Between Heaven and Hell

- Get Gifford out. - Yes, sir.

Hey, Gifford.

Gifford!

Get your gear.

Get that arm up, Gifford. You're still in the army.

Colonel Miles wants to see you. Come on.

Inside.

Here's the prisoner, sir.

Gifford.

I've been investigating your case.

Ordinarily I'd turn this sort of thing over to a court-martial,

but in this instance you hold a well-earned Silver Star,

your record till now has been excellent,

and you've shown definite qualities of leadership.

You know, I was gonna recommend you for a battlefield commission.

Why'd you do it, Gifford?

I think you lost control of yourself.

That can happen,

especially with men who've been out here for a long time.

Is that it?

Off the record, you're good for ten years in

Leavenworth and a dishonorable discharge.

Yes, sir.

But on the record, tell you what I've decided.

I can't have you in this area.

It's bad for discipline, bad for morale.

We've got a company posted up in the hills: George Company.

They're in a very isolated area.

Half the time the road up there is cut off by the enemy.

Can't even use field phones. Have to contact 'em on radio.

I've spoken to the Second Battalion commander.

We're reassigning you to George.

Lieutenant. Turn this man over to the driver from George Company.

Yes, sir.

Don't give him this until you're out of the area.

Here.

Go ahead and shoot somebody if you feel like it. I don't care.

Anybody but me.

- My name's Willie Crawford. - Sam Gifford.

How come you got transferred to George?

It was that or Leavenworth.

Shoulda took Leavenworth.

Taste of tobacco juice?

Yeah.

Always does.

What'd they get you for?

Assaulting an officer under combat circumstances.

For a fact? Hurt him bad?

Nearly killed him.

Shoulda shot him. You'da been sure of killin' him.

That's George Company's sector there.

On most of them hills we got outposts.

Down there, that's our company headquarters.

That's where Waco is.

Get the lead out, Willie. Send that mallethead in here.

- Yes, sir. - What was that?

I mean, yes, Waco. I'm bringin' him.

I didn't say bring him. I said send him!

Yes, Waco. Get in there. That's the captain.

Put your rifle down right there, buddy.

I said put the rifle down.

Give me the papers.

And Swanson? Go and tell that mallethead he's not gonna drive the jeep anymore.

He knows what I said about calling me sir.

I don't say anything a second time.

Who do you want driving it, Waco?

That's my worry. Just go do what I told you.

I've heard about you, Gifford.

First you go get yourself a Silver Star, then you get busted to private.

- Oh, it's a rough war, ain't it? - Yes, sir.

Didn't you hear what I said about calling me sir?

- I'm sorry... Waco. - All right.

I don't want snipers takin' potshots at me every time one of you guys call me sir.

You hit an officer under combat conditions. What was his rank, captain or what?

- Lieutenant. - Oh, lieutenant.

Shoulda killed him.

I was trying to.

Samuel F. Gifford.

- What's the "F" stand for? - Francis, sir.

- I mean, Waco. - That's better.

You know, I got a sister named Frances.

Hey, Millard. Frances is a girl's name, ain't it?

Yeah. You got a girl's name, Gifford.

Francis?

- You know anything about radio procedure? - Yes, Waco.

OK, you're my radio operator.

You'll work right over there till I get tired of lookin' at your kisser.

Oh, another thing, Gifford.

You ain't gonna hit me. If you do, you'll never hit anybody again.

You hear me?

Hey, this is real stuff.

Just gimme this chick's number, boy, and when I get state...

Give me that picture!

Sure.

Let's see the picture, Gifford.

Let's see it.

I want the picture!

Hold it!

What's this about a picture? You sound like a bunch of stinkin' schoolgirls.

He's got a picture we want to see.

- A picture of what? - My wife.

What? Oh, your wife.

You guys got nothing better on your minds than to think about another guy's wife?

All right, Francis. Let me have the picture.

Come on, come on. Let me have the picture.

I ain't gonna look at it.

You got a pretty wife, Gifford?

I got a pretty wife.

About the prettiest wife in Waco, Texas.

I'll bet she's runnin' around with more guys than you can count.

- Oh, Waco, don't start that again. - Shut up!

Now, I don't like no bad blood around headquarters.

All right, Francis, get out of here. Go find yourself a hole to live in.

Hey, you know what you've done now, don't you?

You've got him started, and it'll take us all night to get him calmed down.

He respects a man's wife.

He don't respect nothin'. And Waco ain't married.

Get goin', Gifford. You heard Waco.

Welcome.

Thought for a while you'd took up with 'em.

- Chaw? - No.

Ought to be goin' on outpost pretty soon.

Is that better than this?

It's away from Waco.

Hi, Little Joe.

This here's a new replacement. Sam Gifford's his name.

I heard. How'd you like Waco, Sam?

I didn't.

Figures. Waco's a sick man.

Sometimes I wonder how long it's going to take the Inspector General

to find out what's going on up here.

50 years.

Miles is nobody's fool. He's gonna wise up to Waco one day.

- How come they transferred you here, Sam? - Hit an officer.

You fellas can think of more ways to get in trouble.

They sure can, Lieutenant.

You're a lieutenant?

That's what it says on the paper. You National Guard, volunteer or draftee?

Guard. A Company. Old First.

No kiddin'? Then you must have known Colonel Cozzens.

There was the finest man I've ever known.

When he got killed,

I felt just about the same as if somebody in my own family had died.

Did you know him, Sam?

I married his daughter.

I hate to kiss and tread water too.

Let's get out.

They ought to put up a statue to the man who invented kissing.

- It was a woman. - Oh, how do you know?

Kissing comes naturally to women.

Men have to be taught.

Like this.

Why is it every time we kiss it's like the first time all over again?

Because I'm a witch and I've woven a spell around you.

Don't break it.

- You know what I like about us? - What?

We don't act like married people at all.

Come to think of it, I'm not acting like much of a businessman either.

- Here I am, wasting the whole morning. - Oh?

No, really, honey, I should go out and check on my sharecroppers.

I haven't seen them for nearly three months.

You said next time you went you'd take me with you.

Oh, honey, you'd just be bored.

The only thing that bores me is not being with you.

All right, Jenny. It'll make the day a lot nicer with you along.

That's my sugar.

The trouble is, Mr. Gifford, it's gonna be the same as it was last year.

If Pap was still around we'd get that cotton out as fast as other folks,

but one man workin' alone... Mr. Gifford, it ain't easy.

Can't you get any help, Carr? What about that fella up the road? Raker.

I reckon Rake's got his own crop to get in.

A couple of his kids ought to be old enough to work in your field.

- I think I'll run up there and talk to him. - I don't wanna put Rake to no trouble.

It's not a question of puttin' people to trouble, it's a question of pickin' cotton.

Ma! Pa! Mr. Gifford's here.

- Hi there. - Howdy.

Why, Mr. Gifford, I was sayin' the other day you ought to be visitin' pretty soon.

- Didn't I, Rake? - That's what she was sayin', Mr. Gifford.

- This is Mrs. Gifford. - How do you do.

Here, Annamay! Get outta there.

I was just talking to Carr. He's havin' trouble getting his crop in.

I thought maybe your two oldest boys could give him a hand.

Well, Mr. Gifford, I've been keepin' 'em right busy.

But if Kenny needs help, I could lend him young Tom here.

Matter of fact, you all better go over there Sunday and work.

- Sunday, Mr. Gifford? - That's right.

Sunday we was plannin' on visitin' my wife's sister, Rose Ellen.

Yeah, Mr. Gifford. We was wantin' to see Rose Ellen's new baby.

Raker, you can visit your relatives anytime during the year,

but there's only so many days to get the cotton in.

I want you all over there to Carr's come Sunday, hear?

- All right, Mr. Gifford. We'll be there. - Better make it early.

Yes, sir, Mr. Gifford.

Sam, I'd like to go home now.

I thought you wanted to see the croppers, honey.

- Why do you talk that way? - What way?

The way you talked to those people.

- You mean there's another way? - There must be.

Not if you want to stay in the cotton business.

I don't see why you're so upset about sharecroppers.