn't trying
to dive him into the ground. They must be whittling them down. Remember before? Yes, they used to send us
50 or 60 at a time. Hey, Derby, there's a rat on your tail. Now he's on your tail, Ham. -I ain't blind.
-Blind. I'm not blind. Another rat
getting queued on your belly, Derby. Not anymore, he isn't. Thanks, Johnny. -You got a grandstand seat.
-I rigged it up. I was expecting you. Thanks. Good morning, gentlemen. Lovely day for it, isn't it? Who said that? The gentleman on your tail
who is about to give you some trouble. Hey, Ham, look out,
that rat is on your tail. Pull out left, Ham. Hey, Mr. Ham,
you may get the Purple Heart for this. Hey, where did you learn
how to speak English, you rat? Stanford '39, you rat. Take it easy, Ham I'm coming in on you. You better hurry, sonny boy. This is the screwiest war
I ever got mixed up in. Okay, Ham, he's taken care of. Come on back upstairs, Ham. There's nothing in the pantry. Charlie Blue Leader to Ruby Blue. Come in, Charlie Blue Leader. You look a little discouraged, Skipper. -Skipper?
-Yes, he's the old man. Our flight commander, Major Wright,
he's quite a guy. Everybody okay? Charlie Blue Two, okay. Charlie Blue Leader, okay. Charlie Blue Three, okay. Come on in, Ham, the air is fine. Come on in, Ham. That guy. Ham? Ruby Blue to Charlie Blue Four,
report yourself, Ham. -Could be his transmitter is out.
-Yes, or his head. Ham, report yourself. Last I saw him, Skipper,
he was diving off two of them. Ham, you prima donna, come on in! I'm okay, you guys, I'm all right. Fix that thing to pick him up quicker. It's about time, Ranchi. Where are you? Those two Zeros chased me into a cloud. Now I can't find my way out. Louie's ahead. Wright coming in, Skipper. -May I have one?
-Sure. Do you want one? Yes. He couldn't find his way out of a cloud. There he comes down. I guess every outfit's
got to have one hot pilot. First guy says where's the fire,
gets hit in the head. Looks like we got all-night job
on this one again, Lieutenant. Yes, I guess I should have
let it burn and collected the insurance. How much can you get? After I warned you about smoking in bed. Why didn't you bail out
when she caught fire? -Bail out?
-You're okay? Sure, but how could I bail out
of a 400 mile dive? What happened? Well, I guess that Jap just got lucky. Probably because of better education. How'd you put the fire out? -I don't know.
-When did it happen? About halfway down, maybe. I was trying to lose the leech on my tail,
all of a sudden smoke and flames. Why didn't you yell for help? I'll tell you at the time I was in no mood
for small talk, I was busy. -Doing what, answering your fan mail?
-No, I didn't get no fan mail. I was twisting like this. All of a sudden, this college guy
is taking pot shots at me. How about that, a Stanford guy too. Anyway, with the bullets, the smoke
and the flames and ground getting closer you can see
I was in no mood for idle talk. What did you do? -Nothing.
-Nothing? No, suddenly there ain't no fire no more, and my motor is purring
like a little puppy dog and there ain't no Japs. -Neither.
-Neither, thanks. There I am, stranded in a cloud that doesn't seem
to have no beginning or end. What do you think we are, indestructible? Let's not go around trying to prove it. Guess we better check in and give
all the gory details of the operation. I don't understand it, Skipper. Just suddenly no fire. The wind probably blew it out. A matter of fact, Skipper,
when our colleague was in flames without thought of life or limb,
I took out after him, pushed back the greenhouse,
puffed up my cheeks and went. Then knowing he was confused
I corralled a cloud, and chased it over for him to hide in. Do you suppose it was just luck
or something else? What else? Oh, nothing. I guess I'll go over to engineering. -I'll go with you.
-Didn't we get any? I mean, the fat cat. Didn't we get any mail? There it is,
here's the big bunch. Hanley took some of it over to the boys. Ham, Johnny, Derby. Here, Johnny. This is mine, this is mine,
this is mine, this is mine. Hey, do you belong
to a correspondence club? -My wife.
-You got more mail, but mine are perfumed. Hey, my girl's old man says
send cigarettes not medals. What do you know,
he's got his old job back again. -What does he do?
-Nothing. There's some New Guinea caviar. Thank you. Excuse me. Inside, what a boy! Yahoo! -Hello.
-You're real, you talk. -I'm Jean Gillis, who are you?
-I'm out of my mind. Allow me, Ms. Gillis. Lieutenant Hamilton, Lieutenant Murphy
and I'm Derby and Lieutenant Minor. Minor, this is Jean Gillis. Hello. You'll forgive him. He's no longer with us
when he has another letter from his bride. Yes, the only time he comes down to earth
is when he's flying. I still don't get it what happened,
is the war over? I'll write you a letter. Say, does the old man know she's here? -Why not ask her?
-Me ask her? -Does he?
-No, I haven't met him yet. Hey, wait until the old man
gets a load of this. No offense, I just meant
wait until he does. He'll go higher than a kite. Hey, here he comes now. Don't say anything. Let's see what he has to say. Hello, Ms. Gillis. I'm Major Wright. Sorry I didn't greet you when you landed,
we were busy at the time. -You're the old man?
-I guess so. -This is Lieutenant Carter.
-Hello, I'm glad to know you. -All of you.
-I'm glad you're glad to know me. -What do you think of our place here?
-A little bit all New York, solid comfort. Mace is from New York, Louie too. -Both of you?
-I went all through school there. I just went past school there. Jean, you like to hear
a song I'm writing for you? No, Johnny, not again. You're going to chase her away. Here it is. That's all, I'll go to bed early tonight,
maybe I'll dream the rest of it. Without even sleeping a wink. I've got something to keep you awake. Some real coffee, I'll go get it. -I'll get it for you.
-No, this is my job, just relax. Relax she says, how? -Can I help you carry anything?
-No, I can manage. You sure can. -How about it?
-Imagine this happening to us. This is better
than one of Johnny's dreams. Maybe we ought to dressed
in ties or something. What a beautiful girl. -You could be right especially down here.
-Guys, behave right. -You don't have to worry, Skipper.
-I'll take care of her personally. That's what I was afraid of. Okay, at ease. You sit at the head of the table, Jean,
you outrank everybody. Real coffee here. This should really help me
in writing my song. Hey, this is some score. Don't mean a thing. We've been very lucky. Lucky, you're unbelievable. A 109 Jap planes. Brilliant, if I can even add right. It's 111 now, counting mine and Johnny's. Let's bring it up to date,
where's the chalk? Hanley, some chalk from Ms. Gillis. Right away, sir. No American planes lost. We've lost a few planes, but none of us. To think I'd use a scoreboard like this
for a tray. We ought to put it up on the wall. Oh, thanks. Hanley, you forgot to add
Johnny and Derby's Zeros. There, that's fine. Now, where will we put it? Here's the perfect place. Will you take down Mr. Tojo, please? Aren't you proud of it? Of course we are. It's just that… nobody's that good. I thought you'd like it up there. I'm sorry. -Let's take it down then.
-No, wait a minute. We'll put it to a vote. All those in favor of Jean, say Jean. Jean. You win. On your right you see
one of our famed AA gun emplacements. AA does not stand
for Alcoholics Anonymous. -Hi, fellas.
-Hello, Jean. Ms. Gillis and her troop
have a show for all of us this evening. A show, tonight? -That's the idea, the other girls and I.
-The other girls? Yes, three of them. We hope to bring you a few songs,
a few dances, and I hope a few laughs. -Wow, wonderful.
-Thought this as best spot for the show. Any place is the best spot, Skipper. What equipment do you need, Jean? -You kidding, she's got all the equipment.
-You're very sweet, but not quite. Do you suppose we could rig up
some amplifying system? -I could easy.
-Maria, the singer, loves the mic. -I can run a line in here in a minute.
-Do think we can have a stage? Stage? Not a big one, Pauline,
the dancer shows off to advantage on the stage where everybody can see her. What's the rest of the act? We have Marine Consuelo,
they have a comedy routine. -What do you do, Jean?
-I sing. You mean you got a voice as well as… Well, you sing too? We try hard. The fellow with us, he plays the piano. Not if I know Johnny he doesn't. -Johnny will play your piano.
-We let them both play. I suppose you hear this
from every place you've been, but we do appreciate this. -Your being here.
-Do you really? -Yes.
-I'm glad. I know you'll like
the rest of the gang too. -Major Wright.
-Yes, Ken. -Teletype came in from madam for you, sir.
-Thanks, Ken. If the stage faces this way, there'll be plenty of room
for the boys to see. I can put some floodlights in too. Afterwards, we'll have
some dancing with can music. -Why not give me a tough thing to do?
-Skipper, what's the matter? -It's the rest of your troupe, Jean.
-What's the matter, can't make on time? They can't make it at all,
they were grounded in Townsville. I'll make arrangements for you
to travel this afternoon. Why, the boys expect a show, don't they? They'll get it. Of course, we won't need
a large stage now. More! I'm afraid we've just run out of songs. No! Anyway, I've just about run out
of what voice I did have. Does anybody want to dance? Yes! All right. Attention, line forms in front of me. Fall in. In line. Where are you going,
make a single line, men. All those who care to dance
take one step forward. Music, maestro. Come on, soldier,
what are you waiting for? One, two, three, four! Ms. Jean, you're solid,
you're really a hip cat. If we practiced a little,
we'd be right in the groove of Rooney. Oh no, I'd be in the grave already. Thanks, boys, a lot. Thanks a lot, boys. I guess that about winds us up
for tonight, then, until tomorrow. Thank you, Jean. -They loved you, Jean.
-Thanks. I figured you must've walked
about 8,000 miles tonight, Jean. I'm going to learn how to dance
when I get home. We've a surprise for you at the club. Are you too tired? Me tired, ridiculous. -It'll give you just a lift you need.
-Come on, let's all go pile on a jeep. Can we synchronize our watches? I didn't expect to find
the best champagne in New Guinea. It was for the celebration of my wedding. -I thought you were married, weren't you?
-Sure, but I never celebrated. Anyway, we still got the champagne. -Half the champagne.
-Yes, half the champagne. What will we drink to? -I'm drinking to celebration.
-Let's all drink to that. That celebration. -Roger.
-Thank you. -Were you a singer in New York, Jean?
-No, an actress. Jean, didn't you play in a thing
called Last Chance? Yes, how did you remember? I remember it very well. It was a war play about the next war. -Come to think of it, that's this war.
-How did you remember me? -How could he forget you?
-Mace never forgets anything. I remember that long speech
you made against war. I was a pacifist then. -You said it with such feeling.
-Hey, Mace, what's a pacifist? Don't worry, son, you ain't. I was a pacifist then too. I got a Hollywood contract
out of that speech. -Hollywood, what pictures, Jean?
-In bathing suits for publicity. Then I got married,
and I haven't done anything since. -You're married?
-I was. Tom was killed at Dunkirk. I'm sorry. Gee Skipper,
isn't it nice having a woman around again? -It really is.
-Why don't you ask her to stay, Skipper? You can make her an honorary colonel. I'd like to stay,
you're the nicest bunch I've met. -Are we?
-I think so. Then we need to be entertained,
all we get here is… Hey, isn't it about time? I've already got it out,
she'll join us in a minute. What's all this? Our thoughtful enemy provides us
with a program every night. -Tokyo Rose.
-Direct from Tokyo. We wouldn't miss it. Shut up, I got it. At the same time every night,
we bring you a program for our friends, the American soldiers. Conducted by our mistress
of ceremony, Ms. Rose Yamota. -Hello, fellas.
-Hi, Rosie. How are you all? Sick in bed, Rosie. I hope you all got back safely. We have a swell program
of brand new records for you. Some I don't think you've heard. It's been a long time
since you're home, fellas? You ain't woofing, Rosie. Would you like to be there right now
get out of those dirty socks and into a nice, hot bath. Full of bubbling champagne. Before we begin the musical program
tonight, we have a big surprise for you. One of your own boys
who was shot down and captured by us. He'd like to say hello to you. Of course, we're only too glad to let him. He's Lieutenant Bob Holbert
from Joplin, Missouri, come on, Bob. Hello, fellas. Any of my squadron listening
in, I'd like to say I got down all right. I'm okay. I'm really being treated swell. I guess we've all been wrong
about the Japs. They seem to be okay. Just one more thing I'd like to say,
don't believe a word I'm saying. They are the worst skunks I have seen. Get all you can and dedicate more… I'm sorry, fellas. I guess Bob is still out of his head
from the crash. How about some music? Let's skip Rosie tonight, fellas. -Poor guy.
-What will they do to him? I don't think they'll ask for an encore. That took a lot of guts. -I think I better go.
-Hey, Jean, not yet. -Hanley has a big surprise for you.
-Surprise? Boy, I'm glad you're here,
for once we will eat something decent. All we ever get is bully beef. It's fried bully beef, stew bully beef,
mince of bully beef and soup on a bully beef. -Hanley.
-Now? -Now.
-Coming right up. You could use another arm,
couldn't you, Hanley? I'll tell you, miss, I came close
to losing this one once. What happened? It was over in France
during the last late unpleasantness. A grenade come over the top of the trench
and landed right at my feet. I picked it up to throw it back
and it went off. You know, a man could lose
his whole right arm that way. Why didn't you? I'm left-handed. Gee, he is lucky? -Hey, looks swell, doesn't it?
-Probably all kinds too. Help yourself, Jean. I could eat a horse. Don't say that, we never know
where Hanley gets our food from. Bully beef. All bully beef. What do we do with it? Could we try to eat some of it,
it'll break Hanley's heart if we don't. Either his heart or your stomach. I'll take it outside,
maybe some of the natives will take it. Roger, over and out. How about some peanut butter? -Well, I guess we better break this up.
-Jean's had a pretty tough day. Hey, Jean, there's one song
you didn't sing I'd like to hear. -What song is that, Johnny?
-Do you know Bless Them All? -No, I'm sorry, I don't.
-That's too bad. That's the only one he knows. They're kidding, I'm not a pilot
in the Air Force at all, Jean. I'm a brilliant pianist,
name it you got it. You have it. Joking aside, Jean, we'd love
to hear Forever and Always. You might have to prompt me
on the words, I'm rusty. Remember to help me with the words. -What key do you want, Jean?
-A-flat. More? That was just right, Jean. You mean you didn't like it? No, it was wonderful. I think you're trying to spoil us, Jean. Besides, I've got some writing to do. Dear diary, today
I saw a lovely girl again. Is that what you write in a diary? Yes, my autobiography. What's it about? I am compiling for posterity
the history of a great American, me. Someday I may get sued,
I'll have a bestseller on my hand. -Good night, Jean.
-Good night, Derby. Good night, Jean. I just wanted to say,
thanks for letting me come to your party. -You didn't, I came to yours.
-Good night. -Thanks for the song, Jean.
-Thanks for the music, maestro. I'll let you in on a secret. Anytime you're back here,
I'll be glad to play for you. -Maybe I'll have finished my song.
-You do that. -Good night.
-Good night, Jean. -I've got some undies to wash out.
-Good night. We all better turn in. One thing is certain,
we'll all fly tomorrow. -Thanks, Jean.
-You're welcome. Listen, guess I better get back to my tent
and put my dress clothes away. I don't want to get it wrinkled. -Good night.
-Good night, Ham. You know where they all went,
don't you, Jean? Every time I sing,
the room seems to empty awful fast. They went to write to their girls,
didn't they, Skipper? You brought home
pretty close to them, Jean. Kid stuff, silly, isn't it? Where are you going, Mace? To write to my girl. -Thanks, Jean.
-Good night. -Why aren't you writing, no girl?
-No girl. -I guess I'd better see you to your tent.
-Yes, I guess you'd better. -In case it gets cold?
-In case of mosquitoes. It's a lovely night, isn't it? You better take my hand. Is this one yours? It's the one I use. Good ship. Good ship why? I never got around to naming her. That's right. No girl. Haven't you ever had a girl? Sure, she had braces on her teeth,
and she was six and I was eight. No, I mean, really. Haven't you ever loved a girl? -I guess I never had much time for it.
-It doesn't take long. No, I guess not. -What's your real first name, Skipper?
-Skipper. -No, honestly?
-My dad was in the navy and he liked it. I like it too. What's it like to fly, Skipper? -You flew here in a bomber.
-No, I mean to fly alone. To fight alone. Do you ever get scared? Sure. Do you ever get over it? I haven't. Don't they say that
once you crash a plane, you should take up another one
right away so you can forget? That's what they say. I'm scared too, Skipper. I know. Talk about something, Skipper. What? Oh, anything. Your plane, tell me how it works. It's the first full cantilever
wing fighter I've ever flown. Is it? It has another advantage too. The electric propeller
that controls variable pitch. Does it go very fast? Over 400 in a dive. How does it feel? It takes your breath away. But you get used to it. That's wonderful. -Good morning.
-Good morning. I'm sorry, I was reading a letter. -Go ahead.
-No, sit down. -I didn't mean to be rude.
-I know Minor. Is your first name Minor? No, it's Marion. I think my pop tossed a coin and he lost. All those letters from your wife? Yes. What does she find
to put in all of them? She just talks about things,
people, and our neighbors, what's going on at home. For instance, she tells me
that Mrs. Robinson has given a bridge tea and didn't invite her to it. How do you like that? -I don't know who Mrs. Robinson is, but…
-We don't like her though, do we? When I get home
I'll beat the daylights out of that woman. Who does she think
she is treating my wife like that? What's your wife like, Minor? She's wonderful. Yes, I'm sure she is,
but what does she look like? She's beautiful. Tall? No, not too tall. Short? Not too short, she's just right. Her hair is difficult to describe. You'd like it. She always wears clothes
that are not too fancy. But don't anybody say
she doesn't know how to dress. She's wonderful. What does she look like, Minor? I don't know. It's the whole thing, I don't know. It was so quick. So beautiful. Now I can't even remember
what she looks like. I gave her an ultimatum,
I say it's either him or me. -Who'd she take?
-Him. Instead of a beautiful specimen
of manhood like you? I can't understand it,
I'm not exactly gruesome. Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say that. Three years
we went together, three years! Then she tosses me over for this guy, just because he owns
a blue herringbone suit. Why didn't you get
a blue herringbone suit? I look much better in blue serge. -How are you, Jean?
-Hi, Jean. What girl was this? Just one of the girls
I was to marry until I told her off. -Dames are mercenary creatures.
-Not only that, they're after your money. My girl's old man says she can't be after
my money unless it's my old age benefits. You get that? -Morning, Jean.
-Good morning, Mace. What goes on? The fellas have just discovered
the subject of women. -What are you boys here for this morning?
-We just dropped in to loaf around. -That's us.
-It was a short loaf, but a happy one. That's a joke
about the short loaf, get it? -Okay, Skipper.
-Looks like a big one. -Wish us luck.
-Good luck. What did he mean
about a big one? Derby and Dick
have been up scouting around. Guess they've run into something. Good morning, Ms. Gillis, Lieutenant. -Good morning, Hanley.
-Good morning, Hanley. Filthy habit of smoking before breakfast. I've been doing it for years. As a matter of fact, miss,
I once got stomach ulcers from smoking. -From smoking?
-It wasn't me that was smoking. It was the fuse on the bomb. The fuse was smoking. Before breakfast too, filthy habit. Hanley, what happened
to the fuse on the bomb? It went out, sir. All I ever mean to say, sir, is things
are never really as bad as they seem. He's quite a guy. Hanley has kept us pretty straight. I think he's working on an invention
so that he can fly by using his wings. Who was that? Johnny. Louie. Ham. That's Minor. Marion. I suppose you'll be leaving us
pretty soon. Yes, they're sending a plane for me
this afternoon. We'll send an escort out with you,
so that nobody gets queued. Jean, would you do me a favor? Of course I will. When you get back,
would you call my mother? -She lives in New York City.
-I'd love to, what will I tell her? The usual rap,
that I'm looking fine, that I'm happy. That there's not much in the way
of fighting that goes on here. She doesn't know about this. No, she wouldn't. That girl I wrote to last night, that was her. Mace, I love you. You mean both of us? Skipper and me? I haven't done a very good job
of hiding it, have I? Neither has he. Boys are all pretty tickled about it. Are you, Mace? I mean, do you approve? Johnny Blue Leader to base. Derby. Come in Charlie Blue Leader. Charlie Blue Leader to base,
can you read me, over? Ruby Blue to Charlie Blue Leader,
read you loud and clear, where are you? Over. Charlie Blue Leader to base,
Angels 14 at Rendezvous, over. Many bandits in black trap area. Angels 18, Angles 18. Vector 280, vector 280, investigate. -Listening out.
-Roger out. First thing I'll do when I get back
is have a dictionary published on translating flyingese into English. Why don't they answer? -They don't want to give the Japs a fix.
-What's that? If they use their radios too much
the Japs can tell where they are. Watch yourself, Ham. -I see them, Louie.
-Me too. Something funny about today. I feel it, don't you? It's no different than it's always been. They're veterans, Jean. They won't let anything
happen to each other. Ruby base to flight,
don't let them gang up on you. Hit and run, out. Lieutenant Mace,
do you mind if I come in, sir? This isn't the navy, Hanley, come on in. I'd rather not be out there
cooking oatmeal right now, sir. -Pull up a chair.
-Thank you, sir. Being a non-combatant
has its drawbacks, miss. On my tail, over! -All right, Louie.
-I'm with you, Ham. Get a man to join the jumping. Here we go, up and at them. Charlie Blue to flight, no dog fights. One pass and you're faded, out. Mace, do you suppose
I could go over to operations? Why not? You're not supposed to be here at all. You might as well be at operations
where you're not supposed to be. Could it be, Lieutenant,
you might want some coffee over there. -Could be.
-Thank you, sir. Johnny Blue to Ruby Blue,
it's getting hot up here. Ruby Blue to flight.
Rendezvous 1208, out. -Take over, they need help up there.
-Sure, Skipper. -Major, good luck, sir.
-Thanks, Hanley. Good luck. I'll be right back. -Why don't they say something?
-Maybe they're busy. I'm sorry, Mace, I didn't mean to. You talk to me then. Tell me about him. All right. He's a baby, only 22. -I'm 23, is that bad?
-Perfect. He has a nice family. I met them when we graduated
from Kelly Field. -He has a sister.
-Yes? He's a pretty swell guy, Jean. I know. -He's in love with you, isn't he?
-Do you think so? He had that look. -He's never had a girl before, Mace.
-Yes, I know. Are you in love with him? Mace, I lost one guy,
I can't go through it again. Don't worry, he'll be back, he always is. Skipper, they're swarming all over me. Give me a lift. Coming right down, hang on. Who was that? Louie, he's no beginner. Thanks, Skipper. Charlie Blue Leader to Charlie Blue Three,
where are you? I think I'm in Ham's cloud,
but I'm not alone. Harry, do they know at madam
what's going on here? Yes, sir, but I think the same thing
is going on all over the area. Skipper, I ain't ever been chased
so much in my life. -Haven't ever been chased so much.
-Haven't ever been chased so much. If you're listening, Mace, excuse me. Mace, tell me more about Skipper. He was a funny kid at Kelly. Tried too hard, worried a lot. He had a bad day of flying,
he wouldn't talk to anyone. He almost washed out
because he was too tense. -Or too sincere.
-Same thing. Finally, he snapped out of it,
began worrying about everyone else. That's why he's a major, I guess. Madam to Ruby Blue,
Madam to Ruby Blue, over. You're on, sir, it's the base. Ruby Blue to Madam, over. Madam to Ruby Blue,
locust joined by bats, swarming your area. No gulls in sight,
light your fires. That is all, over and out. Roger, out. Bombers. Charlie Blue Three
to Charlie Blue Leader. -Where are you, Johnny?
-About 5,000 feet above you, Skipper. Come on, Ham, let's go down. -Hey, it looks like scrambled eggs.
-Wait till you taste them, Ham. Ham and eggs, yak, yak, here we come. Skipper, they got Johnny, he's burning. -Follow him down, cover him when he jumps.
-I am, he isn't jumping. -Skipper, he's going in.
-Come back in, Minor. -Come back up!
-You hit, Skipper. Johnny is gone. He never got to finish his song. Snap out of it, Minor. You're wide open, start climbing. Yes, coming up. -Johnny.
-Don't worry. Derby walked away from one last month. This is Derby, Skipper, they shot away
my controls, I'm going over the side. I'll follow you down, Derby. -Good luck.
-Thanks, Skipper. -Nice knowing you.
-Here goes nothing. Ham, help me cover Derby,
he's bailing out. I'll do what I can, Skipper,
but I ain't got much time. I can't help it, Derby,
there's too many of them. I'm trying, Derby,
I'm doing everything I… Sorry. -Hanley get Ms. Gillis out of here.
-It's all right, Mace, I've got this. Nothing for you to hear. His parachute. Take it easy, hun,
we'll make it all square. Skipper will. -The two of them are gone, Mace.
-You have to expect that. It couldn't go on forever. We all knew it, they knew it. Don't feel badly about it, Jean. Don't ever feel badly about it. Now excuse me. -Where are you going, Mace?
-Up. Mace, you can't. Darling, there are some things you do
because you have to, and there are some things you do
because you have to. Lieutenant, good luck, sir. Thanks, Hanley. Hanley, the others, do they have a chance? Maybe, miss. Say they have, Hanley, say they have. There's always a chance, miss. Why does it have to be this way? I've tried to figure that out
for three wars now. Mace is a sweet guy, isn't he? Yes, miss, he is. Skipper, ammo zero. He has no more ammunition. I can't help you, Ham. I guess all I can do is spit at him. So long, Skipper,
tell her I was a good boy. Hey, Mace, remember the name
of that picture, Death Takes a Hol… Major Wright calling Madam. Major Wright calling Madam, over. Madam to Major Wright, come on in, over. How about a lift over here,
they've throw everything they have at us. They've got lots of them,
I'm the only one left. If I had a little help, I… -Your children gone, Major?
-All of them shot down. Head for home Charlie Blue leader,
head for home. All of them. The lieutenant just took over. Charlie Blue to Madam. They have a new pursuit ship
better than Zeros, can you read me? Better than… Skipper, where are you? What is your position? Listen, you lunkhead, this is Mace. I'm on my way up to cover you, come in. Ruby Blue to Charlie Blue leader. Ruby Blue to Charlie Blue leader, over. Still the same chance. Ruby Blue to Charlie Blue Leader. Major Wright, come in, sir, over. Can't they do something? Maybe Mace knows something about it. See if you can contact the lieutenant. Ruby Blue to Charlie Blue Seven. Ruby Blue to Charlie Blue Seven, over. This is Mace, over. Have you visual contact
with Charlie Blue Leader, over? I don't know where he is,
I can't find him. Listen, tell everybody to get ready
for a shellacking down there. Harry, contact Mace. I shot up my fuel line and my radio
went on just as I started to land. -I came down to get his plane.
-Here he is, sir. Mace, this is Skipper. Use alternate field and land. That's an order, Mace, over. An order, Skipper? You wouldn't fool a pal. An order, Mace, do you hear me? Use alternate field and land, over. It's too late, Skipper. They're all around me and closing in fast. Count the ones that fall with me. Over and out. Mace? Jean. We didn't even do our job. All they wanted us to do was hold out
until the new strip was finished. You did your best. Darling, no one can do
more than their best. These boys did more than their best. Theirs is the spirit that led to victory.
