Twelve O'Clock Loyalty

I recently watched 12 O'clock High on Netflix. I'd seen the movie before, but not in a long time and not as a middle-aged man. I watched it several times thereafter.

Briefly Gregory Peck plays a trouble-shooting general sent to take over the badly led and shot up 918th Bomb Group. Savage has had to relieve a close friend of his, Lt. Colonel Keith Davenport. The most powerful scene in the first act is when Savage orders the arrest of Colonel Gately, the group air XO. Savage chews out Gately. Let the scene speak for itself:

Savage isn't trying to reform Gately. He's taking out his anger on the man, his frustration at having to relieve his friend, Colonel Davenport. Savage blames Gately for Davenport's demise.

Later the movie reaches it's climax, as General Savage, who has led the bomb group on dozens of missions, reaches his breaking point. Again, let the scene speak for itself:

Gately, who has been humiliated by General Savage, runs to help him and asks who will take the lead ship. Savage, by now in a state of confusion says, 'Gately. Gately will take it.'

This is the most powerful scene I've viewed in a decade. Gately's motivations are very interesting. He could have let Savage simply fall to the tarmac, but instead he helps his C/O. Why?

Another movie deals with similar leadership and loyalty issues, the Caine Mutiny. I think this scene, another bit of climatic acting, really explains Gately:

'If you'd given Queeg the loyalty he needed do you think the whole issue would have come up in the typhoon?'

When young Willie Kiefe realizes that he and the other officers let Queeg down, Barney thunders,
'You don't work with the captain because you like the way he parts his hair. You work with him because he's got the job or you no good.'

And that explains Gately, who will obviously command the 918th. Savage, who browbeat Gately, who humiliated him, who forced him to fly a plane called 'Leper Colony', Savage deserves Gately's loyalty because he's the C/O and that's it.