Flight Command (1940) - full transcript

Final crash report from fighting 8,
sir.

They've searched
the whole area.

There's no trace
of Wilson's body.

Tell them to abandon search
and return to North Island.

Inform Mrs. Wilson.

Curly Wilson was
her whole life, sir.

Yes.

Yes, he was a fine flier.
Good shipmate.

There's a request
from Commander Gary

Of the fighting 8,
sir.

His Hellcats would
like to fly



directly after
service in chapel.

Pay tribute
to Wilson?

Yes, sir.

Permission granted.

Aye, aye, sir.

Hello, Bill.

Hello, Lorna.

Janet Wilson
get away all right?

Well, if putting her
on the train

means getting away
all right.

How about coming
home to dinner?

Sorry, darling.
I can't.

Oh, I didn't
cook it.

Well, that does make it
more attractive.



Say, I like that.

Ha ha ha!

I guess Janet is hit
pretty hard,

but she'll
come out of it ok.

She'll find somebody
to take Curly's place

one of these days.

I don't know
about that.

She loved him
very much.

Sure she did...

No more than
Curly loved her.

If she'd gone first,
Curly would have taken it standing up,

and if my number
had been Curly's,

You wouldn't have taken it the way she did...
Not you!

How right you are,
Mr. Gary.

I'd go skirting
around corners

Looking for another Commander to say
"I do."

Far be it from me to devote
my life to one selfish man.

Ha ha! Come on,
give me a kiss

and get yourself out of here.
I got work to do.

Oh, no, none
of your blarney.

Come on, now. You've
done enough work

For your country for one day,
and home you come.

Darling,
I have got to see the Admiral about filling Curly's place.

He's sending us a reserve from Pensacola.
Now, out you go!

All right, I go,
but under protest.

Don't be too late,
darling.

I won't.

I'll drop by and see
that brother of mine.

Toodle-oo.

Bye.

Old sailors never die

they just sail away...

Who's there?

Friend. Just your
little sister.

Hello, Yippy.

Hello, Jerry.
Working?

Just a few minutes
till dinnertime.

Oh, good evening,
Mrs. Gary.

Hello, Spike.

Oh, I'm going over
to the shop, sir,

to get another
resistor, but, uh...

I don't think
it will do any good.

You're such
an optimist, Spike.

Thank you, sir.

Can I watch?

Nope. Secret. Besides,
that guy you married

doesn't like women
hanging around the station

any more than he liked
giving me permission

to use the hangar
for my experiments.

Seems a good
place to me.

I know, but the Skipper
doesn't think so.

There are government
laboratories for experiments

and booby hatches
for inventors.

H-How is it coming?

What's
on your mind?

Janet Wilson?

Yes.

Why don't you
go on home?

Oh, that won't help.
Bill's busy,

and they're waiting
for me at home

All over the front
doorstep... The Willies.

Hmm. Nice people,
the Willies.

Uh, how's the fog landing
device coming along?

Pretty good...

as soon as I can get
this right-hand arrow

To hold
without deviation.

See, these arrows
are tuned

to a ground
transmitter

which sends out
radio impulses.

It's just like
having a track.

One brings you straight
down the runway,

and the other is sloping and
sets you down on the ground.

Landing in fog is simple...
if it works.

You just ride these
tracks down blind

by keeping
the arrows

Always on the
reference points.

It turns fog
into sunshi...

Hey.

Come on, Yippy.
Curly's doing all right.

They've issued him wings
that won't tear off.

Yes, but what
about Janet?

They were married
just 3 months ago, Jerry.

They were young,
terribly in love.

She'll never love anyone again.
She told me so.

She gave it all to him...
All the love in her soul.

Now life's over for her.

She'll have to go on
half living, waiting.

All right, Yippy,
let it go.

She's got him
to remember, Yippy.

I guess there are plenty of
girls that would give a lot

to have the memory of a
fella like Curly Wilson.

Yippy,
why don't you take this to Bill

and let him know
how you really feel?

Don't you think
this business

of trying to be
a courageous wife

is heading you
for trouble?

I'll call Bill.
He'll take you home.

No, no,
don't, don't.

He mustn't see me
like this.

He wouldn't think
much of me.

I wouldn't
blame him.

What do you think of me?

I think you ought to
be put in a bottle.

You're right.
Have you got a bottle?

Ha ha!

It sounds like some of your shipmates.
I'll go.

All right now?

All right, Jerry.
My nose red?

Red as a running light.

Well, serves me
right.

Night, Yippy.
Night.

Hey, Jerry,
you missed it.

Just had a session
with the Skipper.

Yeah? Why didn't you
give me a yell?

Come on in.
Get the bad news.

I don't know why you
weren't in on this.

What's wrong?
The Skipper tell you

to stop making faces,
Mugger?

No.
Plenty's wrong.

They're trying to hand us
a new aviation cadet.

Yeah, just sprouting
his first wings.

Graduates from
Pensacola tomorrow.

An aviation cadet?!
What are we, a nursery school?

That's what we told
the Skipper.

Do they call that
a fair deal?

Fair on who...
Us or the cadet?

Us and the cadet!

Now, wait a minute.

While the meeting
gets its wind back,

let's have a short interlude
for common sense.

With this new
national defense program,

the navy needs
lots of fliers.

Pensacola's turning out
good stuff.

Now, once it gets around
that the best cadets

will go straight
to the top fighting squadrons,

then we'll have the pick
of the colleges

climbing over one another
to enlist.

Yeah,
and climbing over everybody else at 400 miles an hour.

You're cockeyed.
These young reserves are good.

It isn't because he's
a reserve, Dusty.

We've got a lot of good reserves
in the squadron now.

Sure... Stitchy for one.
He admits he's good.

Don't you,
Mr. Payne?

Right.

Reserve or not,
the going's too hard on a cadet in this outfit.

We're getting
tough assignments...

the closest they can give us to
actual war conditions abroad...

and we're expected
to get top results.

Besides,
they've always let us pick our own men.

What becomes of that...
The deep-six?

Skipper says we'll still be
able to ask for our men.

This is
a special case.

Suppose this green apple
doesn't make the grade.

Did we ever keep anyone
who didn't make the grade?

I still say
we shouldn't take him!

I know a Lieutenant who
said no to an Admiral once.

Yeah? What happened?

He's still
a Lieutenant.

He's always going
to be a Lieutenant!

Well, there's your answer.
You wouldn't want to put

the Skipper in a spot
like that, would you?

No! We can't do that!

Well, I should
say not!

Well, what are we
going to do about it?

What?
Do about it?

Yeah!

Oh, that was
decided

an hour ago with
the Skipper.

It's all done.
We got him.

He arrives
tomorrow.

"It's all done.
We got him."

Then what are we
talking about?

We got to talk
about something.

Aw, if anybody ever tells any of you guys you make sense,
slug him!

Alan Drake.

Congratulations, Mr. Drake.
You've done well.

You're getting
a top assignment.

Have you ever heard
of fighting squadron 8?

The Hellcats?

Yes, but don't
let that throw you.

Remember, you're
representing Pensacola.

When we send a young man
to the fleet,

we're saying, "here's
a pilot for you.

"We've trained him,
and we vouch for him.

He's ready
for any service."

The future assignments
for a lot of young pilots

will depend on how well
you do with fighting 8.

You must
measure up, Drake.

Thank you, sir.
I'll give them all I've got.

Ensign Drake,
good luck.

Thank you, sir.

I'm a Hellcat,
I'm a swell cat

flying high,
da da, da da da

'cause I'm a Hellcat,
a swell cat

and that's
how Hellcats fly

Puts that outfit
to bed for tonight.

Wish this man Drake
was tucked in.

He's way overdue.
What's the weather in the mountains?

Hacumba... Thunderstorms and
rainsqualls in the mountains.

Drake must have
caught that.

Yes, I'm afraid so.
His radio couldn't get through that static.

He's either down
somewhere or lost.

North Island tower
from navy 5-4-2-9...

can you hear me?

Please answer!

Rolling in here fast.
If he came on through,

we've got to send him back.
Try and reach him.

Navy 5-4-2-9 from North
Island tower... Answer.

Navy 5-4-2-9 from North
Island tower... Answer.

Give me the airport at Imperial.
I'll wait.

Navy 5-4-2-9 from North
Island tower... Answer.

Naval air San Diego calling Imperial...
Request weather report.

North Island tower
calling navy 5-4-2-9.

Thanks. Send Drake
back to Yuma.

Fog's on the ground
at Imperial.

Can't raise him, sir.

Well, you got to raise him!
He can't land here!

North Island tower
from navy 5-4-2-9...

Can you hear me?

Answer!

North Island tower
from navy 5-4-2-9...

there he is.

North Island tower
calling navy 5-4-2-9...

We've been
sitting on tacks

for an hour. What's
your position?

That's what I'd
like to know.

Storm's
in the mountains.

Been cruising through fog
for a couple of hours

trying to find a hole.

My beam receiver
isn't working.

Unable to pick up
a directional beam.

Gas running low. I have
about 10 minutes left.

Well,
that won't take you back to Yuma!

Fog's on
the ground here.

There's no field
clear you can reach.

Keep talking.
We'll try and get a bearing on you.

Navy 5-4-2-9...

get a bearing
on navy 5-4-2-9.

Navy 5-4-2-9.
Testing.

Navy 5-4-2-9.
Testing.

Catch him?

Yes, sir, bearing
8-5 true, sir.

North Island tower
calling navy 5-4-2-9...

Come on in. Head west true.
We'll check on you.

If you're more than 40 miles away,
you're sitting on a mountain.

Telephone Commander Gary there's a
stray Hellcat loose in this fog.

He'd better get over here.
Aye, aye, sir.

What's up...
Drake in trouble?

Yes. I'm trying to bring him
over the field.

If I only had my gadget working,
we'd bring him

through that soup and set him
right down beside the hangars.

Maybe, but would he be
right side up?

Hey, pipe down,
you two.

There's
his motor now!

Bring your mike.

North Island tower
from navy 5-4-2-9...

I must be getting close,
but I can't see anything!

Can you hear
my motor?

Drake, we hear you.
You're approaching the field.

I'll spot you where your
plane won't crash anything.

You'll have to
bail out.

What?

Bail out?
Crash this brand-new plane?

but she's what
you dream about!

Cruises at 350, dives at 600.
I can't do that!

I'm coming in!

He's crazy!
Thinks he can get down through this.

Get the ambulance
and crash truck!

I think I see
the field lights.

He's too far east.
He'll hit the control tower!

Order him up out of there!
Pull up, Drake!

Drake,
this is squadron Commander fighting 8.

Don't try that
again!

Climb to 2,000,
fly due west one minute,

and when I tell you,
hit the silk!

Wind's to the west. You'll
drift in over the field.

If you're lucky.

I'm at 2,000
flying due west.

You're set,
Drake.

Bail out!

Good-bye, baby!

The wind shifted.

He's liable
to land in Mexico.

All hands out.
Have patrols cover

all the seaward areas
of the station.

Get the ambulance rolling.
Be sure they have a inhalator.

Aye, aye, sir.

Yes, please?

I wonder if I could come in
a minute and use your phone.

Excuse, please.

I don't want
to be excused.

I want to use
your phone.

Excuse, please!

Oh, now, wait a minute.
Wait a minute.

I'm a flier, see?
Aviator. Navy. Savvy?

Now, look...

me fly.

Parachute. Splash.
Underwater. Glug, glug.

Now want phone.

Ha ha!
Sorry for butting in like this,

but don't be
alarmed.

I'm from the naval air station.
Could I use your phone?

I'm not alarmed.
Did I hear you say you had to bail out?

Are you all right?

Yes, yes,
I'm all right.

A couple of minutes ago,
I wasn't so sure.

I thought I'd
landed in China!

Jung, get a towel,
will you?

Tough luck landing
in the ocean.

Ah,
it doesn't mean a thing in my outfit.

What is your outfit,
mister...

Drake... Alan Drake.

I'm one
of the Hellcats.

Oh, you're one
of the Hellcats?

Yeah.
You've heard of the Hellcats, haven't you?

Well...

indirectly.

Best outfit
in the fleet,

Best fliers,
best bunch of fellas.

Remember that
serum rescue flight

to Costa Rica a
couple of years ago?

That was Rhodes.
He's a Hellcat.

and our Skipper Bill
Gary... He's tops and tough.

He led
the Alaska flight

that brought the
Harrison expedition

safely through
last winter.

Maybe you've
met him,

Living near the air
station like this.

Yes. I seem to remember
meeting him somewhere.

Certainly heard
a lot about him.

They say he has
the sweetest wife.

Uh, wife?
Oh, yes.

Wait a minute.
I'll use that phone, if you don't mind.

I've got to report.
I can't stand around talking all night.

Not on my carpet.

Ha ha! Sorry.
I've kind of messed things up, haven't I?

Oh, never mind.

You'd better make your
phone call and start along.

Even Hellcats
catch pneumonia.

Operations.

This is ensign Drake,
sir, reporting for duty.

Suppose you know what happened.
I'm awfully sorry.

Are you all right?

Good. Relax, Bill.
It's the pride of Pensacola.

He's safe and sound and
sorry about the whole thing.

Tell him
to get in here.

It's about time
you piped up.

They've got patrols searching
all over the place.

What telephone wires
are you hanging from?

I'm in a house on the beach.
Landed in the ocean.

I wonder if you could send a car for me.
I'm pretty wet.

You're all wet.
We don't run a taxi service.

So walk, run, swim,
but get over here quick under your own power.

Everything
all right?

Oh, sure, sure.
Everything's all right.

They just want me to
get over there fast.

We don't waste any
time in our outfit.

I wonder if I could
call for a taxi.

Oh, a taxi would take 20 minutes.
I'll run you over.

Oh, no, thanks.
I've been enough of a nuisance already.

Jung, get the car, will you, please?
I'll get a coat.

Well, now, Mr. Drake,
if the Hellcats are so terribly good,

and I'm sure they are
from all you say...

They're great.

You must have had
a pretty high record

at Pensacola to come
right into them.

Well, I worked pretty hard.
Everybody works hard at Pensacola,

Keeping pace with
the defense program,

but you see, fighting 8
ask for their men.

Think of my luck getting
asked for by the Hellcats!

I'm sure you must
have rated it.

and all I'm sure of is
I'm knocking on wood.

Fresh out of Pensacola.
Ha ha!

I really don't know
much more

about the Hellcats
than you do,

but I'll learn,
all right, and quick.

Certainly.
Cadet yesterday, Commander next week.

Think you're kidding?

Not next week or next year,
but someday.

With a break like this,
a man ought to be shot if he doesn't go places.

Well, here's the first place,
Hellcat...

Naval air station,
North Island.

North Island.
The Hellcats.

Should I
pinch myself?

Well, thanks a lot.
You've been swell.

Say, I'd like to be
seeing you sometime.

We'll be seeing
each other.

Right now you'd better
jump in there and report.

Ha ha! Yeah.

Good night!

Hey, miss,
what's your name?

You've come to us with two things,
Mr. Drake...

a big buildup
and no experience...

and what happened
tonight

makes the first of those look
pretty sick and proves the second.

Just what was
your idea up there?

You heard the order
to bail out, didn't you?

Yes, sir,
but I thought I could bring her in.

How could you possibly
bring her in?

You couldn't see
the field lights.

You couldn't even see
your wingtips.

You thought.
Well, that's something...

because in this outfit
you've got to think...

mostly fast, but first
you've got to obey.

I know that, sir.
I just didn't want to crash that plane, that's all.

It's not a matter of what you want or don't want.
You had orders.

The navy can build a dozen planes for
every good pilot we can find to fly them.

You're no good
to us dead.

Does that make
any impression?

Yes, sir.

Good.
Glad to have you aboard, Drake.

Thank you, sir.

You're the junior pilot
around here,

and you're
under the gun,

so just obey orders
and fly the best you can

with your eyes open
and your mouth closed.

Aye, aye, sir.

You'll find a room
ready for you in B.O.Q.

I've had some dry
things laid out...

a pair of pajamas and
an outfit for tomorrow.

Now, I suggest you hit your bunk early
because you're in for a tough week.

We put you through it around here before
you take your place in squadron formation.

Yes, sir, thank you,
but I was wondering

If I couldn't meet some of
my new shipmates tonight.

We've heard a lot about
them at Pensacola.

Oh, I don't know why not.
You'll probably find some of them

in the officers' lounge.
Good night, Drake.

Good night, sir.

Oh, Drake.

If it will make you
sleep any better,

there isn't a man
in the fleet

who could have landed
that plane tonight.

Thank you, sir.

It will.

That's rubber.
Let's go to bed.

Say, I've just met him...
Pensacola!

He's going in to
report to the Skipper.

What's he like?

Oh, he's a well-put-up
sort of a fella.

Kind of handsome.
I'm sort of his hero.

Why? Did you make
a face for him?

So you're his hero.
You're the only one that counts.

Well, maybe the others
count, too,

but I sort of stand out
a bit in his mind.

I guess he'd like to meet
the rest of you.

Perhaps we ought to get into
full dress uniforms with swords.

Now, listen, that guy
just fell in the drink

in a parachute.
Give him a break.

We're not going to
do anything to him.

I just can't wait to meet a guy who
thinks he can sit down in soup.

Good evening.
My name's Drake.

I was hoping I'd find
somebody around.

Ha ha!
I'm sorry I messed things up getting in.

Hi, Pensacola.
I'm Banning.

How are you,
Banning?

This is Payne.
Hi.

Townsend.
Hi, Townsend.

and Bush.
How are you, Bush?

Martin you've met.
Yeah, sure.

Mr. Rhodes, our executive officer.
Dusty Rhodes?

All roads are Dusty to a sailor.
How are you?

Fine, thanks.

and Woodward,
Frost.

Frost, glad
to know you.

and the rest...
Pensacola.

Hi, Pensacola!

I guess I don't have to tell
you how glad I am to be aboard.

Are you?

Didn't seem so
an hour ago.

Why?

That landing
you tried.

Thought you were
tired of it all.

I think I could have let
down through that soup.

Well, let's hear it.
What could you see up there?

Jerry,
maybe you're wasting your time with that fog device.

Say, if you want to bring
anything in through fog,

just stick Pensacola in the cockpit.
He'll get it down.

Yeah, new kind
of a robot,

only this one
talks.

Now wait a minute.

After spotting the control tower,
the next approach would have been a cinch.

A cinch?
How come?

Yeah, tell us
about it.

Well, having spotted
the tower,

I swing around, climbing
until I'm on a reverse course,

and I hold that
for one minute.

Then I change course,
45 to the right,

and hold that
for 10 seconds.

Then I swing left until I'm
on my original heading.

Yeah,
and then what?

Well, then I'm heading
back to the tower,

and clear of it,
so I let down.

Then pretty soon,
there's a clear spot in the fog,

and I set down right
in the middle of it.

There's nothing
to it.

Wait a minute.
Where did the clear spot come from?

Did you bring it
with you?

Me? No!

The warmth of the Hellcats'
reception.

It burned right
through the fog.

Wait a minute.
I'm confused.

I thought we were
doing the ribbing.

Oh, Stitchy, did you
walk into that one.

Did I?
Looks like we bought something from Pensacola.

Let's hope when we get him up
on the target range,

he can shoot off a machine gun
as well as he can his face.

Let's go to bed.

Say, what's
Pensacola doing

out there
on the line?

He's got everything
on but his chute.

So, Dusty,
is Drake flying with us this morning

with only 5 days
shaking down?

Skipper will
decide that.

Relax, Freddy.

The Skipper isn't going
to send up a green man

when we're shooting
for a record score.

Say,
aren't we firing machine gun practice this morning?

We?

Don't I fly with the squadron today,
Mr. Rhodes?

Here, drink this.
You'll feel better.

It's up to
the Skipper,

and I'm afraid
you'll need

a little more time
shaking down.

Maybe, but I'd
sure like to know

what a guy has to do around here
to get out of the first grade.

Experience.
That's all you need, Pensacola.

Yeah,
you can't fly with the squadron without experience,

and you can't get
experience

without flying
with the squadron.

When you were practicing
carrier landings

out on the field
a couple of days ago,

you looked mighty cute with your
plane standing on its nose.

I cut when he signaled.
He was the landing officer.

Ain't what
Mr. Payne thought.

What say you,
Mr. Payne?

I say, pipe down,
nuisance.

When you've handled green pilots on carrier landings,
you can talk,

and when green pilots learn
how to make carrier landings,

they can talk.

That's swell.
That's fine.

First I can't shoot,
now I can't talk.

I'm sure glad
I came.

Look, Mr. Payne,
was it my fault or yours on that signal?

You look.

Will you forget you knocked
them all dead at Pensacola?

You're in the fleet now,
working on actual war problems.

It so happens, we're firing in competition
this morning for a record score.

A man a week out of Pensacola
isn't ready for my money,

and if I was the Skipper,
you wouldn't shoot today.

Well, that's one break for me.
You're not the Skipper.

All pilots, fighting 8,
man your planes.

Here we go.
Everybody out. Run along.

Captain Gary?

Yeah?

I was hoping I might be flying
with the squadron today.

I've had a good shaking down.
I'd like a chance to get my teeth into things.

Why, of course
you're flying.

This is squadron
competition.

Win or lose,
we do it with all hands in the air.

Thank you, sir.

You fly number two
in my section.

Good going,
Pensacola.

Let's crack
the record.

Oh, just a minute, sir.

Oh.

Uh-Uh. Oh-Oh.
There we are.

There's your target,
sir.

Just a fabric sleeve making a couple
hundred knots on the end of a line.

It ain't so hard to hit
once you get the knack of it.

Remember how it was
at Pensacola?

You got to lead it, sir.
You know, just like shooting ducks.

and don't worry
about your score.

Take it easy the first
time, I always say.

Your shipmates will carry you
the first practice or two.

Pretty good,
are they?

Good? They've never
been beaten.

You're going to see
some real shooting.

Maybe we'll all see
some shooting.

Maybe when that
sleeve gets back

you'll be able to cook
it for spaghetti.

Squadron, right echelon.

Drake, you cut that too close.

Watch yourself.

Plane two, aye, aye.

Drake, jump while you
still have altitude!

Bail out, Pensacola!
For pete's sake, bail out!

Plane two,
Drake in plane two.

Plane two, aye, aye.

Is your plane all right?
Any damage?

Everything's
all right, sir.

Fighting 8 from Commander fighting 8,
return to base.

Planes 2 and 3, remain in firing area.
Plane 2.

Plane two, aye, aye.

You hit that sleeve because
you made a bad approach.

Stay out here a half an hour
and simulate approaches.

Plane 3 will act
as escort.

Plane two, aye, aye.

Look, I messed that up good,
I know, but it won't happen again.

Uh-Huh.
You were ready, all right, Pensacola.

I said it won't
happen again.

That's right.
You said it.

It won't happen again.
We're through competition firing until next year.

You can't out-Talk
the scoreboard, kid.

You didn't have to do all the shooting,
did you?

We were up there,
too, you know.

Hasn't anybody in this outfit
ever made a mistake before?

Yeah, yeah.
Forget about it.

I did all right on the first run.
I hit that sleeve plenty.

Yeah, and on the second,
you mistook it for a nightshirt.

You realize you darn near
killed yourself?

It was our
mistake, not his.

We should have
figured out some way

to keep him
on the ground.

Maybe it was your mistake for
asking for me in the first place.

Wait a minute.

You ask for your men
in this outfit, don't you?

Mostly.

Well, then you asked
for me, didn't you?

What difference does it make
who asked for who?

Come on. Who's
going to chow?

I'm going.

I want to get
this straight.

Was I asked for in this outfit,
or wasn't I?

Tell me.
Was I asked for?

Well, Pensacola,

since you're
demanding...

no.

Well, I'll throw
the diamond in.

Oh, what's
the point in arguing?

Anybody that reads the
papers knows that McCallum

was the british flier who bombed
the bridges back of Dunkirk.

I don't question it.
I just say

Patterson,
his squadron Commander,

led the way.

3 bucks says McCallum went in first,
and I'll prove...

Why don't you cut out the argument?
You sound just like Pensacola.

Don't start knocking a man who
isn't here to defend himself.

and would he defend
himself?

The Hellcats aren't exactly purring over their new cadet,
are they?

Sure.
There's nothing wrong with Pensacola that time won't cure.

Really? and when will you gentlemen stop
wearing your hearts on a target sleeve?

Ouch.

Oh, thank you.

Hey,
what have I done to be promoted?

This is
Mr. Rhodes'.

Sorry, sir.

This is foggy french
and his lyrical lads

about to swing into an hour
of rhythmic melody

at that popular dancetorium,
the regency ballroom,

In the heart of Los Angeles.

We got a big, happy crowd tonight,
folks, a typical saturday night crowd.

Every girlfriend's got
a boyfriend...

Hey,
what are you turning out the lights for?

What is it around here,
bedtime?

Oh, no, thank you, sir.
Saturday night no bedtime.

Some take off uniform,
put on civilian suit, go out, see friends.

Pretty soon Mr. Drake have plenty fine friends, too.
Thank you.

Thank you.

Say,
Mr. Drake just remember he got fine friend.

Why, it's the Hellcat.

Remember me?

Of course.
Come in.

I wondered when you
were going to call.

Thanks. I would have
been around sooner,

only it hasn't been foggy
enough to find the house.

Dead reckoning's good enough for most pilots,
Mr. Drake.

Come along in. I'm so
glad to see you.

I was wondering,
if you weren't doing anything tonight,

maybe you'd like to put
on your dancing shoes

and come out
with me somewhere.

You want me to go
dancing with you?

Yeah.
You see, I don't know many people around here.

Don't know anyone,
really, so I thought

Maybe you'd be kind enough
to sort of show me the town.

That's awfully sweet
of you, Mr. Drake,

but I'm afraid you'll have to get an
authorization from Commander Gary first.

The Skipper? What's he
got to do with it?

You haven't even
learned my name.

You don't know
who I am, do you?

Things were happening kind of fast the other night,
weren't they?

With all that fog and me making
a mess out of your carpet

and you driving off
so fast.

What is your name?

Well, take a deep breath,
Hellcat. The name's Gary.

Did you say Gary?

Often described
as the Skipper's wife.

Oh, it all fits together
perfectly.

A new pilot always makes a duty call on
his squadron Commander and his wife.

So come on and join
the others.

That's very nice
of you, Mrs. Gary,

but I haven't
got any right

To come barging in on
your party like this.

Oh, this is no party.
It's just a houseful of Hellcats.

Hellcats?

Yes. This is sort of
their hangar, off duty.

Yours, too.
Anytime.

Whenever anyone in the squadron feels like it,
he just drops in.

I do appreciate
that, Mrs. Gary,

but this wasn't
really a duty call.

I'd rather make it
some other time.

Oh, you're not going to be
sensitive, are you,

because you tried to make off
with the Commander's lady?

No, no.
It's not that.

Whatever it is,
I wouldn't let it spoil your saturday evening.

I'm sorry.
I'd rather call some other time if you don't mind.

but you see,
I do mind.

and I'm surprised,
but not quite pleasantly.

Among the traditions
of the service, Mr. Drake,

is one prescribing certain
courtesies for junior officers.

I tell you,
it was Jim McCallum,

and I can't waste any more
of my time arguing.

Hi, Pensacola.
How are you?

Jerry, you're
not leaving?

I can't hang around here all
night wrangling with that ape.

I got work to do on the device.
Good night, Yippy.

Yeah, but wait.
Mr. Drake just dropped in to pay us a duty call.

Maybe he knows something
about it.

Do you know what british pilot
bombed 3 bridges back at Dunkirk,

making possible the
evacuation of 4 divisions?

Sure he does!

He reads every word of
aviation war news printed.

Who was it,
and was he alone?

All alone.
It was McCallum, the New Zealander.

Right!
I knew it was!

So did i!
You must come in and back us up!

Yep. I got to get this
argument settled tonight.

I got a new one to start
first thing in the morning.

Hey, Mugger, here's Pensacola,
the flying almanac,

and he says it was
McCallum alone.

Aye, aye, sir.

Evening,
Drake.

Hi, Pensacola.

Hiya, Pensacola.

Hiya, Pensacola.

Glad to see you, Drake.
Make yourself at home, won't you?

You'll find a drink
right there on the table.

Thank you, sir.

Now,
tell Martin is was McCallum without Patterson.

It was
McCallum what?

Bridges, Dunkirk.

Oh, yes. It was
James McCallum.

With his plane full
of bullet holes,

He got back to dover and crashed.
Broke a leg.

You're right. No doubt about it.
McCallum. New Zealand.

Then why say
it was Patterson?

Just to get you red in the face, Jerry.
That's all.

Saves turning
the heat on.

How are you,
Pensacola?

He's fine,

and for winning that small bet,
he gets a drink.

Miss Blaire, this is Mr. Blake,
our latest arrival.

Hi, Mr. Drake.

How do you do?

Miss turner,
Mr. Drake.

How do you do?
Miss turner.

Mrs. Frost.

How do you do?
How do you do?

This will open your eyes,
Pensacola. Hellcat special.

Thank you.

What's this?

Glad to see you
aboard, Drake.

Glad to be aboard, sir.

Junk! Stubborn,
blasted piece of junk!

Spike, get me an ax.

An ax, sir?

No, two axes.

We put a whole year into
that darned invention...

evenings, nights, sundays, holidays...
and it won't work!

So let's have one glorious 5 minutes
of riotous fun and bust it wide open.

Get two axes.

Seems kind of
a pity, sir.

After a man spent
a whole year

With something
that won't work,

he gets a kind of
respect for it.

Oh, how can a man
be as stupid as I am?

Ha ha ha!

Hey, Jerry,
things can't be as bad as all that.

The sun's shining, isn't it?
The birds are singing.

What's the use
of getting sore?

Look, Pensacola,
maybe the birds are shining for you.

You're a Hellcat,
full-fledged,

on the ground and in the air.
Great!

but will you take that
sickening smile away from here?

We're going to
have a wake.

Ah, come on, now. What's wrong?
Fog device won't work?

No, the fog device
won't work.

So just stand back, will you,
while I kick it to death.

Wait a minute.

Don't get all lathered up over
some little bug in the thing.

You don't want to smash it until
you've checked it all over.

Maybe you got a loose connection,
like in my headphones here.

Do you think
I'd take it up

for a final clear weather flight
test without checking it?

I've triple-checked,
and the direction needle still won't stay

on the reference line.
It's got the creeps all over the dial!

There just must be
something wrong.

Now, that's quite
a deduction.

The whole thing's wrong,
you dope!

It's so wrong,
I'm going to put it out of its misery.

Wait a minute.
Let me get in there and look it over.

Sounds like interference
on your frequency.

You can't just give this
whole thing the pitch now.

If it works,
it'll be a credit to the whole squadron.

Will you get out
of there?

but maybe I can fix it.

Fix it?
After I've worked a year, you're going to fix it?

What makes you think
you can fix it?

What do you know about
radio beam transmission?

When I was a kid,
I was always fooling around with radio.

Had a wildcat set
in the barn.

I was always butting in
on commercial stations.

I know a lot
about interference.

You certainly do!

I haven't bumped into
so much interference

since I played
against notre dame.

Say, wait.
Shut up a second.

No, no, no. Don't shut up.
Go on talking, babble.

Out of the mouth
of babes.

Come on, say
something, anything.

It doesn't have to
make sense.

Look, we're only 15 miles from the
mexican border, right?

That's perfect. Makes no sense at all.
12 miles. What of it?

Well, you've checked
everything else around here.

What if there were some
mexican kids fooling around

with amateur radio sets the way I used to do?
You know, sending signals,

butting in on the regular wave band,
setting up interference?

Shut up a minute!

What are you doing
with those axes?

You ordered
them, sir.

Drop them!

We're going to
tear out that panel!

Mr. Drake's double-Crossed
me and had an idea.

Stand by, Pensacola.
Roll up your sleeves and keep talking.

Flying is secured for the night,
sir, on account of the fog.

Old sailors never die,
never die, never die

old sailors never die

they just sail away

That you, Spike?

Yes.

Where's Mr. Drake?
Did you find him?

He went down to say good-bye to Captain Gary,
sir.

He must have started before the fog came in,
or he'd have been right here.

Jerry!

Pensacola, come on! Hurry!
Where have you been?

I've been over
at the Skipper's.

Lorna sent you a message.
She'd like to have you drop by before he leaves.

I'll have plenty
of time for that.

Standing by for a month
for a good pea-Soup fog,

and when we get it,
you're missing.

We'll have the whole test
done in half an hour.

Look at it!
It's a monk's prayer!

Wait a minute.
You're not going to fly in this goo.

Why not?
With this apparatus, it's clear as a bell out there.

Don't waste time
talking. Come on.

Look,
I know the clear weather test worked all right,

but why don't we try it in a
two-seater before risking this stuff?

Then I'll be at the rear
controls just in case.

I invented it for fog,
didn't I?

All right, I'm going
to fly it in fog!

Spike,
anybody around?

All clear, sir.

Let's go. and boy,
when we get through,

There's going to be a railroad track
running right down from the sky.

No more getting caught on
top with gas running low

and no place
to sit down.

This thing's
sort of got me.

When I think of what it means,
what it can do for aviation,

I get the shakes.

Let's make a last
check.

Perfect.
Shut her down.

You know what you're letting
yourself in for, don't you,

making this test
without authorization?

Listen,
I've got authorization for everything

but a test flight under
actual fog conditions.

No use even asking
for that.

They'd grab the equipment
right out of our hands,

turn it over to an experimental
laboratory for further shop tests,

and finally fly it with one
of their own pilots.

and there's nothing
in our blueprints

that calls for
anything like that.

You're just begging
for a court-Martial.

Who cares,
if it works?

All right,
you're the doctor.

Spike, open up!

Aye, aye!

Let's roll her out.

You warmed her up?

She's hot, sir.
Oil's 50, head's 150. She's ok.

Thank you.

Load the starter.

Well, good luck.
I wish I were going along.

Not tonight,
Pensacola.

This is our honeymoon.

I guess I don't
have to tell you,

you're the first person that
ever took this thing seriously.

You've been
a lot of help.

We wouldn't be taking off
if it weren't for you.

Ready, sir.

Here it goes.

What's that?

Some fool trying to take
off in this weather?

He made it, Spike.
He's up.

Come on, let's get this
out near the runway.

He's heading downwind.
He'll be turning in a minute.

He's still climbing.

Everything working
all right?

Yes, sir.
Have a look.

Is that one
of our planes?

It isn't
a hummingbird.

Who is it,
and what's he trying to do?

Lieutenant Banning, sir.

He's testing
a fog-landing device.

Why, he can't do that.
He might get killed.

Yeah, so might the Wright
brothers at Kitty Hawk.

Have the ambulance and the
crash trucks stand by.

Aye, aye, sir.

Stand by.
He's turning.

Stand by, Spike.
He's coming in.

That doesn't sound right
to me.

Look out!

Well, I hope he's not so sure of that
gadget that he left his chute at home.

He's got his chute, all right,
but he won't need it.

He's just lining things up.
I'm not worrying.

Well, I am.

Is that ouija board
putting it out all right?

Everything looks
all right here, sir.

Stand by, Spike.
He's turning.

He's heading back.

He's coming in too steep.

Is everything
working all right?

Yes, sir.

the direction needle.

Something wrong.

It's all yours,
Pensacola.

I didn't give it
a chance.

I didn't trust it.

It'll work.
You're going to lick it.

Where's Yippy?

Won't somebody please
get Yippy?

Hang on to yourself,
darling. Tight.

He's badly hurt.

He's...

the doctors don't
give him much chance.

Commander Gary,
report to scene of crash.

Commander Gary, report
to scene of crash.

Lorna...

I know. You've
got to go.

It's hit all around you, darling,
and you've shown the rest how to take it.

If it's your turn now when the flag's at half-mast,
keep it flying.

Yes, Bill.

Pensacola.

That's it?

Just now.

He didn't regain
consciousness.

Will it... will it help any to know
that his last thought was for you?

He kept asking for you in the ambulance.
He wanted to tell you something.

And then...
just at the end,

he said, "tell Yippy
everything's all right."

I only knew him 6 weeks,

but he was the best friend
I ever had.

He was my best
friend all my life.

Isn't there something
I can do?

Don't fight it.
I know how you feel.

Oh, god.

She works, Spike!
That's all she needed.

10 days too late.

Just a couple of condensers and 100
kilocycles change in frequency.

That's all that was needed to bring
Mr. Banning safely home that night.

Yep. You're right.

Come on.
Let's try her again.

Pensacola?

Yes, sir?

We're going over to Mrs. Gary's.
Would you like to come along?

Yeah, I certainly would,

but I didn't think she
was seeing anybody.

I was over there
yesterday with Bush,

and that's what the
China boy told us.

She's in bad shape,
Pensacola,

and with the Skipper away,
we've got to do something to help her out of it.

Right. I'll meet you
over there

as soon as we
get cleaned up.

What's that panel
in there?

I've rebuilt
Jerry's fog device.

He asked me
to go ahead with it.

Oh, he did, eh?

Skipper know
you're doing this?

Why, no, sir.
He's been away.

I wanted to have it
ready when he got back.

I think we've
got it licked.

I was kind of hoping that maybe he'd,
uh...

get you authorization
for a test?

Yes, sir.

The man's insane!

Better forget it,
Pensacola.

You, too, Knowles.

Aye, aye, sir.

Right, sir.

Be all right if I leave
the panel in place

for the Skipper's inspection
when he gets back?

Well, if you really think
you've got something.

but no test in any weather
without proper authority.

Aye, aye, sir.

See you at Lorna's.

Right.

This yours, Spike?

No, sir.

That must have belonged
to Mr. Banning, sir.

Do you want me
to turn it in?

No. I'll turn this in
myself.

Good evening, Jung.
Mrs. Gary home?

No, sir. Not home.

Oh. May I wait?

Lady not come home
for long time.

Well, I, uh...

i found something down at the hangar
I think she might like to have.

I have nothing much to do.
I don't mind waiting for an hour or so.

Please, mister,
no good wait.

Mrs. Gary
no see anybody.

Tell me something...

Is Mrs. Gary taking Mr.
Banning's death pretty hard?

Mister,
when Commander Gary coming back?

Soon?

I don't know.

Look, Jung,
how is Mrs. Gary?

Ever since
Mr. Banning dead,

Mrs. Gary no see
anybody.

No eat... no sleep...

sometime walk
on beach all night.

Hello, Mrs. Gary!

Good evening.

Well, you certainly picked a spot
for your evening stroll

that'll go down
in history.

I guess they'll just carve my
statue out of that rock over there

with a nice little
inscription underneath.

"At this spot,
Admiral Alan Drake

"crawled out of the ocean
to join the Hellcats,

his heart full of hope and
his mouth full of minnows."

Ha ha!
I spotted you through the window...

I left a message
that I was not at home.

Yes, but...

Didn't you get that
message, Mr. Drake?

Sure, I got it.

Look, Mrs. Gary,
I... I know it's none of my business,

but staying by yourself
isn't helping things any.

You've just got to see somebody
while the Skipper's away.

Otherwise,
the Willies will get you...

little brown men with
egg on their whiskers.

Look, I just bought
a new little jalopy.

$25 down and the rest
when they catch me.

How about taking a ride
with me tomorrow?

It'll bounce those Willies
right out of their whiskers.

Oh, leave me alone.

Please, can't you
leave me alone?

I'm sorry,
Mrs. Gary. I guess...

Well, it won't
happen again.

Oh, I...

I found this
in the hangar.

I thought perhaps
you'd like to have it.

What is it?

It was Jerry's.

"Me... Yippy."

Mrs. Gary,
I... I know I had no right to break in on you like this

with a lot of bad jokes,

but you and the Skipper have
been pretty swell to me...

my first friends
at North Island, and...

well, I don't think
I'll ever forget

How you helped me to become
a full-fledged Hellcat.

It isn't right that you
should take this all alone.

Pensacola?

I'm sorry.
Forgive me.

That isn't
necessary.

I guess I deserved
what I got.

No, please.
Try to understand.

I didn't mean to be rude.

That's all right.

I don't want you
to go away feeling hurt.

You needn't think
that, Mrs. Gary.

It was good of you
to bring me this.

I haven't forgotten your thoughtfulness
and kindness that night at the hospital.

I do appreciate it.

You're so much
like Jerry.

That's a pretty nice thing
to say about anybody.

Would you care to...
walk a little way?

Sure.

This trick has never been done
by anyone in his right mind.

Now watch.

Ha ha ha!

I've been training these spoons
until they're almost human.

They feed off my right forearm.
Look at that.

Ha ha ha!

Is anything wrong, sir?

Yeah. Your
spoons skid.

A customer eating his soup is
liable to have a nasty accident.

I'm sorry, sir.

That's all right.
Bring us two small brandies, will you?

Thank you, sir.

Can't understand it.
Never missed before.

What is it, Lorna?

Did I embarrass you,
spilling those spoons all over the place?

No.

Ah, come on now.

You were doing
a swell job.

I thought we'd
bounced those Willies

right out of business
this last week.

It isn't the Willies.
Would... Would you mind if we left now?

I'd like to go home.

Well, what's wrong,
Lorna?

Please... don't ask
any questions.

Just take me home.

What's wrong, honey?

Have you seen a
ghost or something?

What? Oh, no. No.
Nothing.

But you must have
seen something.

A couple of minutes ago,
you looked out that window,

and you turned
all white,

and ever since,
you haven't said a mumblin' word.

You just sit there,
smoking and frowning,

frowning and smoking.

Tell me what it was,
honey.

What did you see
out on that patio?

Not a thing.
I just thought I did.

Oh, I must have
been crazy.

Well, that's nothing to sulk about,
sugar.

All aviators
are kind of crazy.

Hey, take good care
of that one.

Don't anybody leave
more than a $10 tip.

Ha ha ha!

Hello, stranger!

But, Mugger!

Evening, Mrs. G!

Well, hello, Lorna.

How are you?

Oh, we're fine.
We're always fine.

How about you,
Lorna?

Oh,
I'm a long way from where I was two weeks ago.

Pensacola's been
a great help.

Hello,
Pensacola!

We're meeting Dusty here.
Have you seen him?

Dusty? No.

Look, why don't you two come on in and
sit down and have a drink with us?

Dusty would be glad to see
Lorna around again.

Sure. Would you
like to, Lorna?

Oh, we'd love to,
but another night.

I have an early appointment
in the morning. Do you mind?

Not a bit. It's great to see you
out looking so well, Lorna.

It sure is, lady.

Thank you. Good night.
My best to Dusty.

Good night.

Good night, fellas.

So long, Pensacola.

I'd still like to know
what's wrong...

what I've done
or what's happened.

You've done
nothing wrong.

You came on
an errand of mercy.

You've been an angel.
I'll never forget you.

Ha ha! Sounds like
a last farewell.

It is.

But I... I don't get it.

Are my jokes that bad?

Please don't ask me
to explain.

I'd rather not.

Good-bye, Pensacola.

Lorna?

Lorna?

Hello, Jung.

Glad to see you
home, sir.

Thank you.

Darling!
It's wonderful to be home again.

How are you?

Not too good,
I'm afraid.

Oh, I'm sorry.

I wondered why you weren't
over at the island to meet me.

They've sure got some fine new
equipment for us in Philadelphia.

There's a new plane there that'll
make these look like turtles.

She climbs like a...
Well, you just wait till you see it.

Bill...

I'm going away.

What?

Where?

East. Home.

Will you get me a reservation
on the plane today?

What brought this on?

Hey.

You haven't been taking things the tough way,
now have you?

I'm afraid I have.

Bill, I haven't been
quite honest with you.

I've tried awfully hard
to be everything you wanted,

but I can't pretend any longer.
I've got to tell you the truth.

Lorna, what are you
trying to say?

When I first met you...

that very first summer
we fell in love,

from knowing you and the
kind of man you are,

I realized there was only one kind
of woman you could care about...

a courageous woman,
because that's what a Skipper's wife must be.

Yes, of course.

No, please.
Let me say it.

Because I loved you,
and because I wanted very much to have you love me,

I tried to be
that kind of woman.

But I'm not, Bill.
I wish I could be, but I'm not.

There were times I prayed
you'd see through my pretense

and see me as I really am...
and love me anyway.

I thought surely the night Jerry died,
you'd understand.

I wanted you
to take me in your arms

and say, "darling, isn't there
something I can do?

I know it's killing you."

What did you do?

You took my arm, hard,
looked at me as though you were giving an order

and said, "steady.
Keep the flag flying."

You took me
for granted, Bill.

You didn't try hard enough to understand
what was happening to me inside.

Well, now you know.

The flag isn't flying.

Why didn't you tell me
you felt this way?

There was no need
to pretend.

Lorna, for the love
of heaven,

I love you
because you're you.

and now you've told me,
I still love you.

I just understand you
better, that's all.

Oh, why did I make this
a private fight?

Why did I keep it to myself?
Why didn't I tell you years ago?

But what difference
does it make?

It's all over now.
It doesn't matter.

There's no reason
to go away.

But it isn't as simple
as that, Bill.

I wish it were.

If I'd only known...

but it's too late now.

I've... I've changed.

Changed. How?

Well, I... I don't
exactly know.

Since Jerry died,
there's been this awful feeling of emptiness.

The thought of your return should have
been enough to fill it, but it wasn't.

And then something happened
last night,

just as suddenly
as you're hearing it now.

and that made me realize something
we had together is lost.

I've got to go away, Bill,
and try to find it again.

Well... if that's the way it is,
you couldn't stay

any more than I could
ask you to stay.

I want to find what I've lost, Bill.
I want to come back to you.

There's nothing I want
so much in the world.

Come back for one reason...
Because you love me.

Right?

Right.

Here comes the Skipper.
He's back!

Hello, Skipper.
Hello, Dusty.

Welcome back.

Howdy, Skipper.
We missed you.

Good trip,
Skipper?

Yeah.

How's Philadelphia?
Fine.

Good trip,
Skipper?

Not bad. Got some
fine new equipment.

Things go all right here?

Fine.
We've been doing some night flying from the carrier.

Last week,
we had joint exercises with the army off...

Is something wrong?
Off your feed or something?

Huh? No. No, no.

I'm all right.

Uh... what were you saying
about maneuvers?

Look, Bill,
you and I have been shipmates for a long time.

We've flown through some
tough spots together.

Now, something's
got you.

If I'm stepping onto the wrong side of the quarterdeck,
say so,

but I wish you'd
tell me what's wrong.

Lorna's gone away.

What?

For long, Bill?

Maybe for good.

I don't know.

But... that doesn't
make sense.

What happened?

I don't know.

Something
while I was away.

This is a tough
business, Dusty.

Maybe I've taken some
at home with me nights.

She's... she's
all mixed up.

Changed.

Well,
I guess you don't feel like talking shop now.

I'll run along.

Yeah?

Mr. Drake,
Lieutenant Commander Rhodes wish to see you in the lounge.

All right.
Thank you.

You wanted
to see me?

Drake, this isn't a very
pleasant piece of business...

about the touchiest most of us have
ever been through in the navy.

But we got to
have it out with you.

Have what out?

Go ahead.

Lorna Gary left
for the east today.

She did?

You didn't know that?

No.

You saw a lot of her
the past two weeks.

Yeah. Every day,
almost.

And almost
every evening.

She didn't see anyone
else around the station...

any of the wives who are her
friends here in the squadron.

I know she didn't.
What about it?

It wasn't a pleasure trip
Mrs. Gary took today.

We don't know when she's coming back.
We don't know that she is coming back.

Hey, what is this?
What are you getting at?

What have I got
to do with it?

Drake, I've cruised
with Bill Gary a good while.

I was best man
at his wedding.

I've never seen two people
happier than they were...

up to two weeks ago,

and I've never seen a man busted
up so badly as he is today.

Do you know why
Mrs. Gary left?

No, I don't
know why,

and I don't think it's
any of my business,

or any of yours.

Wait a minute!

Don't get on
your high horse.

Why shouldn't I?

You people suspecting me
of a thing like this.

We are suspecting you,
and we've got to find out one way or the other.

and if we're right,
you don't belong in Bill Gary's squadron.

and how does he feel about it?
The Skipper?

He doesn't know
anything about it,

and he's not
going to find out.

Nobody's going to know.
Get me?

No scandal.
Bill's taken enough.

Bill Gary's been my
Skipper as well as yours,

and he's been
my friend.

You're right.
He's never going to know...

and you don't have to
bother finding out

Whether your suspicions are right or wrong,
because I'm getting out.

I wouldn't fly with a
crowd who could suspect me

of a filthy trick like this if it
was the last squadron in the fleet!

You can have
my share!

You can take
the Hellcats and...

drown them
in the bay.

Well, what about it?
What do you all think?

I don't know.

Me, I don't
know, either.

He didn't deny it,
did he?

That's good enough
for me.

I'm not willing
to defend a man

who's not willing
to defend himself.

Well, maybe I know a little bit
more about this than anyone...

except Drake,

and I say I don't
want to see him

or speak to him or
fly with him again.

He's written
his own ticket.

All right.

Come in.

What's this?

It's my resignation,
sir.

I'm getting out
of the navy.

Getting out?

Why, Pensacola, when you checked in here,
you loved the navy.

You sat right there
in that chair one morning

and told me you'd sooner
fly with us than eat...

and you still would,
for my money.

Come on,
tear this thing up.

I have no intention of tearing it up,
sir.

Something's
really eating you.

Want to tell me?

Oh, none of my
business, eh?

All right,
no questions asked.

You've got the makings
of a great pilot, Drake.

The navy can use you,
and I still think you love the service.

There's a lot more to it than
you've learned here in these two weeks.

There's loyalty,
for one thing,

and loyalty isn't
a one-way street.

It goes both ways...

Down as well as up.

You fight like blazes
for the Skipper,

and the Skipper fights
like blazes for the men...

but we're all fighting for the same thing...
The navy...

which is, when the chips are down,
America's front line.

You get discouraged
sometimes, sure.

You get cold and wet...

and so tired you have nothing
to hang on with but your teeth.

You wonder why in the devil
you ever wanted wings,

but as you're circling the carrier
waiting for your turn to land,

and the flagship hoists the signal "well done,
fighting 8,"

It does something
to you inside.

Duty well done...

For a man, that's
the best in the book!

I've submitted my
resignation, sir.

Just what is
the matter, Drake?

Hellcats
too tough for you?

Ok, sir.
Let it go at that.

The department hasn't been approving
resignations for reserve ensigns.

However, if you insist...

I do, sir.

I'll forward it
to Washington...

but we've got
a movement order here...

extensive maneuvers off the coast,
probably several weeks.

You can't get away
before that.

That's a good
finish, sir.

Boy, am I
piling up hours.

I'm forgetting
how to walk.

I'm so tired
I can't see.

I've been wearing a chute
for so many hours,

my stern feels
like a waffle.

I'm glad these two weeks
are over.

They're getting
tougher and tougher.

We must be part of the
war and don't know it,

the way they're working us...
Day and night, day and night.

I don't know what you fellas are so tired about.
Look at me.

Very funny. Ha ha!

Hey, you birds
are tired.

Join the navy
and see the world...

through
a bomb sight.

This may not be war,
but it sure isn't heaven.

How's the java
holding out?

It's all right,
if you'll come and get it.

Combat flying
ain't so hot.

Keeps your stomach in a constant
state of astonishment.

Fighting 8, mechanics...
Start all engines.

Fighting 8, mechanics...
Start all engines.

Fighting 8... Aye, aye.

Did you hear
what I heard?

A seaplane is down somewhere
near the lower California coast.

No report for more
than two hours.

Her radio must be out
if she's still afloat,

and there's just one
hour till darkness.

Well, what are we
waiting for?

Here we go again!

Drake.

You only came
on these maneuvers

while waiting for your
resignation to be acted on.

The maneuvers are over now.
This is an extra trip.

You can stay on board.
You're all in.

You're all mixed up,
Skipper.

I'm resigning,
not quitting.

All pilots, fighting 8...
Man your planes.

Commander aircraft
from Commander fighting 8.

Fighting 8 calling,
sir.

Commander aircraft...
Aye, aye.

Go ahead,
fighting 8.

Fighting 8 took off
from carrier to search.

Flying east 1,000 feet.
Speed 300.

Form scouting line.
Report anything sighted.

Destroyer patrols
are in search area.

You are not
to attempt rescue.

Fighting 8... Aye, aye.

Fighting 8 from Commander,
fighting 8...

Form scouting line
by section.

Interval 3 miles.
Execute.

We'll make one more sweep.
Fly due west 5 miles.

Watch your gas.
Don't answer.

Baby, if that ain't
a welcome rumble!

Sounds like
a fighting squadron.

Lay you a cold beer
it's the Hellcats.

Make it a hot scotch,
and you've got a bet!

Ha ha!

Better fire a star.
They may pass us.

Only got one left.

Shoot the works.
We might not get another chance.

Skipper, I just saw

A veering star
to the southern.

Change course to south.
Fly at 500.

Keep close lookout for lights
or plane on water.

Report anything sighted.
Don't answer.

They're headed this way.
Light a flare!

Aye, aye, sir.

Commander aircraft from
Commander fighting 8.

Go ahead, fighting 8.

Dby-6 located.

North tangent
guadalupe island,

Bearing 5-0,
distance 3 miles.

Hull still watertight.
All on board safe.

Will reach reported
position in 15 minutes.

Destroyer will arrive
within an hour.

Carrier in heavy fog.

Fog enveloping
entire coast.

Proceed San Diego
without delay. Answer.

Fighting 8...
Aye, aye.

Proceeding
San Diego.

Planes in sight of me,
close up.

Others proceed
San Diego.

Fog shutting in.
Don't answer.

Disregard my movements.
Motor quit.

No planes
attempt to land.

Get started
for San Diego, Dusty.

There's no gas
to spare.

Plane 4... Aye, aye.

We'll start the minute
you're safely down.

Plane two...
Carry out orders.

No planes land.

Watch that beach,
Skipper.

It's a tough one to chute
downwind.

North Island tower
from fighting 8,

North Island tower
from fighting 8...

Squadron Commander forced down
at Guadalupe island.

Injured. Drake in plane two
landed safely.

Plane 4, Rhodes.

Plane 4... Aye, aye.
How badly is he hurt?

Bad head injury.
I can't do much with first aid.

Do you think
he could hold out

Until the destroyer
gets there with a doctor?

No. I'll have to
fly him back.

I'll pull out my radio
and take him aboard.

Well, step on it, then.

Fog reported rolling in
at San Diego fast.

Fog?
Tell the station

to break out
Spike Knowles

and get the
transmitter working...

Jerry's fog device!

I've got the receiving
panel here in my ship.

It's a chance,
but we may have to take it.

Ok. We'll wait
and go in with you.

Now, get this.

When I pull out this radio,
I can't do any more talking.

Right.

All planes,
take position on Drake.

He has
the landing device.

We'll go in with him.

North Island tower
from fighting 8,

North Island tower
from fighting 8...

We're bringing in
Bill Gary.

Please advise weather.

Wind northwest 10.
Heavy fog.

Visibility zero.
Ceiling zero.

12 planes fighting 8 landed
safely before fog shut down.

Have chief radioman Knowles
get landing device ready...

Banning's fog device.

We've got to get the Skipper
down somehow!

Aye, aye. Get a mike
with a long lead

so they can talk
from fighting 8's hangar.

Aye, aye!

Come on, Knowles.
You know more about this than any one of us.

For Pete's sakes, Spike,
get it working!

They must be
just about out of gas.

Worked all right last time we tried it,
sir,

but it sure has
conked out on us now.

Maybe there's a short somewhere.
Check your wiring.

Fighting 8, fighting 8...
We'll have it going in a minute.

How are you fixed
for gas?

In just a minute,
there won't be any gas.

Dusty, we're not
having much luck.

You may have to
bail out.

Bail out?
What about the Skipper?

Pensacola's got the Skipper.
He can't bail out!

Here you are, Spike.
Try these.

It's working!

We're going to let down
through it.

Keep closed up
on Pensacola.

Here they come.

Great job, Spike!
Wonderful!

You did it!
They're down!

Guess I better
get me an aspirin.

There's Lorna.

How is he?

How he pulled through the
operation last night is a miracle.

If he'd only regain
consciousness,

I'd give him
a fighting chance.

Lorna.

Bill.

You got my letter?

Yes.

You're not going to leave the navy,
Bill.

I will...

if it will
make you happy.

I'm happy.

You've
pulled through.

I'm home
beside you.

Do tears help?

He's made it.
He's going to pull through.

Pensacola.

While driving with Lorna
from the airport,

I found out
a few things

That made me plenty sick of
myself and what we've done.

I want to apologize for
myself and everyone here.

It's a little late
for apologies, isn't it?

Yeah. Pretty late
and pretty empty.

Maybe not too late.

Washington's turned
down your resignation.

We're going to be flying
together for a long time.

Perhaps we can
make it up to you.

I'll apply
for a transfer.

I wouldn't
blame you,

but I think we can
kill that transfer.

The way you handled
yourself through this thing

and kept
your mouth shut...

You're
a born Hellcat,

and we're going to
hang on to you.

Come on, Pensacola,
give in.

We need a fella like you.
Come on!

Ha ha!

Come on, Pensacola,
you can't leave us now!