Gentlemen, the general court-martial
will convene.
- Is the prosecution ready to proceed?
- Aye, sir.
- And the defense? And the defense?
- Yes, sir.
Bring in the accused.
Provost sergeant,
reporting with the prisoner.
James o'Hearn, master gunnery sergeant,
United States Marine Corps.
Very well.
The accused will sit over there.
Your husband, ma'am?
- Brother?
- Court-martial will open.
Does the accused object
to any member of this court?
No, sir.
The judge advocate will read
the charges and specifications.
The accused will rise.
"Charge one, desertion.
Sergeant o'Hearn,
United States Marines Corps...
...while so serving at Marine Headquarters
Fourth Marines, Shanghai, China...
...did, on or about November 24th, 1941...
...desert from said barracks
and from the Naval service...
...and did remain a deserter for 276 days
until apprehended and taken into custody.
Charge two, theft...
...in that Sergeant o'Hearn
did feloniously steal...
...a private yacht valued at $275,000,
leaving a receipt...
...bearing the forged signature
of the president of the United States.
Charge three, shanghaiing sailors.
Sergeant o'Hearn,
by assault with a deadly weapon...
...and by threat of murder,
on the French colonial island of Namou...
...did forcibly assemble a crew
to sail said stolen yacht.
Charge four, scandalous conduct tending
to the destruction of good morals.
Sergeant o'Hearn did take from Shanghai
a woman named Ginger Martin...
...and keep her with him constantly
for said 276 days...
...without benefit of wedlock.
Charge five,
willful destruction of private property...
...in that Sergeant o'Hearn did,
maliciously and without provocation...
...sink a saloon."
Oh, no.
James o'Hearn, master gunnery sergeant,
United States Marine Corps.
You heard the charges
and specifications against you?
- Yes, sir.
- How say you, guilty or not guilty?
I have nothing to say, sir.
You refuse to plead guilty or not guilty?
- You stand mute?
- Yes, sir.
Sergeant o'Hearn,
you served under me at Nicaragua.
I never found reason to doubt
your fighting qualities as a good Marine...
...or your ability to turn the air blue
with the gift of gab.
Why now do you choose to stand mute?
There's a time to talk, sir,
and a time to keep your mouth shut.
You are aware, are you not,
of the seriousness of these charges?
I am.
You are aware that you face
a possible sentence of death...
...not to mention a total imprisonment
of 143 years?
The last hundred won't hurt, sir.
And you still insist on standing mute?
Deaf, dumb and mute.
Lieutenant Miller,
United States Marine Corps...
...appointed defense counsel
pro tem, sirs.
Sergeant o'Hearn, you have no objection
to Lieutenant Miller acting as your counsel?
Why should I have counsel
if I'm not putting up any defense?
That's the point, sirs.
Since the sergeant... I mean,
the accused, has chosen to remain mute...
...it says in Section 413
of the Naval Courts and Boards...
It says here...
It says here:
"If the accused stands mute...
...the court shall direct a trial to proceed
as if the accused had pleaded not guilty."
- Isn't that right, sirs?
- That is correct.
Then I can defend him
like he pleaded not guilty?
I told you that was correct.
Sir, I object. I don't want any bathtub
jarhead beating his gums to save me.
- Objection not in order.
- But, sir...
The accused will sit down.
The prosecution will proceed.
Chief Boatswain's Mate
orville H. Masterson...
...United States Navy.
Chief Boatswain's Mate
orville H. Masterson...
...United States Navy.
Raise your right hand.
You do solemnly swear...
...that the evidence you are about to give
before this court...
...to be nothing but the truth,
so help you God?
I do.
Take the stand, please.
- State your name, rate and station.
- Orville H. Masterson...
...chief boatswain's mate,
United States Navy...
...attached to the submarine Shark,
now dry-docked at San Diego.
If you recognize the accused,
state as whom.
Master Gunnery Sergeant James o'Hearn,
United States Marine Corps.
Tell the court the occasion
of your first meeting with the accused.
It was the night of the 12th
of September, 1942.
We were running surface
with me standing dogwatch...
...when all of a sudden, I sight what
first looks like a Japanese submarine...
...but turns out to be a raft
with a man and woman lashed aboard...
...and a distress signal flying.
- What kind of distress signal?
- A pair of unmentionables, sir.
Unmentionables?
Mention the unmentionables.
Well, sir, they were Skivvies.
What you call panties, sir.
Fancy lace panties.
You must have been cold, ma'am.
- Are you certain of that, chief?
- I saw them, sir, fluttering in the breeze.
I think the number of service stripes
worn by the witness...
...qualifies him to identify the flag
the craft was flying.
Proceed.
- Who was the man aboard the derelict?
- Him, sir.
Did the accused identify himself
as a member of the Marine Corps?
No, sir, but we became suspicious
when he started complaining...
...that the chow was only fit
for a hog or sailor.
Did the accused offer any resistance
to being charged?
He was beyond that, sir.
He was so done in that we didn't know
for six days whether he'd live or conk out.
He gave no explanation
of his predicament?
None, sir, except he kept raving
like a maniac for about 10 days.
- About what?
- Oh, I couldn't make it out exactly, sir.
He kept laughing and yelling
about him and his buddy...
...single-handed destroying what sounded
like the whole Japanese army and navy.
Just the two of them?
Without the help of the armed services?
Yes, sir.
But we discounted that, sir,
taking into consideration his condition...
...and the fact that he was a Marine.
- Your witness, lieutenant.
- No questions.
Thank you. That's all, chief. Step down.
Has the accused been cleared
through the psychiatric section?
It's immaterial.
Since he's never been
in a mental institution...
...the law presumes him sane.
But the fantasy of the testimony,
the man standing mute.
Sergeant o'Hearn,
why won't you defend yourself?
Whatever the reason, sir,
it's not because I've gone off my rocker.
If I may call a witness out of turn, sirs...
...I believe I can provide the court
with an explanation.
Proceed.
Miss Ginger Martin.
Pardon me.
I object to the calling of a witness
who's been present during testimony.
Why wasn't this witness
advised to wait in the anteroom?
I didn't know, sir.
This is my first case, sir.
The witness cannot be disqualified.
The credibility of her testimony
may be judged accordingly.
Take the stand, please.
Lay off Davey White.
- No communing with your witness.
- I don't want her for my witness.
He doesn't want me to testify because...
- I told you lay off Davey.
- Sergeant.
- If I hear another word...
- Go on, throw the book at me.
- I'm telling you I don't want any defense.
- Sergeant o'Hearn.
This is a court of law...
...and we will not tolerate
any more of these outbursts.
Raise your right hand.
Swear that the evidence
you shall give before the court...
...shall be the truth, the whole truth and
nothing but the truth, so help you God?
I do.
Please be seated.
Proceed with the witness.
State your name,
address and present occupation.
Ginger Martin.
I live in a motel near oceanside.
The last time I worked...
...I modeled bathing suits
for a wholesale house.
If you recognize the accused,
state as whom.
Jim o'Hearn,
sergeant in the Marine Corps.
Miss Martin,
tell the court the circumstances...
...under which you first met the accused.
I first met him in Shanghai
at a nightspot called the Pink Lotus.
- I was employed there.
- Doing what?
I was a camera girl.
I'd go around asking everybody
if they wanted their picture taken.
- That was all?
- What do you mean?
You had no other means of income?
I was only working
in that waterfront dive...
...so I could earn enough
to get back to the United States.
It was the only job I could get.
And how did you happen
to land in Shanghai to begin with?
I was a showgirl
with an act that got stranded.
- Is there anything wrong with that?
- Not at all.
Go on with your story, please.
Well, it all started
on the day President Roosevelt...
...ordered the last 700 Marines
left in China to evacuate.
That was about two weeks
before Pearl Harbor.
Believe me, when we Americans in Shanghai
found out that he Marines were leaving...
...we knew we were marooned.
I was going through my usual
nightly routine...
... wondering if I was ever
gonna get out of that sinkhole.
It wasn't a very pleasant feeling
knowing I was all alone now.
Everyone was talking
about the possibility of war...
... so goodness knows
how long I'd be stuck in Shanghai.
Well, you can just imagine how surprised
I was to see Davey White come back.
He was a private in the Marine Corps
and a friend of mine.
I'm telling you, I almost swooned...
... me thinking he'd pulled out
with the rest of the Marines.
- Surprise, Ginger.
- Davey, what are you doing here?
The other Marines were
shore-patrolled an hour ago.
- Take it easy, baby. I know.
- But your outfit's breaking barracks.
Plenty of time, baby.
One sake, straight, Benny.
You know that o'Hearn I've been
telling you about, that buddy of mine?
He was taking me to the barracks
and did I duck out.
Slipped his rickshaw boy 2 bucks...
...to tip him over backwards
into a cartload of ducks.
- But you'll miss connections, Davey.
- Not a chance.
I'll hitch on to that crowd of deck heads
when they board the ship later tonight.
Come on over here, baby.
Gingersnap.
Careful, Davey.
What am I gonna do?
Now I'll never get back to the States.
Why, you can't even book passage home
anymore for less than 2000.
Look, I told you not to worry, baby.
Davey's got a chaplain
lined up on Bubbling Well Road.
We get married right away,
and when Davey hits Pearl Harbor...
...he'll fill out application 602B
to have his wife evacuated...
...from a danger zone
at Marine Corps expense.
Simple, huh?
Married?
Oh, Davey, you proposed!
The comforts of life.
That's what Davey's looking forward to.
A martini waiting for him
when he gets home...
...the bedroom slippers,
a gorgeous gal running around in her p.j.'s.
Married. I can't believe it.
Get your coat, baby.
We're breezing out of here.
Where you going?
Oh, well, you see, Mr. Krastow,
I've decided to quit.
- It is not so easy to quit.
- You don't have to pay me.
It is not a question of money.
I told you we would one day
become good friends.
- I'm sorry, Mr. Krastow, but I have...
- Don't be in such a hurry.
Get your hands off her, Fatso.
She hasn't been vaccinated.
Come on, honey. Let's go.
- What are you?
- Take him to the Marine barracks.
- They'll evacuate him.
- No. No, you can't.
Let go of him.
- Sergeant o'Hearn! You remember olga?
- Beat it. I'm looking for a screw-loose.
- Don't you remember me?
- Beat it, I said.
For long time, no come see.
- Cool it, knucklehead. Out the back way.
- Wait. Through the darkroom.
- Quick, down there. Fatso's boat.
- Get moving, jerk head.
When I get through with you, latrine duty
will look like a 10-day shore leave.
- Get in there. Untie that line.
- Jump, baby.
What gives? Get that dame off here.
We're rejoining our outfit.
I'm gonna marry her.
- What?
- Marry her.
Get her off! Off! We got no room
in the Marine Corps for Pink Lotuses.
Hey, that's my boat.
Wait! There's a knot!
Hey, you're stealing my boat.
I guess that's how Sergeant o'Hearn
ended up...
...sinking a saloon.
I presume all hands went down
with the saloon.
Well, no, sir. The last I saw of them,
they were bobbing up and down like corks.
Then, Miss Martin, Sergeant o'Hearn
did not deliberately sink that saloon, did he?
He didn't know it was sunk...
...until we got out
in the middle of the Huangpu river.
Now, Miss Martin, please tell us
what happened aboard the motor boat.
Oh, that.
Getting married, huh?
You see that wharf over there, rock head?
That's where we'll drop off
the little bundle of fluff.
Right around the bend, we board
the good ship President Madison.
Just you and me.
- Sure, sarge, except for one thing.
- What's that, buddy?
You drop me and Ginger off over there.
Near Bubbling Well Road.
Don't tell me you're serious
about marrying her.
You catch on quick, buddy.
How can you dream of hitching onto a frail
you picked up in a honky-tonk?
Please, Ginger and me,
we've been going steady for six weeks.
Seven, if it's any of his business.
Hey, who are you kidding?
How come I didn't know about her?
Because Davey boy has learned
to hide his candy from his big bad brother.
So that's where you've been sneaking off
to all these weeks, huh?
Little private stock stashed away.
Well, we gotta see what's so special
about this? Stand up.
- What for?
- I wanna get an eyeful.
And I wanna get an eyeful of you.
So you're the great Sergeant o'Hearn
Davey's always talking about.
- Well, I must say I'm rudely disappointed.
- I'm not.
Hey, that's nice candy.
Don't let him bother you.
He just wishes he had met you first.
You're so right.
I could go for her on a rainy afternoon.
It couldn't rain hard enough
for me to go for him.
Oh, she talks back too. It's a shame
we don't have time to get acquainted.
In about two minutes,
we're gonna be waving bye-bye to you.
- Oh, Davey, don't let him.
- Relax, Ginger.
I wouldn't stand that chaplain up
for the world.
I hate to break your heart, but the facts
of life have gotta be explained.
All about the birds and the bees.
No, I guess you might call it
the bulls and the cows.
What I'm trying to explain is the kind
of Marine this guy you wanna marry is.
When I first run into him, he was nothing
but a green kid with a crazy look in his eye.
Half the time he was getting into brawls
and in the brig.
That was before I took him
under my wing.
I took him out of boot camp and made him
the fightingest Marine in the 4th Regiment.
Winner of the Silver Star at Tientsin
and the Navy Cross at Mndt.
So you see, it'd be silly...
...to lose a valuable guy like this
to a sweet little housewife.
- Imagine that, now.
- You sure sold us, sarge.
Baby pie, we're heading straight
for Bubbling Well Road and that chaplain.
Hey, get away from that wheel.
Why, you little...
We'll never get to the ship now.
They'll sail without us.
So we started drifting down
the Huangpu River.
The current quickly carried us out
into the middle of the China Sea.
At last, we were sighted
by a Chinese junk...
... and eventually taken aboard
by Wu Ching...
... his wife and the two little Chings.
Of course, they couldn't understand
a word of English.
And if it wasn't that Sergeant O'Hearn...
... prided himself of being the world's
greatest expert on sign language...
... he never could have made a deal.
I guess the best sign language to know
is a handful of American money...
... for Wu Ching agreed to take us
back to Shanghai...
... on the go go, double-quick.
Unfortunately, Wu Ching's idea
of go go double-quick...
... was not the same
as Sergeant O'Hearn's.
Not even the handful of money
seemed to keep him from his course.
Well, you can just imagine
Sergeant O'Hearn's surprise...
... when early the next morning
he discovered we were going south...
... instead of north.
Get up, rock head.
Hey, you.
Wu Ching was carrying out
his end of the bargain all right.
Only he was going to Shanghai
by way of Pango Pango, a two-month trip.
Sergeant O'Hearn
just couldn't get it into his head...
... that delivering his cargo meant more
to Wu Ching than the Marine Corps.
So one of the little Chings
lowered the boom.
Rock head,
has it penetrated that skull of yours...
...that the Marines are on their way
to who-knows-where...
...and we're taking a cruise
to Pango Pango?
Dear me, that's frightening.
Don't be so frightened.
What are you gonna do about it?
It's a beautiful night, Gingersnap.
The scent of jasmine floats
on the tropic breeze.
Why should Davey worry about the Marines
when he's got his baby to keep him warm?
What you're talking about
begins to sound like desertion.
- Desertion?
- Yeah. Intent to desert, the same thing.
Can I tell Wu Ching
where to sail this ship?
Which reminds me, I wanna talk to him.
- You got an angle on how to get us back?
- I got an angle, but that ain't it.
What's he up to?
Sergeant o'Hearn,
prepare yourself for a shock.
I'm the baby pie you spoke of,
remember?
The one who wants a home all her own?
And I make the loveliest fried chicken
and biscuits you ever tasted.
So what? Who's hungry?
In spite of all those nasty remarks
you made about housewives...
...I think I shall soon become one.
How?
Wu Ching is a ship captain, isn't he?
- He's gonna perform the ceremony?
- Why not?
Would you like to be the best man?
Okay, sister.
But don't be surprised if Davey turns out
to be a carbon copy of the old maestro.
Sure, he's gotta have women,
lots of them.
He's crazy about them,
but none of them last.
Because when that old bugle blows, baby,
there's only one thing he's gotta say:
"For long time, no come see."
You're disgusting.
I don't know what kind of a special breed
you think you are...
...breaking girls' hearts and then saying,
"for long time, no come see."
You leave Davey and me alone.
You stay out of our lives or it'll be
"for long time, no come see" for you.
Hey, wait a second.
Get riled up, you're just about
the cutest little job I ever saw.
You're horrible.
For 16 days and nights...
... Davey tried to get the idea across
to Wu Ching...
... that he wanted him
to read the wedding ceremony.
- I guess that's it, Gingersnap.
- Oh, Davey, we're married.
I can't believe it.
- Who is it?
- It's me, your buddy.
- What do you want?
- I got news for you.
Save it.
Some guys will never learn.
- You did that.
- I got news for you, I told you.
- But what is it?
- And it better be good.
You two are not married.
Wu Ching didn't read
the wedding ceremony.
It was the Chinese burial service.
- What?
- What?
The Chinese burial service.
Why else do you think they're wearing
those white outfits?
You can thank me for saving you
from a fate worst than death.
- Why, you!
- Don't get your guts in an uproar.
- It was a gag.
- Gag?
- Take it easy, baby.
Well, if that's all it was, sarge.
I'll show you firecrackers.
Oh, Davey, no.
Oh, Davey.
Look! Look, the ship's on fire.
Look! Look! The ship's on fire.
Quick! It's getting big.
The mast!
Davey and Sergeant o'Hearn...
...they chopped down the mast
and put the fire out.
Was that the extent
of the destruction of property?
There might have been
one or two minor things.
Name the minor things.
The mast fell the wrong way
and crushed the cabin.
Was that all?
I think we shipped a little water
and the cargo got wet.
But, you know,
a little water can't hurt anything.
- What was the cargo?
- Rice.
Did Wu Ching put the three of you ashore
on the French island of Namou?
Well, he didn't exactly put us ashore.
He and his crew pulled guns
and made us swim ashore.
Please tell us what happened on Namou.
One moment, please.
Miss Martin, you testified, didn't you,
that you wanted to marry PFC David White?
Yes.
You further testified that Sergeant o'Hearn
tried to prevent your marrying him?
- Yes.
- Then how do you account for the fact...
...that you are now trying so desperately
to defend Sergeant o'Hearn?
Well, I don't like to see
an innocent man punished.
- Are you sure that is all, Miss Martin?
- What do you mean?
Oh, I was just wondering
if there weren't some deeper relationship.
Something born out of, shall we say...
...the intimacy of your life
on that raft together?
I don't know what you're trying to get at,
but I can tell you this:
Sergeant o'Hearn
and I have hated each other...
...since the moment we first met.
- Isn't that right, sergeant?
- I'm standing mute.
Can't you understand?
I'm only trying to help you.
The only way you can help
is to get out of here.
But...
I'm sorry, gentlemen.
The witness is temporarily excused.
Thank you.
The prosecution would like to call
Pierre Marchand.
Pierre Marchand.
I'm Pierre Marchand.
I was at one time governor-general
of the French oceanic island of Namou.
Now I'm not even a beachcomber.
- I object to this witness.
- For what reason, lieutenant?
Isn't it true that when the
vichy government was set up in France...
...you set up a vichy government
of your own on Namou...
...and collaborated with the enemy?
- I only did what I was obliged to do.
Is that why you jailed all the free French
who refused to join up with you?
They did not understand my predicament.
I submit that this witness was convicted
for collaboration with an enemy nation...
...and is here under armed custody.
Let him testify.
We'll know how to judge it.
Proceed with the witness.
If you recognize the accused,
state as whom.
Sergeant o'Hearn.
He is also a pirate, a liar and a deserter.
Of all the two-faced rats
that infest the South Seas...
...he's the most two-faced.
Tell the court what happened between you
and Sergeant o'Hearn from the beginning.
It was late in the afternoon
when I was busily engaged...
... in my usual administrative duties...
... when the captain of my gendarmes
arrived with an alarming report.
He had run three kilometers...
... to tell me that the American Marines
had landed on the beach.
Naturellement, I think it is an invasion.
And then I hear my captain saying
that there were only two Marines.
Hurry, hurry.
- What's he calling us?
- I don't know.
I'll give him a volley
of my Martinique French.
Qu'est que c'est the big idea?
Qu'est que c'est this place?
Your French stinks. Speak English.
Why didn't you tell us you're savvy?
Take these clinkers off
and tell these trigger-happy goons...
...to put their popguns someplace else.
- What are you doing here?
- I'm on my honeymoon.
I'm on his honeymoon too.
Since you find it so amusing, you can
laugh it up in our Portuguese dungeon.
Portuguese dungeon?
- Oh, Davey.
- What's the big idea?
In the name of vichy France,
it is necessary to detain you...
...until on the end of the war.
- France?
- Vichy France?
Oh, vichy France, huh?
Come, come, now,
do not pretend you do not know.
- Know what?
- The Japanese.
They have bombed your Pearl Harbor.
Pearl Harbor? When?
- How?
- Bomb?
Pearl Harbor, are you kidding?
No more American battleships.
Soon, the Japanese will be in New York,
like the Germans are now in Paris.
Just a minute.
- Don't you think you ought to tell him?
- Tell him what?
The simple truth, that you're deserters.
Deserters?
If you don't tell him the truth,
you'll wind up 50 years in an old dungeon.
Yeah, that's right.
- Deserters?
- Yeah.
Yeah, why else would a couple of Marines
pop up on a coral reef like this?
Sure, we skipped out on our outfit.
- Kissed them off forever.
- That's right.
Why did you not tell me this
at the beginning?
Well, how could we till we found out
you were vichy France?
Yeah.
Did we duck out in time.
Pearl Harbor, yet.
I bet those guys back there
are getting clobbered by those Japs.
And why did you desert
if you did not know of the attack?
Well, monsieur,
I never thought a Frenchman...
...would have to ask a question like that.
You get the point.
For this, a man would rob
his own mother.
Monsieur, I welcome you
to the island paradise of Namou.
As governor-general, I embrace you.
And you.
And so I tell you that this two-faced rat
should have his neck twisted like a chicken.
And why, Mr. Marchand, why?
Would you please repeat it
for the benefit of the court?
Because he told me in his own words
he's a deserter.
I know, I know. You do not think
I am qualified to speak.
I'm serving punishment for my crime
and he should serve punishment for his.
Thank you. That is all.
Any questions?
I wouldn't waste two seconds
on that slimy crud.
Watch your language, lieutenant.
Pardon me, sir.
I mean, just plain crud.
The witness is excused.
As further proof that Sergeant o'Hearn
was known as deserter...
...I will now call Lily Duval.
Lily Duval.
Raise your right hand, please.
You do solemnly swear that the evidence
you shall give...
...shall be the truth and nothing
but the truth, so help you, God?
Oui, monsieur, but of course.
Then be seated, please.
Proceed with the witness.
State your name, address
and present occupation.
My name is Lily Duval.
I own and operate the House of Duval
on the island of Namou.
- And what is the House of Duval?
- It is a hotel.
If the gentlemen wish,
I will be glad to quote a rate.
Your face, it is familiar.
Were you not the gentleman
who left his gloves at my hotel?
Madam, I have not been out of the States
in 14 years.
I request that the question
be stricken from the record.
I object as to the character
of this witness.
Can't we accept anybody's reputation?
Monsieur, I'll have you know
that my reputation is a legend...
...from Samoa to Singapore.
And I'll stab any son of a chien de mer
who questions it.
Proceed.
Madam Duval, if you recognize
the accused, state as whom.
That is Sergeant o'Hearn.
State your experience with the accused.
Experience?
I should call it a great excitement.
For 100 years,
there was peace and dullness on Namou.
Then came Sergeant o'Hearn.
Oh, I'll never forget
his first words to me.
He said, "Madam, you look
just like an unmade bed."
He was magnifique.
The witness will kindly confine herself
to the impersonal details.
There are some on the island
who would hang him up with the coconuts.
But as for myself
and my three darling nieces...
...we would like to have him
come back again.
Please, Madam Duval.
Pardon, mon capitaine, but are you positive
you've never been to Namou?
Positive.
Madam Duval, did you suspect
that Sergeant o'Hearn was a deserter?
Who else would come to Namou?
One as he either desert his sweetheart
or his wife.
I mean a deserter
from the United States Marine Corps.
Monsieur, I should like not
to answer that question.
And why not?
Well, Sergeant o'Hearn,
he is such a remarkable man.
It would be a crime
to lock him in the bastille.
You will answer the question,
or be cited for contempt.
Well, perhaps I can best explain it
this way.
You see, I was serving apritifs...
...to my usual respectable
evening clientele.
Oh, I assure you,
they were the highest type of guests.
Charming, well-traveled, educated.
Of course, my three darling nieces
were entertaining...
... and with such taste and refinement.
It was then that Pepi, my parrot,
announced the arrival of new guests.
Oh, it was the coming
of the great excitement.
Mademoiselle.
Madam Duval,
as governor-general of this island...
...I request you extend full hospitality
to our guests.
It is a great pleasure to welcome you.
- Hi.
- Pleased to meet you.
They are deserters
from the United States Marine Corps.
That's right, folks, we know what side
our bread is buttered on, don't we, sarge?
Yeah. You understand, madam...
...the Marine Corps is a little short
on wine, women and song.
We're interested
only in the finer things in life.
I understand.
The hospitality of my establishment
is open to all.
And these are my three darling nieces.
They speak no English,
but they are easy to communicate with.
Oh, and this is our darling
pice de rsistance.
Deserters.
- Who's that guy?
- Monsieur Jimmylegs.
For 25 years, he was chief petty officer
in your Navy.
Your ex-Navy, I should say.
Do not let him worry you.
I would throw him in the dungeon
where I keep the Free French.
Only it is already, how shall I say,
packed like sardines.
I am happy it was not necessary for me
to squeeze two more into the dungeon.
This one's already spoken for.
He's interested.
Excuse me, girls.
Nice place you got here, madam.
You do not like my darling nieces,
monsieur?
I stopped picking green apples
when I left the farm.
Ripe fruit is sweeter.
Monsieur, it has been a long time
since a man with your mature taste...
...has visited our island.
Too long. Welcome.
Madam, could you please show us
to our rooms?
Oh, forgive me. But of course.
Is this where all the tourist stay?
I mean, when the boats come in?
It's the only hotel in the archipelago.
It is the headquarters for all information,
for everything.
That's what you wanted to know,
isn't it, sergeant?
Madam Duval, you and I
understand each other perfectly.
I always give my guests what they want.
Even if they're broke?
Broke?
Americans without money?
Madam, you wouldn't
throw us out in the cold to starve?
Oh, it's never cold here,
and one can live on the beach without a sou.
But if I have to walk up from the beach
every night to see you...
...think how tired I'll be when I get here?
Monsieur, have you ever been to Paris?
No, but I get postcards from there.
Postcards? The Eiffel Tower, of course.
Of course.
I have a feeling, madam, that you could
take me to Paris right here on Namou.
- Your towel, monsieur.
- Thank you.
Madam Duval.
Is everybody on this island
in favor of the vichy government?
If they want to stay out of jail, they are.
And how about you?
Me?
All I'm interested in is keeping my health.
My dear, it looks just like
it was made for you.
Ginger.
Mimi.
Madam Duval, I bet there's
a lot of ships put in here, huh?
Ships? Oh, please, mon sergeant,
we are at the end of the world.
That is why deserters come here.
When do you figure the next ship
will arrive?
Very soon now.
The mail boat,
it will come at the end of April.
April? That's four months from now.
Did you hear that?
So what? That'll give Ginger and me
plenty of time to get married.
And the sooner, the better.
Married? That would be a novelty
on Namou.
You wasn't kidding when you said we could
live on this island without money?
That does not include liquor.
I can ferment coconuts and make a brew
that'll bat you over the fence.
And we can pick bananas off the trees,
or lobster off the beach...
...and swim every night in the moonlight.
After we get hitched, we can
move in to one of the native igloos...
...and stay put till next Christmas.
Atten-hut.
Cut it out, will you?
This ain't no time for making like lovebirds.
Are you butting in again?
I'll fix Mr. Buttinsky.
Madam Duvall,
who can marry us around here?
- Yeah.
- Father Gerard.
- Swell.
- Where can we find him?
Just now, he's on his yearly canoe trip
to the outlying islands.
When will he be back?
- Two weeks, perhaps three.
- That long?
Don't squawk. Looks like a reprieve.
But we will get married. We will.
As you just said, baby,
the sooner, the better.
With all that's going on here, is that all
you can think of, smooching all day?
What else is there
for deserters to think about?
Maybe he's jealous.
I'm getting sick to my stomach.
I'm going out to the beach and see
if I can scrounge myself an outrigger canoe.
Monsieur, without your pants?
Here.
Well, sergeant, you're not thinking
of going back to the war?
How many times
do I have to tell everybody?
I'm a deserter. I don't wanna go to war.
Then you should relax
like your friend here.
Yeah, give up, sarge. Relax.
Lull in the lap of luxury.
He's not capable of it.
He's got campaign ribbons
coming out of his ears.
I have, huh?
Entrez vous my three chres.
Allow me, my little bonbon.
Good, refreshment.
First, we'll have a little drink, huh?
- My three darling nieces.
- For you.
- They are so considerate.
- For you.
For you.
And Madam Duval, for you.
Down the hatch.
Tonight is the night for I'amour.
Oh, they understand that, huh?
The only trouble is
I don't know which one.
Oh, this man, he is an enfant terrible.
This calls for a little testing.
Delicious.
Delectable.
They're all great.
Madam Duval, I'm in trouble.
I've fallen in love.
Not only with you,
but with your three darling nieces.
And who knows?
If I stay here long enough,
I may marry all of you.
I think I need some air.
Say, you ain't getting jealous?
- Of what?
- Him.
Don't be fantastic.
Hold it, girls.
Gather around, my children,
gather around.
And Sergeant o'Hearn will tell you
a bedtime story.
The bedtime story they'll be hearing one day
is "for long time, no come see."
You ain't woofing.
Once upon a time...
oh, you can't understand English,
can you?
Well...
That Sergeant o'Hearn.
I've never seen such a remarkable man.
Do you know that he won the love
of my three darling nieces and myself?
And my nieces are most particular.
But... how they fought over him.
How they tore each other's hair.
- How they tried to...
- We're not interested in your niece's hair.
The witness has been instructed
to stick to the facts.
Silly capitaine evidently left his sense
of humor along with his gloves.
Please, Madam Duval, the question,
the sole question...
...is did Sergeant James o'Hearn
say that he was a deserter?
To answer that, it is not so simple.
You see, in your stupid, how shall I say,
your technicality, I'll suppose he...
But, oh, how can one blame a man
for running off...
...to a paradise island like Namou...
...and relaxing
with my three darling nieces, n'est pas?
For this, I would not put him in the bastille.
Oh, no, no.
I would give him camp de guerre.
But did he say he was a deserter?
Oui, but what a deserter.
What a deserter.
The court will recess
until 10:00 tomorrow morning.
- The court recalls Miss Ginger Martin.
- Miss Ginger Martin.
Be seated, please.
Miss Martin, before we proceed,
I think it only just to inform you...
...several witnesses have testified
that Sergeant o'Hearn was a deserter.
And this has been corroborated
by 17 sworn depositions...
...from residents of Namou.
I don't care if half the population
came here...
...and swore on a stack of Bibles
he was a deserter.
I don't even care if Sergeant o'Hearn
swears he was one.
I know exactly where Sergeant o'Hearn
stood on the question of desertion...
...because of what happened on the day
Davey and I were gonna get married.
Hi, sarge.
Hey.
What are you doing,
taking a Girl Scout test?
Not at all, sergeant.
We're building our honeymoon bower.
Yeah, at last, lady luck is with us.
Father Gerard canoed in this morning.
And Madam Duval is cooking up
a little native shindig.
Didn't your three intendeds tell you?
Tonight, Ginger Martin
will become the happy bride...
...of David White, PFC,
United States Marine Corps.
- Well, nobody can say I played Cupid.
- How true, sarge.
Just like that guy Shakespeare said:
If you gotta get shot, there's nothing like
a quivering arrow from Cupid's bow.
Hey, sarge, look, our only furniture.
Come on and test it, baby.
Sister, you sure got my sympathy.
What's that crack supposed to mean?
- What do you think it means?
- Davey, no.
The ship's whistle.
Look at that beauty. A yacht.
A big, fat luxury yacht.
Talk about lady luck.
Don't worry, baby. I'm sticking
to this island like a barnacle to a rock.
Captain, am I glad to see you.
Sergeant o'Hearn,
United States Marine Corps.
Captain van Dorck, Dutch East Indies.
What is it you want?
- When are you sailing?
- Tomorrow morning.
- Where you heading?
- To a neutral island.
Well, that's fine. Then you won't mind
taking an extra passenger or two.
I'm sorry, you're a soldier
of a nation at war.
If I were caught transporting you,
they'd confiscate my ship.
- But, captain, isn't it?
- I told you, I'm sorry.
Sarge.
I sort of suspicioned all the time
that you weren't no dirty turncoat.
Give me the old mitt.
You was a chief petty officer in the Navy
for a long time?
Twenty-five years.
- Can you navigate a ship?
- Can I navigate a ship?
- Can you hit Pearl Harbor?
- Hit Pearl Harb?
Heck, I could dock the ship
above the veranda...
...of The Royal Hawaiian hotel
in a pea-soup fog.
Who around here can we depend on?
Well, outside of the Free French
in the hoosegow, there's only two.
That drunken Aussie, Fitzroy,
and Mr. Smith.
He's always yapping about
wanting to get back to the States.
Why?
We're gonna collect us a crew,
hijack this tub and shove off.
- Now, wait a minute...
- Don't argue, we haven't got much time.
Come on, there's a guy around here
quoting Shakespeare.
That's funny.
If they put in here only for water,
how come they're unloading those crates?
Jimmylegs, you better stick around here
and keep your eyes open. I'll see you later.
Here comes the eager beaver
with a bloodshot gleam in his eye.
- Let's get back to our cozy little shack.
- Hey, mac.
- Where are you going?
- We got important business.
All right, cut out the hogwash
and listen to me.
We're busting out of here tonight.
- Yeah? And how do you figure that?
- We're swiping that yacht.
Your old man must've dropped you
on your noggin to see if you'd bounce.
He bounced.
And we're bouncing right back
to our outfit now.
What do you use for a crew,
your three French tomatoes?
Very funny. We'll shanghai them.
We'll liberate them Free Frenchies.
- Yeah? And who runs the engine?
- The sanitation engineer.
If he can run cesspool pump,
he can run that yacht.
No fooling. And who navigates?
That's all set. Jimmylegs Donovan.
That skeleton preserved in alcohol?
His idea of navigating is to spit over
the side and follow which way it goes.
- Now you're quibbling.
- I'm not quibbling.
I wouldn't sail with a crew like that
on a ferry to Staten Island.
If you think
I'm gonna marry Ginger tonight...
...then spend my life
floating around in an ocean full of Japs...
...looking for dry land, you got more
rocks in your head than a cement mixer.
You're talking about desertion again.
You're beginning to sound
like a phonograph record, sarge.
Call it anything you want.
I'm staying put.
You know what the articles
for the Navy say.
Desertion in time of war
is punishable by death.
Now you're getting stuffy.
What a mistake I made.
Here I thought I had found myself
a real sidekick.
The fightingest Marine in the 4th Regiment
and what happens?
He runs into a dame.
A baby pie with a mop of blond hair
and a cute torso.
He turns into a lousy deserter
and a yellow-bellied coward.
He picks buttercups and daffodils,
won't raise a hand to fight for his country.
You bore me to tears, sarge.
Always on the same kick.
Always on the Marine Corps,
the Marine Corps.
You just can't get it through
that thick skull of yours...
...that some guys'd rather bask in the sun
with a beautiful blond...
...than get their keister shot off
in a foxhole.
- Not in time of war, I can't.
- Well, I'm one of those guys, see?
So I say you can take your Marine Corps
and stow it.
Okay.
Okay.
That will teach me to get tangled
with a gunny sergeant.
But, Davey, he's right.
I mean, he is right when he says
it's different in time of war.
- Oh, so you're piping the same tune, huh?
- No, Davey.
But...
Well, I understand how you feel too.
You mean you'd rather
have me nice and cozy in that igloo...
...than out dodging bullets?
Yes, Davey, of course.
Well, okay, then, here goes one Marine
who's gonna die with his boots off.
So you must see that Sergeant o'Hearn
never did anything...
...against the Marine Corps
from beginning to end.
And everything he did
was for the good of the corps.
Please, Ms. Martin,
you're assuming we're incapable...
...of drawing our own conclusions.
I'm not, I'm not.
I'm only afraid you won't understand.
Can't you see
what a terrible thing it would be...
...to punish this man
when his life is the corps?
Why, he thinks when you go to heaven,
you end up in the halls of Montezuma.
Colonel Hickman,
may I suggest that the witness...
...has exhausted her value to this court?
I emphatically concur.
There being no dissent...
...unless the witness has any further facts
to establish, she's excused.
I've just got this to say, gentlemen.
And I'm gonna say it,
even though I know every word...
...will turn Sergeant o'Hearn against me,
maybe forever.
But I can't help it.
I can't help telling you that Davey White
committed the crime of desertion.
And if he were here, he would be the one
on trial, not Sergeant o'Hearn.
I'm sorry, Jim, but I had to.
Any more witnesses?
- No, sir.
- No, sir.
The judge advocate will present
his closing argument.
There seems to be no doubt, gentlemen,
as to the guilt of one PFC David White.
But regardless what disposition
might be made of that matter...
...the fact is that this court-martial
has convened...
...to try Sergeant James o'Hearn.
Therefore, I contend...
one moment, please.
Yes?
- Can I ask a question, sir?
- You may.
Can it happen as a result
of this court-martial...
...the name of David White
be stricken from the honor roll?
It's possible.
They could even put it on his record
that he was a deserter?
In the absence of evidence
to the contrary, yes.
Then I no longer stand mute.
You now wish to testify
in your own defense...
...is that it?
- If that's how you wanna put it.
The accused will take the stand
and be sworn in.
Raise your right hand.
You swear the evidence
you shall give before the court...
...shall be the truth and nothing
but the truth, so help you God?
- I do.
- Proceed with the witness.
What is it you wanna say, sergeant?
Well, first off, I wanna tell you why
I've been keeping my yap shut all this time.
David White is listed as over the hill,
which is how it should be.
And how it would've been
if Miss Martin hadn't shot her mouth off.
Now I gotta set the record straight...
...so everybody will know exactly
what kind of a Marine Davey White was.
I don't expect anybody to believe what
I'm gonna say because I got no proof...
...except what I saw with my own eyes.
But I'm gonna see to it
it gets on the record.
Sergeant o'Hearn, since your great friend,
David White, is listed as over the hill...
...would you mind telling the court
just exactly where he is right now?
- I'm coming to that, sir.
- The Navy Department...
...has been looking for him.
I wouldn't be surprised.
You don't imagine he's still on a wild spree
down in the South Seas?
I told you I was coming to that, mister.
I guess I better pick up from the time
I decided to swipe me that yacht.
Now, let me see.
That afternoon, Jimmylegs Donovan
and me, we did a little scouting.
And we ran across a couple
of interesting things...
...such as the crates they was unloading
on that yacht contained radar equipment.
- Radar?
- But how? Why?
It didn't take us long to find out
Captain van Dorck was no Dutchman.
He was a German under the Bismarck
Archipelago, a Kraut naval officer...
...going around setting up radar stations
for spotting planes.
And, brother, for a reason
that made plenty of sense.
- What is that?
- Guadalcanal.
Guadalcanal?
If you take a look at the map, you'll see it's
only about 200 nautical miles from Namou.
And naturally, when I found out the Marines
had landed on Guadalcanal...
...I figured that's where
Davey and me belong.
So I sort of swung into action a little.
With due regard for tact and diplomacy
and everything according to the manual.
First, we busted into
that stinking Portuguese dungeon...
... and liberated them Free Frenchies.
Most of them were too old
and sick to put to sea...
... but they sure were aching to throw
their hooks into that pig-faced Marchand.
It hit me all of a sudden
when we was going through that arsenal...
... that it would be a crying shame to leave
all that artillery, ammo and TNT behind...
... especially when we was expecting
to sail smack into a battle zone.
Only, what we didn't know
was the captain of them gendarmes...
... had got hep to us.
But what I didn't know
didn't hurt me none.
Not yet.
So I figured the next thing to do...
... was to start rounding me up a crew.
Wake up. Wake up.
Shut up.
You're taking an ocean trip with us.
Tell this dirty collaborator
in your own lingo.
If he wants to live, he's gonna run
the engines of that yacht for us.
Gentlemen, I think they must have
gotten wise to us.
After you, Alphonse.
But I'm happy to join you,
Sergeant o'Hearn. It's most important.
You see, I made a terrible mistake
10 years ago.
I embezzled a small sum
from the Seattle Bank and Trust.
Been afraid to go back ever since.
Smithy, we know we can count on you.
You can go back now with flags flying.
Flags flying?
Like the man without a country,
I've been saving this.
Sergeant.
Marchand.
Play it straight, Smithy.
Mr. Smith!
You'll have to talk English
if you want me to understand.
I don't know what is happening.
Alphonse has disappeared.
I was in his house when someone tapped
me on the shoulder. I turned my head...
That ought to fix him.
No more gin, I'm cracked.
Come on your feet,
you drunken crumb.
Aussie, it's me, o'Hearn.
Always yakking about
wanting your self-respect.
- Well, I wanna give you a chance.
- Self-respect?
Sweet Fanny Adams,
it's too late for that.
It's never too late.
But I'm wanted for murder in Brisbane.
You're going to war.
You're gonna fight for Australia.
- Australia?
- Not again.
Marchand.
Alphonse!
That rounded out the crew I needed.
The next thing was to go to the beach...
...and rendezvous with them Frenchies
who were bringing up the artillery.
Then I sent out scouts to reconnoiter.
Like it says in the manual...
...you move into action on the q.t.
Or you're up the creek.
Where was Captain van Dorck
all this time?
- That's exactly what I was wondering.
- So was I.
You know what?
He was tearing the island to pieces
looking for me.
Somehow he got it
into that dumb head of his...
...that if he could kill the ringleader,
meaning me...
...his troubles would be over.
So I suppose you just climbed
aboard that yacht...
...hoisted the blue peter
and set sail on the bounding main?
No, mister, you're wrong.
You see, I got it into my dumb head that
there was one guy missing in that crew.
And I wouldn't have thought of leaving
him behind for all the tea in China.
So naturally I held everything up...
...while I drifted over
to the wedding ceremony.
That knucklehead.
He'll be beating out
a different kind of jive before long.
What's keeping Father Gerard?
I told you, he's delayed
because he's delivering twins.
Twins? Why couldn't
they hold up the twins?
You men.
Chrie, the day will come
when he won't talk this way, eh?
My darlings, be happy.
Do not be sad, this is a wedding.
Gingersnap, what's getting into you?
This is our wedding night.
Yes. Yes, I know.
I was just thinking.
About that little rhubarb
I had with the sarge.
No, no, I...
oh, I'm sorry, Davey.
Believe me, there's nothing to worry about.
I'll try so hard to be a good wife.
Come on now.
It's better when you don't have to try.
When it comes natural.
Yes, I guess that's so.
At least they ain't tied
them nuptial knots yet.
- That Sergeant o'Hearn, is he here?
- Sergeant o?
Well, well,
if it ain't the captain of that yacht.
What do you want?
What has he done?
Don't hide him.
He was seen coming here.
You're barking at the wrong tree, Jojo.
This is the last place he'd come to.
- But what has he done?
- Who cares?
This is a wedding, not a horse opera.
Beat it, fish face.
Looks like we'll have to sail
without your pal, sarge.
That's what you think.
Sit down, my good friends.
On with the dance. Let joy be unrefined.
What's the matter with them?
Davey, you can't just sit there.
Even if you did have a fight with him,
he's in trouble.
I'll bet he fixed it for those jerks to go
running like chickens with their heads off...
...just so he can hijack that yacht.
- Do you think so?
- Sure, baby.
I'll bet right now,
he's sailing right into the blue Pacific.
- I hope so.
- Yes, sir.
At long last,
I've got that dirty crumb out of my hair.
And he thought
he could take me under his wing.
Davey, look.
What?
Look.
Why, that dirty,
filthy sneaking cockroach.
If he thinks
he's gonna bust up this wedding...
Lover boy, the bugle has blown.
Well, you just try
something cute around here.
Shut up or I'll put a bullet in you.
Try it. One of those guys
will put a bullet into you.
You weren't such a rat
as I thought you was.
And that's why I'm taking you with me.
Madam Duval,
I hate to break up this lovely shindig...
...but the bridegroom here
is booked for an ocean cruise.
Beat it, chop-chop, beat it.
Ocean cruise? You're still
talking about that trip to the moon?
You'll find out where this trip is to.
Take him in, chief.
Shove off, matey,
or you'll find a hunk of lead in your belly.
Shove off.
Stick around, Ginger.
I'll be seeing you and soon.
You are the most horrible, despicable...
Remember, baby,
I told you the bugle would blow.
But you didn't say you'd blow it.
Sorry, baby.
Madam, you are great.
Thanks for everything.
You are the greatest.
It's time for adieu.
For long time, no come see.
Be careful.
They will put holes in you like a cheese.
No.
Sergeant o'Hearn!
Sergeant o'Hearn!
Sarge, sarge.
- You all right, sarge?
- Fine.
- How about that yacht? Snag it?
- Easy as hanging out Maggie's drawers.
- They're loading on the ammunition.
- Good.
- Marchand?
- He poses in a Portuguese dungeon.
That's fine. Has anybody got a pencil?
Here.
- What about Davey White?
- Lost to the mast, sir.
That's great. We're gonna requisition a ship
in the name of the government.
And according to the manual,
we gotta leave a receipt.
"LoU one yacht."
Let's go, boys. Come on.
That's how the USS Montezuma was put
to sea with a full complement and crew.
We christened her the Montezuma...
... because she was the flagship
of the Navy of the U.S. Marines.
We didn't have no champagne
to bust over her bow...
... so we used a bottle of Van Dorck's
stinking hair tonic.
And my pal Davey.
He didn't have the slightest notion
where we were heading or why.
All he knew was he'd like to cut
my gizzard out and throw it to the sharks.
Yes, we had enough armament aboard
to make a little noise in an argument.
That crazy Aussie
was beginning to find...
... salt brine tasted
a little better than alcohol.
And that Jimmylegs...
... he was beginning to find out
navigating was a lot better than vegetating.
I guess everything in the engine room
was going well...
... for we was keeping up a fair head
of steam. Oh, yes, I forgot.
The little bank clerk from Seattle
was sure anxious to break out the colors.
But like it says in the manual:
"When you don't know what's around
the corner, don't blow your horn."
Yes, sir. That's how
the USS Montezuma put to sea...
... with a complement of 10 men aboard.
How's it look, Fitzroy?
All clear, sir.
How about it? Where are we?
Well, I haven't charted a course
for 20 years and I've forgotten me glasses.
Quit stalling. Where are we?
I dead reckon
we should be in the Pooking Straits.
Get that machine gun on the cabin
in case we have to fire in any direction.
I'll get you a tarp. Give him a hand.
Where did that Kraut hide those tarps?
- Well, for crying out loud.
- Ginger.
Get out. How did you get here?
How did you get onboard?
Madam Duval took me in a rowboat.
I climbed up while you were
loading the guns.
- That sure was bright.
- I couldn't help it. I just had to come.
Don't you know the islands around here
are crawling with Japs?
Don't fall for that malarkey, baby.
Our hero's bucking for another medal.
Let me tell you
two knuckleheads something.
While you were smooching,
I found out a few things:
Number one, there's an island ahead
called Guadalcanal. A Jap island.
Number two, the Marines have landed
and they're fighting on the beach.
Number three,
that's where we're heading.
- Oh, no.
- How do you know?
I spent two hours looking for Marchand's
radio before I found it in his latrine.
- No fooling?
- No fooling, lover boy.
Now you'll fight like a real leatherneck
fights or face a firing squad.
First we gotta get the Pink Lotus
up to Namou.
- I won't go back.
- You won't, huh?
You want your body shot full of holes?
I'll take my chances.
I can help out doing something.
As a nurse maybe.
- You're going back.
- He's right, baby.
I tell you I won't go back.
I don't care what happens to me.
I couldn't stay on that island alone
because...
Well, nothing means anything to me
unless I'm with the both of you.
The both of us?
What do you mean, the both of us?
- I don't know. It just slipped out.
- How can a thing like that slip out?
- I don't know.
- You told me you hate him.
I do, I do.
I hate him more than anybody else.
- Look what you did. You made her cry.
- I made her cry?
Why, you dumb ox.
- Who's a dumb ox?
- Stop it. I can't stand to see you two fight.
- Don't worry, I'll murder him.
- You don't understand.
It's me she means. She's just
in the process of swinging over.
Why, you...
Smile when you throw a punch, sucker.
It throws the other fellow off-guard.
Japs ahead. Nips, nips!
Sweet Fanny Adams, look at them.
- Holy cow. Look at them Jap barges.
- A whole landing force.
All set to move in on Guadalcanal.
Tonight maybe.
We can put a crimp into that idea.
Well, what are we waiting for?
I thought all you wanted to do
was to lay back and sniff the tropic breezes.
Okay, hero, but remember this:
I'm fighting my way out of this war,
not into it.
If we get out of this mess you got us into,
I'm heading right back for Namou.
Fitzroy, what kind of gunneries they got?
Small arms, machine guns
and a couple of trench mortars.
- Great, we got them outgunned.
- Sarge.
You're living in a dream world.
Take a squint at that.
What do you know?
Mama watching over her chicks.
We should have stayed in bed.
Ain't that a Jap destroyer?
She can sink us in one blast.
- But I'm wondering, why don't she do it?
- We're flying the Dutch flag.
They must think we're van Dorck.
- That's it, chief, you got it.
- Why don't we run for it?
Give ourselves away?
You, put on a life jacket and get below.
- Well, maybe I...
- You heard what I said, get.
Fitzroy, come on down. On the double.
Everybody undercover.
They got binoculars too.
Now, listen, you guys, we ain't
gonna get captured by no Japs, see?
Our only chance is to move in
and let them have it.
You don't think a tub like this
can sink a destroyer?
Her steering mechanism, you jerk.
Her gunnery control.
We gotta knock them out
before they get to us.
Everybody to their stations,
loosen them tarpaulins.
On the double.
Full speed ahead.
Marines ain't brave.
They're just plain nuts.
- Breaking out the recognition pendant.
- We'll have to answer them.
Uncover that.
We'll drop them our calling card.
Ready on the borders?
Paul, uncover the machine gun.
You guys wanna see daylight tomorrow,
don't miss that bridge.
Everybody ready?
Fire.
Come on, Fitzroy, load her up.
Keep firing.
Give it to them, Davey.
Right in the keister.
The guys didn't miss.
We knocked out their steering mechanism
and their intercom.
And we butchered their gunnery control.
It was like Jack Dempsey throwing punches,
only he's swinging wild.
Man, that gave you your chance.
Jettison your cargo and run.
- Yes, lay down a smoke screen.
- With what?
We were on the yacht, not the destroyer.
Besides, it wouldn't be long before
they'd be operating on manual control.
And who do you expect to believe that?
Anybody who isn't still
wet behind the ears.
Anybody who's ever been in battle.
Continue. What happened next?
Yes, what did you do
if you didn't run for it?
We swung the Montezuma around
and headed smack into them Jap barges.
- But why?
- Yes, why?
Because that was the safest place to be.
They wouldn't fire at their own men.
Only them Japs in the landing barges...
...they didn't exactly greet us
with cherry blossoms.
Ammo, more...
Come on, Smithy, more ammo.
Attaboy, Smithy.
The destroyer. She's closing in.
She's running us down.
She'll storm us in.
Get Ginger. Lower a lifeboat, quick.
Davey.
Well, that was the end of Davey.
The end of Davey, the Jap landing fleet...
...the USS Montezuma
and those guys onboard.
It's too bad their tickets had to come up.
But they died like men.
And then you abandoned ship?
Yeah.
That is, we found ourselves in the water,
me and Ginger.
Miss Martin.
I address the court.
The ultimate rescue of the accused
and Miss Martin by the USS Shark...
...is a matter of record.
That is all.
- Sergeant?
- Sir.
Can I say one thing more?
They are special kind of guy,
the Marines are.
So special that sometimes
they do things crazy.
Maybe it's the craziness
that makes them what they are.
So all I got to say is
the kind of Marine Davey White was...
...is the kind you shouldn't take off
the honor roll.
No, sir.
You should keep them right up there.
That's all, sir.
Provost sergeant
will return the prisoner to the brig.
The members of the court will withdraw
to deliberate the findings and the sentence.
The court is closed.
Would you like your pictures taken?
And smile pretty. Hold it.
There we are. That was wonderful.
Pictures will be ready
in about a half an hour.
Thank you very much.
You're a lucky boy.
Pictures?
- Would you boys like your pictures taken?
- No, thank you.
You're free.
Yeah.
I've been looking all over for you.
You've been looking for me?
Even after what I said about Davey?
That jarhead's been recommended
for the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Hold it, baby. You're not the kind of a gal
a guy gets mixed up with and walks out on.
But I am. I mean, I don't care.
Not anymore.
You mean you don't care
if I don't marry you?
All I want is you.
But what happens
when the bugle blows?
Well, then it's "for long time,
no come see," I guess.
Well, that's not fair.
How can you say that?
Listen, baby, I wanna marry you.
- Marry me?
- Yeah.
Oh, sarge.
All we need is a preacher and a motel.