The Caine Mutiny (1954)

José Ferrer: Lt. Barney Greenwald

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Quotes 

• [Greenwald staggers into the Caine crew's party, inebriated] 

  Lt. Barney Greenwald : Well, well, well! The officers of the Caine in happy celebration!

  Lt. Steve Maryk : What are you, Barney, kind of tight?

  Lt. Barney Greenwald : Sure. I got a guilty conscience. I defended you, Steve, because I found the wrong man was on trial.

  [pours himself a glass of wine] 

  Lt. Barney Greenwald : So, I torpedoed Queeg for you. I *had* to torpedo him. And I feel sick about it.

  [drinks wine] 

  Lt. Steve Maryk : Okay, Barney, take it easy.

  Lt. Barney Greenwald : You know something? When I was studying law, and Mr. Keefer here was writing his stories, and you, Willie, were tearing up the playing fields of dear old Princeton, who was standing guard over this fat, dumb, happy country of ours, eh? Not us. Oh, no, we knew you couldn't make any money in the service. So who did the dirty work for us? QUEEG did! And a lot of other guys - tough, sharp guys, who didn't crack up like Queeg.

  Ensign Willie Keith : But no matter what, Captain Queeg endangered the ship and the lives of the men.

  Lt. Barney Greenwald : He didn't endanger anybody's life; YOU did, *all* of you! You're a fine bunch of officers.

  Lt. JG H. Paynter Jr. : You said yourself he cracked.

  Lt. Barney Greenwald : I'm glad you brought that up, Mr. Paynter, because that's a very pretty point. You know, I left out one detail in the court martial. It wouldn't have helped our case any.

  [to Maryk] 

  Lt. Barney Greenwald : Tell me, Steve, after the Yellowstain business, Queeg came to you guys for help and you turned him down, didn't you?

  Lt. Steve Maryk : [hesitant]  Yes, we did.

  Lt. Barney Greenwald : [to Paynter]  You didn't approve of his conduct as an officer - he wasn't WORTHY of your loyalty! So you turned on him. You ragged him - you made up songs about him. If you'd given Queeg the loyalty he needed, do you suppose the whole issue would have come up in the typhoon?

  [to Maryk] 

  Lt. Barney Greenwald : You're an honest man, Steve, I'm asking you. You think it would've been necessary for you to take over?

  Lt. Steve Maryk : [hesitant]  It probably wouldn't have been necessary.

  Lt. Barney Greenwald : [muttering slightly]  There!

  Ensign Willie Keith : [horror-stricken]  If that's true, then we *were* guilty.

  Lt. Barney Greenwald : Ah, you're learning, Willie! You're learning that you don't work with a captain because you like the way he parts his hair; you work with him because *he's GOT* the job, or you're no good! Well, the case is over. You're all safe. It was like shooting fish in a barrel.

  [long pause; strides toward Keefer] 

  Lt. Barney Greenwald : And now we come to the man who *should* have stood trial. The Caine's favorite author. The Shakespeare whose testimony nearly sunk us all. Tell 'em, Keefer!

  Lieutenant Tom Keefer : [stiff and overcome with guilt]  No, you go ahead. You're telling it better.

  Lt. Barney Greenwald : You ought to read his testimony. He never even heard of Captain Queeg!

  Lt. Steve Maryk : Let's forget it, Barney!

  Lt. Barney Greenwald : Queeg was sick; he couldn't help himself. But you, you're *real* healthy. Only you didn't have one tenth the guts that HE had!

  Lieutenant Tom Keefer : Except I never fooled myself, Mr. Greenwald.

  Lt. Barney Greenwald : I'm gonna drink a toast to you, Mr. Keefer.

  [pours wine in a glass] 

  Lt. Barney Greenwald : From the beginning you hated the Navy. And then you thought up this whole idea. And you managed to keep your skirts nice, and starched, and clean, even in the court martial. Steve Maryk will always be remembered as a mutineer. But you, you'll publish your novel, you'll make a million bucks, you'll marry a big movie star, and for the rest of your life you'll live with your conscience, if you have any. Now here's to the *real* author of "The *Caine* Mutiny." Here's TO you, Mr. Keefer.

  [splashes wine in Keefer's face] 

  Lt. Barney Greenwald : If you wanna do anything about it, I'll be outside. I'm a lot drunker than you are, so it'll be a fair fight.

• Barney Greenwald : I don't want to upset you TOO much, but at the moment you have an excellent chance of being hanged.

• Doctor Dickson : If I may speak, sir, I would like to protest the counsel's twisting of words. There's a big difference between real mental illness and minor mental disturbances.

  Barney Greenwald : Let me put it this way, doctor: could Captain Queeg have been disabled by the severe stain of command?

  Doctor Dickson : That's absurdly hypothetical.

  Barney Greenwald : Is it? Have you ever had any sea duty, doctor?

  Doctor Dickson : No.

  Barney Greenwald : Have you ever been at sea?

  Doctor Dickson : No.

  Barney Greenwald : How long have you been in the Navy?

  Doctor Dickson : Five months.

  Barney Greenwald : Have you ever had any dealings with ship's captains before this case?

  Doctor Dickson : No.

  Barney Greenwald : Then I suggest that you cannot set yourself up as an authority on the strain of command, and thus you may be completely wrong about Captain Queeg.

  [to the prosecutor] 

  Barney Greenwald : Your witness.

• Lt. Barney Greenwald : Doctor, you have testified that the following symptoms exist in Lieutenant Commander Queeg's behavior: rigidity of personality, feelings of persecution, unreasonable suspicion, a mania for perfection, and a neurotic certainty that he is always in the right. Doctor, isn't there one psychiatric term for this illness?

  Doctor Dickson : I never said there was any illness.

• [LT Greenwald has just questioned LCDR Queeg about the incident involving the yellow dye marker] 

  Capt. Blakely : Mr. Greenwald, there can be no more serious charge against an officer than cowardice under fire.

  Lt. Barney Greenwald : Sir, may I make one thing clear? It is NOT the defense's contention that Lieutenant Commander Queeg is a coward; quite the contrary! The defense assumes that no man who rises to command a United States naval ship can possibly BE a coward, and that, therefore, if he commits questionable acts under fire, the explanation MUST be ELSEWHERE!

• Lt. Steve Maryk : Will you take our case?

  Lt. Barney Greenwald : I'd much rather prosecute.

  Lt. Steve Maryk : [disappointed]  Well, I guess I can't blame you.

  Lt. Barney Greenwald : [in a more friendly tone]  I'll take your case.

• Barney Greenwald : I'm going to be frank with you two. I've read the preliminary investigation very carefully, and I think that what you've done stinks.

• Lt. Barney Greenwald : [sarcastically]  Too bad we can't use you as an expert on psychiatry, Mr. Keefer; after all, you MADE the DIAGNOSIS!

• Ens. Willis 'Willie' Seward Keith : How do we plead?

  Barney Greenwald : Your case depends on Maryk.

  Lt. Steve Maryk : Well then how do I plead?

  Barney Greenwald : [oozing sarcasm]  Not guilty, of COURSE! You're a great Naval hero!

• Barney Greenwald : I've read the preliminary investigation very carefully and I think that what you've done stinks.

  Lt. Keith : Well, if that's the way you feel about it, why are you taking the case?

  Barney Greenwald : I didn't say I'd take it. I told legal I'd have a talk with Mr. Maryk. Whether I take it or not depends on what he has to say.

  Lieutenant Tom Keefer : Steve, maybe you'd better get yourself another lawyer.

  Barney Greenwald : Try it. Eight other officers have already turned it down.