Black Sheep Squadron (1976–1978): Season 2, Episode 6 - Ten'll Get You Five - full transcript
The island is visited by a number of politicians on a fact finding mission. The pilot flying them is a serious black market operator. And soon horse trading among the men gets out of hand.
That fellow, baby Rappaport,
you know who he is?
No, sir. Who is he?
One of the richest men in the world.
I'm glad to see you found the party.
I threw the party, and I didn't
see your name on the guest list.
Zeke!
[gunfire]
Greg, some of my girls are pretty young.
These civilians are pretty smooth.
What I'm gonna do, I'm
gonna buy out Boynton's share.
Rappaport propositioned one of my girls.
Please, don't let me
tell you something, son.
You're not gonna do it on my
island, you understand that?
Next, on The Black Sheep Squadron.
From the rocky coast of Maine
to the sunny beaches of California,
hundreds of thousands of young Americans
have answered this country's call to arms.
After a few short months
of intensive combat training,
these farm boys, miners, and clerks
are transformed into fighting men,
eager to join the ranks
of their countrymen and
carry the fight to the
enemy, wherever he may be.
And so they sail in mighty
armadas
from the shores of America to
the far-flung outposts of democracy,
to places that only a
short while ago were
merely exotic-sounding
names in geography books.
Names like Casablanca, Sydney, Pango Pango.
To raise and transport such an army halfway
around the world is a feat in itself,
supplying it has become
the largest logistical operation
in the history
of modern warfare.
Thousands of men and
women in the states,
on the islands of Hawaii, in
Australia, and New Zealand,
make up an unseen army dedicated
to keeping that supply line open.
Seeing that food,
ammunition, spare parts,
even that welcome letter from home,
reaches our boys wherever they may be.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of
these unsung heroes of supply,
it can be safely said that the
American fighting man
is the best equipped and maintained
soldier in the world today.
Black sheep leader, this
is A flight leader.
I got the same old problem again,
a miss, then a power surge.
You tried adjusting the mixture?
Yes sir, it's smoothed out,
but I'm running way too rich.
Well, don't stick your neck
on any further than you have to.
Roger.
To my mind, our Corsairs were
the best fighter planes ever built,
but there comes a time when
even the best gets tired and old.
We had reached that point.
In fact, we were so far past it, most of
our flying was on a wing and a prayer.
That's it, someone there had temps
hitting for the red. Y'all take care.
-You too, Casey.
-Save a beer for me.
And a nurse for me.
If you girls are through saying goodbye,
try hello. We got company. 12 o'clock high.
Holy cow, it's Zeke's!
That's what I like about you,
Bobby, always on the alert.
I said knock it off, Anderson, take A
flight and see if you can get above him.
The rest of you meatheads, follow me.
I got one on my tail.
Two on your right, TJ, on your right.
-I took a hit.
-I'm on him, I'm on him, Bragg.
-Pappy, I'm running low on fuel.
-Same here, Pappy.
Break it off.
Break it off. Let's go home.
There were two high points to our day.
Surviving the morning patrol at the slot.
And the afternoon arrival of the
transport from the ex-Predos Marcos.
No mail today. No mail.
Sergeant, you should have
some medical supplies in there.
Sorry, ma'am, but there's been weather in
Guadalcanal. No flights coming in or out.
Well, it's the third time this week.
Yeah, well, it's just as
bad everywhere else, sir.
Mail didn't arrive, huh?
Oh, what you got from me, Sonny?
Hi, Sergeant. I didn't see you down there.
You got my parts manifest?
Nuh-uh. There's nothing coming
through anywhere in the theater.
I mean, the supplies are backordered.
What about my engine oil?
The Navy's been handling that.
Didn't you get the word?
The two replacements.
At least you got the two replacements.
What two replacements?
You mean you got nothing?
I got something for you, Sarge.
Dog food.
Hey, Pappy.
No more seaweed for meatball.
Dog food? I ordered that over a year ago.
Hey, there, meatball.
Well, you're lucky. You know, you got some mail.
Nobody else got any mail.
Two years into the war, our supply
lines were starting to get a little ragged.
And since we couldn't always get
what we needed through channels,
we'd find other ways.
Hey, what did you do that for?
That is out of bounds. That's right.
What are you talking about?
That was completely legal.
The basketball net, for instance,
came off an aircraft carrier.
We traded a crate of rusty Japanese
machetes we'd found in the jungle for it.
The tennis shoes we
got from some Air Corps
flyboys who were fueled
on their way to Australia.
One pair of shoes for one
original Japanese arm band.
Well, as original as we
could make them anyway.
This horse trading or swapping
or whatever you wanted to call it became a way of
life on the island and everyone indulged in it.
You could get just about anything you
needed if you had the right connection.
The brass had a name
for this sort of thing.
They called it the black market
and said it was against regulations,
but we had another name for it.
We called it "Survival."
What'd you say?
Take a back! Oh.
Whoo!
Let's take a look at it!
Hey, Sergeant, I need some
transportation over here on the double.
Sergeant!
This'll just be a second.
Uh, uh, uh, watch your step.
What did you say the
name of this island was?
Uh, Vela La Cava.
Supposed to have one of the
loveliest natural lagoons in the world.
Hey, Sergeant, did you hear what I said?
I said I've got some very important VIPs
over here and I need some transportation.
You talking to me, boy?
You wouldn't have me
from the South, would you?
Yeah, I'm from Tennessee. Why?
Why, I happen to have Congressman
Lucius McIntosh over there.
We got a Senator McIntosh.
Why, that's his son.
Listen, come on over and meet him, okay?
That's old Lucius' boy? Yeah.
Well, what's he doing out here?
Uh, V.B., Lucius, I'd
like to meet Sergeant--
Andy Micklin from Tennessee.
How are you? Good to meet you, sir.
Oh, that's all right, Sergeant.
Oh, I'm sorry.
-Uh, think nothing of it.
-Tennessee, huh?
-Yes, sir.
Well, it's a small war, isn't it, Sergeant?
What you doing way out here?
Well, V.B.'s got a cousin in the hospital.
We thought we'd drop by and see him.
Oh, well, that's too bad.
I hope he's all right.
Hey, Richard, bring that Jeep over here.
Yes, Sergeant, coming.
You know, my daddy grew up with your daddy.
Well, that's great. He sure did.
Watch out. Look out.
Oh, that's great.
You keep up the good work, Sergeant.
Sure will.
Our way of taking this, Carlos.
Thank you.
Friends of his or what?
Come on, Jerry, Micklin
doesn't have any friends.
Looks like he does now.
Well, what do you know?
I met me a congressman from Tennessee.
Hey, Sarge, who are
your friends over there?
Since when did you start
loaning out our jeeps, Sarge?
Since when's that your Jeep, Sonny?
Ain't you got nothing better to do than stand
around here and ask me a bunch of questions?
We were just curious, that's all, Sarge.
I don't suppose you ever heard of
Congressman Lucius T. McIntosh?
Nah.
Well, his daddy's Senator McIntosh.
He grew up with my daddy.
He's a personal friend of mine.
I don't want you messing around
with that airplane over here.
Listen to me, college boy.
If I find one thumbprint on that
airplane, I'm gonna rip your nose off.
You're gonna look funny
walking around with no feet.
You know that? You ever seen
anybody walking around with no arms?
The Senate Armed Forces Committee.
That's his father, Lucius P. McTosh.
This is Lucius Jr.
And he's got a fellow with him named B.B.
Rappaport.
And they're over in my hospital passing
out cigarettes and cookies to the men.
Dottie, what's wrong with that?
And French perfume to the nurses?
And silk stockings?
Silk stockings?
Now, where would he get silk stockings?
Greg, some of my girls are pretty young.
These civilians are pretty smooth.
So why don't we just take a walk down
and talk to the sergeant that flew them in?
Carlos Harbinger. You ever heard of him?
No.
Nice perfume.
French?
You like it?
Larry, come here.
Watch out, TJ. Watch out.
Get in there, TJ.
Yeah, good luck, TJ.
Nice on! Nice one!
-Hey, which one of you guys is Larry Casey?
-That's Casey right there.
Larry Casey?
Casey, Carlos Harbinger, sir. Listen,
Listen, I was in your supply
shed a couple minutes ago,
and I noticed you got a
couple extra cases of Bibles.
Yeah, what about it?
Well, I know these missionaries
are New Caledonians,
and they can really use
those Bibles, so I was thinking
that if you had a couple extra cases, you could
lend them to me. Maybe we could work a trade.
Rebound! Rebound!
Maybe we can.
I've got some things on my plane.
Would you like to see them?
-Lead the way.
-Terrific.
Here you go.
An adding machine.
-Property of the United States Social Signal Corps.
-You like that, TJ?
And I've got a couple of dozen of these.
Oh, sunglasses!
I tell you how long I've waited for these.
Listen, what do you
say to two dozen of these
and the adding machine
for the two cases of Bibles?
We'll take them. Make the deal.
-We got a deal.
-Wait a minute. We better talk to Pappy first.
-Pappy?
-Oh, yeah, they might be stolen.
We don't make no deals around
here unless we talk to Pappy.
Hey listen, listen, guys, you can
call your mother for all I care.
But I think we should get one
thing straight. I don't steal anything.
I'm just a businessman.
So if you guys have anything
you want to get rid of, get it to me.
And I'm telling you, I might be able
to get you something for an exchange.
Like maybe some oil or something.
This kind of thing happens all the time.
Aten Hutt!
At ease, Sergeant.
Carlos Tompkins.
My pleasure.
Nice sunglasses, fellas.
Hey, Pappy. Hey, you like those?
Now sergeant, I understand that you're flying
civilians into a war zone. Is that right?
Oh, yes, sir.
Colonel Lard gave me some special orders.
Marlark flight was delayed.
Can I talk to you for a second?
Heard you've had some trouble in
getting some high-grade motor oil.
And I just wanted to alert you to the
fact that I have got some connections.
Zekes!
Hey, listen, Pappy, I've got a
couple of barrels on my plane.
I've got to warn you, though,
the price is a little steep.
But that's only because
it's so hard to come by.
Hey, listen, you interested?
Hey, this oil's Japanese.
-It's the finest in the world.
-How'd you get it?
I traded some scotch for it.
The Japanese don't drink scotch.
Yeah, but the Aussies do.
You see, the Aussies had
this Garrison in New Guinea.
They haven't been supplying
in a couple of months,
but what they do have is a lot of
that tin beef from New Zealand,
and the Japanese will do
just about anything for tin beef.
So they give their oil to this
German that I know in Malacca,
and I give this German civilian
the tin beef that I got from the
Aussies to give to the Japanese.
Did I go too fast for you?
I don't care how you figure it.
You're still doing business with the enemy.
Lieutenant, there is a war going on.
Now, if that oil weren't in your
airplane, where would it be?
In their airplane.
Right.
So what we're doing is using
their oil to help us win the war.
Now, what's wrong with that?
Nothing, I guess.
Gotta be something wrong with that.
On your marks, get set, go!
Come on, come on, come on!
Any of you ladies ever been to Trinidad?
No.
BB has a house there.
A house? Well, he has two hotels.
-Two hotels?
-At your disposal, ladies.
And a country estate.
We could have ourselves a real party there.
I sure wish we had his yacht here.
We could all take a
little moonlight cruise.
The cabin on that yacht's
got your name on it, honey.
Hey, I'd like you to meet BB Rappaport and
Congressman McIntosh. Major Greg Boynton, 214.
How are you, sir?
Murdered, Very nice, very nice.
I'm sorry, sir, I didn't get your name.
Rappaport. BB Rappaport.
Now, what are you
gentlemen doing in a front area
we're not used to having
civilians so close to Tokyo?
Well, it's a fact-finding mission.
Plus, a cousin of BB's
is in your hospital here.
Thought we'd drop by and cheer him up.
Wonderful little island
you got here, Major.
Too bad we had to have a war.
Well, I couldn't agree with you more, sir.
If there's anything I can do to
make your stay more enjoyable,
please feel free to call on me.
-Thank you, sir.
-Well, that's very nice. Very nice.
Girls.
-You know who BB Rappaport is?
-Who is BB Rappaport, Carlos?
BB Rappaport's family owns
the company that...
Greg, has this gentleman told you
how much he wants for that engine oil?
Two cases of scotch for one barrel of oil.
Boys, boys, that's the
price that I paid for it.
-But it isn't 15 years old, Carlos.
-Not exactly, but it was close.
I'll tell you what we're gonna do.
We will give you one case
of scotch for one barrel of oil.
-That sounds more like it to me.
-That's it.
-Let's drink to it.
Will we drink to it?
You boys drive a hard bargain.
I have to fly tomorrow.
Hey, look.
I said no. Why don't you just leave me alone?
Sweetheart.
Happy BB. Just relax now.
Hey, boys.
Boys, I'd like to propose
a toast,
to the finest bunch of pilots in
the Pacific, the Black Sheep.
It just so happens I have a
little proposition for you guys.
Sergeant, do you per chance
ever run out of propositions?
Not if I can help you.
Now, I'm here for a specific purpose.
I'm thinking of starting
on charter airline service,
and I could
use some good pilots.
You know, flying big rigs around,
trading runs, things like that.
Any of you guys interested?
Uh, yes, I'm interested.
I'd be interested in knowing something.
This war that's going on out here,
the one that you're attempting
to make a small profit off of...
Now, wait a minute.
Wait a minute, Lieutenant.
I don't make a profit off
the war. I deal in waste,
and I clean up after
other people's mistakes.
Like those Bibles, those Bibles.
Now, somebody sent this
unit two extra cases of Bibles.
Now, that is a waste.
But if I can get my hands on those Bibles
and get them to some
missionaries who can use them...
If I may reiterate, what
do you get out of it?
Lieutenant, what are you trying to say?
I think that is clear.
Lieutenant, this war is
going to be over someday.
Now, if you want to play Snow White
and be broke when it happens, be my guest.
I'm looking after myself.
But if I can find a good thing,
I like to share it, spread it
around. That way, everybody wins.
And that is why I'm interested in
starting this charter airline service.
-Any of you guys be interested?
-Keep talking.
Sure, we have several minutes.
Oh, you got a glass.
Go ahead and fill that up.
Hey, how you doing, Sarge?
This stuff don't feel right to me.
Is that because it's Japanese?
I don't know, but I'm saving
the old stuff just in case.
-Got a light?
-What?
Got a light?
Yeah, I got a light, Sarge.
You know, this damn war is
getting... crazy by the minute.
What are we doing using Japanese motor oil?
Hey, Pappy!
Yeah, Bob?
-That's the last of them, Sarge.
-Okay, put it to bed.
Something wrong, Bob?
Oh, no, no, not really.
I was just thinking, and I
wanted to ask you a question.
Do you know what you're
gonna do when the war's over?
Oh, you mean if we
don't get shot down first?
Yeah, preferably, yes.
No, I'll tell you the truth. Its a....
It's something I really
haven't thought about.
You?
Oh, yeah, I thought I knew I was
gonna go back and finish school, but...
right now that really doesn't
seem too exciting anymore.
You know what I think?
I think we ought to just...
live to see that day, huh?
Yepper.
I'll see you later.
Goodnight.
Greg, can I talk to you?
Well, Rapaport
propositioned one of my girls.
Offered her $100 to go
AWOL to Sydney with him.
Said he'd fix it later.
Well, he sounds like he's,
uh... sounds a little drunk to me.
Greg, this long-lost
cousin they came to visit,
he's never heard of Rapaport
or McIntosh or Carlos Harbinger.
Now, what are they doing here?
-You sure about the cousin?
-Yes.
All right.
Major, Major, take it easy. What's wrong?
I don't blame you for trying to impress a couple
of V.I.P.s, but let me tell you something, son.
You're not gonna do it on my island.
You understand that?
What do they try to do, sweet
talk a couple of the nurses?
There was nothing sweet about it.
I'm sorry, Major.
I'll fly 'em right back to Espritos.
It's a good idea. Let me
give you a little advice, son.
From now on, you stick to business.
This was business, Major.
Do you happen to know who B.B. Rapaport is?
-Out. Now. Get 'em out. Now. Get going, son.
-Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
All present and accounted for.
-Thank you, Major. Good night.
-You're welcome. Good night.
-What happened to the party?
-Partie's moving to another island, is all.
We're taking a little plane ride.
Oh, thanks for your hospitality, Major.
You're welcome.
Hey, let's go back.
I have one more. That's it.
Hey! We're flying tomorrow.
Forget it. I'm leaving.
Come on.
-Where? Where are you guys now?
-Come on Bragg. I'm beat you and I get it.
Oh.
Hey, uh, didn't anybody
get anywhere last night?
How about it? Somebody must have.
Are you kidding?
Dottie he locked up the hospital.
I wouldn't have made any
difference anyway, Don.
Hey, you want to know
where you can stick that, Larry?
I snuck in after lights out.
-Did you get in?
-Of course I got in.
So what happened?
I drank so much at the
party, I just passed out.
-I hope the enemy feels as bad as we do.
-Well, let's hope.
We got company, 10 o'clock high.
Casey, take A flight.
Roger. A flight, let's go.
Watch it. They're splitting up.
Hey, good shooting, Pappy.
Coming down, coming down.
Watch it, Bobby, you got one on your tail.
Boyle, break right. Break right on him.
TJ, up and to the right.
Roger.
Hey, Papi, my, uh,
oil temperature's rising.
When you find out for sure, TJ,
will you write me a letter about it?
Come on, I'm not kidding. I'm in the red.
-My pressure's going down.
-Check your cylinder head.
If it's above normal...
Damn it.
Anybody else got any temperature problem?
My oil pressure's low.
Hey same here, Pappy, that
oil must not be any good.
All of you guys, let's break out
of this fight and head for the deck.
All right, we're going home.
They're coming down after us.
They won't chase us far.
Full, rich mixtures.
And watch your gauges.
You feel your mill starting to seize up?
Climb to angels three and jump.
Jump!
[sighs]
Is it the oil?
Is it the oil? Of course it's the oil.
I knew I shouldn't have let you
put this goup in my airplane.
You're the one that puts it
in the airplane, Sergeant.
Who cares who put it in airplanes?
'Cuase I'm the one that's gotta stay up all night
checking these engines to make sure they run again.
Before you do that, put some of that old oil
you saved into my bird. I'm going to Espiritos.
-You gotta do that now?!
-Yeah, I gotta do it now!
I'm gonna take care of something
today I should have done last night.
All I could think about on the flight to
Espiritos was how Carlos and his making a buck
had damn near got his killed.
By the time I touched down,
I was as hot as my landing.
I heard there was a VIP party being thrown.
And wherever there was a
VIP party, I knew I'd find Carlos.
Waiter, can we have some drinks over here?
I'm sorry, I go on duty at 9800 hours.
Scotch.
Oh, General, General.
Try this, my private stock.
15 years old, sir.
Not bad.
Compliments of Carlos Harbinger, sir.
I'll just leave the bottle.
Thank you very much, Sergeant.
Major, listen, I'm really busy
right now catering this party.
Let's go somewhere where we can talk.
Major, I really like to, but
maybe I can get you a drink.
Look, I didn't want to
do this in public,
but if that's what you
prefer, it's all right with me.
You seem upset.
Upset? That's hardly the word for it.
Maybe I can get you
something for your nerves.
My squadron almost ended up in the drink
this morning because of that oil you sold us.
What's wrong with it?
I don't know. Maybe you
watered it down and sold it twice.
Hey, Major, Major, Major, look,
look, you don't want to hit me here.
Not in front of all these people.
It wouldn't look right.
Say, Greg, I thought it was you there.
Come on over here. I want you to try this.
15-year-old Scotch.
I know you'll appreciate it.
Yes, sir.
Oh, you've got to try this.
Did you say 15-year-old?
15 years old.
I wonder where that came from.
-Cheers.
-Betty Grable.
What a waste of time.
A man wants a drink he
ought to do it with his friends.
Stand around like toy soldiers.
B.B.'s got two hotels and a country estate.
At your disposal, honey.
Oh, excuse me, Congressman.
I see General Kenley
right over this way, sir.
Is that old Harry Kenley used
to play golf with my father?
Well, I wouldn't know that, sir.
It sure is. Come on, B.B.
Got your name on one of
those hotels, sweetheart.
You just wait there for me.
Now, Lucius, there's
somebody I'd like you to meet.
One of the best combat pilots
in this theater, Greg Boynton.
Greg? Lucius T. McIntosh. Congressman.
Never mind, Tom. The Major and
I have already had the pleasure.
I'm glad to see you found the party.
I threw the party,
and didn't your name on the guest list,
-but I'm pleasantly surprised.
-Thank you.
-Come on, B.B., let's say hi to old Harry.
-Mm.
You weren't on the list, Boynton.
Well, I invited him.
-He's not even dressed, sir.
-But I invited him.
Yes, sir.
Ah, that Zinks.
-How's your dad, by the way?
-Oh, he's fine. He's holding up great.
Meet my aide, Major Hogan.
-How are you, sir?
-Pleased to meet you, sir.
Listen, B.B., B.B., I want
you to meet General Kenley.
-This is B.B. Rappaport.
-Well, it's indeed a pleasure.
A real pleasure, sir.
General Kenley, sir, how are you?
What a pleasure to meet you.
That fellow, B.B.
Rappaport, you know who he is?
No, sir, who is he?
One of the richest men in the world.
One of the companies he owns just started
building the new model Corsair for us.
The first 20 prototypes were already
off the assembly line, and I wanted them.
But that other fellow, McIntosh,
his daddy's friends with
Admiral Taylor on Pearl.
His daddy is also a member of the
Senate Armed Services Committee.
Now, who do you think is going
to get those 20 new corsairs?
-Admiral Taylor?
-Mm-hmm.
Politics.
Here we are, getting kicked
out of the sky by the Japanese
because her equipment
is old and falling apart.
And 20 new airplanes
are going on display in Hawaii?
You know, it was all worked out in
advance, but it can't look like that.
Senator McIntosh sends his
son, the junior congressman,
on a tour of all the theaters in
the Pacific just to make it look right!
You know, Greg, somewhere
out there there's a war going on.
Yes, sir, I know that. I was...
I was in it this morning.
Boys are dying on both sides by decisions
made by old fools at cocktail parties.
Boy, sometimes it makes me sick.
But sir,
how much longer the junior congressman and
his friend going to be in the Solomon's?
Oh, I've got four or five days of it.
Well, thank you for the drinks. Thank you.
Are you leaving?
That's why I'm leaving.
Major, look, an officer can get in a
lot of trouble hitting an enlisted man.
You really ought to reconsider.
I swear to you, I didn't
know anything about that oil.
I didn't know anything about that oil. Just...
Just give me a chance to make it up to you.
Give me a chance to explain, okay?
I'll give you the chance.
-You will?
-Sure, I wasn't angry with you.
I'm gonna be honest.
I wanted to take your head off.
I apologize, Carlos.
You do?
It wasn't your fault, Carlos.
No, it wasn't my fault.
Carlos, look, I want to talk to you, but
I know you're busy with these civilians.
I want to tell you one thing.
I like your style.
I like the way you throw a party.
Thank you.
After these civilians leave,
I want you to come over
and talk to me about a
project I've been working on.
What project?
Well, we don't have to go into that now.
But let me ask you a question.
Do you think it's possible to fly in
maybe 60, 80 pounds of steak,
50 cases of beer, 20 cases of scotch, three or
four times a week from New Zealand?
Three, three or four times a week?
Yeah, three or four times,
you know, if it's possible.
Well, sure, anything's possible.
That's what I want you to think about,
because if you can do it, son, I can use it.
Okay, well, let me check into it for you.
No,no rush, you know,
next week, whenever you have the time.
And Carlos, I was a little rough on you.
I'm sorry about that.
Oh, Major, Major, there's
no problem about that.
Major, every three or four days?
Three or four times a week, yeah.
60 pounds.
You let him go?
That's right, French.
-Pappy, we almost got killed because of him.
-More than that.
Hey, don't you think it would have been appropriate
to maybe say, talk to Carlos about that?
Maybe even rough him up a little.
Rough him up? I would have killed him.
What about the scotch we traded
in for that worthless Japanese oil?
The least he ought to have
to do is pay us back double.
Plus, get us some decent oil.
That's what's wrong with you
guys. You don't ever think ahead.
Get even. Get even,
it's all you ever think about.
-Well, what's wrong with getting even?
-Because that's all you get, Boyle, is even.
Zeke's! Zeke's, ten o'clock low!
Casey, stay high with the A-flight.
Rest of you guys, on me. Let's go.
I didn't like fighting fresh
zeroes with tired Corsairs,
but I preferred it to
fighting the black sheep.
I had a plan working, and if all went well,
it would suit me flying 20 new airplanes.
For two days we sweated it out,
but on the third day I flamed a Zeke,
and I knew our luck had changed.
I had a feeling Carlos
was on his way to La Cava.
You see, one con artist
can always spot another.
So I knew Carlos would be
interested in the questions I'd asked him,
and wouldn't wait forever
to find out what I was up to.
I figured he'd show up in Vela
La Cava within the next few days.
And he'd come while we
were on our morning patrols,
so he'd have a
chance to snoop around.
Richards!
Yes, Sarge?
I want every drop of
that oil checked
before it goes into my
airplane, do you hear me?
You got it, Sarge.
Well?
The Sergeant wants
all this oil checked out.
Check it out.
Hey, Pappy, come on.
We can break this off now. Please.
Okay, meatheads, let's pack it in
while we still have something to fly.
Hey.
Nice dog, nice dog.
Ah, you mutt.
Oh.
As we broke over the
runway at La Cava,
there was the duck, and I knew Carlos was swalowing
in the bait hook line and aisle de soleil.
Aile de soleil.
Bingo.
We'd been rehearsing
for three days in the air.
If we weren't ready to pull a con
on Carlos now, we never would be.
Hey, good morning, boys. How you doing?
-What are you doing with my drawings?
-What the hell is all of this, Sergeant?
Look, fellas, I was just
looking things over, that's all.
You going through our stuff, Sergeant?
Hey, fellas, did you see the new oil I
brought you? I mean, everything's okay right?
You want to take him away? Can I get it?
-Hey hey hey, Whats going on here?
-This man's been spying on us.
Hey, look, the major invited me.
Hey, I don't care. I don't like you
snooping around here,
and I don't like the fact that we almost
died up there because of you.
Now, where were we?
Now, hold it, hold it.
He knows about aisle de soleil.
That's all right.
Greg was going to tell him about it anyway.
That's right. Do you mind? Do you mind?
-Excuse us.
-Lieutenant.
-Take care.
-Come over here with me, Sergeant.
You don't mind if I
call you Carlos, do you?
No.
Carlos, I tell you, you really
shouldn't be snooping around this place
to see guys that
get upset, you know?
Yeah, you're lucky we got here when we did.
Hey, what the hell is, the problem with
you, that was an honest mistake.
Hey, Meatball, how you doing?
Look, that's why I replaced it. I'm not
even sure those guys were hot at me.
Those guys?
Those guys are animals.
Don't worry about them.
I think you're okay.
I did from the very beginning, didn't I?
Yes, sir.
Oh, and hey, about that oil.
Thank you very much. We appreciate that.
Hey, as far as I'm concerned, you
were the perfect guy for this operation.
I'm glad you saw the
drawings and everything else.
Come over here and
have a beer with them, huh?
Hey, what did you think
about the drawings, huh?
-You really want to know?
-Yeah.
Look, you guys got the right
idea, but... Look at this. Look at that.
You're going about it the wrong way.
You guys are way over your head.
Let me explain something to you.
It takes time and money to
develop an operation of this size.
You got the capital to
start construction tomorrow?
Where's your money going to come?
Your cash flowing till you're open?
How much you got budgeted
for advertising, hmm?
Well we were gonna start
small and work up to that.
Ah, start small is right and go broke.
Or wait two years for a
turn in your investment.
But what if, heaven forbid, one
of you gets shot down next week?
Or the whole lot of you
is shipped out to Pearl.
You poor guys have put
everything you have into this
and end up selling out
for a song to some smart investor with the money
to back himself up and he'll get rich off it.
-I think I've heard just about enough of this drivel.
-So have I.
Oh, get to the point, Carlos.
What have you got invested in this so far?
Not much, just what
Pappy paid for the island.
I can package the whole thing for you.
I'll get you back the original investment
plus a small profit right away and...
five percent of it.
We can be open for business in a month.
We can be in the black in three.
Excuse me, Carlos, but where are you going
to come up with all this here capital?
B.B. Rappaport's been thinking
about investing in this area
because it is
a natural link with Japan.
And Japan is going to come out
of this war with an industrial base.
Are you kidding? We're going to
bomb them back to the Stone Age.
Read your history.
The losers, they just don't
come out that bad anymore.
No.
Carlos.
I think you've got the wrong idea.
We're not selling out,
and we've got sources of capital. I was going to
cut you in on the supply end of it and that's it.
Wait a minute, I think this guy might
be right. This guy Rappaport's loaded.
The answer's no, T.J.
There's a fortune to be made there.
Now, do you want to give it up?
-What if he is right, Greg? What if we do get transferred, shot down?
-I said no.
No.
And the beauty of it is,
this island is five hours flying time closer to
Guadalcanal and Espíritos Marcos.
That's ten hours round trip.
And that means an awful lot to
a serviceman on a 36-hour lead.
10 more hours with
the girls, right, soldier?
That's right, sir.
B.B., look at this. Look at this.
I looked up the figures.
Five thousand men and women take
their leave in this theater every week.
And I guarantee you, if we work it right,
they'll all be going to the Aisle du Soleil.
Well, Major, I got the handed to you. It
looks like you found yourself a little gem.
Thank you. That's right.
-Let's go take a look at it, Carlos.
-Uh, sir, can you get the maps for me?
Sure. Get the maps for me.
I'll get his maps.
There's no room in an
operation of this size for amateurs.
What I'm gonna do, I'm
gonna buy up Boyington's share.
Bought his cut of the take after expenses.
Give him a free room in
the hotel any time he wants.
B.B., I don't think that's gonna be enough.
- Ladies and gentlemen.
- Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
- Watch your step, sir.
- Watch your step, sir.
So far, the plan was working.
We were taking off for
an island that didn't exist.
Right down there is the
perfect place for the Marina.
The banners on the beach,
beautiful native girls, tropical sunsets.
Casey.
Casey, I saw a sheltered lagoon down there.
Set it down so we can take a closer look.
I wouldn't recommend that.
Why not?
The mosquitoes are all
over the place down there.
We pour oil on the breeding
grounds when we take an island.
It's the only thing out of control.
Excuse I. Well, I've seen enough.
Let's get on back to dry land.
Let's talk ourselves over
a deal with the major, huh?
No deal.
I found that island.
I developed the plans.
It's my project.
Yes, sir.
Sorry. No deal.
What does he want?
I've given him a profit. A lifetime
membership to the beach club.
Dawkin rights, everything a man can...
BB, I just don't know. He's not like us.
He's not a businessman.
Of course he's not a businessman.
He's a fighter pilot.
-Well, you're a fighter pilot, son.
-Well, yes, sir.
Boy...Lemme ask you a question.
How would you like to
have a new airplane to fly?
Why, sir?
A new airplane for every man in the squadron.
Now, what do you think of that?
You... could get us brand-new corsairs.
And I'll throw that on top of your sell.
Twenty brand-new corsairs, but, uh...
I want an answer right
now or this whole deal is off.
Yes, sir.
Greg, I can't wait for it.
No.
Greg, come on.
-We could get rich.
-We could get killed.
Greg, please.
You're a hard man to
do business with, Major.
Pretty hard man yourself, BB.
You'll have the airplanes
by the end of the week.
You know, I promised those planes
to Lucius for some admiral at Pearl.
But I'm gonna have to
cut him in on this deal
to kind of make up for
taking him away from him.
Well, whatever's right, BB.
Whatever's right.
-Pleasure doing business with you, Major.
-Pleasure.
Take off, Carlos!
Five days later, the new corsairs arrived, and the black
sheep were as happy as kids on a Christmas morning.
I'm gonna cover my wing.
I'm really gonna deck you.
Come on, get off of it.
The first morning patrol on the
new birds surprised the Japanese.
There were no overheated engines.
There were no problems
with the pressure gauges.
And there were no excuses for not
knocking the hell out of the enemy.
So we did.
The score that morning was
black sheep six, zeros nothing.
And we owed it all to Carlos and BB,
who, by the way, had a very angry
junior congressman to deal with.
We heard they took him out to show
him their new island, and couldn't find it.
I don't see any island, BB.
Where is that damn island, Carlos?
I don't know. It should be down there.
It's down there, Lucius. I saw it.
Sure, BB, sure.
I tell you, it's down there.
I bought it.
Boyington.
Which was probably a good thing,
since the Japanese had occupied it the day
after Casey showed it to BB and Carlos.
Rappaport must have eventually
realized it'd been tricked.
But he never came back
to say anything about it.
I guess he was too busy making
a fortune building new corsairs.
We heard Lucius T. McIntosh Jr.
got defeated in the next election.
And Carlos, well, he got busted
to corporal for all his troubles.
As for the black sheep, our new corsairs
helped keep us alive a little longer.
And that Japanese motor oil
worked just fine in our jeeps.
you know who he is?
No, sir. Who is he?
One of the richest men in the world.
I'm glad to see you found the party.
I threw the party, and I didn't
see your name on the guest list.
Zeke!
[gunfire]
Greg, some of my girls are pretty young.
These civilians are pretty smooth.
What I'm gonna do, I'm
gonna buy out Boynton's share.
Rappaport propositioned one of my girls.
Please, don't let me
tell you something, son.
You're not gonna do it on my
island, you understand that?
Next, on The Black Sheep Squadron.
From the rocky coast of Maine
to the sunny beaches of California,
hundreds of thousands of young Americans
have answered this country's call to arms.
After a few short months
of intensive combat training,
these farm boys, miners, and clerks
are transformed into fighting men,
eager to join the ranks
of their countrymen and
carry the fight to the
enemy, wherever he may be.
And so they sail in mighty
armadas
from the shores of America to
the far-flung outposts of democracy,
to places that only a
short while ago were
merely exotic-sounding
names in geography books.
Names like Casablanca, Sydney, Pango Pango.
To raise and transport such an army halfway
around the world is a feat in itself,
supplying it has become
the largest logistical operation
in the history
of modern warfare.
Thousands of men and
women in the states,
on the islands of Hawaii, in
Australia, and New Zealand,
make up an unseen army dedicated
to keeping that supply line open.
Seeing that food,
ammunition, spare parts,
even that welcome letter from home,
reaches our boys wherever they may be.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of
these unsung heroes of supply,
it can be safely said that the
American fighting man
is the best equipped and maintained
soldier in the world today.
Black sheep leader, this
is A flight leader.
I got the same old problem again,
a miss, then a power surge.
You tried adjusting the mixture?
Yes sir, it's smoothed out,
but I'm running way too rich.
Well, don't stick your neck
on any further than you have to.
Roger.
To my mind, our Corsairs were
the best fighter planes ever built,
but there comes a time when
even the best gets tired and old.
We had reached that point.
In fact, we were so far past it, most of
our flying was on a wing and a prayer.
That's it, someone there had temps
hitting for the red. Y'all take care.
-You too, Casey.
-Save a beer for me.
And a nurse for me.
If you girls are through saying goodbye,
try hello. We got company. 12 o'clock high.
Holy cow, it's Zeke's!
That's what I like about you,
Bobby, always on the alert.
I said knock it off, Anderson, take A
flight and see if you can get above him.
The rest of you meatheads, follow me.
I got one on my tail.
Two on your right, TJ, on your right.
-I took a hit.
-I'm on him, I'm on him, Bragg.
-Pappy, I'm running low on fuel.
-Same here, Pappy.
Break it off.
Break it off. Let's go home.
There were two high points to our day.
Surviving the morning patrol at the slot.
And the afternoon arrival of the
transport from the ex-Predos Marcos.
No mail today. No mail.
Sergeant, you should have
some medical supplies in there.
Sorry, ma'am, but there's been weather in
Guadalcanal. No flights coming in or out.
Well, it's the third time this week.
Yeah, well, it's just as
bad everywhere else, sir.
Mail didn't arrive, huh?
Oh, what you got from me, Sonny?
Hi, Sergeant. I didn't see you down there.
You got my parts manifest?
Nuh-uh. There's nothing coming
through anywhere in the theater.
I mean, the supplies are backordered.
What about my engine oil?
The Navy's been handling that.
Didn't you get the word?
The two replacements.
At least you got the two replacements.
What two replacements?
You mean you got nothing?
I got something for you, Sarge.
Dog food.
Hey, Pappy.
No more seaweed for meatball.
Dog food? I ordered that over a year ago.
Hey, there, meatball.
Well, you're lucky. You know, you got some mail.
Nobody else got any mail.
Two years into the war, our supply
lines were starting to get a little ragged.
And since we couldn't always get
what we needed through channels,
we'd find other ways.
Hey, what did you do that for?
That is out of bounds. That's right.
What are you talking about?
That was completely legal.
The basketball net, for instance,
came off an aircraft carrier.
We traded a crate of rusty Japanese
machetes we'd found in the jungle for it.
The tennis shoes we
got from some Air Corps
flyboys who were fueled
on their way to Australia.
One pair of shoes for one
original Japanese arm band.
Well, as original as we
could make them anyway.
This horse trading or swapping
or whatever you wanted to call it became a way of
life on the island and everyone indulged in it.
You could get just about anything you
needed if you had the right connection.
The brass had a name
for this sort of thing.
They called it the black market
and said it was against regulations,
but we had another name for it.
We called it "Survival."
What'd you say?
Take a back! Oh.
Whoo!
Let's take a look at it!
Hey, Sergeant, I need some
transportation over here on the double.
Sergeant!
This'll just be a second.
Uh, uh, uh, watch your step.
What did you say the
name of this island was?
Uh, Vela La Cava.
Supposed to have one of the
loveliest natural lagoons in the world.
Hey, Sergeant, did you hear what I said?
I said I've got some very important VIPs
over here and I need some transportation.
You talking to me, boy?
You wouldn't have me
from the South, would you?
Yeah, I'm from Tennessee. Why?
Why, I happen to have Congressman
Lucius McIntosh over there.
We got a Senator McIntosh.
Why, that's his son.
Listen, come on over and meet him, okay?
That's old Lucius' boy? Yeah.
Well, what's he doing out here?
Uh, V.B., Lucius, I'd
like to meet Sergeant--
Andy Micklin from Tennessee.
How are you? Good to meet you, sir.
Oh, that's all right, Sergeant.
Oh, I'm sorry.
-Uh, think nothing of it.
-Tennessee, huh?
-Yes, sir.
Well, it's a small war, isn't it, Sergeant?
What you doing way out here?
Well, V.B.'s got a cousin in the hospital.
We thought we'd drop by and see him.
Oh, well, that's too bad.
I hope he's all right.
Hey, Richard, bring that Jeep over here.
Yes, Sergeant, coming.
You know, my daddy grew up with your daddy.
Well, that's great. He sure did.
Watch out. Look out.
Oh, that's great.
You keep up the good work, Sergeant.
Sure will.
Our way of taking this, Carlos.
Thank you.
Friends of his or what?
Come on, Jerry, Micklin
doesn't have any friends.
Looks like he does now.
Well, what do you know?
I met me a congressman from Tennessee.
Hey, Sarge, who are
your friends over there?
Since when did you start
loaning out our jeeps, Sarge?
Since when's that your Jeep, Sonny?
Ain't you got nothing better to do than stand
around here and ask me a bunch of questions?
We were just curious, that's all, Sarge.
I don't suppose you ever heard of
Congressman Lucius T. McIntosh?
Nah.
Well, his daddy's Senator McIntosh.
He grew up with my daddy.
He's a personal friend of mine.
I don't want you messing around
with that airplane over here.
Listen to me, college boy.
If I find one thumbprint on that
airplane, I'm gonna rip your nose off.
You're gonna look funny
walking around with no feet.
You know that? You ever seen
anybody walking around with no arms?
The Senate Armed Forces Committee.
That's his father, Lucius P. McTosh.
This is Lucius Jr.
And he's got a fellow with him named B.B.
Rappaport.
And they're over in my hospital passing
out cigarettes and cookies to the men.
Dottie, what's wrong with that?
And French perfume to the nurses?
And silk stockings?
Silk stockings?
Now, where would he get silk stockings?
Greg, some of my girls are pretty young.
These civilians are pretty smooth.
So why don't we just take a walk down
and talk to the sergeant that flew them in?
Carlos Harbinger. You ever heard of him?
No.
Nice perfume.
French?
You like it?
Larry, come here.
Watch out, TJ. Watch out.
Get in there, TJ.
Yeah, good luck, TJ.
Nice on! Nice one!
-Hey, which one of you guys is Larry Casey?
-That's Casey right there.
Larry Casey?
Casey, Carlos Harbinger, sir. Listen,
Listen, I was in your supply
shed a couple minutes ago,
and I noticed you got a
couple extra cases of Bibles.
Yeah, what about it?
Well, I know these missionaries
are New Caledonians,
and they can really use
those Bibles, so I was thinking
that if you had a couple extra cases, you could
lend them to me. Maybe we could work a trade.
Rebound! Rebound!
Maybe we can.
I've got some things on my plane.
Would you like to see them?
-Lead the way.
-Terrific.
Here you go.
An adding machine.
-Property of the United States Social Signal Corps.
-You like that, TJ?
And I've got a couple of dozen of these.
Oh, sunglasses!
I tell you how long I've waited for these.
Listen, what do you
say to two dozen of these
and the adding machine
for the two cases of Bibles?
We'll take them. Make the deal.
-We got a deal.
-Wait a minute. We better talk to Pappy first.
-Pappy?
-Oh, yeah, they might be stolen.
We don't make no deals around
here unless we talk to Pappy.
Hey listen, listen, guys, you can
call your mother for all I care.
But I think we should get one
thing straight. I don't steal anything.
I'm just a businessman.
So if you guys have anything
you want to get rid of, get it to me.
And I'm telling you, I might be able
to get you something for an exchange.
Like maybe some oil or something.
This kind of thing happens all the time.
Aten Hutt!
At ease, Sergeant.
Carlos Tompkins.
My pleasure.
Nice sunglasses, fellas.
Hey, Pappy. Hey, you like those?
Now sergeant, I understand that you're flying
civilians into a war zone. Is that right?
Oh, yes, sir.
Colonel Lard gave me some special orders.
Marlark flight was delayed.
Can I talk to you for a second?
Heard you've had some trouble in
getting some high-grade motor oil.
And I just wanted to alert you to the
fact that I have got some connections.
Zekes!
Hey, listen, Pappy, I've got a
couple of barrels on my plane.
I've got to warn you, though,
the price is a little steep.
But that's only because
it's so hard to come by.
Hey, listen, you interested?
Hey, this oil's Japanese.
-It's the finest in the world.
-How'd you get it?
I traded some scotch for it.
The Japanese don't drink scotch.
Yeah, but the Aussies do.
You see, the Aussies had
this Garrison in New Guinea.
They haven't been supplying
in a couple of months,
but what they do have is a lot of
that tin beef from New Zealand,
and the Japanese will do
just about anything for tin beef.
So they give their oil to this
German that I know in Malacca,
and I give this German civilian
the tin beef that I got from the
Aussies to give to the Japanese.
Did I go too fast for you?
I don't care how you figure it.
You're still doing business with the enemy.
Lieutenant, there is a war going on.
Now, if that oil weren't in your
airplane, where would it be?
In their airplane.
Right.
So what we're doing is using
their oil to help us win the war.
Now, what's wrong with that?
Nothing, I guess.
Gotta be something wrong with that.
On your marks, get set, go!
Come on, come on, come on!
Any of you ladies ever been to Trinidad?
No.
BB has a house there.
A house? Well, he has two hotels.
-Two hotels?
-At your disposal, ladies.
And a country estate.
We could have ourselves a real party there.
I sure wish we had his yacht here.
We could all take a
little moonlight cruise.
The cabin on that yacht's
got your name on it, honey.
Hey, I'd like you to meet BB Rappaport and
Congressman McIntosh. Major Greg Boynton, 214.
How are you, sir?
Murdered, Very nice, very nice.
I'm sorry, sir, I didn't get your name.
Rappaport. BB Rappaport.
Now, what are you
gentlemen doing in a front area
we're not used to having
civilians so close to Tokyo?
Well, it's a fact-finding mission.
Plus, a cousin of BB's
is in your hospital here.
Thought we'd drop by and cheer him up.
Wonderful little island
you got here, Major.
Too bad we had to have a war.
Well, I couldn't agree with you more, sir.
If there's anything I can do to
make your stay more enjoyable,
please feel free to call on me.
-Thank you, sir.
-Well, that's very nice. Very nice.
Girls.
-You know who BB Rappaport is?
-Who is BB Rappaport, Carlos?
BB Rappaport's family owns
the company that...
Greg, has this gentleman told you
how much he wants for that engine oil?
Two cases of scotch for one barrel of oil.
Boys, boys, that's the
price that I paid for it.
-But it isn't 15 years old, Carlos.
-Not exactly, but it was close.
I'll tell you what we're gonna do.
We will give you one case
of scotch for one barrel of oil.
-That sounds more like it to me.
-That's it.
-Let's drink to it.
Will we drink to it?
You boys drive a hard bargain.
I have to fly tomorrow.
Hey, look.
I said no. Why don't you just leave me alone?
Sweetheart.
Happy BB. Just relax now.
Hey, boys.
Boys, I'd like to propose
a toast,
to the finest bunch of pilots in
the Pacific, the Black Sheep.
It just so happens I have a
little proposition for you guys.
Sergeant, do you per chance
ever run out of propositions?
Not if I can help you.
Now, I'm here for a specific purpose.
I'm thinking of starting
on charter airline service,
and I could
use some good pilots.
You know, flying big rigs around,
trading runs, things like that.
Any of you guys interested?
Uh, yes, I'm interested.
I'd be interested in knowing something.
This war that's going on out here,
the one that you're attempting
to make a small profit off of...
Now, wait a minute.
Wait a minute, Lieutenant.
I don't make a profit off
the war. I deal in waste,
and I clean up after
other people's mistakes.
Like those Bibles, those Bibles.
Now, somebody sent this
unit two extra cases of Bibles.
Now, that is a waste.
But if I can get my hands on those Bibles
and get them to some
missionaries who can use them...
If I may reiterate, what
do you get out of it?
Lieutenant, what are you trying to say?
I think that is clear.
Lieutenant, this war is
going to be over someday.
Now, if you want to play Snow White
and be broke when it happens, be my guest.
I'm looking after myself.
But if I can find a good thing,
I like to share it, spread it
around. That way, everybody wins.
And that is why I'm interested in
starting this charter airline service.
-Any of you guys be interested?
-Keep talking.
Sure, we have several minutes.
Oh, you got a glass.
Go ahead and fill that up.
Hey, how you doing, Sarge?
This stuff don't feel right to me.
Is that because it's Japanese?
I don't know, but I'm saving
the old stuff just in case.
-Got a light?
-What?
Got a light?
Yeah, I got a light, Sarge.
You know, this damn war is
getting... crazy by the minute.
What are we doing using Japanese motor oil?
Hey, Pappy!
Yeah, Bob?
-That's the last of them, Sarge.
-Okay, put it to bed.
Something wrong, Bob?
Oh, no, no, not really.
I was just thinking, and I
wanted to ask you a question.
Do you know what you're
gonna do when the war's over?
Oh, you mean if we
don't get shot down first?
Yeah, preferably, yes.
No, I'll tell you the truth. Its a....
It's something I really
haven't thought about.
You?
Oh, yeah, I thought I knew I was
gonna go back and finish school, but...
right now that really doesn't
seem too exciting anymore.
You know what I think?
I think we ought to just...
live to see that day, huh?
Yepper.
I'll see you later.
Goodnight.
Greg, can I talk to you?
Well, Rapaport
propositioned one of my girls.
Offered her $100 to go
AWOL to Sydney with him.
Said he'd fix it later.
Well, he sounds like he's,
uh... sounds a little drunk to me.
Greg, this long-lost
cousin they came to visit,
he's never heard of Rapaport
or McIntosh or Carlos Harbinger.
Now, what are they doing here?
-You sure about the cousin?
-Yes.
All right.
Major, Major, take it easy. What's wrong?
I don't blame you for trying to impress a couple
of V.I.P.s, but let me tell you something, son.
You're not gonna do it on my island.
You understand that?
What do they try to do, sweet
talk a couple of the nurses?
There was nothing sweet about it.
I'm sorry, Major.
I'll fly 'em right back to Espritos.
It's a good idea. Let me
give you a little advice, son.
From now on, you stick to business.
This was business, Major.
Do you happen to know who B.B. Rapaport is?
-Out. Now. Get 'em out. Now. Get going, son.
-Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
All present and accounted for.
-Thank you, Major. Good night.
-You're welcome. Good night.
-What happened to the party?
-Partie's moving to another island, is all.
We're taking a little plane ride.
Oh, thanks for your hospitality, Major.
You're welcome.
Hey, let's go back.
I have one more. That's it.
Hey! We're flying tomorrow.
Forget it. I'm leaving.
Come on.
-Where? Where are you guys now?
-Come on Bragg. I'm beat you and I get it.
Oh.
Hey, uh, didn't anybody
get anywhere last night?
How about it? Somebody must have.
Are you kidding?
Dottie he locked up the hospital.
I wouldn't have made any
difference anyway, Don.
Hey, you want to know
where you can stick that, Larry?
I snuck in after lights out.
-Did you get in?
-Of course I got in.
So what happened?
I drank so much at the
party, I just passed out.
-I hope the enemy feels as bad as we do.
-Well, let's hope.
We got company, 10 o'clock high.
Casey, take A flight.
Roger. A flight, let's go.
Watch it. They're splitting up.
Hey, good shooting, Pappy.
Coming down, coming down.
Watch it, Bobby, you got one on your tail.
Boyle, break right. Break right on him.
TJ, up and to the right.
Roger.
Hey, Papi, my, uh,
oil temperature's rising.
When you find out for sure, TJ,
will you write me a letter about it?
Come on, I'm not kidding. I'm in the red.
-My pressure's going down.
-Check your cylinder head.
If it's above normal...
Damn it.
Anybody else got any temperature problem?
My oil pressure's low.
Hey same here, Pappy, that
oil must not be any good.
All of you guys, let's break out
of this fight and head for the deck.
All right, we're going home.
They're coming down after us.
They won't chase us far.
Full, rich mixtures.
And watch your gauges.
You feel your mill starting to seize up?
Climb to angels three and jump.
Jump!
[sighs]
Is it the oil?
Is it the oil? Of course it's the oil.
I knew I shouldn't have let you
put this goup in my airplane.
You're the one that puts it
in the airplane, Sergeant.
Who cares who put it in airplanes?
'Cuase I'm the one that's gotta stay up all night
checking these engines to make sure they run again.
Before you do that, put some of that old oil
you saved into my bird. I'm going to Espiritos.
-You gotta do that now?!
-Yeah, I gotta do it now!
I'm gonna take care of something
today I should have done last night.
All I could think about on the flight to
Espiritos was how Carlos and his making a buck
had damn near got his killed.
By the time I touched down,
I was as hot as my landing.
I heard there was a VIP party being thrown.
And wherever there was a
VIP party, I knew I'd find Carlos.
Waiter, can we have some drinks over here?
I'm sorry, I go on duty at 9800 hours.
Scotch.
Oh, General, General.
Try this, my private stock.
15 years old, sir.
Not bad.
Compliments of Carlos Harbinger, sir.
I'll just leave the bottle.
Thank you very much, Sergeant.
Major, listen, I'm really busy
right now catering this party.
Let's go somewhere where we can talk.
Major, I really like to, but
maybe I can get you a drink.
Look, I didn't want to
do this in public,
but if that's what you
prefer, it's all right with me.
You seem upset.
Upset? That's hardly the word for it.
Maybe I can get you
something for your nerves.
My squadron almost ended up in the drink
this morning because of that oil you sold us.
What's wrong with it?
I don't know. Maybe you
watered it down and sold it twice.
Hey, Major, Major, Major, look,
look, you don't want to hit me here.
Not in front of all these people.
It wouldn't look right.
Say, Greg, I thought it was you there.
Come on over here. I want you to try this.
15-year-old Scotch.
I know you'll appreciate it.
Yes, sir.
Oh, you've got to try this.
Did you say 15-year-old?
15 years old.
I wonder where that came from.
-Cheers.
-Betty Grable.
What a waste of time.
A man wants a drink he
ought to do it with his friends.
Stand around like toy soldiers.
B.B.'s got two hotels and a country estate.
At your disposal, honey.
Oh, excuse me, Congressman.
I see General Kenley
right over this way, sir.
Is that old Harry Kenley used
to play golf with my father?
Well, I wouldn't know that, sir.
It sure is. Come on, B.B.
Got your name on one of
those hotels, sweetheart.
You just wait there for me.
Now, Lucius, there's
somebody I'd like you to meet.
One of the best combat pilots
in this theater, Greg Boynton.
Greg? Lucius T. McIntosh. Congressman.
Never mind, Tom. The Major and
I have already had the pleasure.
I'm glad to see you found the party.
I threw the party,
and didn't your name on the guest list,
-but I'm pleasantly surprised.
-Thank you.
-Come on, B.B., let's say hi to old Harry.
-Mm.
You weren't on the list, Boynton.
Well, I invited him.
-He's not even dressed, sir.
-But I invited him.
Yes, sir.
Ah, that Zinks.
-How's your dad, by the way?
-Oh, he's fine. He's holding up great.
Meet my aide, Major Hogan.
-How are you, sir?
-Pleased to meet you, sir.
Listen, B.B., B.B., I want
you to meet General Kenley.
-This is B.B. Rappaport.
-Well, it's indeed a pleasure.
A real pleasure, sir.
General Kenley, sir, how are you?
What a pleasure to meet you.
That fellow, B.B.
Rappaport, you know who he is?
No, sir, who is he?
One of the richest men in the world.
One of the companies he owns just started
building the new model Corsair for us.
The first 20 prototypes were already
off the assembly line, and I wanted them.
But that other fellow, McIntosh,
his daddy's friends with
Admiral Taylor on Pearl.
His daddy is also a member of the
Senate Armed Services Committee.
Now, who do you think is going
to get those 20 new corsairs?
-Admiral Taylor?
-Mm-hmm.
Politics.
Here we are, getting kicked
out of the sky by the Japanese
because her equipment
is old and falling apart.
And 20 new airplanes
are going on display in Hawaii?
You know, it was all worked out in
advance, but it can't look like that.
Senator McIntosh sends his
son, the junior congressman,
on a tour of all the theaters in
the Pacific just to make it look right!
You know, Greg, somewhere
out there there's a war going on.
Yes, sir, I know that. I was...
I was in it this morning.
Boys are dying on both sides by decisions
made by old fools at cocktail parties.
Boy, sometimes it makes me sick.
But sir,
how much longer the junior congressman and
his friend going to be in the Solomon's?
Oh, I've got four or five days of it.
Well, thank you for the drinks. Thank you.
Are you leaving?
That's why I'm leaving.
Major, look, an officer can get in a
lot of trouble hitting an enlisted man.
You really ought to reconsider.
I swear to you, I didn't
know anything about that oil.
I didn't know anything about that oil. Just...
Just give me a chance to make it up to you.
Give me a chance to explain, okay?
I'll give you the chance.
-You will?
-Sure, I wasn't angry with you.
I'm gonna be honest.
I wanted to take your head off.
I apologize, Carlos.
You do?
It wasn't your fault, Carlos.
No, it wasn't my fault.
Carlos, look, I want to talk to you, but
I know you're busy with these civilians.
I want to tell you one thing.
I like your style.
I like the way you throw a party.
Thank you.
After these civilians leave,
I want you to come over
and talk to me about a
project I've been working on.
What project?
Well, we don't have to go into that now.
But let me ask you a question.
Do you think it's possible to fly in
maybe 60, 80 pounds of steak,
50 cases of beer, 20 cases of scotch, three or
four times a week from New Zealand?
Three, three or four times a week?
Yeah, three or four times,
you know, if it's possible.
Well, sure, anything's possible.
That's what I want you to think about,
because if you can do it, son, I can use it.
Okay, well, let me check into it for you.
No,no rush, you know,
next week, whenever you have the time.
And Carlos, I was a little rough on you.
I'm sorry about that.
Oh, Major, Major, there's
no problem about that.
Major, every three or four days?
Three or four times a week, yeah.
60 pounds.
You let him go?
That's right, French.
-Pappy, we almost got killed because of him.
-More than that.
Hey, don't you think it would have been appropriate
to maybe say, talk to Carlos about that?
Maybe even rough him up a little.
Rough him up? I would have killed him.
What about the scotch we traded
in for that worthless Japanese oil?
The least he ought to have
to do is pay us back double.
Plus, get us some decent oil.
That's what's wrong with you
guys. You don't ever think ahead.
Get even. Get even,
it's all you ever think about.
-Well, what's wrong with getting even?
-Because that's all you get, Boyle, is even.
Zeke's! Zeke's, ten o'clock low!
Casey, stay high with the A-flight.
Rest of you guys, on me. Let's go.
I didn't like fighting fresh
zeroes with tired Corsairs,
but I preferred it to
fighting the black sheep.
I had a plan working, and if all went well,
it would suit me flying 20 new airplanes.
For two days we sweated it out,
but on the third day I flamed a Zeke,
and I knew our luck had changed.
I had a feeling Carlos
was on his way to La Cava.
You see, one con artist
can always spot another.
So I knew Carlos would be
interested in the questions I'd asked him,
and wouldn't wait forever
to find out what I was up to.
I figured he'd show up in Vela
La Cava within the next few days.
And he'd come while we
were on our morning patrols,
so he'd have a
chance to snoop around.
Richards!
Yes, Sarge?
I want every drop of
that oil checked
before it goes into my
airplane, do you hear me?
You got it, Sarge.
Well?
The Sergeant wants
all this oil checked out.
Check it out.
Hey, Pappy, come on.
We can break this off now. Please.
Okay, meatheads, let's pack it in
while we still have something to fly.
Hey.
Nice dog, nice dog.
Ah, you mutt.
Oh.
As we broke over the
runway at La Cava,
there was the duck, and I knew Carlos was swalowing
in the bait hook line and aisle de soleil.
Aile de soleil.
Bingo.
We'd been rehearsing
for three days in the air.
If we weren't ready to pull a con
on Carlos now, we never would be.
Hey, good morning, boys. How you doing?
-What are you doing with my drawings?
-What the hell is all of this, Sergeant?
Look, fellas, I was just
looking things over, that's all.
You going through our stuff, Sergeant?
Hey, fellas, did you see the new oil I
brought you? I mean, everything's okay right?
You want to take him away? Can I get it?
-Hey hey hey, Whats going on here?
-This man's been spying on us.
Hey, look, the major invited me.
Hey, I don't care. I don't like you
snooping around here,
and I don't like the fact that we almost
died up there because of you.
Now, where were we?
Now, hold it, hold it.
He knows about aisle de soleil.
That's all right.
Greg was going to tell him about it anyway.
That's right. Do you mind? Do you mind?
-Excuse us.
-Lieutenant.
-Take care.
-Come over here with me, Sergeant.
You don't mind if I
call you Carlos, do you?
No.
Carlos, I tell you, you really
shouldn't be snooping around this place
to see guys that
get upset, you know?
Yeah, you're lucky we got here when we did.
Hey, what the hell is, the problem with
you, that was an honest mistake.
Hey, Meatball, how you doing?
Look, that's why I replaced it. I'm not
even sure those guys were hot at me.
Those guys?
Those guys are animals.
Don't worry about them.
I think you're okay.
I did from the very beginning, didn't I?
Yes, sir.
Oh, and hey, about that oil.
Thank you very much. We appreciate that.
Hey, as far as I'm concerned, you
were the perfect guy for this operation.
I'm glad you saw the
drawings and everything else.
Come over here and
have a beer with them, huh?
Hey, what did you think
about the drawings, huh?
-You really want to know?
-Yeah.
Look, you guys got the right
idea, but... Look at this. Look at that.
You're going about it the wrong way.
You guys are way over your head.
Let me explain something to you.
It takes time and money to
develop an operation of this size.
You got the capital to
start construction tomorrow?
Where's your money going to come?
Your cash flowing till you're open?
How much you got budgeted
for advertising, hmm?
Well we were gonna start
small and work up to that.
Ah, start small is right and go broke.
Or wait two years for a
turn in your investment.
But what if, heaven forbid, one
of you gets shot down next week?
Or the whole lot of you
is shipped out to Pearl.
You poor guys have put
everything you have into this
and end up selling out
for a song to some smart investor with the money
to back himself up and he'll get rich off it.
-I think I've heard just about enough of this drivel.
-So have I.
Oh, get to the point, Carlos.
What have you got invested in this so far?
Not much, just what
Pappy paid for the island.
I can package the whole thing for you.
I'll get you back the original investment
plus a small profit right away and...
five percent of it.
We can be open for business in a month.
We can be in the black in three.
Excuse me, Carlos, but where are you going
to come up with all this here capital?
B.B. Rappaport's been thinking
about investing in this area
because it is
a natural link with Japan.
And Japan is going to come out
of this war with an industrial base.
Are you kidding? We're going to
bomb them back to the Stone Age.
Read your history.
The losers, they just don't
come out that bad anymore.
No.
Carlos.
I think you've got the wrong idea.
We're not selling out,
and we've got sources of capital. I was going to
cut you in on the supply end of it and that's it.
Wait a minute, I think this guy might
be right. This guy Rappaport's loaded.
The answer's no, T.J.
There's a fortune to be made there.
Now, do you want to give it up?
-What if he is right, Greg? What if we do get transferred, shot down?
-I said no.
No.
And the beauty of it is,
this island is five hours flying time closer to
Guadalcanal and Espíritos Marcos.
That's ten hours round trip.
And that means an awful lot to
a serviceman on a 36-hour lead.
10 more hours with
the girls, right, soldier?
That's right, sir.
B.B., look at this. Look at this.
I looked up the figures.
Five thousand men and women take
their leave in this theater every week.
And I guarantee you, if we work it right,
they'll all be going to the Aisle du Soleil.
Well, Major, I got the handed to you. It
looks like you found yourself a little gem.
Thank you. That's right.
-Let's go take a look at it, Carlos.
-Uh, sir, can you get the maps for me?
Sure. Get the maps for me.
I'll get his maps.
There's no room in an
operation of this size for amateurs.
What I'm gonna do, I'm
gonna buy up Boyington's share.
Bought his cut of the take after expenses.
Give him a free room in
the hotel any time he wants.
B.B., I don't think that's gonna be enough.
- Ladies and gentlemen.
- Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
- Watch your step, sir.
- Watch your step, sir.
So far, the plan was working.
We were taking off for
an island that didn't exist.
Right down there is the
perfect place for the Marina.
The banners on the beach,
beautiful native girls, tropical sunsets.
Casey.
Casey, I saw a sheltered lagoon down there.
Set it down so we can take a closer look.
I wouldn't recommend that.
Why not?
The mosquitoes are all
over the place down there.
We pour oil on the breeding
grounds when we take an island.
It's the only thing out of control.
Excuse I. Well, I've seen enough.
Let's get on back to dry land.
Let's talk ourselves over
a deal with the major, huh?
No deal.
I found that island.
I developed the plans.
It's my project.
Yes, sir.
Sorry. No deal.
What does he want?
I've given him a profit. A lifetime
membership to the beach club.
Dawkin rights, everything a man can...
BB, I just don't know. He's not like us.
He's not a businessman.
Of course he's not a businessman.
He's a fighter pilot.
-Well, you're a fighter pilot, son.
-Well, yes, sir.
Boy...Lemme ask you a question.
How would you like to
have a new airplane to fly?
Why, sir?
A new airplane for every man in the squadron.
Now, what do you think of that?
You... could get us brand-new corsairs.
And I'll throw that on top of your sell.
Twenty brand-new corsairs, but, uh...
I want an answer right
now or this whole deal is off.
Yes, sir.
Greg, I can't wait for it.
No.
Greg, come on.
-We could get rich.
-We could get killed.
Greg, please.
You're a hard man to
do business with, Major.
Pretty hard man yourself, BB.
You'll have the airplanes
by the end of the week.
You know, I promised those planes
to Lucius for some admiral at Pearl.
But I'm gonna have to
cut him in on this deal
to kind of make up for
taking him away from him.
Well, whatever's right, BB.
Whatever's right.
-Pleasure doing business with you, Major.
-Pleasure.
Take off, Carlos!
Five days later, the new corsairs arrived, and the black
sheep were as happy as kids on a Christmas morning.
I'm gonna cover my wing.
I'm really gonna deck you.
Come on, get off of it.
The first morning patrol on the
new birds surprised the Japanese.
There were no overheated engines.
There were no problems
with the pressure gauges.
And there were no excuses for not
knocking the hell out of the enemy.
So we did.
The score that morning was
black sheep six, zeros nothing.
And we owed it all to Carlos and BB,
who, by the way, had a very angry
junior congressman to deal with.
We heard they took him out to show
him their new island, and couldn't find it.
I don't see any island, BB.
Where is that damn island, Carlos?
I don't know. It should be down there.
It's down there, Lucius. I saw it.
Sure, BB, sure.
I tell you, it's down there.
I bought it.
Boyington.
Which was probably a good thing,
since the Japanese had occupied it the day
after Casey showed it to BB and Carlos.
Rappaport must have eventually
realized it'd been tricked.
But he never came back
to say anything about it.
I guess he was too busy making
a fortune building new corsairs.
We heard Lucius T. McIntosh Jr.
got defeated in the next election.
And Carlos, well, he got busted
to corporal for all his troubles.
As for the black sheep, our new corsairs
helped keep us alive a little longer.
And that Japanese motor oil
worked just fine in our jeeps.