Memphis Belle

Come on, let's go. Come on, everyone, let's go.

I'm open, I'm open. Throw it again. I'm open.

Okay, let's see who we got here.

"Virge Hoogesteger." What kind of name is that?

"Youngest of 6."

Worked in the family diner before joining up. Writes home every week.

"Nicknamed 'The Virgin." '.

Come on, we need a little teamwork here. Come on, fellas.

Now, who's this goon?

"Jack Bocci from the South Side of Chicago.

Graduate of several reform schools."

Better keep him in the background.

Bullshit!

This is the religious one. Oh, there's always a religious one.

"Eugene McVey from Cleveland." There's always one from Cleveland.

"Nineteen, high-strung, always coming down with something."

How'd he get in this bunch?

"Richard 'Rascal' Moore. Eighteen, 5-foot-4,120 pounds.

Has a real reputation as a ladies' man."

At least, that's what he says.

"Clay Busby, a farmer's son." Now, look at this.

"When his father lost their farm in a poker game...

Clay started playing piano in a New Orleans cathouse."

Oh, the papers will love that.

Come on. I'm open.

" BRUCE : This kid couldn't be more Irish if he tried. "Danny Daly.

'A' student, editor of the school paper, Valedictorian.

"He volunteered the day after he graduated from college."

Danny! All right!

That's not bad. I think we've got something to work with here.

Oh, come on. Get up, get up.

Whoo-hoo-hoo!

They're coming in!

That's 15, 16.

There's another one. Hurry, you're counting today.

At this point, 15 or 16. Sir, they're still coming in.

How can I promise you 24 planes tomorrow?

I don't even know if they'll all make it back.

Where?

I thought we hit that target a month ago, sir.

Yes, I know we have to keep the pressure on...

but I lost almost a quarter of my squadron, sir.

Yes, sir.

I will have the ground crews work through the night.

But I was hoping to give the boys a little break.

We're having a dance tonight in honor of the group's first ann...

Yes, sir.

Yes, I will give you an update when I know more.

Thank you, sir. Goodbye.

Sir, 18 planes, three still out.

So that's the crew of the Memphis Belle , huh?

Those are the enlisted men. You're meeting the officers this afternoon.

They must be the 10 luckiest sons of bitches in the world.

- They're just ordinary men, colonel. - Are you kidding?

Ordinary? First they volunteer for all this...

and then they fly 24 missions without a scratch.

- That doesn't sound very ordinary to me. Two more, sir.

You know, people back home are getting pretty discouraged by our losses.

They're starting to think daylight bombing is a big mistake.

- It's the only way we're gonna win this war. - We gotta get that message across.

That's where I come in. The nation is gonna fall in love with those boys.

The first crew in the Eighth Air Force to complete their tour of duty.

- They haven't done it yet. - They will.

You're gonna make sure of that. Right?

One more. Just one more.

Boy, it'd be great if everybody came back today.

- With the dance and everything. - I give them 4-to-1.

Any takers?

- Yeah, I'll have some of that. - Show me your money, Jack.

- Genie, loan me some money, huh? - What do I look like, Wells Fargo?

- No, you look like a weenie... - There it is!

I heard they brought in a swell band for the dance.

- Maybe they'll let you croon a tune. No, sirree.

- You sing to us in the plane all the time. - Yeah, but you guys ain't got no taste. Heh.

Abandon ship now, everybody! Let's get out of here!

Let's go! Come on, come on, hurry up!

Hurry up! Let's get out of here!

So you named the plane after your girl back home, right?

Heh, that's a great angle.

You don't sound like you're from the south, though.

I met her when I was in Memphis on business.

Yeah, I bet she's a living doll, eh, Dennis?

She's a very fine woman, sir.

Uh-huh.

Oh, a lifeguard? Wow, that's a pretty responsible job, eh, Luke?

Well, it's rough basking in the sun all day, having girls swarm all over you.

So I joined up. Had to get away from all of that.

That's good. - Yeah.

All right. "Val." And what is that short for?

"Valentine."

I bet the women love that.

Now, you're the bombardier...

and, uh, I understand you have 4 years of medical school under your belt.

Believe me, as soon as your picture comes out in LIFE magazine...

every man, woman and child in America is gonna want you to be their doctor.

Would you look at the camera, Phil?

Sit up straight.

- Smile? - What is there to smile about, sir?

You guys have finished 24 missions. One more and you go home.

That'd sure make me smile.

Well, you're not me.

Would you please just take the picture?

- Is that all, sir? Not quite.

You'll go back home in the Belle, fly all over the U.S...

making speeches, getting people to buy more war bonds...

work longer hours, put out more planes.

And, uh, believe me, you'll be wined, womened and songed...

from one end of the States to the other.

It'll be tough, but, uh, we all have to make sacrifices.

- You mean we're gonna be famous, sir? - I'm afraid so, Luke.

- Colonel Derringer? Ah-ah-ah.

I'm Army PR. You can call me Bruce.

We'll follow your orders to the best of our...

These are not orders, Dennis. We're working together on this.

Fine. But I don't want the other men finding out about this yet.

Pictures in LIFE? Wine, women and song? You gotta tell them. They'll go nuts.

I don't want them going nuts. I want them thinking about their jobs.

Come on, we could do our jobs in our sleep. Why can't they know?

Because I said so.

My father used to say that.

Dennis, you're the boss. You tell the crew whenever you think it's right.

Now, can we have just one more shot?

What? Are you kidding me?

- What are you smiling about? - Ha-ha-ha.

You're the one that put this unclean deck in this barracks.

Okay, get your money. Once again, Jack Bocci gets stiffed.

Clay, shouldn't you let the sarge go through Becker's stuff?

Sarge will just send it to Becker's widow.

We don't want her getting anything embarrassing.

- Candy bar. - Me.

Danny, which one of these do you like better? This one's shiny aluminum. It's very modern.

And this one is a little more homey, with the brick and the little bushes.

- This one. Why? - Well, it's important, see.

I'm gonna plan to open a bunch of restaurants exactly like the first one.

So you could go to Detroit and get the same hamburger...

you got in Baltimore or in Philadelphia...

Nobody's gonna want the same old food everywhere they go.

Sure they do. It's comforting.

- It's com... It is comforting. Love letters.

- Wife or girlfriend? - Ooh, read them out loud. Get me in the mood.

Girlfriend.

- Pocketknife. Photos. - Does he have any clean socks in there?

Hey. Dirty book.

Hey, I'll take it.

Ah.

Hey, look.

- Becker forgot his good-luck charm. - Poor slob.

Should've worn it around his neck. Then he'd never forget it.

- Rubbers. Dibs!

Virge the Virgin won't need these.

Promise me if you ever lose your cherry, you'll tell me.

I'll send it to you COD.

Say, Clay, give me. Becker owed me 10.

Jack, don't take his money. - Hey, clam up, you mug-face, he owed me.

What do you guys know about Germany?

- Pretty women. - Good beer.

- The hamburger's named after a town there. - Yeah. Ha, ha.

A little bird tells me that's where they're sending us tomorrow.

- Are you sure? - Uh, we ain't going to Crowdville.

Our plane's broke.

No, it's fixed. - Christ, let's go break it.

They wouldn't send us to Germany our last time.

- They'd send us on a milk run to France. - I hope so.

They would.

Anybody want the rest of this stuff? Who wants the cigarettes?

Let me take the razor blades.

(WOMAN SINGING GLENN MILLER'S "CHESTNUT TREE")

All the little birdies went tweet-tweet 'Neath the spreading chestnut tree.

I said, I love you And there ain't no ifs or buts.

He said, I love you And the blacksmith shouted.

Chestnuts!

Underneath the spreading chestnut tree There he said he'd marry me.

Now you ought to see our family 'Neath the spreading chestnut tree!

Eugene!

Hey, Genie.

I'm sending this to your wife.

Now they're saying we may be going to Germany tomorrow.

My short, young life could be snuffed out in an instant.

I volunteered because I thought it would be fun.

I never thought I could...

Oh, Faith, when I think I might never see the stars again...

or listen to good music...

or talk to a beautiful girl like you...

Oh, I'm sorry.

You need a drink. I'll... I'll be right back.

Oh, Danny, she is crazy about me. She's gonna jump on me any second.

Think you had enough?

How come they brought LIFE magazine? Are they trying to jinx us?

Forget about it. Let's get a couple girls. Let's go dance.

Tell me the truth. The truth. Are you scared?

No.

I'm Val. Come on.

That's my favorite food in the whole world.

You've never had a hamburger? Unbelievable. You don't know what you're missing.

They sound wonderful.