After a final public speech given that May, Leonard Matlovich died of complications from HIV/AIDS on June 22, 1988. He is buried in Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C. His marker reads, “When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.”
*"He will not only lessen his sentence in Leavenworth Prison, but will save this company, what I promise you, will be pain, anguish and humiliation beyond the endurance of man."* Walken's delivery is somehow measured and practical, yet utterly terrifying.
I'd be like: _"Sarge, two consenting guys were making out in private. If you treat this minor incident like a state affair, that's going to make YOU look gay. Because everyone knows that those who condemn homosexuality the loudest most likely do so in order to distract everyone else from themselves. Most of us don't think that you're gay, Sarge. And you can strengthen our opinion by letting this little incident slide, Sarge. _Or, you could lash out at us even harder in answer to my respectful and honest observation. But if you did that, you would prove my point, Sarge. And you'd henceforth have to lead this unit knowing that we would think of you as a closeted homosexual with internalized homophobia. Please, Sarge, don't make us do that."_
During Vietnam, sometimes a civilian would tell the draft people that he was gay, and they would reply "the army will make a man out of you." When they need cannon fodder, you have to do something extreme to beat the draft, such as amputating your trigger finger.
The comments for this post are like: "We thought our loved one was gay - we'd love him, anyway...... Thank God he turned out to be straight!" Polite homophobia is still homophobia and no less damaging to your loved ones who might actually be suppressing a part of their sexuality because they sense your clandestine shame and phobia. It's why so many men don't come out until they are older in life. Educate yourselves and normalize what IS a very natural part of humanity, even if it is not the majority experience.
Literally. "We assumed our love one was gay because he liked fashion" "Thank god he turned out to be straight, and it was just because he had a sister and mum who talked about fashion!" Three ignorant insults in one. One a straight man can't enjoy fashion or feminine things, two because he does, he is gay, and three the 'thank god he was straight'.
I knew a guy who became obese so no one would ask him "hey, how come you don't have a girlfriend?" After he came out, he started exercising and lost all the weight.
Sad that people still have an issue with this till today. You’d think with the passage of time and laws, deaths and atrocities we’d be a more loving and accepting of humanity. Yet, we still suppress people and shove them back in to their closets. Ironic people can accept the murderers and thief’s and even go so far as to forgive them but they can’t seem to accept love and all its colors.
@@locoHAWAIIANkane Things are not so bad today. My generation X fought to end sodomy laws and don't ask don't tell, this generation fights against Christian bakers. Why not hire the gay or liberal baker? Why go out of your way to be discriminated against? I always hear the same story, gay goes to college, gay joins the Campus Crusade for Christ and become president, gay gets expelled. What did you expect? You joined the WRONG organization.
So sad how homosexuality was so vehemently condemned and punished. These men deserved respect and dignity like anyone else and should've been able to live their lives in peace. It was an age of discrimination and fear for them in those days, and it saddens me because they were just like me, but in a different time. And they had all the same feelings, but they had to repress everything or risk everything. Thinking about the tragic reality they experienced deeply saddens me and I am so sorry to all my brothers who have suffered and are still suffering.
Now that Americans re-elected Hitler gay people are gonna have it tough again. He made it OK to hate and to give voice to that hate when he was elected the first time I do not doubt he will continue on with that now that stupid ass Americans got him back in power.
Now that Americans re-elected Hitler gay people are gonna have it tough again. He made it OK to hate and to give voice to that hate when he was elected the first time I do not doubt he will continue on with that now that stupid ass Americans got him back in power.
It was the little things that showed Toomey cared for his men. Like the friendly way he said 'Come on, Son.' put his hand on Hennessy's shoulder and stayed with him all the way to the jeep. And when they stripped him of his equipment, Toomey looked down. He hated what he was watching.
That line makes no sense. If you were a cocker spaniel you would talk about cocker spaniels. If you don't talk about cocker spaniels then you are not a cocker spaniel. It's not a mistake to use the word cock er. But since you don't talk about cocker spaniels, no, you are not a cocker spaniel.
You left out the best line where Matthew Broderick's character says something about realizing that Hennessy had been the only guy who never really judged anyone.
I once had a friend that never talked about girls. We all thought he was gay but it just turned out he really didn't talk about sex at all. He got married years later to some girl he met and, to this day, they are still married.
from the 30's up until Stonewall (and actually, for a few decades more) it was a rough ride being gay. I really hate admitting this, but I wasn't very nice either. Poor Hennessy was looking at banishment from every corner, including his family. The law would not be his friend, he had a target on his back and no protection, and he was looking at terrifying prospects ahead. It was really hateful and cruel.
@@defblinders9585 He wasn't biracial. He was black Irish, which is just a term for Irish people with darker eyes and hair color. He just pretended to have a black mother to call out Wykowski's racism.
My Sister loved this movie back in the day. As for Homosexuality, it was synonymous in The Navy. I found these fantastic books by a Writer named Frank Butterfield which is like a Pre Gay Mad Men. Nick Williams joins the Navy at 17, afterwards works as an orderly at a Hospital and meets his Soulmate Carter Jones in 1947 who is a Fireman. They live in San Francisco but travel to other parts of the world.
Saw the original play on Broadway in Manhattan in 1985. It was awesome. Neil Simon had incredible plays back in the day like Brighton Beach Memoirs and The Odd Couple.
When my nephew was young up until a teen we thought he might be gay and my sister ( his mother ) was dying from cancer she asked me if I would still love and take care of my nephew when she was gone, it brought me to tears and I told her she obviously underestimated me because I would love him and stand up for him even if he decided he liked flying monkey pigs and I just didn't care as it's his life and choice but he's a adult and straight and he once brought up to me years after my sister passed that he knew his mother was curious if he was gay and said what did we expect when he was raised by a single mom would loved fashion and a older sister 14 years older we shouldn't be surprised he liked feminine things. He's still kinda like that and too me he just has a original personality.
Its almost like stereotyping people who like feminine things and fashion as gay, is wrong! Weird! Its almost like gendering toys and interests is a bad thing!
I was in the Navy from 1977 - 2000. I cannot tell you how many times I was called into NIS offices to be interviewed/interrogated about gay sexual matters.
I watched this scene as a kid and now I did not understand then, but I do now. I think this scene remains us why we do a Pride. For the years of shame and guilt , the look on the face of those gay characters treated like the worst of men. Makes me think how many gay men were treated liked that, liked second class people. Few people understand.
I’m glad this scene was included. It illustrates the magnitude of insidiousness of treating homosexuality as a capital crime. Note, it wasn’t till 2003 that the Supreme Court removed sodomy as a crime. The irony was, abortion was legalized in 1973, because of a woman’s right to choice. However, when it was a man’s body, he did not gave that right. Sodomy laws were primarily focused on men.
Also, the foolish and ignorant assumption that ALL gay men practice sodomy and NO straight people do. (In fact, anal is more popular with straights, but then so is wilful ignorance!) The only defining characteristic of being gay is same-sex attraction. Preferred sexual positions can (and should) NEVER be assumed or presumed.
I'm here because I saw a poster in passing in another video for this movie and I immediately thought, "Who's that hot dyke? How did I miss an 80s movie with a buzz cut butch existing?" and it turns out that hot lesbian was just a very young Matthew Broderick. I wish I could say this is the first time this has happened to me.
In the scene when the soldiers go to town on pass, you can briefly see Hennessey nod to Lindstrom just as they get off the bus, implying that they had something going on.
000 000, why do you bother with something so liberal as a play turned into a movie written by a liberal Jew and celebrating the very principles of liberalism you despise. The whole work is beyond you. Also, , quite a statement from someone of the ilk which consume cable “news” channels and Web sites that make a point of withholding a significant portion of the news from them.
@@WorldWideMarket Sometimes it's best to just not comment. That way less of the world is aware of your astronomical ignorance. Looks like a few years of passed since your idocy slipped from your keyboad. Since then, conservatives like yourself have seemed determined to find the lowest forms of decorum and decency. Please don't breed.
Heartbreaking. I remember watching this as a teenager. It helped me getting rid of my intolerance. Walken is such a different kind of actor. Bringing each role to a higher dimension of strangeness. Like Terrence Stamp in England.
@Boogyman4050 Apparently, that did sometimes happen. However, as the need for soldiers grew, the threshhold got higher and higher. Same for conscientious objectors. The question changed from "is he gay?" to "how much will his gay-ness matter if we put him in the line of fire?"
The gay guys knew the army's laws on gays but they still came in.i don't know whether they enlisted or were drafted but i think if they had let the army know they would have been discharged.having sex in the bathroom isn't a good start for either of them.writing this in March 2022 as i look at the state of the world.wars and rumors of wars earthquakes in diverse places killings homosexualality on the rise and trouble on every place that man is.stay safe people and God bless America.
It was always highly prosecuted. However, up through the 1990s in both Iraq wars and the Bush years in Afghanistan, the Pentagon would have a soldier complete his or her tour of duty to exploit them for their service and THEN criminally charge and dishonorably discharge them, meaning no pension and no health benefits.
@@DavidLS1 Very interesting. I'm glad I didn't see that as a kid. It would've confused the 💩 out of me. 😂 A similar scene I saw as an adult was in Boogie Nights, when Dirk Diggler is selling himself to a closeted, self-hating gae man who then beats him up.
You've got a great eye. His performance is beautifully understated. It gets its power from being played with such seeming casualness, almost glibness. I hope he at least got an Oscar nomination.
Good thing times have change for men who may be gay. Was a sad point in history because there was a gay man who saved the lives of many millions by cracking the German coded messages (Enigma technique he created) , and yet- he was chemically castrated and then committed suicide .... that was the thanks they gave him ....
You’re thinking of Alan Turing. The Germans created the Enigma code machine and Turing broke the code by uncovering its inherent weaknesses and helping to program the decoding logic (called an algorithm) into the Bomba, a mechanical computer designed by the Poles. Turing was also the first person to create a conceptualisation of a “universal machine,” which is the modern computer. He was indeed prosecuted under the same law used to prosecute Oscar Wilde, chemically castrated and took his own life.
There is one big thing everyone misses with this scene. Toomey is gentle with Hennessee and seems to show compassion. So well-played by Christopher Walken, especially the way he says "come on son."
@@davidjamessheets I'd rather be a felon than a corpse. But I didn't say anything about being dishonorably discharged, I said to come out to your draft board and not get drafted in the first place. My personal plan was to move to Canada when I turned eighteen in 1973. Fortunately, that was the year when they ended the draft. (I remember having a very low number in the lottery.)
It is interesting that even the Sargent did not take Jerome's book away from him against his wishes or use leverage against him (we will never be truly honest with each other) like the others did. Arnold took Jerome's book from Jerome and put pressure on Jerome to let Arnold read Jerome's book AND the first soldier took Jerome's book. It is interesting where does the Sergent draw the line between writing about everything that happens being allowed versus it jeopardizing military and personal information being a threat and made publicly accessible?
The iron is Hennesey, James J. and Lindstrom (giggling) know that Arnold is NOT gay and Jerome points out Arnold as gay. Jerome can't tell gay from straight and the wrong sexual orientations are assigned to different people. When Jerome singles Arnold as homosexual the true homosexuals walk away.
@@markvasquez9023 The military at that time cared. It meant going to jail and going before a board. Look at the part of the movie where the Sergeant singles out the gay man from the group and tells him to give the sergeant his gear. He is very upset. Imagine you are all set to retire but now you will lose all your retirement money and benefits AND you are going to jail.
@@markvasquez9023 The sergeant said, "Why didn't you say something? You could have saved the military all this trouble. To this day depending which commander in chief Trump wants gays banned. Obama said don't ask don't tell(You can stay but at least be ashamed). It IS a PROBLEM when you have the people sleeping with each other. It IS a problem if some men feel uncomfortable with the other men.
@@markvasquez9023 One tactic of the military was since the men were presumably all straight. They were more aggressive because there were no women to sleep with.
@@markvasquez9023 All that aside, my main point was that everybody wants to know what Jerome thinks and Jerome is WRONNNGG! on two counts. He thinks the straight is gay and he thinks the gays are straight. It is also interesting that nobody knew the gays were gay until the sergeant caught them in the act.
Why, are people constantly worrying about someone's personal life" as though its their business. Who, someone decides to love, it's not your business. If they're good and honest, kind and generous to others. Not everyone, wants to be married. And live as you do. Stay in your own lane.
Reading his private diary and then complaining about what he's written is totally unfair. He pressured him into agreeing and would have probably read it without permission if he hadn't thrown the book at him, so he has no right to act offended.
Many boys love being experimental! I’ve known several that once they were comfortable with you, you could tell they would do it if they believed no one would know. These boys all had girlfriends too that had no idea and I never told their little secret. They loved the passive touching and private intimate moments even in public and they were played off as drunk behavior or just horse play. The phrase “it takes one to know one” is so true. I love women but also enjoy a cute boy and I can tell if another boy has those same thoughts. The way we look at each other I know we both can tell. Body language speaks so loudly! I could feel his excitement and they knew it but we didn’t tell on each other. It’s not like girls who can hide it. A boys body can’t so once you “feel” his excitement be good to him and don’t tell on him. Just enjoy him privately and allow him to live his public life the way he wants people to see him. Not the way you and him know he is privately.
I have to go back and watch this movie again. I was so deep in the closet when I watched it the first time that I don't remember this. I probably blocked it out.
As sad and unfair as it is, during this time it was the rule. So then joining or being drafted and withholding this information would being consequences.
The average age of a draftee was 20. (The average age of an RAF pilot was 19!) Many young men, especially in the 1940s, would not have conceived of themselves as “gay,” they would have had no other mechanism, model or strategy within society that they were aware of but to conceal any concerns or knowledge that they had or might be gay other than concealment, and they would have just been beginning to understand and come to terms with their sexuality at that point in their emotional development. It is only in the last 20 - 30 years that it has become more common for American teenagers to reveal they are gay. Until then coming out, even just to oneself, was something one didn’t do until one’s mid-20s - if ever.
@@inkyguy that may be true but the rule at the time, coming out or not, was the rule. Young men would have known and made the conscious choice to either conceal it or attempt o conceal it. I don’t agree with the Catholic Church that priest have to remain celibate but priests know the rule before their confirmation . They have a choice beforehand just as these men who are gay had. That being said , there were many openly gay men when i was in the air force and they simply , the higher ups i mean, just disregarded the rule
When don't ask don't tell was initiated, we all thought it was a great thing. Today, we see it as the insult it is. Nobody should have to hide or deny who they are.
@@DavidLS1 Exactly. It infuriates me that people reduce being gay to 'what you do in bed' when straight people take for granted that they can talk about their spouses/partners etc all the time in all kinds of non-sexual contexts. Everyone should be able to talk about their most important relationships and not have to keep them secret. And those relationships cover infinitely more than what happens in bed.
Watching this film, I had the distinct feeling that Christopher Walken's drill sergeant was actually gay and attracted to Arnold and that's why he was especially hard on Arnold, but ultimately defended him against another soldier's bigotry, and also he seemed very compassionate to the young soldier exposed in the scene where his name was called out.
You certainly feel sorry for those two guys. Being a discerning sort of guy, myself, I think I'd've opened the door noisily and slowly, allowing the other party to fully escape, and then feigned ignorance but issue a hypothetical warning not to repeat the episode. They were behaving quite recklessly but Leavenworth? A bit over-the-top.
They didn’t make many like that then either. You have to look for them to find them, just as you did then, and not just go to whatever is on view at your local multiplex or recommended by your streaming service.
I remember this part and was confused when Hennesey was taken away was it because he was gay or half black? In the movie, when Wykowski was spouting out racial words, Hennesy stated that he was half Irish and half black. Great movie though.
Hennessy knew on multiple levels what it was to be the outsider. I was never certain he was mixed race but simply couldn't tolerate the bigotry around him he despised so much, so he said something to confront the ugliness he was witnessing.
Matthew Broderick thinks Arnold is gay but he doesn't think the two gay men are gay. What Matthew Broderick writes in his book is not correct so why does anybody care what he thinks?
Some soldiers walk away from Arnold when he reads that Jerome thinks he's homosexual, maybe not because they think he is gay, but maybe they don't like that he was insulted, OR there were in fact other gay men in their group, as we learn later. Someone was smart enough to tell Jerome why do you write things down when it might piss people off and he did piss others off.
@@catholicdad, it could mean both in the 1940s. It always had a potentially implicit sexual connotation, though actually heterosexual in most people’s minds. It became a way for gay people to refer to and talk about themselves beneath the radar of quotidian heterosexual society to protect themselves and was ultimately embraced as a self-identifying term.
@@OutyMan This IS set in 1945. Gay meant happy. End of story. Don't know what others are having an issue. Gay generally meant happy & was used as such in the US daily lexicon into the early 70s. I remember the change myself.
@@thumperpaul155 I’m saying don’t rub peoples noses in it. If a hetro couple are all over each other in public, I’m offended. I have no problem with people being proud of who they are.
@@miketalley5476they do it the same way of other parades “flaunt.” They don’t suppress your liberty like the pious people who are loving Christians but want to kill non-believers and jail people for natural rights.
As a Naval vet, the scene on the road, and the military stance at the time makes very easy to understand how the military has gone "woke". The actual punishment. Isn't just prison, but lifelong shame.
The NAZI’s had the exact same policy until America Woke up. If you desire to live in a society where Gay men are “sent away” to face an unknown future or never heard from again I would suggest a move to Moscow. Putin is waiting with open arms.
I saw this movie in the theater when it came out. All I remember were two scenes--the one where he was complaining about how hot it was, like Africa hot, and the other where he slept with a prostitute who acted like she was his mama, and he didn't like that.
Definitely. It's no one's business what anyone's sexuality is. It shouldn't be applauded nor denigrated. Just do your job. You forgot "ho mo" lol Couldn't resist.
Today Hennessy would sue the army and probably win ! On Grindr I saw an open gay military guy, and just for fun, I wrote “Don’t ask - don’t tell” His answer? “Yeah, that was like 10 years ago!”
Too much! And, that visual of the sergeant riding on the side of the jeep down the line. One of the most agonizing, painful scenes to watch in that movie. To single out the guy and parade him before his peers while in formation was just a terrible way to treat another human being. I am a Christian but I would not have condoned that type of treatment and especially to a soldier in our armed forces. And, he should not have been discharged dishonorably; he should have been disciplined for inappropriate conduct while on military premises.
After a final public speech given that May, Leonard Matlovich died of complications from HIV/AIDS on June 22, 1988. He is buried in Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C. His marker reads, “When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.”
@@gregslav6755. Why? Are you worried?
An interesting note, the marker doesnt have his name on it. I cant find any reason as to why (was that his design?)
This is after all what one can expect from mankind: hypocrisy and they say Love thy neighbour, do they not?
WHAAAAAT?!
*"He will not only lessen his sentence in Leavenworth Prison, but will save this company, what I promise you, will be pain, anguish and humiliation beyond the endurance of man."*
Walken's delivery is somehow measured and practical, yet utterly terrifying.
WTF are you smoking?
Utterly terrifying is absolutely right.
I'd be like:
_"Sarge, two consenting guys were making out in private. If you treat this minor incident like a state affair, that's going to make YOU look gay. Because everyone knows that those who condemn homosexuality the loudest most likely do so in order to distract everyone else from themselves. Most of us don't think that you're gay, Sarge. And you can strengthen our opinion by letting this little incident slide, Sarge.
_Or, you could lash out at us even harder in answer to my respectful and honest observation. But if you did that, you would prove my point, Sarge. And you'd henceforth have to lead this unit knowing that we would think of you as a closeted homosexual with internalized homophobia. Please, Sarge, don't make us do that."_
He is a neckbeard weirdo
During Vietnam, sometimes a civilian would tell the draft people that he was gay, and they would reply "the army will make a man out of you." When they need cannon fodder, you have to do something extreme to beat the draft, such as amputating your trigger finger.
The comments for this post are like:
"We thought our loved one was gay - we'd love him, anyway...... Thank God he turned out to be straight!"
Polite homophobia is still homophobia and no less damaging to your loved ones who might actually be suppressing a part of their sexuality because they sense your clandestine shame and phobia. It's why so many men don't come out until they are older in life. Educate yourselves and normalize what IS a very natural part of humanity, even if it is not the majority experience.
❤ Exactly what needed to be said.
Literally. "We assumed our love one was gay because he liked fashion" "Thank god he turned out to be straight, and it was just because he had a sister and mum who talked about fashion!" Three ignorant insults in one. One a straight man can't enjoy fashion or feminine things, two because he does, he is gay, and three the 'thank god he was straight'.
I knew a guy who became obese so no one would ask him "hey, how come you don't have a girlfriend?" After he came out, he started exercising and lost all the weight.
Sad that people still have an issue with this till today. You’d think with the passage of time and laws, deaths and atrocities we’d be a more loving and accepting of humanity. Yet, we still suppress people and shove them back in to their closets. Ironic people can accept the murderers and thief’s and even go so far as to forgive them but they can’t seem to accept love and all its colors.
@@locoHAWAIIANkane Things are not so bad today. My generation X fought to end sodomy laws and don't ask don't tell, this generation fights against Christian bakers. Why not hire the gay or liberal baker? Why go out of your way to be discriminated against? I always hear the same story, gay goes to college, gay joins the Campus Crusade for Christ and become president, gay gets expelled. What did you expect? You joined the WRONG organization.
Every actor in this movie was awesome.. especially Christopher Walken!!!
Except he needed a cowbell
So sad how homosexuality was so vehemently condemned and punished. These men deserved respect and dignity like anyone else and should've been able to live their lives in peace. It was an age of discrimination and fear for them in those days, and it saddens me because they were just like me, but in a different time. And they had all the same feelings, but they had to repress everything or risk everything. Thinking about the tragic reality they experienced deeply saddens me and I am so sorry to all my brothers who have suffered and are still suffering.
Now that Americans re-elected Hitler gay people are gonna have it tough again. He made it OK to hate and to give voice to that hate when he was elected the first time I do not doubt he will continue on with that now that stupid ass Americans got him back in power.
Now that Americans re-elected Hitler gay people are gonna have it tough again. He made it OK to hate and to give voice to that hate when he was elected the first time I do not doubt he will continue on with that now that stupid ass Americans got him back in power.
It was the little things that showed Toomey cared for his men. Like the friendly way he said 'Come on, Son.' put his hand on Hennessy's shoulder and stayed with him all the way to the jeep. And when they stripped him of his equipment, Toomey looked down. He hated what he was watching.
"I never talked about dogs either, does that make me a cocker spaniel". One of the funniest lines ever!
Isn’t it though?
That line makes no sense. If you were a cocker spaniel you would talk about cocker spaniels. If you don't talk about cocker spaniels then you are not a cocker spaniel. It's not a mistake to use the word cock er. But since you don't talk about cocker spaniels, no, you are not a cocker spaniel.
@@priscillasalzberg5349 You’re right. That line is not logical. Come to think of it, I don’t know why I made the comment above.
Do you wrote the same comment every new year? Lol
You need serious mental counseling
You left out the best line where Matthew Broderick's character says something about realizing that Hennessy had been the only guy who never really judged anyone.
Ferris Bueller's World War
Wat games
I once had a friend that never talked about girls. We all thought he was gay but it just turned out he really didn't talk about sex at all. He got married years later to some girl he met and, to this day, they are still married.
His attitude is probably the reason why he’s still married.
@@Capcoor Yup married woman on like sex with thire boyfriends.,
@@Riverrockphotos Huh?
He was probably getting laid while you guys were talking.
And he's still gay.
Matthew Broderick was so great in all of these early films of his.
I felt bad for Hennessy. He looked so scared & terrified in the car
from the 30's up until Stonewall (and actually, for a few decades more) it was a rough ride being gay. I really hate admitting this, but I wasn't very nice either. Poor Hennessy was looking at banishment from every corner, including his family. The law would not be his friend, he had a target on his back and no protection, and he was looking at terrifying prospects ahead. It was really hateful and cruel.
It also wouldn't have helped that he was biracial as he mentioned that his mother was black.
@@defblinders9585 That was a joke to do with people who are known as "Black irish". Look it up
@@defblinders9585 He wasn't biracial. He was black Irish, which is just a term for Irish people with darker eyes and hair color. He just pretended to have a black mother to call out Wykowski's racism.
@@paullowman9131when they say "make America great again", this is what they mean.
Even after all these years, this film can make me cry and cry. It is brilliantly done. A great, classic film.
If you like this, Lost in Yonkers and Brighton Beach Memoirs and also written by Neil Simon and are just as funny!
@@jmercoleza I'm gonna give em a try.. ty
Ikr 😏
My Sister loved this movie back in the day. As for Homosexuality, it was synonymous in The Navy. I found these fantastic books by a Writer named Frank Butterfield which is like a Pre Gay Mad Men. Nick Williams joins the Navy at 17, afterwards works as an orderly at a Hospital and meets his Soulmate Carter Jones in 1947 who is a Fireman. They live in San Francisco but travel to other parts of the world.
It's a comedy, what the hell you cryin about?
Skipped one of the best lines.
"Don't do that, Jerome. Once your start compromising your thoughts, you become a candidate for mediocrity."
Saw the original play on Broadway in Manhattan in 1985. It was awesome. Neil Simon had incredible plays back in the day like Brighton Beach Memoirs and The Odd Couple.
i saw it in 1985 toooo it was awesome
The Goodbye Girl
When my nephew was young up until a teen we thought he might be gay and my sister ( his mother ) was dying from cancer she asked me if I would still love and take care of my nephew when she was gone, it brought me to tears and I told her she obviously underestimated me because I would love him and stand up for him even if he decided he liked flying monkey pigs and I just didn't care as it's his life and choice but he's a adult and straight and he once brought up to me years after my sister passed that he knew his mother was curious if he was gay and said what did we expect when he was raised by a single mom would loved fashion and a older sister 14 years older we shouldn't be surprised he liked feminine things. He's still kinda like that and too me he just has a original personality.
Being gay isn’t a life choice. You were born that way, just like straight people are born straight. Did you choose to be straight?
Being gay is not a choice.
Fucking comma, dude
It's not a choice.
Its almost like stereotyping people who like feminine things and fashion as gay, is wrong! Weird! Its almost like gendering toys and interests is a bad thing!
Skipped the part where Walken says "unlike the 60 dollars, this time it wasn't me."
Yes. Good point.
Derrick Lafrance h
And when he cancels all of their liberty and privileges then says "And the next time you get horny, do unto yourself what you would do to others."
I don’t care what anyone says the Homosexual jumping out of the window with his pants half down is pure comedy gold LMAO .
Also skipped the part where Walken says something like "Do unto yourself what you would otherwise have done unto you."
Crazy to think that we used to live in a time when the military cared if two soldiers made out.
Really? It wasn't that long ago.
I was in the Navy from 1977 - 2000. I cannot tell you how many times I was called into NIS offices to be interviewed/interrogated about gay sexual matters.
He had compassion for his men.
I always loved this set of scenes you can tell Walken didn’t like doing what he had to do
Idiotic and ignorant
I am 65 and I have never seen it. One, I feel sincerely ashamed. Two, I cannot wait to see it!!!
I watched this scene as a kid and now I did not understand then, but I do now. I think this scene remains us why we do a Pride. For the years of shame and guilt , the look on the face of those gay characters treated like the worst of men. Makes me think how many gay men were treated liked that, liked second class people. Few people understand.
I lived that scene and was ALMOST kicked out of the army. Luckily my Commanding Officer was progressive and dropped all charges.
I’m glad this scene was included. It illustrates the magnitude of insidiousness of treating homosexuality as a capital crime. Note, it wasn’t till 2003 that the Supreme Court removed sodomy as a crime. The irony was, abortion was legalized in 1973, because of a woman’s right to choice. However, when it was a man’s body, he did not gave that right. Sodomy laws were primarily focused on men.
Also, the foolish and ignorant assumption that ALL gay men practice sodomy and NO straight people do. (In fact, anal is more popular with straights, but then so is wilful ignorance!) The only defining characteristic of being gay is same-sex attraction. Preferred sexual positions can (and should) NEVER be assumed or presumed.
I'm here because I saw a poster in passing in another video for this movie and I immediately thought, "Who's that hot dyke? How did I miss an 80s movie with a buzz cut butch existing?" and it turns out that hot lesbian was just a very young Matthew Broderick.
I wish I could say this is the first time this has happened to me.
Haha same but opposite. I’ve seen a cute boy in a bar only to find out up close it’s actually an adorable butch lesbian!😂
In the scene when the soldiers go to town on pass, you can briefly see Hennessey nod to Lindstrom just as they get off the bus, implying that they had something going on.
He wanted to see what Eugene wrote about him..then gets pissed and his feelings hurt after he reads it ..thats what he gets
Reminds of a Liberal.
You are missing the point.
000 000, why do you bother with something so liberal as a play turned into a movie written by a liberal Jew and celebrating the very principles of liberalism you despise. The whole work is beyond you.
Also, , quite a statement from someone of the ilk which consume cable “news” channels and Web sites that make a point of withholding a significant portion of the news from them.
@@WorldWideMarket Sometimes it's best to just not comment. That way less of the world is aware of your astronomical ignorance. Looks like a few years of passed since your idocy slipped from your keyboad. Since then, conservatives like yourself have seemed determined to find the lowest forms of decorum and decency. Please don't breed.
@@WorldWideMarketOmg. So dumb. Why are y'all like this?
4:12 its matter for you to discus with the authority's. come on son. Christopher walking shows compassion Great movie
Heartbreaking. I remember watching this as a teenager. It helped me getting rid of my intolerance.
Walken is such a different kind of actor. Bringing each role to a higher dimension of strangeness. Like Terrence Stamp in England.
Walken .... very very excelent performance here
agreed, he's unreal
This was an Awesome movie. Definitely worth seeing.
@Boogyman4050 Apparently, that did sometimes happen. However, as the need for soldiers grew, the threshhold got higher and higher. Same for conscientious objectors. The question changed from "is he gay?" to "how much will his gay-ness matter if we put him in the line of fire?"
in 1981 in Korea a pair was caught and prosecuted for it.
The gay guys knew the army's laws on gays but they still came in.i don't know whether they enlisted or were drafted but i think if they had let the army know they would have been discharged.having sex in the bathroom isn't a good start for either of them.writing this in March 2022 as i look at the state of the world.wars and rumors of wars earthquakes in diverse places killings homosexualality on the rise and trouble on every place that man is.stay safe people and God bless America.
It was always highly prosecuted. However, up through the 1990s in both Iraq wars and the Bush years in Afghanistan, the Pentagon would have a soldier complete his or her tour of duty to exploit them for their service and THEN criminally charge and dishonorably discharge them, meaning no pension and no health benefits.
I remember seeing the bathroom scene as a child and wondering what they were doing. 😂
How about the movie theater scene in Midnight Cowboy? :)
@@DavidLS1 Never saw that movie. Now I'm intrigued. 😂
@@erics362 Great classic movie. The clip I referenced is here on UA-cam.
@@DavidLS1 I'll check it out now. 👍
@@DavidLS1 Very interesting. I'm glad I didn't see that as a kid. It would've confused the 💩 out of me. 😂 A similar scene I saw as an adult was in Boogie Nights, when Dirk Diggler is selling himself to a closeted, self-hating gae man who then beats him up.
"Does that make me a cocker spaniel?" One of the funniest lines ever!
Idiotic and ignorant
Ever clip I see Cristopher Walken in I can only think of” more cow bells”.😂
OMG! I’ve been trying to figure out what movie this scene was in. I searched all the popular 80s war movies. Finally! Whew.
Same here. I've been searching for a few minutes about a military movie I watched when I was a kid and this scene stucked to me.
Crimson Tad
"Hubba hubba, what a weekend." Gosh I really love James J. Hennessy. He just adorable!
this is probably my favorite film with Christopher Walken
+Dario Wirtha Love Walken in this film.
You've got a great eye. His performance is beautifully understated. It gets its power from being played with such seeming casualness, almost glibness. I hope he at least got an Oscar nomination.
I suggest The Deer Hunter.
@@Duke_Togo_G13 while I agree that Christopher Walken was good in the Deer Hunter, I never liked the film as a whole.
Mine too
Since 88 this movie has stuck with me, they don’t make movies like this anymore 😑
I still wish they made the sequel with broderick.
Good thing times have change for men who may be gay. Was a sad point in history because there was a gay man who saved the lives of many millions by cracking the German coded messages (Enigma technique he created) , and yet- he was chemically castrated and then committed suicide .... that was the thanks they gave him ....
You’re thinking of Alan Turing. The Germans created the Enigma code machine and Turing broke the code by uncovering its inherent weaknesses and helping to program the decoding logic (called an algorithm) into the Bomba, a mechanical computer designed by the Poles. Turing was also the first person to create a conceptualisation of a “universal machine,” which is the modern computer.
He was indeed prosecuted under the same law used to prosecute Oscar Wilde, chemically castrated and took his own life.
@@inkyguy "Your thinking of Alan Turing."
* You're.
@@seikibrian8641 , corrected. Thank you.
Christopher....it's been a while. Missed you. u handsome man.
There is one big thing everyone misses with this scene. Toomey is gentle with Hennessee and seems to show compassion.
So well-played by Christopher Walken, especially the way he says "come on son."
Yep, he should have said come on sister! 😅
Walken's a closet flamer in real life so it's not surprising at all.
It's hard to believe that all you had to do to avoid getting drafted was to say you were gay. Seems a lot easier than moving to Canada.
*unzips* Prove it...
Then he'd have to come out to his family, friends and neighbors and back then, being gay was not treated nearly as tolerant as it is today.
@@KadyFillinger Still better than getting shot at.
Dishonorable discharge is equivalent to being a felon
@@davidjamessheets I'd rather be a felon than a corpse. But I didn't say anything about being dishonorably discharged, I said to come out to your draft board and not get drafted in the first place. My personal plan was to move to Canada when I turned eighteen in 1973. Fortunately, that was the year when they ended the draft. (I remember having a very low number in the lottery.)
Christopher Walken is unreal in this movie
You would have thought a "top" could have gotten up and out that window faster
He had to zip up...?
You sound experienced.
You would know
Me a top ! heheheh sure
Well you would know sweety
Thanks for posting. Remember this film and this bit.
I like when Epstein told him to never compromise his thoughts
It is interesting that even the Sargent did not take Jerome's book away from him against his wishes or use leverage against him (we will never be truly honest with each other) like the others did. Arnold took Jerome's book from Jerome and put pressure on Jerome to let Arnold read Jerome's book AND the first soldier took Jerome's book. It is interesting where does the Sergent draw the line between writing about everything that happens being allowed versus it jeopardizing military and personal information being a threat and made publicly accessible?
Holy mackerel, what a chore to get through your comment.
The iron is Hennesey, James J. and Lindstrom (giggling) know that Arnold is NOT gay and Jerome points out Arnold as gay. Jerome can't tell gay from straight and the wrong sexual orientations are assigned to different people. When Jerome singles Arnold as homosexual the true homosexuals walk away.
Who cares about people's private sexuality. It's there business. Just my opinion. Mv
@@markvasquez9023 The military at that time cared. It meant going to jail and going before a board. Look at the part of the movie where the Sergeant singles out the gay man from the group and tells him to give the sergeant his gear. He is very upset. Imagine you are all set to retire but now you will lose all your retirement money and benefits AND you are going to jail.
@@markvasquez9023 The sergeant said, "Why didn't you say something? You could have saved the military all this trouble. To this day depending which commander in chief Trump wants gays banned. Obama said don't ask don't tell(You can stay but at least be ashamed). It IS a PROBLEM when you have the people sleeping with each other. It IS a problem if some men feel uncomfortable with the other men.
@@markvasquez9023 One tactic of the military was since the men were presumably all straight. They were more aggressive because there were no women to sleep with.
@@markvasquez9023 All that aside, my main point was that everybody wants to know what Jerome thinks and Jerome is WRONNNGG! on two counts. He thinks the straight is gay and he thinks the gays are straight. It is also interesting that nobody knew the gays were gay until the sergeant caught them in the act.
Filmed at Ft.Chaffee in Barling,Arkansas
They were just trying to find a good hiding place for a watch.
oh christopher walken
Like that he wrote in a traditional composition book. Also, spot on.
Did not realize how underrated in my mind is Matthew Broderick is as an actor.
Why, are people constantly worrying about someone's personal life" as though its their business. Who, someone decides to love, it's not your business. If they're good and honest, kind and generous to others. Not everyone, wants to be married. And live as you do. Stay in your own lane.
I was totally in love with Matthew Broderick after seeing him in 'Ferris Bueller' and then I had to see him in Biloxi Blues. What a hottie he was.
One of the best ever war movies.
Reading his private diary and then complaining about what he's written is totally unfair. He pressured him into agreeing and would have probably read it without permission if he hadn't thrown the book at him, so he has no right to act offended.
Hennesy almost looks relieved when he being taken away in the Jeep
Relieved that he is out of the Army and out of the war.
Things have moved on in a positive way....
Many boys love being experimental! I’ve known several that once they were comfortable with you, you could tell they would do it if they believed no one would know. These boys all had girlfriends too that had no idea and I never told their little secret. They loved the passive touching and private intimate moments even in public and they were played off as drunk behavior or just horse play. The phrase “it takes one to know one” is so true. I love women but also enjoy a cute boy and I can tell if another boy has those same thoughts. The way we look at each other I know we both can tell. Body language speaks so loudly! I could feel his excitement and they knew it but we didn’t tell on each other. It’s not like girls who can hide it. A boys body can’t so once you “feel” his excitement be good to him and don’t tell on him. Just enjoy him privately and allow him to live his public life the way he wants people to see him. Not the way you and him know he is privately.
I have to go back and watch this movie again. I was so deep in the closet when I watched it the first time that I don't remember this. I probably blocked it out.
It's bad enough to get court marshaled but for something like that, especially in that generation. The embarrassment and
d humiliation.
As sad and unfair as it is, during this time it was the rule. So then joining or being drafted and withholding this information would being consequences.
The average age of a draftee was 20. (The average age of an RAF pilot was 19!)
Many young men, especially in the 1940s, would not have conceived of themselves as “gay,” they would have had no other mechanism, model or strategy within society that they were aware of but to conceal any concerns or knowledge that they had or might be gay other than concealment, and they would have just been beginning to understand and come to terms with their sexuality at that point in their emotional development.
It is only in the last 20 - 30 years that it has become more common for American teenagers to reveal they are gay. Until then coming out, even just to oneself, was something one didn’t do until one’s mid-20s - if ever.
@@inkyguy that may be true but the rule at the time, coming out or not, was the rule. Young men would have known and made the conscious choice to either conceal it or attempt o conceal it.
I don’t agree with the Catholic Church that priest have to remain celibate but priests know the rule before their confirmation . They have a choice beforehand just as these men who are gay had.
That being said , there were many openly gay men when i was in the air force and they simply , the higher ups i mean, just disregarded the rule
Great cast
3:29 is everything, i remember that scene more than anything
I always agreed with don't ask don't tell. It's noones business what you do in bed. It has nothing to do with patriotism or how well you fight.
When don't ask don't tell was initiated, we all thought it was a great thing. Today, we see it as the insult it is. Nobody should have to hide or deny who they are.
@@DavidLS1 Exactly. It infuriates me that people reduce being gay to 'what you do in bed' when straight people take for granted that they can talk about their spouses/partners etc all the time in all kinds of non-sexual contexts. Everyone should be able to talk about their most important relationships and not have to keep them secret. And those relationships cover infinitely more than what happens in bed.
Watching this film, I had the distinct feeling that Christopher Walken's drill sergeant was actually gay and attracted to Arnold and that's why he was especially hard on Arnold, but ultimately defended him against another soldier's bigotry, and also he seemed very compassionate to the young soldier exposed in the scene where his name was called out.
Broderick is in a lot of movies where hes in the military(glory) and what is this movie about it looks good?
BRING THIS BACK!
Bonezpurz will lose AGAIN!!
You certainly feel sorry for those two guys. Being a discerning sort of guy, myself, I think I'd've opened the door noisily and slowly, allowing the other party to fully escape, and then feigned ignorance but issue a hypothetical warning not to repeat the episode. They were behaving quite recklessly but Leavenworth? A bit over-the-top.
Christopher Walken was a real S O B here jaja i love that actor
No he wasn't. Not at all. The drill sergeants I knew in basic would have been far worse.
No he wasn't at all. Obviously you never enlisted
That's double gay seeing as how Walken's a closeted fruit fairy.
They don’t make movies like this anymore!
They didn’t make many like that then either. You have to look for them to find them, just as you did then, and not just go to whatever is on view at your local multiplex or recommended by your streaming service.
Cocker Spaniels are underrated.
But tragically overbred in the 1960s which permanently destroyed the health of the breed.
It is actually sick and bizarre that supposedly grown up straight men were so hellbent on finding out what two consenting adults did.
It was a joke. I was here.
I remember this part and was confused when Hennesey was taken away was it because he was gay or half black? In the movie, when Wykowski was spouting out racial words, Hennesy stated that he was half Irish and half black. Great movie though.
It was Wykowski who was a racist.
Hennessy knew on multiple levels what it was to be the outsider. I was never certain he was mixed race but simply couldn't tolerate the bigotry around him he despised so much, so he said something to confront the ugliness he was witnessing.
I don't believe he was biracial. He said that because at the time, it would have been more acceptable to be biracial than gay.
@@HiddenSoulsMusic you are right sorry. Made the change
Rob K No worries bro.
Matthew Broderick thinks Arnold is gay but he doesn't think the two gay men are gay. What Matthew Broderick writes in his book is not correct so why does anybody care what he thinks?
fantastic movie.
Some soldiers walk away from Arnold when he reads that Jerome thinks he's homosexual, maybe not because they think he is gay, but maybe they don't like that he was insulted, OR there were in fact other gay men in their group, as we learn later. Someone was smart enough to tell Jerome why do you write things down when it might piss people off and he did piss others off.
Gay didn't mean homosexual back then, it still meant happy & without concern or care.
@@catholicdad, it could mean both in the 1940s. It always had a potentially implicit sexual connotation, though actually heterosexual in most people’s minds. It became a way for gay people to refer to and talk about themselves beneath the radar of quotidian heterosexual society to protect themselves and was ultimately embraced as a self-identifying term.
@@inkyguy Please provide a mainstream example from the 40s where gay meant homosexual.
@@inkyguy - In the 40's? lol, no way. The vaguer part of your statement is true, but 1940's? Gay meant happy only.
@@OutyMan This IS set in 1945. Gay meant happy. End of story. Don't know what others are having an issue.
Gay generally meant happy & was used as such in the US daily lexicon into the early 70s. I remember the change myself.
my late husband boot-camped there in the 60's. at least he he got a house, purdy kids & emphysema out of it. lol. peace.
Your "husband"????🤣🤣
Oh, the guy on the left bed..
What's the name of that movie? Thanks!!
Ferris buelers in the army now
Don’t ask don’t tell. I don’t know if it’s a good policy. Everyone should be allowed to serve their country. One’s sexuality should be kept private.
DADT was a sham of a policy. The military still asked and pursued gays with a vengeance, until the whole thing was finally ended, 20 years later.
Should.. Do straight people keep their sexuality private?
@@thumperpaul155 NO, they flaunt it and parade it up and down the streets, rubbing it in everyone's faces and shouting it from the housetops 24/7-365!
@@thumperpaul155 I’m saying don’t rub peoples noses in it. If a hetro couple are all over each other in public, I’m offended. I have no problem with people being proud of who they are.
@@miketalley5476they do it the same way of other parades “flaunt.” They don’t suppress your liberty like the pious people who are loving Christians but want to kill non-believers and jail people for natural rights.
This is so sad. What’s even more sad is there are some republicans that want to go back to it.
As a Naval vet, the scene on the road, and the military stance at the time makes very easy to understand how the military has gone "woke".
The actual punishment. Isn't just prison, but lifelong shame.
Calm down there, Lucy.
Nothing 'shameful' about being gay, Mary. Besides, the navy is mostly gay.
The NAZI’s had the exact same policy until America Woke up.
If you desire to live in a society where Gay men are “sent away” to face an unknown future or never heard from again I would suggest a move to Moscow. Putin is waiting with open arms.
@@DavidLS1 Dumb.
STELLAR CAST
I saw this movie in the theater when it came out. All I remember were two scenes--the one where he was complaining about how hot it was, like Africa hot, and the other where he slept with a prostitute who acted like she was his mama, and he didn't like that.
Nowadays Hennessy would be a 5 star General 🌟 and would be front & center for the Army recruiting videos. Ho ho, ho yes, ho no.
Definitely. It's no one's business what anyone's sexuality is. It shouldn't be applauded nor denigrated. Just do your job.
You forgot "ho mo" lol
Couldn't resist.
Today Hennessy would sue the army and probably win !
On Grindr I saw an open gay military guy, and just for fun, I wrote “Don’t ask - don’t tell”
His answer?
“Yeah, that was like 10 years ago!”
jakeforrest, your victimhood mentality is pathetic.
@@jakeforrest Today Hennessy wouldn't get a court martial; he'd get promoted.
Reading a slash fic?
The best scene is missing
I loved this movie it was sooo funny!
Love... ❤
christopher walken. whew!
Walken 😚
His favorite was Hershey bars with the wrapper still on them
Thats crazy a soilder went to jail for being gay.
We now see in the millitery why they where harsh it's infected among made the millitery weak
i so wanna watch this!! :P
Jack Howard, it's a great film. Great play too, but the movie is a perfect adaptation.
Good 🎥 🍿
You only want to watch it for the home of sexuals. 🙄
They were carrying on!😂
Too much! And, that visual of the sergeant riding on the side of the jeep down the line. One of the most agonizing, painful scenes to watch in that movie. To single out the guy and parade him before his peers while in formation was just a terrible way to treat another human being. I am a Christian but I would not have condoned that type of treatment and especially to a soldier in our armed forces. And, he should not have been discharged dishonorably; he should have been disciplined for inappropriate conduct while on military premises.
At that time in history being gay in the military was illegal.
Well he was caught having sex wih a man on an army base and that was reason to have him kicked out.