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.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes