Pride of the Marines Page #6

embarrassed.

I...

I can hardly wait to kiss you for the first time, honey.

I never told you

what i feel like when you're in my arms,

looking up at me

with your eyes like...

like... with that kind of

funny, wonderful light in your eyes,

like you did

on the railroad station platform.

Say it, al.

Lots of love,

your brown-eyed devil, al.

She called me that once.

It's a kind of joke between us, see?

Sure.

Ain't that

a nice face, though? Ain't it? Take a look.

Oh, come on, schmid.

I just looked at it

a little bit ago.

Now, don't rib me.

I only showed it to you once.

Yeah, it's a nice face.

A guy could lean

on a girl like that.

A marine

don't lean on anyone.

If there's any leaning

to be done,

now the female sex

is the weaker, isn't it?

Well, everybody leans

a little on somebody.

Nobody stands alone.

You just wait until tomorrow

after my operation,

i'm all fixed up.

I'll stand alone.

You just wait. You just watch me!

I'll ask permission

to be there.

Well, you better be.

I wanna find out if

you're as good-looking

as your voice

sounds like you are.

Oh, don't spoil me, schmid.

Keep it tough.

Hi, al.

Is that you, lee?

Yeah, i've been

waiting outside. I'm next.

You better be careful

of this guy.

He's a little short

on the brain.

Yeah?

He got

3 machine gun bullets in the shoulder.

You'd think after

the first one, he'd have sense enough to duck.

At least i had sense

enough not to play catch with a jap grenade.

Why don't you hang

a lantern on that thing?

Uh, did you buy

that present for my wife for me?

Yeah, i bought two

for you to choose from.

Hiya, tom,

how's your malaria?

Wonderful.

It's that tall.

You'd never know it.

Ha ha.

Wither wouldst thou

love to be shoved, alberto?

Oh, once around

the hall, thomas. Ok.

Here we go

gathering nuts in may

nuts in may,

hay in may

here we go gathering...

man:
Darken the room,

please.

Hold the bandage,

will you, schmid?

Guess we're

ready, now.

Not too soon

for me, sir!

I'm bustin'

at the seams!

It's been the

longest 3 weeks of my whole life!

Now, look, schmid.

Don't you expect

to see the minute the bandage is off.

I'm darkening

your room... ok.

Ok, you told me

that.

Just get it off,

will you?

Now, i'm not making

any promises either.

You see,

the healing process...

all right, all right.

Let's try it,

please, sir!

The bandage is off now.

You can open up.

No!

Not a darn thing!

You told me

it was dark in here.

How about

that flashlight, sir?

You promised!

I will.

Take it easy.

I'm taking it easy, sir.

Well, you don't expect me

to see with the blinds down.

You think i don't know

my eyes have been injured?

Why, i even expect

to be wearing glasses

the rest of my life.

"Four-eyes schmid. "

I don't mind, sir.

I don't mind

the glasses. Really, i don't.

I'm going to snap

the flashlight on behind my back

and then bring it around

towards your face.

First time

you see it, holler.

I'll holler.

I'll holler so loud

my girl will hear me in philadelphia.

Ready?

Yeah, i'm ready.

I'm ready!

Turn it on, sir.

Even if it's only

a two-bit flashlight.

I wanna see stars

and angels and ruth.

Give me something

to holler about, please!

Come on,

this is one time

i wanna get hit right

smack between the eyes,

come on, doctor.

Let's see the light.

Bring it closer.

See anything?

Yeah, like

a locomotive headlight.

Way off in the fog.

Bring it closer!

Closer!

Closer, please!

I'm sorry, schmid.

The light was put on your eyes.

Close.

No. I can't be blind...

not my whole life!

Doctor:

Look, schmid...

please... please...

you medicine fellows,

you know.

You're educated,

you're smart.

You got ways

of fixing guys up.

I tried my best.

I fought.

I'm not asking

for so much!

Schmid,

this examination isn't final.

I told you yesterday

it wouldn't be.

When can we try again, sir?

Tomorrow? Next week?

You're still

suffering the effects of eye concussion, schmid.

There's still pieces

of grenade that have to work themselves out.

You'll probably need

another operation after a while.

When?

We'll have to wait

6 months, a year.

Even then,

there's no assurance you'll ever see.

6 months?

What are my chances, sir?

Give it to me straight.

Miss shelby,

bring me a card, please.

I have a card here

i want you to take with you, schmid.

We have people

right here now who will teach you.

This is for blind people!

I don't want

any of this stuff!

I want to stand on my own!

I don't want

any of this stuff!

Schmid... right now,

i'm thinking of someone, a doctor friend of mine.

We went to school

together.

He was blind from the time

he was 10 years old,

but that didn't

stop him.

He's married

and has two kids.

He's a fine psychiatrist

and a happy man.

Are you listening

to me, schmid?

I'm not saying

it'll be easy for you,

and these first few months

are the toughest.

People get the wrong idea

about blindness.

A blind man

isn't helpless;

he just has to do some things

differently from the rest of us.

Are you listening

to me, schmid?

Why don't god

strike me dead?

We back at the warden?

A couple more steps.

I'll take it

from here. All right.

Hi, al!

Hiya, gophers!

I'm shoving off.

Good luck.

Now, listen, tommy,

let me get the picture straight.

You mean to tell me

that she tricked you into going up to her apartment?

Sure, i was trapped!

She had a beautiful

two-room joint overlooking los angeles.

So i go up there

with her,

and she pours me

a nice, tall drink.

Then we sit down

on the sofa.

What happened then?

Take it easy,

i'll tell you.

Well, we're sitting

on the sofa, see, and i got my arm around her.

Everything's

getting cozy, see?

Just as i'm about

to kiss her,

all the lights

go out.

Killed all

the conversation.

Well, what'd you do?

I was in luck.

I had my flashlight with me.

Did you light it?

No, she wouldn't

let me!

She told me the noise

would wake up her father.

Tommy:
Hey, sarge,

where you going?

I got my first

3-day liberty, tommy.

I'm going to

los angeles.

You got a date?

No.

You call this number

when you get there.

I don't like

blind dates.

She'll be sober

when you get there. Give her a ring.

What's she like?

Out of the world.

Out of this world, huh?

Well, los angeles

city limits,

how much farther out

can you get?

What's she look like,

an umbrella?

Are you kidding?

She's a beauty!

Big brown eyes

like saucers.

And when she smiles,

she flashes the most beautiful set of teeth you ever saw.

And what a build!

This girl has got a figure out of the world!

When you see

this girl's figure...

now, i've seen a lot

of figures, brother,

and i know

what i'm talking about.

She's got the most...

wait a minute.

I'll get my hat. I'll go with you.

Where's my hat?

Al, this is lee.

I just heard

the bad news about... about the eye test.

Look, al, i got an uncle

who's a doctor...

and he's no dope.

4 years city college,

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