ANNOUNCER: The Torrance Tornado smoked the mile in four minutes 21.3 seconds.
Zamperini is now officially the fastest high school runner in American history.
- (GUN FIRES) - (CROWD CHEERING)
(CROWD CHEERING)
(BOMBS EXPLODING)
(PLANE WHIRRING)
PILOT: This is the Green Hornet. We're going down.
Mayday! Mayday! Mayday.
(WAVES SPLASHING)
(PLANE WHIRRING)
(GUN FIRING)
(CROWD CHEERING)
(MAN SHOUTING IN JAPANESE)
(CAR HORNS BLARING)
Mr. Zamperini, good morning. Sightseeing today?
No.
Shall I call a taxi?
There's no need. I'll walk.
Do you know the way?
It's not my first time in Tokyo.
Mr. Zamperini? Robert Trumball.
Thank you for allowing me to join you today.
I was always a fan of Time Magazine.
You know, my mother saw you at the Olympics in '36.
She was thrilled to hear I'd be meeting with you.
These men did terrible things to you.
What are you gonna say to them?
Where's Watanabe?
Where's The Bird?
(JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO)
LOUIS: All right, now, now can we get out of the car?
(LIVELY CHATTER, LAUGHTER)
Ma, Ma, Ma, you're gonna kiss me to death.
I can't believe that it's you, that you're actually home.
PETE: He's home, all right.
We were so worried that you would be all skinny and worn out.
Oh, what, me? No, I'm in great shape.
Can you believe the army told us you were dead?
Yeah, so much for Military Intelligence.
The newspaper said they hurt you.
Mom, that was just the reporter making stuff up to try and sell newspapers.
Pop, you knew I was coming home, didn't you?
Yeah, of course.
Of course! Of course, we all did.
- Mmm-hmm. - (SPEAKING ITALIAN)
ANTHONY: Let's go.
(CHATTERING IN ITALIAN)
(IN ENGLISH) Don't step on the grass!
(CHUCKLING)
Ah.
You okay?
Never been better.
(CHUCKLING)
- I'll see you inside. - Yeah.
And thank you, Father, for bringing our Louie home.
(CHUCKLES)
(SPEAKING ITALIAN)
Amen.
(SPEAKING ITALIAN)
(LIVELY CHATTER)
Mmm. On the raft, day after day,
we were talking our heads off, killing time,
and I was always bragging about Ma's cooking.
Yeah, and the guys, they would make me describe
every dish, you know, every sauce, every pinch of spice, everything,
all the details, over and over again, every single day.
And you know what their favorite was, Ma?
What? (CHUCKLES)
Your gnocchi.
(ALL EXCLAIMING)
(CHEERING)
What is this, Christmas?
Every Christmas since you've been gone.
And all your birthdays.
Three years' worth. Here you go.
What are these? Hmm?
PETE: Letters.
2,000 of them.
And why are people writing me letters?
Well, they wanna know if you're going to run in the London Olympics.
LOUISE: Yeah, you are a hero, Louie.
Nah, they got me confused with some other fellow, Ma.
SYLVIA: I don't think so.
(ALL LAUGHING)
(SWING MUSIC PLAYING)
LOUISE: Father Cardarelli!
Ah, Louise.
(SPEAKING ITALIAN)
(IN ENGLISH) Louie! Louie, come talk to Father Cardarelli.
Thank you, Mama.
Bless you, Louis. Welcome home.
Thank you, padre.
All of Torrance was praying for your safe return.
Well, that's swell!
It's a miracle you survived.
Miracles didn't save my tail feathers, padre.
- A couple of atomic bombs did that. - (BOTH CHUCKLING)
No. Don't discount God's role in your journey.
Don't worry, padre. I give Him all the blame.
Hey, Ma, they're playing our favorite song. Come on!
Louis, Louis...
God's not to blame for your suffering.
Thanks, padre.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(MUSIC STOPS)
Hey! Whoa! No! Play it again! Play it again.
Louie, I have a surprise for you.
It's how we found out you were still alive.
ANNOUNCER: Japanese have released a recording
of an American prisoner they claim is
Olympian Louie Zamperini.
LOUIS: Hello Mother and Father,
relatives and friends.
This is your Louie talking.
Through the courtesy of the authorities here,
I am broadcasting this personal message to you.
Turn it off.
And this will be the first time in two and a half years
that you will have heard my voice.
Turn it off!
I am sure it's...
(SIGHS)
Dad kept the oil changed for you.
He drove it around the block once a week.
Yeah.
Well, I didn't think I'd ever see this old wreck again.
Mmm.
It's a work in progress. You'll get it tuned up.
Oh, Pete.
Now you are always seeing the potential in things,
you know, even your baby brother.
I just made you lay off those candy bars.
No. Uh-uh.
No, sir, you turned me into a running machine.
But I will tell you this much.
See, when those B-29s, they came flying over the camp,
they dropped Hershey Bars.
Oh, and I couldn't help myself.
You ever see what chocolate does to your guts
after a couple of years of moldy rice?
It ain't pretty.
(LAUGHING)
(SIGHS)
You know that Sunday that Pearl Harbor happened?
I was eating waffles.
(CHUCKLES)
I was on my way to the golf course.
They said that we were at war,
you know, but it didn't feel like war, you know?
Not to me.
It wasn't until I was stationed in San Diego.
One day, this hospital ship comes steaming in.
They were carrying all these guys missing legs and arms.
They were all torn up,
blind, burnt.
You know, that's when the war became real to me.
And now they say that it's over.
But any second, I just keep feeling like this
klaxon horn's gonna go off, and it's,
"Man your battle stations."
Maybe the war's not over just 'cause they say it is.
Hey. Come on, let's, uh... Let's head in. It's late.
Yeah, I'll be in soon.
(CHUCKLES)
Ah. You can't help but be a big brother, can you?
(CHUCKLES)
It's a life sentence.
(PLANE WHOOSHING)
(EXPLOSION)
(WOOD CREAKING)
(WATER TRICKLING)
(SPLASHES)
(THE BIRD LAUGHING EVILLY)
Don't look at me!
(GRUNTS)
(PANTING)
(KNOCKS ON DOOR)
Rise and shine, knucklehead. Breakfast is ready.
MAN: Hey, Louie. Good to have you home.
Welcome back, Louie. Looking good.
- MAN: Louie! - Hey!
WOMAN: Hey, Louie!
MAN: Hey, there. That's Louie.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
All right.
REGGIE: Who wants a shot on me, honoring the return
of Torrance's favorite son,
- Louie Zamperini? - (LAUGHTER)
MAN: To Louie. To the hero!
Hey, no thanks, Reggie. He's good.
Come on, what are you, what are you, my shadow?
You got some brass waiting for you back at the house.
- Come on, I'll drive. - What do they want?
- They're looking for their hero. - Yeah.
Sorry, guys. Duty calls. MAN: To Louie!
Thank you, boys. Gotta go see the brass.
MAJOR ZEIGLER: Sales of war bonds have taken a big dip since V-J Day.
We need your help to juice things up.
All you have to do is shake hands, make a little speech.
Something upbeat.
Well, I've always done most of my talking with my feet.
(CHUCKLES) That's a snappy way to put it.
Yeah, I might be able to use that.
Uh, I'd like to get a few shots with Captain Zamperini's family.
EMCEE: (ON MIC) Ladies and gentlemen, Louie Zamperini!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
LOUIS: I was proud to represent my country in Berlin
in the 1936 Olympics,
and, well, I sure am proud to represent my country
here today in Philadelphia. Now, when the brass asked me to do this,
I... I told them that I've always done most of my talking with my feet.
(LAUGHTER)
(ON MIC) Hello, St. Louis.
Those bills, well, they keep on coming in,
so I'm gonna need you to keep buying war bonds.
Thank you so much for having me!
Everyone always asks me the same question.
They wanna know how do you survive 47 days on a raft in the Pacific Ocean?
You talk about food.
(LAUGHTER)
Now, I would describe to the boys
how my ma would cook my favorite dishes.
Well, I'd get them drooling. (CHUCKLES)
Mmm. Mmm.
Sorry about that.
(CLEARING THROAT)
(SIGHS)
Uh, we talked... We talked about girls.
(CROWD MURMURING)
Um, Rita Hayworth.
How many polka dots on that swimsuit?
(SLURRING) I counted every single polka dot on that pin-up.
It's 89, 89 polka dots! I counted every single...
You know, sometimes I wish I was one of those polka dots. (CHUCKLES)
- (CHUCKLING) - (MURMURING CONTINUES)
MAN: He's drunk.
The war might be over, but, uh...
But the bills are still coming in,
so just keep buying those bonds, folks. Thanks.
MAN: All right.
(CLEARS THROAT)
"Sometimes, I wish I was a polka dot."
Yeah.
Sorry about that.
(GRUNTS)
You need a snort before a speech to calm you down.
I got no trouble with that.
But you've been getting soused in the club car on the train every night.
What's going on with you?
It's nothing.
It's just hard to get a good night's sleep on the road. That's all.
When you get home, I want you to go see my friend, Dr. Bailey.
Right now, I'm giving you three weeks R and R in Florida, Miami Beach.
Three weeks? Starting when?
Soon as you can get a taxi to the station.
Get yourself a suntan and lay off the hooch.
That's an order.
(SIGHS) Thank you.
- Hey, there, gorgeous. - Hello.
(SEAGULLS CAWING)
Well, I didn't know they served Italians in this joint?
Harry!
- Hey! - Hey!
- (LAUGHING) - Long time no see!
Man, it is so good to see you, Mr. Tornado himself.
When did you blow in?
Just a couple hours ago.
That is fantastic.
Fantastic. What are you drinking?
Uh, ginger ale.
Ginger ale? What, are you training for, the next Olympics or something?
Uh, barkeep! Two Cuba Libres, por favor. BARKEEP: You got it.
(SIGHS) Well, you don't look worse for wear.
Well, you know what? I'm alive. That's all that matters.
Damn right.
Oh. Oh, wow.
So many dames. So little time.
Well, they will keep you on your toes.
Yeah, well, I had one stepping on my toes last night.
Took this hat-check girl out for dinner.
You know, steak, lobster, the whole thing.
Twenty-five bucks later, she has to use the ladies' room.
I haven't seen her since.
(BOTH LAUGHING)
Uh, gracias.
Well, drink up, pal. We got a lot of dolls to meet
and a lot of places to see.
So there I am at the Hollywood Christmas Parade,
standing outside this store.
This big old cowboy rides up on this big old horse, and he says,
"Hey, son, do you mind watching my horse?"
I'm like, "Sure, I'll watch your horse."
I look at the saddle, red rhinestones, "Trigger."
It was Roy Rogers!
I was watching Roy Rogers' horse.
Did I tell you about the time
I split an ice cream cone with Lana Turner?
Right down the middle.
I need a little help over here, pal?
I'm doing all the work by myself.
What are you looking at?
Oh, wow.
Be still my heart. Good eye, Lou.
We're just... All right.
Good afternoon, ladies.
You wouldn't happen to be looking for two he-men
to round out your party, would you?
Sure.
Do you know where we can find any?
Oh!
Oh, you really know how to shoot a guy down.
(GIGGLING)
Oh, she got me, Lou.
Tell my mother I love her.
I think your friend needs medical attention.
Yeah, I'm not a psychiatrist.
Thanks a lot, pal.
HARRY: How you doing?
You're Louis Zamperini, aren't you?
Hello.
I read about you in the papers, saw you in the newsreels.
Well, it's nice to meet you.
Cynthia Applewhite.
(CHUCKLES)
"Do you know how to change a tire?"
I turn around. It's Lana Turner
sitting on the curb, eating an ice cream cone.
- And I tell her, "I don't know how to change a tire..." - (CHUCKLES)
Your friend is very entertaining.
He sure thinks so.
When I was a kid, I lived near Torrance.
Are you kidding me?
You still have the scars from where those runners spiked you?
Yeah, they got me pretty good.
And that?
Uh, Jap did that one.
Thank you.
For what?
For preserving the free world for silly girls like me.
- I think it was worth it. - (CHUCKLES)
(CHUCKLES) Um...
- Hey, would you like to... - Yes. (CHUCKLES)
What took you so long to ask? You couldn't tell?
I don't know. I... I guess I'm a little rusty.
Mmm. (CHUCKLES)
(BOTH LAUGHING)
CYNTHIA: Do you always take girls fishing on the first date?
LOUIS: What, your mother wouldn't approve?
My mother only likes fellows I don't.
She wants me to marry someone rich and predictable.
You mean like that guy in the Caddy convertible?
How do you know that?
- I saw you leaving with him. - Huh.
Quite the fisherman, aren't you?
- (REELING) - Whoa!
- I think I got a submarine. - Hey! Ho! Hold on. Here we go.
- Just keep your rod tip up. - Okay.
Let your line play out. It's all right.
(GIGGLING)
And hold on tight.
You hold on tight, or I'm gonna end up in Havana.
That was so much fun.
Yeah. Not bad for your first time.
- (SIGHS) My arms feel like lead. - (JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING)
What do you think it was?
That is hard to tell. Maybe a redfish.
Ooh.
Why do the good ones always seem to get away?
You know, I've been asking myself that question for a long time.
- (HUMMING) - (CHUCKLING)
ANNOUNCER: A monster created by a man they called mad...
I just thought that you'd be too highbrow for House of Dracula.
I love monster films.
I watch them all the time.
You know what I love about coming to the picture show during the day?
What?
Makes me feel like I'm playing hooky from school.
(CHUCKLING)
Just a juvenile delinquent at heart.
You got that right. (CHUCKLES)
ANNOUNCER: Halfway around the world in Tokyo, another group was tried.
Japan's Pearl Harbor Premier Hideki Tojo
led a list of 25 defendants accused of war crimes and atrocities.
After a two-year trial, he was hanged for his acts.
Brigadier General Harvey Reynolds...
You thought you were free?
(THE BIRD LAUGHING EVILLY)
I will never leave you.
(GRUNTS)
ANNOUNCER: ...ceremony, General MacArthur expresses a wish.
GENERAL MACARTHUR: Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world
and that God will preserve...
(HEAVY BREATHING)
Louie? Are you okay?
Yeah, yeah.
I'm all right.
I imagine it's hard to watch some of that.
Come on. Let's get out of here.
Did you pray while you were off fighting the war?
Oh, no.
No. Begging is more like it.
Yeah, I didn't pay much attention in mass.
I pray all the time.
You're a prayer answered for me.
Well,
you better not just be something I'm dreaming.
I'm gonna be very ticked off if I wake up, and you're gone.
- (LAUGHING) - Ow!
- What was that for? - Waking you up.
See? I'm still here.
Yes, you are.
- (LAUGHS) - (GROANS)
Come on, Tarzan.
(LAUGHS)
Marry me.
What?
In a week I gotta go back on the road,
pitching war bonds, and...
I'm not leaving here without you.
Yeah, that sounds more like a kidnapping than a marriage proposal.
No, you can go your whole life
without ever meeting the person you're supposed to be with,
but you're the one!
Look, we are meant to be together. I'm not letting go.
(CHUCKLES)
I'll race you for it.
Beat me to the lifeguard stand, and I'll marry you.
You know I hold the national high school record for the mile, right?
Only looks like about 50 yards,
and I've been outrunning boys my whole life.
And if I lose?
Then you lose.
(CHUCKLES)
You ready?
(LAUGHS)
Come on!
- Right here? - Yeah.
On your mark.
Get set.
Go!
(PANTING)
(LAUGHING)
You win.
LOUIS: Well, see, I was the Tornado.
Now I'm just the Torrance Tortoise.
CYNTHIA: You're a great runner.
You just need to get back out on the track.
(SPEAKING ITALIAN)
(IN ENGLISH) It means I'm past my prime.
I guess I should start taking Italian lessons.
(BOTH CHUCKLE)
(CYNTHIA EXHALES)
That's our church.
How did you know?
You told me you went to Sunday school here, remember?
(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)
(SIGHS)
Thank you.
This whole "for better or for worse" thing, "in sickness and in health,"
you mean it?
You sure you wanna do this?
Yeah.
(SNIFFLING)
I'm here for you.
Not the officer.
Not the hero.
You.
I love you, Louie.
(BELL TOLLING)
MAN: Congratulations!
Take care, love birds!
MAN 2: Whoo!
(GIGGLING)
MAN 3: Have fun! MAN 4: Beautiful!
WOMAN 1: Ciao! WOMAN 2: Bye.
(SHOUTING)
I wonder when they're gonna fix that darn elevator!
- The water won't turn off. - What?
Oh, here. You just gotta hunker down on it. Let me.
(GRUNTS)
(BOTH EXCLAIMING)
Okay. Hey, hey. Come here. Hold that. Hold that.
Here we go. Where is it?
There it is. I got it. I got it.
- (LAUGHS) - (SIGHS)
What's so funny?
Oh, look at you.
(LAUGHS)
Look at you.
- Come here. Come here. - Let go of me. I know how to use this.
Ah! Come here!
No, you're not getting away.
Yeah, hi.
(BOTH CHUCKLING)
(THUDDING)
(GROANS)
THE BIRD: You want to kill me?
(LAUGHING)
(GRUNTING)
(LAUGHING)
(SCREAMING)
(GASPING)
No, no, no!
(GASPS SOFTLY)
THE BIRD: She cannot save you.
I will destroy you both.
(PANTING)
DR. BAILEY: Mr. Zamperini, Major Zeigler asked that we meet
because many of our combat veterans are suffering from exhaustion
and psychoneurosis.
That doesn't sound like something a shot of penicillin will fix.
No, I'm afraid not.
These men are waking up screaming, sobbing,
lashing out.
Are you sleeping well? Are you having any
night sweats or nightmares?
Nothing I can't handle.
(CHUCKLES)
Look, Doc,
unless you can help me find a job,
I just don't think there's much you can do for me.
(CHUCKLES)
What is said in here is just between you and me.
Your mental health is just as important as your physical well-being.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Excuse me. Hi. I'm here to apply for the delivery job.
Thanks.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
ANNOUNCER: America's best runners competed in the New York State Championship
with their eyes set on making the Olympic teams
for the '48 Games in London.
Athletes from around the globe
are training for their chance at the gold ring
as the world turns its eyes from war to victory
on the track and field.
Oh, my... Oh, no!
Oh, my goodness.
Oh. (CHUCKLES)
I wish they'd fix that elevator.
I don't trust it even when it does work.
- (CHUCKLES) Thank you. - You're welcome.
I'm Cynthia Zamperini.
Lila Johnson.
I saw you moving in. Uh, your husband is a pretty famous man.
Lucky for us, the landlord recognized Lou.
Everywhere we went, there were nearly 100 people on the waiting list.
I'm at the end of the hall if you need anything.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
And just drop that basket off anytime, honey.
It looks like you've been running barefoot on hot coals.
LOUIS: I have to get used to it.
You know, I can't get to London with pretty feet.
Are you serious?
I got some old scores to settle.
(LAUGHS)
What's this?
If you're gonna train for London, you have do it right.
We'll start at 6:30 every morning.
Yes, dear.
- (CHUCKLES) - "Yes, dear." That's what husbands are supposed to say
when their wives tell them to do something.
"Yes, dear."
Yes, dear.
(CHUCKLES)
I thought you said 6:30?
(CHUCKLES)
Pete says to just run a steady pace and not sprint.
Not until your body gets used to running again.
You talked to Pete about this?
Of course. I didn't know where to buy track shoes.
So just go nice and easy
and see if you can make it all the way around.
On your mark, get set, go!
I said go!
Yes, dear.
Much better!
But don't stop. Do another lap!
(PANTING)
Thank you, Lord.
4:09!
Look out, London!
(GIGGLES)
(PANTING)
You know, every time I cross the finish line, you're mumbling something.
I wasn't mumbling. I was saying a prayer.
Yeah? Why?
Sure seems to make a difference.
You're shaving half a second off your time every day.
It's 'cause I'm getting in better shape.
Mmm. Mmm-hmm.
Come on, I'll jog a warm-down lap with you.
- Yeah? - Mmm.
Come here.
Hey!
(BOTH LAUGHING)
(JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING)
Mmm.
Smelling good, Papa.
(SPEAKING ITALIAN)
(IN ENGLISH) Sylvia, go check on the pie.
(SPEAKS ITALIAN)
Boys! Boys, stop. (SPEAKS ITALIAN)
Oh. Yes, Mama.
- Don't hurt your brother. - Yes, of course not, Mama.
Be nice.
So how's the running going?
- She's got me out there every morning. - Yeah?
I thought you were bad. She's a taskmaster.
(BOTH CHUCKLE)
You think you can run a 4:07 mile again?
(CHUCKLES) I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't. Yeah.
I'm just saying you're not a kid anymore.
You still think you can compete at the Olympic level?
(GRUNTS)
Does Lou know?
He's so worried about money, finding work.
I don't wanna say anything until I have to.
Hey, con! Lou bet Pete he could run a 4:07 mile!
Hike!
- Yeah. That was fast. - Aw, man.
That's Louie Zamperini!
Hey, guys!
Hiya, Louie.
Hey, fellows!
What are you doing here?
Just thought I'd put some miles on this track.
You're going for a run?
You can't do a 4:07 mile if you don't run.
Well, can we run with you?
Suppose if you like looking at my backside.
I don't know. I was the league champ in the mile last year.
Well, maybe I'll see you at the '48 Olympics in London.
BOY: I'm not racing Louie Zamperini.
PETE: All right, boys! On your marks.
Get set.
Go!
(CHEERING, APPLAUSE)
- (BONE CRACKS) - (GROANING)
4:07!
4:07! He did it!
(LOUIS SCREAMING)
- PETE: Louie! - Louie!
(GROANING)
We'll have another doctor take a look.
There must be something that they can do.
Army doc in Tokyo told me, if I hurt it again, it was all over.
Why didn't you tell me that?
Because it doesn't matter.
Louie, we're supposed to be open with each other.
You know, when I was a kid, I fell down some stairs.
You know, I was maybe six or seven years old,
and I fell, and I hurt myself.
So I cursed.
I get up and, son of a gun, if I didn't fall
again.
See, that's three times that I fell, and I remember thinking to myself...
I thought so clearly that it was God,
that He was doing this to me, He was tripping me up.
And I just can't help but think that maybe, just maybe, He's doing it again.
- Louie. - No. No.
I was doing what I was born to do.
I was back on the track.
(SHAKILY) It's just everything is
whole again.
I'm just whole again.
And all the terrible things, they just go away.
It's just my heart pumping,
and my lungs pumping,
and my legs pumping and...
And it's necessary.
I mean, do you see that?
For Him to take it away, it's, uh...
(SIGHS)
We pushed too hard.
Was that it?
Is this some kind of punishment?
HARRY: I was standing there at the Hollywood Christmas Parade,
and a cowboy comes up to me on a big horse.
And I kid you not, it was Roy Rogers.
Oh! There he is!
Ladies and gentlemen, the late Louie Zamperini!
Sorry we're late.
Phil, come here.
It's great to see you.
It's good to see you, too.
This is my wife, Cecile.
Call me Cecy. Everyone does.
I've heard so much about you.
- It's lovely to finally meet you. - You, too.
- This is my wife, Cynthia. - Hello.
- Hi. - Hi.
- (CLEARS THROAT) - Oh, uh, yeah, this is Valerie.
She works for Universal Pictures.
I'm just in the typing pool.
Hello.
(SIGHS) So what's with the limp?
Oh, it's nothing.
I just, uh, tripped going down some stairs.
Oh, hey, Phil was telling us about that crash landing
you guys had in that B-24.
Sounds like a whale of a tale.
The only reason I'm still alive is because this guy
was the best pilot in the Pacific.
- Here's to Harold. - Yeah.
HARRY: Who's Harold?
Harold Brooks. He was one of our waist gunners.
He didn't make it back alive that day.
Pardon me. I need to powder my nose.
Would you mind going with Val just to make sure she comes back?
- What? - What?
I'll join you two.
Hey. Uh...
Give me another round and keep them coming.
Yes, sir.
Whoa, slow down, Jack.
I gotta get a little food in my belly first.
Well, you could have a bread stick.
Hey, how is it being back home in Indiana?
(CHUCKLES SOFTLY) Beats Japan.
I read in the paper they can't find The Bird.
Rounded up all the rest of the guards, but he flew the coop.
HARRY: Who?
Jap prison guard.
Mutsuhiro Watanabe.
Called him The Bird.
He was the worst of the worst.
Real nightmare.
HARRY: Hey, I just read about this ex-POW,
he was heading to work, you know, still over there.
And he saw this Jap face in the crowd, right?
Well, he gets suspicious,
so he follows him, and dang if it ain't a guard from his camp!
What did he do?
He blew the whistle on him.
Now he's cooling his heels in Sugamo Prison!
Prison is too good for The Bird.
Okay, okay. Okay, so I look up, and these two love birds, gone,
vanished, poof, right into thin air.
So, about a week goes by. I see Mr. Tornado. I say,
"Hey, bud, where'd you guys go?"
He looks at me, and you know what he says?
"Fishing."
- (LAUGHTER) - Yeah, fishing. Can you believe that?
So romantic.
It's the truth, Harry. We really did go fishing.
Yeah, well, I'm never gonna believe that one.
(LAUGHTER)
Hey, waiter, what... What is this?
- Sir? - What is this?
It's rice, sir.
I didn't order rice.
- It comes with the meal, sir. - Yeah, but nobody ordered rice.
Listen.
Louie.
I've had my fill of rice! HARRY: Louie, come on.
LOUIS: Rice with dirt in it
and bugs and maggots! What the heck is your problem?
- It's all right, Lou. - No, it's not all right!
- What the heck is your problem? - Louie. He didn't know.
It was a mistake, pal.
Don't bring stuff that people didn't order!
LOUIS: The Bird can't get away with this.
Somebody's gotta catch The Bird.
Can't get away with it.
Gotta find him.
Find The Bird.
(GRUNTS)
Come on. Get up.
LOUIS: Gonna find him.
(GROANS)
Oh, Louie.
(SIGHS)
(THUD)
(GUNFIRE)
No! Oh, God! No!
(MUFFLED SHOUTING)
(GASPING)
THE BIRD: You will obey me!
Please! Please! Please! No!
ANNOUNCER: (ON RADIO) Gather here Sunday afternoons and every evening
to hear the word of God preached in the power of the spirit
by Dr. Billy Graham to the salvation of thousands.
At least eat some toast.
Not hungry.
(SIGHS)
I'm gonna call Pete. He'll know what to do.
Don't. Don't call Pete.
I can't do this on my own.
Okay.
Last night was, uh...
It was just the booze.
I just need to get a job.
Come on, no, don't. Come on. Where are you going?
(SIGHS) To borrow Lila's phone.
Look, I don't want you to call my brother!
- I don't want Pete knowing about it. - About what?
You had nothing to hide last night at the restaurant.
You were acting crazy in front of everyone.
All right, you know what? I am not crazy.
I had too much to drink.
Louie, let go...
Let go of me!
I'm pregnant.
What?
I'm gonna have a baby. I'm two months pregnant.
Why didn't you say anything?
Because I'm scared.
Ever since you hurt your ankle, you're so angry.
If you don't get help somehow, I don't know what I'm going to do.
I'm sorry.
I need more than sorry, Lou.
(CLOCK TICKING)
(DOOR CLOSES)
DR. BAILEY: Your physical was fine, and your lab work came back normal.
In terms of helping with your inability to sleep and your emotional instability,
we've had some results with hypnosis, electric shock treatment,
and narcosis therapy.
Narcosis therapy?
We use high doses of sodium amytal
and other barbiturates to help you sleep
for 18 to 20 hours a day for several days.
No, I'm sure that that works gangbusters for some guys,
but that just makes me want a double scotch on the rocks.
Everyone needs help at some point, Lou.
Even heroes.
I'm just a guy who did nothing more than survive.
There's a lot of people that would disagree with that.
In the prison camps, (SIGHS)
they tried to take your humanity, and you wouldn't let them.
And now it's our job to help you get through this.
I wish you could.
- Hey. - Hey.
How'd it go?
Good. Yeah, he said that I'm not alone.
Does he wanna see you again?
Mmm-hmm. Yeah, same time next week.
What's in the bag?
Uh... (SIGHS)
Nothing, just got some foot powder, toothpaste, a little bit of mouthwash.
Got you a Baby Ruth.
Louie?
Thank you.
(CLEARS THROAT)
(SIGHING)
(PANTING)
- (GRUNTS) - Whoo!
So what are you hoping for, a boy or a girl?
What gives?
Lou?
Just some trouble in paradise. Ah.
I've been having these dreams, you know?
War dreams?
About Watanabe.
A lot?
Too much.
(PANTING)
I just thought I'd be able to forget everything.
You know, when we heard that your plane went down,
I told Mom... I said, "If Louie can get his feet on solid ground,
"he's gonna be fine.
"You know, we just give him a scout knife and a toothbrush,
"he can take care of himself."
(CHUCKLES)
Come on.
A moment of pain is worth a lifetime of glory, remember?
Come on, once you get that kid...
Once you have that kid, that's gonna be the only thing inside that brain of yours.
- All right? All right? - Is that so?
- Yeah. Is that so? - Yeah.
- Oh, you think you've got moves. - Come on.
You know, I got something in this brain.
(BABY COOING)
(CHUCKLING)
(LOUIS SHUSHING)
(LAUGHS)
Okay.
That's okay. You're okay.
It's Cynthia.
It's to honor the best part of me.
(BABY COOING)
Okay, yeah. Oh, I know. All right. That's right.
(LAUGHS)
(BABY WAILING)
(SIGHS)
- No, no, it's okay. She just... - (SHUSHES)
I got it. I got it.
(SINGING) Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle, twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are
Louie! Oh, Louie, it's a real honor.
You know, when Harry told me you were looking for work, I said,
"Lou Zamperini is just the man we need."
Come on in.
Have a seat.
I was in the stands at SC in '38
when you set the NCAA record for the mile.
What was it, four minutes and eight seconds, right?
Yeah. That's right.
Pleased as punch to have you in, Lou.
Let's talk butter and milk.
Sure.
I'm retooling.
I'm expanding, and powdered milk is the future of Quinn's.
But first, why does the Torrance Tornado wanna be in the dairy business?
You could work anywhere with that USC degree.
I wish that were the case, Howard, but I never graduated USC.
You didn't graduate?
It was part of the price of going off to war.
I see.
I was under the impression that you had.
See, everyone in corporate has a college degree.
I could...
Well, how are you making ends meet?
Um...
When the army thought I was dead, they cut my mother a check for 10 grand.
She wouldn't cash it,
and, when I came back alive, they let me keep it.
I guess that takes the sting out of being dead.
Yeah, I guess it does.
Okay, well, you know, thank you for your time.
Yeah.
Good luck, Lou.
Thanks.
FRED: I got a five-to-one.
He moves ahead in the home stretch, I got 100 bucks in my pocket.
On me, Zamp!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, what happened?
And I got a filly in the second race...
MAN: (ON TV) From Minneapolis comes, the young evangelist Billy Graham
and song leader Cliff Barrows, his wife Billie Barrows,
and Beverly Shea, the gospel singer who cooperates with
Christ for Greater Los Angeles in a great revival campaign.
LILA: Is he drinking again?
CYNTHIA: He says he isn't, but it's a lie.
Just like saying he's out looking for work every day.
Have you told him you know the truth?
I don't think it will make a difference.
God often uses difficulties in our lives as a way
of preparing us for our greater purpose.
I can't tell you what to do, but I do know this.
Lou is worth the fight.
Sometimes, I don't think I know him at all.
Sweetie, it takes time.
It's like two trees planted side-by-side.
Over the years, they grow in and around each other.
That's why widows like me look so odd sometimes.
Sorry. I shouldn't complain.
Oh.
Oh, no, don't. Don't be.
He had his own demons like Lou.
But we faced them down together.
Honey, hi, hi. This is a friend of mine. It's Fred Porter.
And this is, uh... This is my wife, Cynthia.
FRED: It's nice to meet you.
Cynthia?
Hey. Where have you been?
At church.
LOUIS: Hey. Where's the checkbook?
It's in my purse. Why?
What was that?
Oh, never mind.
Just give me the checkbook.
What are you doing?
That's what I was going to ask you.
LOUIS: Don't embarrass me like this.
CYNTHIA: Why do you need the checkbook?
Because I'm going into business with Fred.
What kind of business?
We're gonna buy surplus trucks from the army,
sell them to the Philippines.
The auction's tomorrow, so I need to give him a check,
which he's gonna take to the bank first thing in the morning.
How much?
Like $3,000.
That's almost all the money that we have left in your life insurance.
Yeah, well, you gotta spend money in order to make money.
And we're gonna make plenty of money off this deal.
But what do you know about selling trucks in the Philippines?
What do want me to do? You want me to pump gas?
- What's wrong with that? - Oh, yeah, I can see that now.
Hi, I'm the Torrance Tornado.
Why don't you come down, and I'll fill her up?
Maybe change the oil.
It's a fat chance. Now just give me the checkbook!
No.
You don't get to tell me no.
That is my money,
and I am the one who died for it, so give me it.
You're drunk! You're drunk!
(GASPING)
You know what? Enough with the Saint Cynthia of Miami Beach routine.
Now, you did not marry me because you thought
that I would make a good gas-pump jockey.
I married you because I thought you were a good man!
(SHRIEKS)
FRED: Fantastic.
LOUIS: We got this?
FRED: You're the champ.
LOUIS: Yup. FRED: Doing all right.
(BOTH LAUGHING)
(GRUNTING)
(GASPS)
Hollowed-out Bible. That's where I'll hide it.
Jap customs agent won't mess with a Bible.
(GRUNTS SOFTLY)
Oh, she called you?
Let's go. You're coming home with me.
Oh, beat it, will you?
Well, you're not going back to the apartment tonight.
Sylvia's staying there.
Sylvia's there? Well, it's a real family reunion, then.
What are you gonna do with this? Huh?
What are you gonna do with this?
It's none of your business.
None of my business? Is this none of my business, too?
Huh?
Round trip airfare to Tokyo?
What? Are you and your little .38 planning a trip to Japan?
Maybe we are.
You're a drunk.
Is this where you met your new business partner?
You put up the Gs, and he puts up what, another round of drinks?
Stay out of it, all right? I know what I'm doing.
You haven't known what you're doing since you walked out of that POW camp.
You need help, but you're not man enough to accept it.
I'm not man enough?
I'm more of a man than you'll ever be, big brother.
You never got caught up in a sinking plane and almost drowned.
No, you never had them hold you down,
stick a needle in your arm and pump you full of garbage until you almost died,
and you certainly never had The Bird punch you in the face
over and over again until you almost...
No, see, you...
You were on your nice, clean ship with your nice, clean sheets,
eating your Wheaties.
So thank you for your service, sailor.
Don't go back to the apartment tonight.
Mmm-hmm.
Leave Cynthia alone. She doesn't want you there.
MAN: I don't know why they keep pushing stuff like that.
Look at that. I mean, it's just...
(THUNDER BREAKS)
(RETCHING)
(PLANE WHOOSHING)
- (THUNDER BREAKING) - (GRUNTING)
Do you want to escape?
(GRUNTING)
I asked you a question!
Do you want to escape?
I wanna go home!
There is no home.
(GROANS)
(GASPS)
If You save me...
(GROANING)
(WHISTLING)
(STOPS WHISTLING)
There you go, buddy. On the house.
(EXHALES)
Go to hell, Lou.
I do every night!
And what about me? Huh?
When you come home reeking of whiskey, or when you don't come home at all?
I'm taking Cissy and I'm going to Florida.
What are you gonna do? You're gonna go home to your parents
and tell them how stupid you were to marry me?
I can't take care of her and a drunk at the same time!
So what are you saying?
I'm saying I want a divorce.
It's $499 one-way to Tokyo. It's only $850 round trip.
- THE BIRD: You thought you were free. - Round trip is the way to go.
THE BIRD: Don't look at me.
Look at me. Look at me.
(GASPING)
You are nothing.
You...
(INDISTINCT WHISPERING)
THE BIRD: You thought you were free?
You are nothing.
You... Don't look at me.
You are nothing.
- CYNTHIA: Lou? - (CISSY CRYING)
THE BIRD: You are nothing. CYNTHIA: Lou.
Did I get your attention?
I'm, uh... I'm going out.
Lila asked me to go to the revival, so...
Hide your wallet.
The circus is in town.
(CISSY CRYING)
(CHUCKLES)
You could come, too.
He's supposed to be different.
Not like the old revival shows.
Maybe he could help you.
Look at me. Look at me.
All right, this is why I should bow down to God, to thank Him for what I am?
I mean, don't you get it?
God is my enemy.
(CISSY CRYING)
It's okay.
Lou, I know about the whiskey bottle in the toilet tank
and the one under the sink.
You can't have the life you had before the war, so you've given up on this one.
On me, on Cissy, on your family.
You're not going to Japan.
You're not gonna kill The Bird.
It's a dream.
It's a sickness.
(CISSY CRYING)
It's okay. It's okay.
(INAUDIBLE)
(ELEVATOR DINGS)
Tonight,
our message is gonna be brief.
Now, I always say that.
(LAUGHTER)
So I don't want you to get too hopeful, okay?
(LAUGHTER)
PILOT: This is the Green Hornet. We're going down.
Mayday! Mayday! Mayday.
(PLANE WHIRRING)
- (GUNFIRE) - (SCREAMING)
There's a lifeline, and that's the hand of Jesus to hold onto.
I do not believe that any man, that any man
can solve the problems of life without Jesus Christ.
There are tremendous marital problems.
There are physical problems. There are financial problems.
Help!
BILLY: There are problems of sin and habit that cannot be solved
without the person of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Have you trusted Christ Jesus as savior?
Tonight,
I'm glad to tell you that the Lord Jesus can be received,
your sins forgiven,
your burdens lifted, your problems solved
by turning your life over to Him
and repenting of your sin and turning to Jesus Christ as savior.
(MUFFLED SHOUTING)
Louie, wake up.
Louie.
Louie. Shh.
Cissy's asleep.
I love you.
And I will not divorce you.
You can leave Cissy.
(SIGHS)
She's staying with Lila.
But you and I could go together.
(SIGHS)
I don't know any other way to help you, Louie.
Please come with me. Please.
Just say, "Yes, dear." (CHUCKLES)
Yes, dear.
(GOSPEL MUSIC PLAYING)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
CHOIR: (SINGING) Take it to the Lord in prayer
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee
Take it to the Lord in prayer
In His arms, He'll take and shield thee
Thou wilt find a solace there
Amen
BILLY: Good evening.
Not what you expected?
The eighth chapter of John will be our reading tonight,
if you have your Bibles.
And we begin reading. "Jesus went unto the Mount of Olives.
"And early in the morning, he came again into the temple,
"and all the people came unto him, and he sat down,
"under the cover of darkness."
But let me tell you something.
Darkness does not hide the eyes of God.
God takes down your life from the time you were born to the time you die.
And when you stand before God on that great Judgment Day, you're gonna say,
"Lord, I'm not such a bad fellow."
And then they're gonna pull down the screen,
and they're gonna show the moving picture of your life,
and you're gonna hear every thought that was going through your head,
of every minute of every day, and every second of every minute.
And your own thoughts, your own deeds, are gonna condemn you
as you stand before God on that day.
And here tonight, there's a drowning man,
a drowning woman,
a drowning boy, and a drowning girl,
all lost on the sea of life, not knowing which way to turn,
but just looking. Just looking for some type of hope for the future.
I don't care how dark or how perplexing your problems might be.
It makes no difference.
Every problem solved, every sin washed away.
Just reach out and take the hand of Jesus.
I want everyone to bow their heads
and close your eyes.
(PANTING)
(GRUNTS)
I'm sorry.
(SIGHS)
Are you afraid, Lou?
He's not gonna hurt you.
You're not happy the way you are.
You wanna change.
You know when he says, "All heads bowed, all" whatever?
"Eyes closed."
Yeah, that. See, they gotta be.
You wanna know why?
When I was a kid,
and I went to those crummy, lying revivals,
I kept my eyes open,
and so I got to see all the pickpockets who were stealing from the chumps.
Okay, here's a story.
It's set in the future.
Cissy is 15.
She has her first boyfriend.
He's a good-looking kid, comes from a nice family.
She brings him home one day and doesn't tell us.
They come through the door,
and there you are, too drunk to remember
that you're supposed to hide in the bedroom so that nobody sees you.
Instead, you start showing him your notebooks.
Naturally, the kid tries to get away, but you hang on,
breathing alcohol in his face.
And your daughter, the light of your life,
the little baby that you wouldn't let anybody else touch,
she is so ashamed of her father that she wants to die.
BILLY: "Why?" you ask yourself, "Why is God silent
"while good men suffer?
"Why doesn't He stop the pestilence?
"Why doesn't He stop the wars?
"Why doesn't He stop the suffering in this world?"
Well, that is the question that has mystified people
from generation to generation.
If you look into the heavens tonight, on this beautiful California night,
I can see the stars,
and I can see the footprints of God.
(WHEEZING)
And I say to myself, "My Father, my heavenly Father,
"He hung them there with his flaming fingertip."
- CROWD: Yes. - "And he holds them there
"by the power of His omnipotent hand."
MAN: Amen.
BILLY: What God asks of men is faith.
You can't see Him. You can't hear Him.
God makes Himself unseen.
But I believe that God is still performing miracles.
MAN: Yes. CROWD: Amen.
BILLY: I believe that God is still healing bodies.
I believe that God is still healing hearts.
I believe that God is still transforming lives.
CROWD: Amen.
And He says to each of us,
"If you suffer, I'll give you the grace to go forward."
But because you can't hear Him,
because you can't see Him in His silent of heaven...
MAN: Amen. Amen, brother!
BILLY:...you turn away from Him.
And let me tell you, brother,
that's the most dangerous place to be,
to sit there day after day
and never accept salvation. CROWD: Amen.
BILLY: Hardening your soul day after day, night after night, until it's too late.
CROWD: Yes!
That God cannot even reach into your heart of hearts
and save you from yourself.
MAN: Hallelujah. WOMAN: Amen!
BILLY: I want everyone to bow their heads.
Close your eyes.
(SHARP INHALE)
Lou.
BILLY: Don't leave!
(GASPING)
You can leave while I'm preaching, but not now.
(PANTING)
(WAVES SPLASHING)
(GASPING)
If You save me...
THE BIRD: Look at me.
Look at me.
No.
THE BIRD: Look at me.
Look at me!
BILLY: This is it.
God has spoken to you.
It is time. Come on.
If You save me,
I will serve You forever.
(CISSY COOING)
He kept me alive through everything
for this.
(CHUCKLES)
The war is over.
Where's Watanabe?
Where's The Bird?
We're pretty sure he's still alive.
We will keep looking for him, Captain.
Then do me a favor.
If he ever turns up,
you give him this for me.
Tell him to take a look at Matthew, chapter six, verse 14.
"For if you forgive other people when they sin against you,
"your heavenly Father will also forgive you."
It's okay.
It's over.
It's gonna be okay. I forgive you.
I forgive you. God bless you. It's okay. Okay?
All right.
It's okay.
I forgive you.
God bless you. God bless you.
It's all right. I forgive you.
It's okay. God bless you, sir.
During the war, Louis Zamperini was an American war hero.
He was 47 days on a life raft
floating around in the Pacific.
And he began to drink when he came home,
and he was confused and frustrated and mixed up in his life.
And he, too, wandered into that tent on Washington and Hill in Los Angeles
and found Christ as his savior.
And tonight, he is the director of the Victory Boys Camp
forjuvenile delinquents in Los Angeles, giving his full life now
to try to rehabilitate juvenile delinquents
and lead them to a knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Louis, we're delighted to have you with us tonight.
Thank you, Billy.
It was after the war and with about $10,000 in back pay
from two and a half years in prison camp
and also collecting my life insurance for being dead.
I became extremely selfish, cynical, and greedy
until the wind was finally let out of my sails.
I lost everything that I possessed outside of my wife and little girl,
and it was then that my wife was able to persuade me
into going down to that meeting.
I asked the Lord Jesus Christ to come into my heart and save me,
and, of course, he did.
(INAUDIBLE)
LOUIS: These are kids that quit high school.
They haven't accomplished anything.
So I have a chart,
and all during the week they gotta pass everything, boating...
And I get them up on the top of the mountain
and teach them glacier survival and rescue.
So that at the end of the week, I show the kids,
"Look at the things you've accomplished all week. They weren't easy.
"It shows that you can accomplish anything you want.
"Now, you go back and finish your time,
"and then go back and get your high school diploma,
"and that's the first big accomplishment of your life."
While I was still on my knees, my life changed in a matter of moments
because I knew I was through getting drunk,
and I knew that I forgave my guards,
and I knew it was a miracle because I forgave The Bird. (CHUCKLES)
And that was the first night...
The first night in two and a half years I didn't have a nightmare,
and I haven't had one since.
Forgiveness must be complete,
no matter who the person is.
And I've had a few enemies, even the last few years,
and the only way I can forgive them is to pray for them,
and that's what I do. Instead of hating them, I pray for them.
You just have to buckle up and go on to greater things.
The guy says, "Aren't you the guy that spent 47 days on a raft?"
I said, "Yeah."
He said, "You're entitled to travel pay."
I said, "What?" He said...
(LAUGHTER)
That's a very efficient guy.
He said, "$7. 60 a day times 47."
He made out a bill, mailed it to Washington,
and a week later, we got a response.
And it said, "Request denied.
"Reason, travel unauthorized."
(LAUGHTER)