Alternate Ending

I do not own a copy of the movie on tape or DVD, but I, too, recall seeing the ending broadcast in past years where Harvey Stovall returns to the officer's club and replaces the Toby mug on the mantlepiece. It occurs to me that what we may be seeing these days is the broadcaster's rude perogative to edit films for length to fit into a particular timeslot and that they may be leaving out this scene in the interest of jamming the movie into a shorter time period to make room for commercials.

I know that the Steve McQueen movie "The War Lover" (Columbia Pictures, 1961) had extensive footage of taxiing B-17s with a variety of nose art moving to take-off positions that is almost always dumped to shorten up the film for broadcast...

Mark Sublette
Falls Church, Virginia

I have the book, "One Last Look" and it is a good one. Does anyone know of a source for the 1983 NBC documentary, "All the Brave Young Men" if it even exists. It is about the best news documentary I can recall that dealt with the Eighth Air Force during WWII.

I think you guys are all hallucinating! As far as I can tell, there is no alternate ending. Mark is correct that the film moves seemlessly, (a slow fade, in fact,) from the final wartime scene to the scene where Stovall rides away. Furthermore, if you look carefully, you can see the box with the toby in it still in the bicycle's front basket, so this is definately the ending Henry King planned on. Perhaps you are all remembering the book, also by Bartlett and Lay. In the book, Stovall does put the toby back on the mantle.

You know. you may very well be right - perhaps it IS the original novel that I am remembering, rather than an actual viewing - I can imagine Harvey Stovall in the scene so perhaps I am confusing the book for the film. Thanks for pointing this out.

Mark*

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." - Benjamin Franklin

Hello elijahbailey.
I too vaguely recall Harvey Stovall, in the closing scene of the movie, placing the Toby Jug on the mantle shelf in the Officer's Club. My memory of it goes back to its first release in the UK about February 1950. I never saw that closing scene on any TV transmission, video tape, and it is not on the DVD either. However, there is two running times for this movie. One version is 127 minutes, the other is 133 minutes. I guess it would be on the longer version.

As for the the Toby Jug; if in reality taking it back to that abandoned and deserted airfield had taken place, it would no doubt have been swiped by someone as a souvenir. Those old airfields looked rather run down and badly neglected in the postwar years, unless of course they went back under Royal Air Force oparational use. Some old 8th Air Force veteran would have done better to take the Toby Jug back home to the US and shown up with it at a World War Two 8th Air Force veterans reunion!
All the best and happy days. smiley-39.

The alternate ending sounds like something I remember once. I also read that when originally filmed Savage dies in combat and that ending was dumped by the director.

You can buy a replica of the Toby mug at 918thpx.com. I've no interest, financial or otherwise, in this sale.

I understand from IMDB that the original was indeed brought home by one of the men from the actual unit, but swiped in the 1990s.

I first saw this movie about 1950, have seen it on TV many times, have owned it on VHS and on DVD...yet, I have no memory of ever having seen an ending where Stovall placed the tobey back on the mantle of the OC. It always ends with Stoval leaving the abandoned runway, getting on his bike and riding away.

Sometimes the movie we see in our mind as we read a book is far more intense than the movie we see on the screen.

Back in the day when I was a young newly minted Naval Flight Officer, the Navy Leadership Development course we were all required to take (at least in the brown shoe Navy) had the ending with Harvey putting the mug back in the O Club. I have never read the book and I'd likee to see a remake of the movie.

And yet, some posters here have only seen the movie, never read the novel, and they STILL recall the mystery scene...

Mark*

Until I read this message board, I too thought there was a scene missing where Harvey puts the mug back on the mantle, but thought I must be going crazy.

I do not recall having viewed a version for many years, maybe since the 70's, that included it. I just watched it on AMC, and sure enough, it ain't there as usual.

As noted, the flashback moves seamlessly into present time with the parcel still on the bicycle. I hope some of the more knowledgeable posters here can clear this up.

Hopefully future releases of this great film will restore the scene, if it is indeed missing. Maybe we will have to wait for the director's cut...


By the way, when I was in England some 20 years ago, I was able to convince my hosts to take me by some former air base locations. It now amazes me how the film makers managed to capture the look of the English country side at a filming location in Florida.

I saw this film in the theatre when it was released, and the mug shot was in it.