A Guy Named Joe

Off we go

Into the wild blue yonder

Riding high...

It's Pete sandidge's

Squadron.

I'll bet you he's the best

Flyer in the whole world.

He's a grand-standing

Windbag.

You can't trust him

With a motorcycle,

Much less an airplane.

The report says "only one

Plane slightly damaged."

Every time they cross the

Channel, it's the same old story.

Here's the squadron. I got a

Chance to get a little sleep-

But no. Sandidge and yackey are

Up there somewhere playing tag.

And to think I once

Turned down a chance

To transfer to

The quartermaster corps!

Another routine

Complaint about him

From headquarters

This morning.

What did it say?

Oh, the usual.

What does headquarters think

These guys came over here for,

A sewing circle?

They're playing

For keeps!

Cops and robbers

With rocks in the snowballs,

Brass knuckles

And lead pipes

And a roughneck conviction that

Can lick any man in the world.

So headquarters in london

Complains... So what?

Look, look,

Here comes one on fire!

Uh-oh. I think

They're coming in now.

Those undisciplined

Hooligans.

If they've ruined another ship, I'll

- I'll kill 'em!

Every time they go up, there's

Nothing but trouble, trouble, trouble!

You'd think b-25s

Grew on trees!

Look at that ship!

A 3-alarm fire!

It's going to make

A crash landing!

Let's go.

Yes, sir.

Any bloody noses

Down there?

We're all right,

Skipper.

You all right?

We're o.k., sir.

That was one swell landing.

Good shooting.

Thank you,

Sir.

You o.k., Pete?

Sure, I'm o.k.

Gimme a cigarette.

You know, you just did make it, pal.

Thanks for

Herding me in.

Uh-oh.

Boy, oh, boy, I never seen so much black

In one place

In my life, did you-

Good morning.

Morning, sir.

Mission completed, sir.

All planes safe.

Oh, yes.

Yes, thanks.

Boy, you set

This crate down

Like a ladybug

On a toadstool.

I thought for a minute you was

Going to have to bail out, Pete.

Can't afford to lose a plane

In good shape like that.

Make a report

To intelligence.

Pick me up

In about an hour.

Oh, Sandy?

Yes, sir.

Looking over

Your ship, I-

Yes, sir. I was gonna make the

Report. I got a date. See you later.

I'll make

The report, sir.

Mind if I walk

With you?

No, sir.

Lucky the other man got

Off so easily, isn't it?

Uh-uh. You know I

Always bring 'em back.

Just a day for a little

Bad luck, that's all.

And yesterday

Was your day, too,

And the flight

Before that.

Yeah. Been havin' a

Lot of luck, haven't I?

What a beautiful day. Look at that sun.

Makes a guy

Feel good.

How high were you when you

Went in for your bombing run?

Now, look, nails, al

Is making out a report.

I got a date, and she's

Gonna get mad if I'm late.

I gotta shave and wash

And everything.

Why don't you wait

For the pilot's report?

O.k. Tell Dorinda for me she's

Lucky you got back at all.

What are you trying to

Do, break up my romance?

Just trying to

Keep you alive.

Ha ha. Leave that to me,

Nails. I'll be seeing ya.

Yeah.

Soon.

There he is!

You call him.

No. I did it

Yesterday.

Just holler, "hey, joe"

Like the americans do.

But his name

Isn't joe.

Don't you know anything about slang?

In the american

Air forces,

Anybody who's a right chap

Is a... A guy named joe.

That's very foolish,

Peter. I'll call him.

No, elizabeth.

I will.

Yeah.

Oh, Pete!

We're very glad

You got back safe.

Could you settle

An argument for us?

Could you, please?

Yeah, sure. I guess

That could be arranged.

Well, now, what's

The beef this morning?

Well, cyril says the

Spitfire's a better plane

Than the

American p-38,

And I say the

P-38's better.

I didn't say it was all the way better.

I just said it was mostly better.

We shouldn't have

Any trouble about that.

The p-38

Is a little faster,

And the spitfire is a

Little more maneuverable.

They're both

Good planes.

You see?

I told him,

Talking all the time

About the spitfire

Being better

Was bad for british

And american relations.

Well, I've got an uncle in america.

That's more

Than you have.

Everybody has an uncle

In america.

Pete, what would

Happen

If you went way,

Way up high

And forgot to turn

Your oxygen tank on?

Well, you'd get weak. You'd

Get dizzy, and short of wind.

You wouldn't be able to think

Properly. You couldn't coordinate.

I mean, you might tell

Yourself to do one thing,

And you'd find yourself

Doing something else.

Gosh!

Pete, tell us

How it feels

To be up alone

In a plane

All by yourself.

Again?

Please.

Do tell us,

Pete.

We're nuts to

Hear you tell it.

All right.

Well, when you're up there

All alone in your ship, you...

Say, uh...

You kids don't ever mention

Any of this stuff I tell ya,

Do ya?

Oh, no! Never.

Well, don't.

We won't.

Well, uh, when

You're up there,

You're-you're

All alone.

It's just you and your ship and the sky.

And you don't want

Anybody up there with you.

You don't want

Anybody to spoil it.

Everything's kinda still.

You have the feeling that

You're halfway to heaven.

You don't even seem to hear

The sound of your own motor,

Just a kind of a buzz,

Like the sky

Was calling you...

Like the sky

Was singing you a song.

Gosh.

Yeah.

And somehow it's never

8:
00 up there.

It's... It's always now.

And the earth

Is so far below you

That it just doesn't

Matter anymore.

The sky is the thing

That's important.

The sky is your pal.

You feel like nudging it and

Saying, "hi, sky. How are you today?

And how's the old moon

The last time you saw him?

The wind drift comes

Straight off the morning star,

And beautiful white

Clouds drift towards you.

And they're like

Old friends,

Friends you never

Want to say good-bye to.

And you see a patch

Of clear area between 'em,

And you duck in and out

Like a porpoise

Rolling in the ocean.

And then you say

To yourself, "boy, oh, boy,

"this is the only time

A man is really ever alive,

The only time

He's really ever free."

The old sky smiles

Back at ya

And says, "boy, you're

Right. You're dead right."

What happens when your motor conks out?

Oh, elizabeth,

Elizabeth,

How did you ever get

Into this gang?

Hey, Pete,

Come on, will ya?

Where've you been?

I've been waiting for ya.

You kids run along.

Can we come by and

See you tomorrow, Pete?

Yeah, but not a word

About this to anybody.

This is just between us now, us pilots.

Gosh!

Well, that Dorinda is

Certainly crazy about me.

She's an hour late already.

Our first day off in 3 weeks.

Maybe she figures

It'd do you good

To be held up

Once in a while.

It kinda keeps a fella's

Interest alive.

One of these days I'll put

That dame across my knee-

You're not even

Listening to me.

That gal's flown stuff all

Over these here british isles.

Bet she could teach you a

Thing or two about a ship.

Then she's late on

Purpose. That's worse.

What does she

Think I am?

I reckon she's got

A pretty good idea.

What's the matter? You

Oughta be feeling good.

Why?

Foolin' nails. We talked

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