1941 Page #3

I paid my debt to society. Your father

has a brand-new auto, a new garage.

Did the fire insurance

pay for all this?

My dad it can't possibly cover what he's

gonna do to you if he sees you again.

I had to show you the new set of drapes

I picked up for the dance this evening.

Look at this. A wreath pleat, a stuffed

cuff and a wreath sleeve. Snazzy, huh?

- Watch these new steps!

- I have to talk to you.

- Would you listen?

- You can forget about the dance tonight.

They won't let you near

the place dressed like that.

It's a USO club now

for servicemen only.

- And we're hostesses.

- What do you mean, "hostesses"?

- That like a waitress?

- It means we can only dance with servicemen.

- Real men.

- What do you mean?

You joined some organization that tells

you who you can and can't dance with?

You're talking

about the USO!

Where does that

leave us, Betty?

Look, I know you don't

owe me anything.

But I've been lookin' forward to this

night for a long, long time.

- What am I supposed to do?

- Get a uniform.

This is my uniform!

I'm an American too, and there's

a lot of things I have to do.

I have to do my part, Wally.

There's a lot of lonely

servicemen out there.

- I don't want to see them

stuck on some German- - Bayonet.

Do you wanna go with me

tonight? Yes or no?

- Yes.

- Betty.

Think about those guys.

I mean, no.

I mean, yes.

The hairy chests

and the hairy arms-

I don't know!

I don't know!

You're gettin' me confused.

I'm just confused.

Oh, okay. Okay.

Wait. Look.

I'll meet ya in front

of the dance hall at 8:00.

If they won't let me in,

we can go see a movie.

Okay? There's that new

Walt Disney cartoon playin' around.

Dumbo!

Oh, my God.

Here comes my father.

And he's got a gun!

- Quick, Wally. Go out the garage door.

I'll stall him.

Come on! Oh! Hello? Come on!

- Hi, Dad.

- Hi. How are you?

- Dad, I'd like you to meet my friend.

- Hi!

It won't open!

Dad, Dad,

I joined the USO.

Yes, I know. You told me, dear.

We all got to do what we can.

Aha!

Sh*t. I didn't hear any gunshots.

He must have got away.

What's that rug-

That's my hat!

Gus, Gus, wait

'til they step on it.

That's my brand-new hat.

Surrender!

- Macey Douglas, what is the meaning of this?

- What is this?

Jap trap. We're gonna cover it

over with sticks and stuff.

Dad says when the Japs

sneak up, they'll fall in.

I'm going to kill you.

Wait 'til I get out of here,

I'm gonna murder you!

You dug your own grave.

Ward Douglas.

- Wow! Look what we're getting.

I will not have guns

in this house.

- Uh, excuse us, ma'am.

- Heads up!

- Hello?

Sorry, ma'am. Our gun

kind of got away on us there.

- All right, move it back! Come on!

- Sh*t! Oh, sorry.

Come on, move it out!

Back it up, ya foul-ups.

Let's go, Reese.

Move it out easy now.

Come on, Foley.

Get in here and push.

- Gee whiz.

- Corporal Sitarski, get on that wheel. Come on!

All right.

Sitarski, lock it up!

- Ow!

- Watch yourself.

Attention, Foley,

Sitarski, Reese, let's go!

Fall in on the double.

Hustle, hustle!

Oh, my God!

My roses!

Ten-hut! At ease.

Sir, Sergeant Frank Tree, United States

Army Tenth Armored Division.

Mr. Ward Herbert Douglas,

1313 Pelican Way?

Yes.

Uh-huh. The Coast Artillery Command

has determined your property...

...to be strategically advantageous

for the installation...

...of an enemy aircraft

defense battery.

What?

We want to put this 40 millimeter

antiaircraft gun in your yard, sir.

Joan, they want to put

this gun in our yard.

No. Absolutely not.

I refuse to let you...

...bring the war into

my own front yard.

Joan. Joan dearest. Uh-

That's the point, isn't it?

Whose front yard is this?

Is it Tojo's front yard? ls it Hirohito's

front yard? No. It's my front yard.

It was bought and paid for

in the free marketplace.

I am going to defend it.

Then join the Civilian Defense.

You could become a block warden.

I'm not going to run around like Angelo

Scioli with a whistle and flashlight...

...hollering, "Lights out."

Calma! After the war,

I'll turn it back to a car.

- Right now it's a tank for the Civil Defense.

- Angelo.

You promised me a lawn chair

on the beach...

...in front of Ward's house

with binoculars.

That was originally. You still got

a chair. You still got binoculars.

Only now you're on top of

the ferris wheel in the amusement park.

You don't understand.

I've got a little problem.

I'm afraid of heights.

Yeah, yeah.

Can't look down

from high up.

What do you call that?

Hydrophobia?

- Acrophobia.

- No problem. Won't bother ya.

You never look down.

You just look up.

You sit on top of the ferris wheel

with your binoculars spotting aircraft.

- You never look down. Up, up, up-

- Who's with me?

- Oh, I got a wonderful guy. Very simpatico.

- Good man?

Calm, cool,

collected, balanced.

- He knows all about heights?

An expert?

This person is an expert

about everything.

Calma.

That's not defense, Joan.

This is defense.

- Ward, I have to talk-

- Sir, ma'am, please. Let's not fight.

If there's one thing I can't stand, it's

seeing Americans fighting Americans.

If you let them keep that gun

in our yard, our home will be a target.

Joan, we're all targets

in this war.

At least we will

be able to shoot back.

- How do I work this thing, Sergeant?

- You shouldn't touch it.

There will be a gunnery crew here

on Monday to man the ordnance.

- Monday?

- Yes, sir.

- Where will they go to the bathroom?

- Oh.

Remember I saw him first.

He's mine.

I will not allow you

to bring the war into my front yard.

Hello, hello, hello.

Sitarski! Quit goldbrickin'!

Go in that garage...

...find a cement block and

stabilize that ordnance.

- Move it!

- Yes, sir!

- You heard your boss. Put me down.

- Anything you say, doll.

- Come on, get the lead out! Move, move, move!

- Yes, sir!

Sergeant, there's no way this gun

can go off by itself, is there?

Actually, I'm a motor pool

maintenance sergeant.

I don't know too much

about the gunnery stuff.

However, I can tell you this material

is a 40 millimeter automatic gun...

...effective against

low-flying aerial targets.

The gun will displace a 1.96 pound,

high-explosive armor-

Count to ten.

One, two-

How can we make sure that

the gun doesn't go off?

The upper part of the gun

carriage is capable of...

...a full 360 degree traverse with a

maximum barrel elevation of 90 degrees.

This is a cement block.

Projectile at 2,960 feet per second-

- Don't they teach you manners in the Army?

- You're right. I'm sorry.

I'm Corporal Chuck Sitarski,

United States Army.

But, uh, my good friends

call me Stretch.

How are ya? Aw, look,

I'm sorry I dropped you in that hole.

Listen, you got a

little thing in your hair-

I'll tell you what.

If it makes you feel any better...

why don't you haul off

and slug me?

- Plant one right here on my kisser.

- I don't want to hit you.

- Make a fist.

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