Posted By Terry Harris on January 23, 2006 at 20:14:56:
In Reply to: Favorite Scene of 12 O'Clock High posted by Kevin M. Pearson on January 23, 2006 at 09:47:25:
: Just to show you all how many times I have watched this movie, here is my favorite scene and I am doing this from memory so it may not be exact. What are your favorite scenes? Kevin
: Pettingill!
: Yes, sir!
: We're plenty lucky to have only one loss on this mission, why did you break formation?
: Well, sir, Ackerman was in trouble, two engines on fire and we were getting enemy fighters, so I figured I'd better stay back with him and try to cover him going into the target.
: I see. Ackerman a friend of yours?
: My roommate, sir.
: So for the sake of your roommate, you violated Group integrity. Every gun on a B-17 is designed to give the Group maximum defensive firepower. When you pull a B-17 out of formation, you reduce the defensive firepower of the Group by ten guns; that's what I mean by Group integrity. A crippled aeroplane has to be expendible - the one thing which is never expendable is your obligation to this Group. This Group! THIS GROUP! That has to be your loyalty; your only reason for being.
: Stoval!
: Yes, sir!
: Have the billeting officer work out a complete reassignment of quarters so that every man has a new roommate.
: Very well, sir.
: Gately, Baxter is promoted out of Leopard Colony, Pettingill is your new copilit.
My favorite scene (except for the combat scenes from Wyler's "Memphis Belle", also from memory:
After the first mission to Germany, Savage confronts the chaplain and Harry Stovall about their having stowed away on the mission:
To the chaplain: "....your business is sin. From now on, you will confine yourself to that theatre of operations."
After Savage asks Stovall if he hit anything up there, and Stovall responds, "....I might have got a piece of one". Savage responds thusly: "Theirs, or ours?"
For what its worth, I've had a couple of B17 combat vets tell me that if you want to see how it really was, watch "Twelve O'clock High".