Black Sheep Squadron (1976) s01e14 Episode Script

Bandits, 5 o'clock below.
T.
J.
, Bragg, Take Towers back to Vella La Cava.
How about heading back? Don't threaten a court martial.
Because I'll take you up on it.
What's gotten into you, boy? I've been up there everyday with you.
Up there's right.
Way up there.
You have been withdrawn from the Kamabatchi action.
Because of a movie actor? I do the flying, doubles do the crashing.
Ever seen a bigger jerk in your whole entire life? Baa Baa Black Sheep S01E14 - The War Biz Warrior S01E14 - The War Biz Warrior Rod Towers, movie idol of millions of Americans, follows Clark Gable, James Stewart, and a host of other motion picture stars into combat! Towers is promoted to Lt.
Colonel and is reassigned to the South Pacific.
This bright star of Hollywood is a Marine fighter pilot, fittingly, he has starred in such World War I air epics as Do or Die and Dawn's Early Light among other screen classics.
With his promotion, Towers will take command of a fighting squadron, and accompanying him to the South Pacific will be a single core film crew to record his first days in combat against the Japanese enemy.
Good hunting, Rod.
I'm not turning the Black Sheep squadron over to a Hollywood War Bond salesman! Now, wait a minute, Boyington Rod Towers happens to be Lt.
Colonel, I don't care if Washington has made him a Lieutenant General.
Lard, I'm going upstairs with this one.
I'm as high as you go, Boyington, which puts you one star short.
Sir, I lost three pilots and five planes at Kamabatchi last week.
You have been withdrawn from the Kamabatchi action.
Because of a movie star.
- Take it up with Washington.
Washington, sir, in their infinite wisdom, have lost their marbles.
You're wrong, Greg.
Nothing runs without public relations, including war.
In case you haven't heard, we've been getting kicked around out here.
Home front morale is scraping bottom.
It needs a shot in the arm.
From a drugstore cowboy like Towers? - Colonel Towers! Boyington.
Can Colonel Tower even fly a plane? - Of course he can fly.
And out of a lot of fanfare, they're going to turn him into an honest to God war hero.
Am I suppose to ground a combat pilot to find a plane for this clown to fly.
Nope.
The War Department had one built for him.
You're stuck with it, Greg.
We all are.
Look I want your promise that you'll cooperate fully with Towers and Colonel Lard.
Colonel Lard? He's gonna command the 214 while Towers is flying.
You guys are kidding me.
- Boyington.
Boyington! I could swear I seen you jarheads somewhere before.
Boyington.
- Sir.
Boyington, the advance party is here.
Your orders were to be in clean khakis and field scarf.
Colonel, the thing is last night the nurses had a little party and Greg got hooked up with these twins from Duluth and Stow it will you Jim.
Sir, Colonel Towersµ is gonna have to take a slight radar.
Pride of the Marine club.
Of all the squadrons, that General Muncey might've picked.
Keep those jeeps off the runway.
Is Rod on that plane? Colonel Towers.
And no, he isn't and I want to remind you ladies to behave like officers and gentlemen.
We'll do our best, General.
- Well, whatever.
We better get dressed huh? - Right.
Which one's Boyington? Major.
- Sir.
This is Lieutenant Fitz, Major Boyington.
- Major.
This is your speech for the "Turning Over the Sword" shot.
My what? Sergeant Chambers will position you after Rod does his roll.
Until then I suggest you study it.
This is a pile of Look it is a little Talk to General Muncey.
He wrote it.
Actually it's quite appropriate.
"the horizon and to engage and destroy the infamous foe "in the name of God and Freedom?" You're gonna say that.
- Nope.
Yes.
- You're ready, Sergeant? I'll set up on a strip, Lieutenant.
Here he comes! He's here.
Come on let's go by the runway.
Did you guys see that? He's got it, Sergeant.
Lard, here I'm not gonna do this stupid speech.
Boyington, you gave your word - You might as well say it, Major.
They'll just dub in someone else's voice if you don't.
Major! Over here please.
Major.
- What? You could stand right here.
Thank you, Sergeant.
Ready, Colonel? Roll him, Sergeant! Okay, Major.
Colonel, please.
Any time, Major! Welcome to the South Pacific.
It's an honor to turn over the fighting 214 to you, sir, and to the man we stand To the man we stand proud and ready to follow you.
Proud and ready to follow you.
And To engage and destroy! To engage and destroy "The infamous foe! The infamous foe!" - The infamous foe! In the name of God and Freedom.
In the name of God and Freedom.
I'm not much on flowery speeches, Major, but I'll fly this outfit right into hell if that's what it takes to win this war.
Shake hands! Shake hands! I think you ought to meet the men.
As long as we'll be flying to hell together.
Cut it, Sergeant.
Look at that guy.
Have you seen a bigger jerk in your whole entire life? Yeah.
Lieutenant Larry Casey.
This is Colonel Towers.
Welcome to the garden spot.
East of Nowhere, sir.
I'm not here to be entertained, son, I'm here to fight a war.
- Well, we gotta bunch you have to.
Good.
- T.
J.
Wiley.
Proud to know you, son.
- Proud to know you too, sir.
I just shook the hand that touched Betty Grable.
- Lieutenant Boyle, sir.
Lieutenant Robert Anderson.
Nice to meet you.
- Proud to know you, son.
Don French.
My kid brother's a real big fan of yours.
Jerry Bragg, I've seen every one of your movies, Rod.
It's Colonel Towers! - I'm sorry, sir.
Never apologize, son, it's a sure sign of weakness.
That's my executive officer, Captain Gutterman.
- Proud to know you, son.
Yeah, it's a real pleasure, Daddy.
Lieutenant Nancy Gilmore, and if you ever need any medicine or anything, look me up.
I'll remember that, Lieutenant.
Fitz? We'd like to invite the ladies to join the squadron for a drink this evening.
Right.
Until this evening, then.
Where do I bunk, Major? Lieutenant Casey.
- Yes, sir.
Larry, would show the Colonel to his tent please.
Yes, sir.
- Thank you.
I'd like to discuss your orders from General Muncey, Colonel.
Right.
Lead the way, Jerry.
- Larry, right.
Hey, Pappy, this is a beautiful airplane.
I have never saw a Corsair that wasn't half beer cans an' bailing wire.
Yeah, it's a beauty.
Who's that guy? Towers' mechanic.
- His personal mechanic? Yeah.
Let's stick close to him.
There's gotta be a lot of goodies in that boxcar.
Find out, will you, Hutch? - All right.
My mother She won't believe it! I shook his hand.
I shook his hand.
Shook his hand.
- Did you get that guy? "Until this evening, then.
" You're gonna fly with that Hollywood hot rock thing.
Yep.
Are you're thinking what I think you're thinking.
You forget it, Gutterman.
Maybe I can't play with him, but I can dream, can't I.
Get me one of Rod's songs one of his best pictures.
Well, anyway, anyways, DeMille didn't want me to try, but I told him to cross his fingers and roll it.
I couldn't fly upside down and under that bridge at the same time, then he can check me off the call sheet.
And if you saw Dawn's Early Light, I guess you saw how it came out.
Well, from then on C.
B.
was Hey, where's the Major? - Oh, you mean, Pappy? Probably in his tent, I guess.
Well, he ought to be here.
I'll get him for you.
No, that's all right, I'll get him, D.
J.
Well, don't anybody go away, I'll be right back, here? T.
J.
So what's that break, intermission or what? Oh, that guy's tremendous isn't he.
Hey, give me a beer, would you, please? May I come in? Come on in, Colonel.
Forget the "Colonel," It's Rod.
- Hey, Rod.
Havana.
Have 'em rolled especially for me.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Wouldn't you sit down? Major, I realize how awkward it is for you and your men.
I mean, my moving in here with a camera crew making this documentary.
It wasn't my idea.
As a matter of fact, I bucked like a steer when Muncey sprang it on me and I told him I said, you know you should get a real hero, a real ace to be the star of this picture.
Someone like you.
But he wouldn't listen.
Well, I'm glad he didn't because you got a glimpse of my acting this morning.
Well, anyway, I've got a job to do.
I'll do it and get out of your hair.
I want you to know that.
I want you to know something, I mean, Rod.
- I appreciate that.
Why don't you come back to the party with me? I'll buy you a drink? Why not? And when I was accepted for flight school, I couldn't.
Hey, Rod, how about finishing that story you were telling? What story was that, Larry? - Oh No, I'm Jerry.
This is Larry over here.
It was one about a Cecil B.
DeMille not wanting you to fly upside down underneath the bridge.
Oh, yeah.
I remember.
Sure.
- How did you come out? How about a drink, son? - Coming right up.
Let's see now.
Where was I? Oh, yeah, anyway, somebody had to do it.
The guy they hired chickened out at the last minute.
Utah boy.
Yeah.
He enlisted right after that.
Shame.
I heard he went down over Guadalcanal.
Very finest Thank you.
T.
J.
, ain't it? - Yes.
Hey, Rod, is it true you did your own stunt flying in Do Or Die, Sure did.
I have an agreement with the studio.
I do the flying, doubles do the crashing.
Yeah, Colonel.
Excuse me.
- Yes, son.
What does it make you think that flying an airplane in the movies has got anything to do with flying an airplane in a war like we got here? - Oh, come on, Gutterman, that is - At ease, Lt, it's a reasonable question.
You don't have to worry about me, Captain.
I pack my own weight.
Always have, always will.
Great.
Good.
Oh you'll get your grids in the morning from Colonel Towers.
Colonel Towers.
Yes.
- The point is, I want you to put your two best men with him and at the first sign of any trouble, I want them to break him out and get him back here.
Safe and sound and that goes for every mission.
He won't get too many Zekes like that, Colonel.
Oh, don't worry about that.
Just keep him out of the ocean.
Anything you say, sir.
I would just like to get him out of my outfit.
All right, Colonel, bring him on.
Let's go hunting.
Technically, Rod Towers was in command of the squad.
It was up to him to call the mission.
Every mission was top secret.
We had no idea where we were going until we got in the air.
We didn't take long to figure why the orders were secret.
General Muncey probably wanted to keep the laughter to a minimum.
All right, Towers, let's have the grids.
Eighteen south by 170 east.
Hey, that's heading back to the rear area.
That's very good, Wiley.
Take a heading of 105 Sure is quiet up here.
Too quiet.
You don't suppose just because the war is 50 miles behind us, Colonel? Not again.
It's 5 o'clock low.
Where'd they come from? T.
J.
! Bragg! Take Towers back to Vella La Cava! The rest of you guys form up on me! Just lead the way, Major! I'll keep up! Towers, we're not making a movie.
Those are orders.
Colonel Lard's orders.
All right, Major, but I'm not heading back.
I'll be waiting upstairs, just in case I'm needed.
Hey, Greg, we gonna bounce those Tojos or what? T.
J.
Bragg, take him upstairs and park him! Jim, let's you and me butt out and keep Tojo company.
Jim, how are you doing? You gotta wait for me.
He's up here and he's close to Rod.
Towers, that Zeke pile is no fan of yours.
Jim, come back, finish him.
Towers get moving now.
On my way, Greg.
I got him.
Major, getting down to allotted fuel minimums.
Maybe I'd better go home.
Okay, let's all go home! Towers, get back in formation.
Sorry, Major, we need a victory roll for the montage sequence in the film.
Let's all do victory rolls.
Not in you life, Jerry.
Bragg! Bragg! Which one's Towers? - The one on the right.
I think.
Bragg, the next time you do that, you're grounded.
Now get back in formation.
Don't be hard on the boy, Major.
He's going to be my wing man from now on.
Is that all right with you, Barry? Oh, yeah, sure.
Sure, you bet.
Well, how did it go, Colonel? - Managed to get two Zekes.
Two kills? Well, they tried to jump us.
I went upstairs.
Took a couple of the guys with me.
As one Zeke came up after us.
And that was the end of him.
I gotta get out of here before I puke.
If you don't mind.
First, take a look at that.
This man is taking credit for our kills, Greg.
Hey, wait a minute, Jim! - Wait a minute for what? I just want him off this rock as soon as possible.
You're gonna let him get away with that.
If a couple of kill flags will do it, he can take them off my plane and he can keep them.
I just want him off this rock as soon as possible.
- Greg! Come on.
I need to drink.
- Let's get out of here.
Just one more shot, Colonel and I've got it.
Thanks.
Hey, Rod.
Can I talk to you a minute? - Certainly, son, what's on your mind? About those two kills today? - Oh, yeah, what about them? Well, Jim and Pappy got them.
- Right! Well, how come they're putting their flags on your plane? Terry.
- No, Jerry.
Let me explain something to you, son.
I don't like getting credit for anything I don't deserve.
Oh, why don't you just go and tell the Colonel that you didn't claim those two Zekes.
Because there's more at stake here.
See, son, war's a team effort, and that team includes millions of Americans back in the States, making guns and planes and ships.
Guns, tanks.
Without them, the war's lost.
They gotta keep working.
- Yeah, buying War Bonds, so boys like you will have the tools to do the job.
That means keeping their morale up.
And that's my job.
To show them, that, all the work they're doing is not in vain.
To show them, what you're doing.
And as much as I hate it, that's why I had them put those kill flags on my plane.
You can understand that, can't you, son? Yes, sir.
If you're an actor you have to have an agent.
You know most agents always try to convince you to do things you don't wanna do.
You know, and this guy kept telling me to do the film and I said, "Look I don't wanna do it.
" Finally I called Louis Mayer and I said, listen, I will not do the picture, unless Rita's in it, you know.
Rita? Rita Hayworth.
Is there any other? It's getting pretty late.
We have another rough go tomorrow.
We'd better call it a night, huh? Good night, ladies.
Goodnight everybody.
- You're fighting tomorrow.
I'll walk you to your tent now.
- Hey, Braggs' actually coming to talk to you.
Hey, fellas.
Jerry, you heard the Colonel, we're gonna have another really rough go tomorrow.
Maybe you ought to hit the sack.
Yeah, what is a "rough go", Jerry? Can't you guys just give the man a break? Put it to you this way, Bragg.
No.
And we'll all have a drink, to our "rough go" tomorrow.
Well, that's three down.
Two to go for ace, Rod.
Yeah, I was lucky today.
They came out of the sun, and I was the first to see them.
Colonel Towers, let me buy you a drink.
Our movie star had been flying with us for almost two weeks.
Except for the first time out.
We hadn't come close to seeing an enemy plane.
All right, Towers, let's have the grids.
136 east, 18 south.
The Black Sheep were getting bored and restless, and even Bragg was beginning to wonder about his idol.
If Towers was aware of the way he was being coddled, it didn 't show.
Every morning it was, "Good hunting, boys", and every night it was tall tales for the nurses and the camera crew.
Like the rest of the guys, I was getting sick of it.
Greg! Bandits, 9 o'clock! Looks like a whole squadron.
You're going home, Towers.
What're they doing way down here? Bragg, take them home! Greg, we're outnumbered as it is! Why don't you let Towers find his own way home? I'm not going anywhere.
I'm sticking.
Towers, I don't have time for this.
Or any choice.
I'm sticking, Major.
Towers, there's one coming up on you.
Get out of there.
I'm warning you, Towers, get out of the way or I'll flame you myself.
Pappy, he's behind you.
Watch out.
Nice shooting, Pappy! I'm losing power! I have to take it back on the deck.
Casey, fly cover for me.
Jim, lead them home.
All right, Greg, you take it real easy on your way home.
Okay, Colonel, we got it.
Thank you.
Hey, smokers coming in.
Isn't that Boyington's plane? Boyington, I thought we had agreed you are not gonna let Colonel Towers get that close to the action.
That close to the action, sir? Sir, that's all we have up there, is action.
What was General Muncey thinking about, when he gave Towers those grids that we were stationed some place in Nebraska? I have endangered my entire squadron, I've been stitched myself, and you come here bellyaching about that movie star getting too close to the action! He's already an ace, he's got five kills.
And he is yet to fire a single round.
Now, sir, if you don't want him too close to the action, then wind up this circus and send him back to Hollywood.
Because I can't, that's why.
- Why? He got to fly one more mission.
- Why? Because I have a planeload of correspondents and photographers coming down here tomorrow for interviews and pictures, that's why.
For interviews and pictures? Oh, sir, we would have already won this war if the Japanese knew about the interviews and pictures because they all would have died from laughing.
Look, you maybe right, but this is not my show.
General Muncey is running this show, and he is going to be here tomorrow.
And I am going to baby-sit this movie star one more time.
Don't threat to court-martial me.
Because I'll take you up on it.
Thanks.
When those Zeros broke off, I wanted to go after them but we were just too low on fuel.
Well, maybe next time.
Quick, Jerry, he's going for a smoke.
How would you like a bloused lip? Good night, Sergeant.
Hutch, how about it? She'll be ready to fly in the morning, I promise, Pappy.
You sure? - Positive.
Out of my way, Sergeant.
Colonel Towers is not What is it, son? Every movie I ever seen you in, you always looked so heroic when you was bleeding? Well this time it ain't gonna be no ketchup! What's your problem, Lieutenant? I always wanted to be like you.
Every Saturday afternoon I was, and it only cost a dime.
And every Saturday afternoon I was robbed! There ain't no such thing as a Rod Towers.
Watch it, Larry.
Jerry, dammit! Jerry.
You and this little show you've been putting on almost got Pappy killed today! He almost gets killed and they make you an ace.
What's got into you, boy? I've went up there every day with you! Up there's right! Way up there.
We could keep you from getting your can shot off! You wouldn't last 30 seconds in a real dogfight.
Get out of here, Jerry! You're under arrest, Lieutenant Hey, why are they all picking on Bragg? That may be the diversion we've been waiting for.
Got you, Pappy, Manny Take one.
Hey, Jerry, leave a couple of them for us.
Boyington, what's the meaning of this? You were next, Howard, baby.
If you don't know now, sir, you'll never know.
Wait for me.
Rod? Rod? I don't care what the guy Would you shut up, Boyle? Bragg, did you see me What did ya expect, Jerry? I don't know I thought that the Jerry, I don't know how you stay up in the air, you're too dense to be a fighter pilot.
And I never thought that was possible.
Nancy? I give him a shoulder to cry on and he took it.
"My mother didn't even love me, Nancy.
" Boy, what a creep! I can't even believe it.
Lets get out of here.
flying wingman for a frog.
Towers got here was Good thing too, that if he'd ever gotten near the real war, he'd probably faint dead away The enemies would be doing us a favor if they shot him down.
The man is a 14 carat, genuine, phony jerk.
He's walking around here, trying to look like us and you're walking around trying to look like him.
This is a private party, Towers.
This will only take a minute.
I just want to apologize to all of you.
Look, I know you think I'm making a mockery of what you guys do around here with all this filming.
I got the first real good look at myself for the first time in years, and I didn't care much for what I saw.
The line forms to the right.
I know you all think I'm a phoney, but I'm not.
At least, I don't feel like one.
It's just that when you've had a studio publicity mill fronting for you for years, well, I guess you kind of lose yourself, forget what you are.
Look, I know who the real heroes are.
And I'm gonna make sure the folks at home know too.
Boyington! Major! Major! What? Look, you're a fine actor, and that was a fine speech.
Was that out of one of your latest movies? That wasn't out of any movie! That was out of my gut! Sure, sure.
Now wait a minute, just hear me out.
You have snowed this whole company.
Myself, the entire squadron What I said back there, I meant.
I'm tired of being a puppet.
I'm tired of being told what to do, what to say, and where the hell to look.
I'm tired of the disappointment in people's eyes.
You don't know what it's like to be Rod Towers.
I know a lot of guys who would envy you.
Yeah, well, they're welcome to it.
I want to fly a mission.
A real one.
I wanna know what I really am.
Sorry, but orders are orders.
And we've gotta fly the grids you give us in the air.
We don't have any choice, Towers.
I had little trouble sleeping that night.
I got up early to check up the 500 pounders I'd asked Hutch to hang on our planes.
Towers had said he wanted to fly a real mission, before he went home to his ticker tape parades.
And I figured he had it coming in more ways than one.
He wanted to find out what kind of man he was.
I just hoped the answer wouldn't kill him.
All right, Colonel, let's have the grids.
50 minutes due south, then west on a heading of 072.
That's Kamabatchi! Pappy! We can't take Rod to Kamabatchi! No, you got it wrong, Larry.
Orders are orders.
Colonel Towers is taking us.
General Muncey, I've got a spotter from San Crepos island.
The 214 is on a heading of 072.
- Kamabatchi? What's going on? What's Kamabatchi? It's a hot bed sir, of bunkers, caves, ackack and Zero Aces.
That's Rod Towers out there! Not some expendable farm boy! Don't you realize what he means to America? Don't you know how demoralizing his death would be? However, I don't think the war effort could lose either way it goes.
Should of course God forbid, anything happen to Rod, I'd say all of America would rally behind his death.
But, sir? Oh, don't worry, Colonel, your work won't have been wasted.
There's sure to be a posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor for Towers.
Why, it might even be awarded by the President himself! At Arlington! Hitting the bunkers is the easy part, Rod.
It's getting through the Zeros, that's tough.
There's one guy out there with 18 kills.
Three of them were Black Sheep.
Yeah, and here they come.
Straight ahead, 12 o'clock.
Okay you guys, we're here to get through them.
Not to fight them.
not to fight them! I got one on my tail.
What happened to the old snap roll, Rod? Get under him! I'll take care of him, Pappy.
You got him, Pappy.
- Thanks, Jerry.
They're pulling up! We made it! Not exactly, Rod.
They'll be waiting for us on the way back.
They just don't like to fly over their own flak, and l can't say that I blame them.
We'll have to fly through pistols, machine guns, and rice balls and get close before we can do ourselves any good! Okay, Rod, stay back and let Casey show you how it's done.
You lower your landing gear to cut your air speed.
And bull's-eye.
Got the idea, Rod? Now give it a try.
Bull's-eye, Rod! Atta boy, Colonel! Good hunting, Rod.
I think the man's ready to fly.
Okay, let's see if we get these birds home.
Here they come.
All of them.
Okay, Rod, hit the victory roll.
Thanks but I just don't feel like it.
Come on, roll it, Rod, baby, roll it, roll it.
Five kills, huh, Rod? How many today? None.
How was it out there today, Rod? It scared the hell out of me.
And if you'll excuse me, I gotta go change my drawers.
Rod, wait a minute.
What about all these reporters? War's hell, boys.
Even gets to Rod Towers sometimes.
You'll be happy to know there's a party in the officers' club tonight.
Of course, you're all invited.
Thank you General.
Always a pleasure, sir.
No problem at all, they got three news reels here.
For this? I'm sure Muncey isn't gonna like it.
That's tough.
I'm sure not a hero.
Nope.
You're not a hero.
But I got a hunch.
Got a hunch you could have been.
To the War Biz Warrior.
Sorry if we got in the way of your action, Jim.
Don't ever apologize, Rod.
It's a sure sign of weakness.
Take care, Lieutenant.
- Happy landings, Colonel.
Nice knowing you, Bob.
- Good luck, Colonel.
Thank you.
Here's my kid brother's address.
I hope you won't forget to send that picture.
No, I sure won't.
It was nice knowing you, Don.
Thank you, sir.
Tell Betty Grable to save herself for me, will you? Yeah, I sure will, T.
J.
I sure will.
Adios, Rod, - you're lookin' good.
Thank you.
You too, Larry, take care.
So long, Rod.
So long, Jerry.
I'm real proud that I've been your wingman.
Likewise, Rod.
Hey, Colonel, think about us when you're riding down Fifth Avenue, will you? It will be hard not to.
Thanks, Pappy.
Oh, by the way, I arranged for half those cases of spare parts left behind "by mistake".
Hey, Rod, I want you to know I really appreciate that, but we have had those spare parts for three days in our planes, those crates are filled with rocks.
Black Sheep must've taken them off last night.
Good thing I caught it in time, huh? Greg, l What do you call that? That's show biz? Let's get one more shot, gentleman.
That's the one.
Hold it.