Stand by for Action Page #2

out all right?

Mr. Masterman, you have a

peculiar sense of humor.

Just the kind to get you

in a lot of trouble.

- Masterman!

- Coming sir.

So sorry, the Admiral.

If I can be of any further assistance

to you, don't hesitate to call on me.

Mr. Masterman, I expect my aides to

be somewhere within hailing distance.

I thought perhaps your buzzer

was out of commission, sir.

I was given a voice long

before I rated a buzzer,

and it's never

out of commission!

- And much more effective, sir.

- What?

I'm sorry, sir. I had to step

out of the office a moment

to arrange the menu for the dinner to

the Senate Naval Affairs Committee.

Here it is, sir. I thought

we'd begin with oysters.

Oysters? I want the report

on the damage to the Crenshaw.

Oh, that.

Yes sir, here it is.

A hole in her

starboard side, sir.

This report reached your office hours ago.

Why haven't I seen it?

Well, I have had the details for the

committees visit on my hands, sir.

I knew you'd want that

run off shipshape.

I've arranged to meet

them at the airport,

take them to the hotel,

and interview with the press...

We're not celebrating

Old Home Week, Masterman.

Those men are coming here

to try to get fighting ships

back to sea again

in the least possible time.

Maybe you believe,

like a lot of other people,

that we can fight this year's

war with next year's ships.

- No sir. - See that the yard

manager's office gets this at once.

It gives the repairs to the

Crenshaw a high priority.

- Yes sir. - No wonder I have wild

eyed officers barging in on me,

- unannounced.

- I'm sorry about that, sir.

- Won't happen again.

- Right.

It was rather a raw trick

to play on Roberts, at that.

Taking him off a brand new

spic and span destroyer leader

and transferring him

to a ship like the Warren.

Not that old Noah's Ark, sir.

Yes.

Having him march in like that just when

I needed a new skipper for the Warren

was a great a stroke of luck.

Roberts knows those

old force trackers

from stem to stern

and truck to keel.

Couldn't have found

a better man.

- Congratulations, sir. - Seeing

as he'll have has hands full,

I want to find him a

crack executive officer.

Yes, sir. Whom do you suggest

we condemn to the galleys?

Hm?

Sit down, Masterman.

Thank you, sir.

You youngsters of the new Navy don't

think much of officers like Roberts.

- Do you? - Well,

to be truthful sir,

I haven't thought of him at all.

I can understand why.

Take you, for example.

You were given the privilege of

a top drawer Harvard education,

with everything that family

and position could offer.

Like any good solid American,

you took full advantage of it.

That shows in your examination

for the Naval service,

and in your service record

since you've been in the Navy.

That's why you've

moved ahead so fast.

- I've tried to do my best, sir.

- Of course you have.

Wouldn't expect

anything else of you.

But Roberts did it the hard way.

He enlisted during the last war.

Must've been as young

as we take 'em.

Maybe a little younger.

His father was a farmer, he had no

family to help him, and no traditions.

He fought his way up.

Masterman, you've never had to

fight very hard for anything.

You've missed a lot of fun...

And a lot of Navy, the real Navy

that doesn't float on salt water,

but in a man's blood stream.

A man that goes to sea as the

Warren's executive officer,

will be lucky.

He can learn a lot from

a skipper like Roberts.

Well, I'm sure of that, sir.

As for me, I've already learned

a lot serving under you, sir.

Yes, yes... I've noticed.

Your lumbago, sir?

Mr. Masterman, an occasional

stitch in the back is not lumbago.

- No sir. - And I'll thank

you not to mention that

where it might be misinterpreted

by some long nosed sawbones.

I still have dreams of sea duty.

Yes sir, I'll be

very careful, sir.

Well, what are you

standing there for?

Do you realize you've wasted

10 minutes of my time?

Get those repair orders

to the yard manager's office.

And don't forget that we're going to

give Roberts a crack executive officer.

Oh yes, sir. I'll draw up

a list of officers available

for the duty, sir.

And don't start with oysters!

- Here you are.

- Oh, how nice.

- May I get you anything else?

- Oh no, Lieutenant.

- Thank you so much.

- Senator?

No thank you.

Excuse me.

Sorry to let all this

music go to waste.

You seem to have the senatorial

party well in hand...

Along with everything else.

Oh, senators are really

quite easy to handle.

You just remember they're human,

like everybody else,

and then remember not

to treat them that way.

Um, now that we're alone,

can you give me one good reason

why I should forsake my

duties as a naval officer,

and accept your

weekend invitation?

Well, you meet a lot of lovely

people and the food's not bad.

Well, I'm on a diet.

Besides, I want to be alone.

Hm... there's a

lovely golf course.

A gorgeous swimming pool?

Oh, and a super tennis court.

Oh, please, don't mention exercise. I

cultivate my muscles all week long.

Come Saturday and Sunday, I just want to

cuddle down some place with a good book.

I beg your pardon, sir.

A message from Lieutenant Commander

Roberts. It's marked urgent.

Roberts? Oh...

oh yes, Roberts.

Excuse me.

- Is there an answer, sir?

- No, no answer.

Serious?

No, nothing serious.

I beg your pardon, sir.

Admiral Thomas, may

I present Miss Carr.

- How do you do?

- How do you do?

- And my uncle, Senator Masterman.

- How do you do?

Well, what are you

grinning about?

It's very funny, sir.

It seems that Mr. Roberts

new command has

gone to his head.

"Dear Masterman, I should

like to see you aboard

the Warren immediately. Relative to the

ship's business. Signed, Roberts."

What's funny about a captain

wanting to discuss matters

with his executive officer?

I, I beg your pardon, sir?

We agreed that the Warren

needed a crack exec.

Yes sir, I submitted a list

of the names of the officers...

I appreciate your

modesty, my boy,

leaving your own name

off the list.

But I added it to the top

and notified Roberts.

I meant to congratulate

you on your new duty,

but the Senate Naval Affairs

Committee, you understand.

- Oh, happy cruise, Masterman.

- Thank you, sir.

My dear lady,

please allow me to present

you with these lazy loops,

in lieu of our literary weekend.

Attention on deck!

Captain's coming aboard.

Good evening.

Welcome aboard, sir.

I'm sorry I couldn't pipe the

Captain aboard the sideboy, sir.

Thank you.

Doesn't seem to be

anybody aboard.

Oh, no sir. Nobody but me.

I called attention

through force of habit, sir.

Who are you?

Chief Yeoman Henry Johnson, sir.

How long have you been aboard?

Twenty-six years, sir.

- Twenty-six years?

- Yes, sir.

I came aboard when she was first

fitted out and commissioned.

That was 1916, sir.

We've been together ever since.

But she's been

out of commission.

Yes, sir. I went out

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