The Caine Mutiny - Keefer and Maryk

Clip from movie The Caine Mutiny (1954). Lt. Keefer voices his doubts that the ship's unpopular captain is mentally ill.
I put this clip up because I keep changing my mind about who did the wrong thing here. When I read the novel in school, it was all Queeg's fault; when I saw the movie a couple of years ago, it was clear Keefer was a cowardly know-it-all; now I am back to blaming Queeg ;-)
All Rights Belong to Columbia Pictures.

[@LordZontar]

"I defended you, Steve, because I found the wrong man was on trial."

[@HoldenNY22]

Like the old saying goes- "Just because you're Paranoid doesn't mean they're Still not out to get you."

[@TWS-pd5dc]

Maryk was very much the typical XO. He was torn between maintaining total loyalty to his CO and also keeping the rest of the officers and men in line. It was brought out at his trial that he was a below average student in college. Keefer was the prototypical wise ass intellectual who really caused the mutiny but let maryk take the rap. To his credit, Maryk "manned up" and took the responsibility,never blaming Keefer.

[@robinj.9329]

Sounds like you have read the book! I did! It is excellent!

[@CaesarInVa]

@@robinj.9329 One of the best books I've ever read!

[@Gallagherfreak100]

I worked for a Captain Queeg for five long years. The paranoia, the sneakiness, the incompetence, the fixation on minute details, all the while unable to see the larger picture (can't see the forest, the trees are in the way), the constant blaming of his constant foul ups on anybody and everybody else. Upper management knew he was totally incompetent, but, kept him around because he was the best yes man of all time. His supervisor even had him whistle trained. The manager would whistle and the moron would jump out of his chair and race into the manager's office.

[@nottmjas]

Why did you last so long?

[@zufgh]

@@nottmjas Probably a yes man. ;)

[@TheBatugan77]

@Gallagher Sounds like you were the nut job.

[@Busrayne]

This right here was the nexus of the crisis. Maryk never even _entertained_ the idea that Queeg was unbalanced until Keefer brought it up. Then ignoring it would be like unringing a bell. Thus the great power of _suggestion._

[@russellcampbell9198]

Van could really act. Exhibit A. And Fred playing the Iago role of saying the right thing for the wrong reasons. "Beware jealousy, my lord." Plant the seed and sit back and watch it grow as Maryk reads the book.

[@MetalGearRaxis]

Really, I feel bad for Maryk. He was the only officer who showed any sort of loyalty to Queeg and the situation pushed him into doing something terrible that ruined both his and Queeg's navy careers. :/

[@surfshack2]

Yes exactly. Maryk was a professional and moral man.

[@actioncom2748]

Not to mention that snake Keefer!

[@ECO473]

The saddest part of the book was that Maryk's hope of permanently joining the Navy was scotched even after being acquitted.

[@markseslstorytellerchannel3418]

very realistic though

[@mike89128]

I have read most of the comments here, and on other clips. No one has mentioned the role of the Court-Martial Board. They were the ones who passed judgement on Queeg, not the Caine's officers. It was not a question of the personality conflicts the captain had with his officers, but rather his competence to command a ship in wartime and were his decisions in the best interest of the mission given it, the ship and the welfare of the entire crew. The Board ruled he was not. Comments.

[@tonypellock5326]

It’s true. If qeeg had a loyal crew and there was trust between them then he might have faired better. He wasn’t crazy after all. He was war battered.

[@TWS-pd5dc]

Maryk, as executive officer, was in a very difficult position. He knew in his heart that the captain was too sick to command the ship but he also did all he could to reign in Keefer. I thought this scene showed that clearly, his warning Keefer that though they were friends he would not tolerate any further insubordination. As Greenwald says so perfectly at the end: "Here's to the real author of the Caine mutiny, here's to you Keefer".

[@TWS-pd5dc]

I disagree. As the XO himself said "Queeg's a tired man, his nerves are shot". Queeg had put his time in. He was paranoid with OCD yes. But his officers were the main reason he went to pieces. Had they conducted themselves properly Queeg might have come through OK. Officers should back up their commander, whatever his quirks were.. The lawyer pointed that out quite clearly.

[@3dartistguy]

+Tim Steinhoff Yes,k but Queeg deliberately drove his officers crazy with hunting for a duplicate key that never existed all night long and for missing strawberries that another officer had told him the mess boys consumed. Queeg did himself in by not supporting his officers from the get go, or supporting his crew. A crew has to respect a captain, but he has to respect them as well. No one should support lunacy, not even in the Navy. Queeg wanted another commendation for the great strawberry investigation...

[@TWS-pd5dc]

+3dartistguy Incorrect. Queeg took over a slack ship. The men were lax in discipline, coming to battle drills with no battle gear, dressing sloppily with long hair and beards and not maintaining proper procedures. The officers failed to bring the ship up to snuff and did not enforce Queegs new edicts. This played into Queegs insecurities and paranoia. Is it any wonder he "cracked"? Officers are there to follow orders and do what a captain instructs them to do, not make jokes and sing disrespectful songs about their CO. As Greenwald very correctly states "you don't work with a captain because you like the way he combs his hair".

[@jimbass7867]

+Tim Steinhoff Really, it comes down to trust, and respect. Leaders fail all the time, especially under stress. They get men killed needlessly. What right does the subordinate have when he knows his leaders are making terrible mistakes? Are they robots? No. What responsibility do subordinates have to regin in an out of control or faltering leader that is endangering the command? In addition, what repsonsibility falls on higer commeand to encure the subordinates get the best leadership possible and to respond to their information that a leader may be unstable? How is this situation different from the one in "Band of Brothers" when the weak lieutenant failed under fire and started endangering the entire company? What about the leadership of Captain Sobel, and the NCO's of Easy company having the guts to bring his inadequacies of leadership to the higher command's attention? Fortunately, their battalion cvommander was smart enough to udnerstand the situation and Sobel was finally relieved. But, what if he had not been and the men were forced to go into combat under his command? Were the Sergeants correct in turning in their comander? Where were the platoon leaders...why did the dirty deed fall on the NCO's? Why did the Col. inflict punishemnt on the NCOs who were obviously acting in the best interest of the Company and thus of the battallion? Just Officers "Sticking together no matter what"? That crap get's men killed and loses wars. In the Caine case we see the instability that a weak leader, with severe combat fatigue, and insecure subordinates...all inexperienced...put the ship and, as a result, the fleet was in a weaker condition. Does it not fall on the highest leadership to make sure this does not happen? What share of responsibility did the Admiral have when Queeg's officers reported his erratic behavior? Queeg was sick, just as if he had a badly infected leg or a severe stomach ulcer. He was clearly unfit for command and should have never been given combat sea duty. I do not blame the subordinates at all...they were essentially "babes in the woods", reserve officers, 90 day wonders, etc. How were they supposed to react? They had no experience in dealing with this kind of situation. In the end, the ship was saved. Queeg was relieved- belatedly. The officers were ultimately legally exonerated. If higher command at fleet level had done their jobs properly, it is likely none of this would have ever happened.(fictionally...of course. So much for hypotheticals)

[@TWS-pd5dc]

+Jim Bass I disagree. Queeg was not "unfit for command", he was simply in a bad place at that time. He had served over 18 years in the navy, do you think he was like that all 18 years? He took over a slack ship that was also tired as the previous captain had stated. But Queeg was a book man and he was determined to bring order and discipline that was clearly lacking on that ship. Those officers were obligated to carry out the CO's edicts. Every person in the service at one time served under a spit and polish type. Queeg had some emotional problems to be sure but they did not present any danger until his officers turned on him. Their reactions are what put the ship in danger, not Queegs (as Greenwald correctly pointed out). Queeg's downward spiral coincided directly with the cynical and disrespectful behavior of his subordinates, except for Maryk. This was the reason for his mental collapse. Had those officers done their jobs and not shown contempt for their CO the entire issue during the storm would not have happened. Or did you forget the scene when Queeg, in a roundabout way, asked his officers for help and loyalty? He needed their support and they simply walked away from their responsibilities.

[@rickmorrow993]

I could never get over my distaste for Fred McMurry after seeing this movie. I guess that is a tribute to his performance.

[@Tmanaz480]

You should watch "The Apartment".

[@thucy2]

He's amazing in "Double Indemnity." One of my all time favorite films.

[@russellcampbell9198]

Yes. The Iago of the mutiny.

[@mardonius12345]

@@russellcampbell9198 I agree, but it is kind of the genius of Herman Wouk that things turn 180 later on; and we see Keefer for what he actually is. When I was at this point in the novel, MacMurray's character was clearly one of the heroes of the story - the well spoken intellectual providing the backing of "science" to the doubts and misgivings the other officers had about their captain. Now I know better, the others should have stopped listening to him after the words "I'm no psychiatrist...." And thank you for commenting.

[@odysseusrex5908]

@@mardonius12345 It's interesting to consider that Wouk obviously modeled Keefer largely on himself. I'm trying to understand what you mean by, "See Keefer as he really is." It has been a very long time since I read the book but as I recall, when he becomes captain of the Caine, he gains a new appreciation of Queeg and what he was dealing with. He is ineffective and spends much of is time in his cabin writing his novel and lets Keith handle most of the day to day particulars of running the ship. When the ship is damaged in combat, he misjudges the extent of the damage, overreacts, and gives the order to abandon ship, but allows Keith and a party of volunteers to remain on board, who manage to save the ship. He does not, Queeg like, try to deny responsibility and blame everybody else for his mistake, but later ruefully asks, "What are calling me now, Old Swan Dive?" Am I remembering the story correctly? What do you feel this shows about who Keefer really is?

[@otto5011]

"Forget about my turning yellow my dog likes me."

[@cheaplaffsarefree]

When Greenwald meets them for the first time, it takes him less than two minutes to suss out how Maryk was a decent guy in an impossible situation -- and what an asshole Keefer was.

[@mardonius12345]

Yes, sort of.........but I kind of flip-flop on that one every year or so. Thanks for the comment. :-)

[@robertcampbell840]

One of the all time great films!

[@anisocoro]

In my view, the problem is that Captain Queeg came after Captain DeVriess, who was able to instaurate a good mood in the ship. Even when the ship was not super clean and the sailors not perfectly shaved, the crew did perform well in exercise and even in combat. And DeVriess was a real Captain, as he show himself very wise when he confronted Willie not to have deciphered a message ( a negligence that could have been disastrous).

[@truddy3971]

I think the phrase "and that's the straight dope" needs to be brought back.

[@bobbyfrancis8957]

In the novel ( never mentioned in the movie) Queeg went way too far, turning the water off for 24 hours against the officers and the entire crew. I guess this movie didn't have enough time for that.

[@anisocoro]

In the movie we see a Captain that, if he had not been removed during the Typhoon, would have certainly led his ship to a shipwreck. A Captain who, of course for his own good reason, conducted a war against his crew instead the one against the enemy and, in a real engagement, left marines without any protection during their approach to the shore. Keefer was a bit lazy and, of course, not an example of loyalty and courage, but he did see before every other that there was something wrong. What are they to blame about? That they did nothing to make things better, they left the captain alone and conducted a sort of sabotage against his authority

[@jimstanga6390]

In the end, Maryk spend the rest of his US Naval career labeled as a ‘mutineer’ while Keefer leaves the Navy, probably becomes a Hollywood Screen Writer and is successful. Hardly fair, is it?

[@mardonius12345]

The novel actually follows the naval careers of Keith and Keefer after the trial, much more than the film. There is a point where Keefer is shown to be the coward who endangers the ship (what he accused Queeg of being) and he is forced to face up to it. Maybe he got to understand his criticisms of Queeg were not fair, that he learnt something about himself. And if he did become successful later as a writer, perhaps he paid his dues... And Queeg was not worthy to lead men. That is what I am saying, this year at least. ( Thank you for commenting.)

[@HoldenNY22]

@@mardonius12345 I never read the Book just saw the Movie a number of years ago and I have seen a lot of clips from YOuTube. I would like to see the Movie again. Doesn't the Movie make Queeg look like a good guy or at least a guy with problems who the Men should have helped and supported anyway. Does the Book show Queeg is a less sympathetic light?

[@JE-western-rider]

@@HoldenNY22 If possible, take the time to read the book before you rewatch the movie. Your mind will fill in movie scenes, and afterwards, the book will complete the movie.

[@GentlemanJack295]

Keefer chumped Maryk and Maryk is to blame above all. He should have silenced Keefer or disciplined him for insubordination. Queeg was suffering from combat fatigue and the crew turned on him. Good example for leadership class. Someone should post the party scene near the end of the movie. Jose Ferrer blows them all up!

[@leftcoaster67]

So if the Caine floundered the Captain is always right? It's hard to support your leader when he runs out and turns chicken at the first escort to a beachhead. It would have been better to work with the Captain, but would it really have helped him? That's sort of the point of the movie. No one is really right.

[@GentlemanJack295]

leftcoaster67 Queeg did not trust Maryk or any of the other officers since they were disloyal. When your commander trusts you he listens to you. It was on them. Queeg was a doofus but probably had combat fatigue. His officers let him down. As Greenwald told them at the end you support the captain not based on how he combs his hair or you're no good. Pretty elemental.

[@rgd963]

Queeg should never been given a new command, in the book they go in to Queeg history , where the U.S.A. fighting the Japanese in China, (unofficially)since 1936.He was the only one on board when the ship went down, crew abandon it early on.He was a rigid compulsive at the beginning with paranoid tendencies. even if they gave him there full support . he would done the same things again because he is a Rigid compulsive. He took his frustration out on the new crew. Done stupid things like over long Reprimanding of Lugash for shirt tail. all he Had to say "KEEFER put him on report. that's it . He never listened to his crew which is a BIG mistake in running a ship!He Shut down during the storm.Executive officer had no choice, is the smoke stack did not tear off , when it was hit by the force of the storm, the ship could capsized ! how do I know this,I ran a Clinic for Franklin D.Roosevelt V.A Mental Hospital.

[@Tmanaz480]

@@rgd963 ... Agreed. This style of leadership is no longer tolerated in our armed forces.

[@rgd963]

@@Tmanaz480Thank you ,when barney stated Queeg came to you for help and you turn him down, After the yellow stain incident.What I took away, is he wanted them to cover for him,If there was a navy inquiry on why the Caine abandon The Marine Landing craft.He disobeyed orders,threw a dye marker in the ocean, (which gave the enemy a sighting point for there guns).dereliction of duty alone should have him removed for the Caine ,and he wanted the caine officers to cover him, I would not.

[@jsolo9621]

They had a book on mental disorders in the ship's library?

[@moncorp1]

Possibly in med quarters or maybe Keefer brought it with him. He was a writer.

[@leftcoaster67]

Pretty sure supply ships came by once in a while and you could get titles that you wanted.

[@robinj.9329]

Yeah, that was my question!

[@jeffreyknickman5559]

@@moncorp1 It'd be from the Medical Officer's library.

[@t-royb8633]

Is it just me or does Van Johnson have the same scars on his fore head as he did in Thirty Seconds over Tokyo ?

[@TWS-pd5dc]

+T-ROY B (BUTTERFLYHOCHO1) Correct. Van Johnson had been in an auto accident in 1942 or so. Those scars were real.

[@xx_theartfuldodger_xx1105]

That's the straight dope!

[@jaymack8182]

Need to bring that phrase back in vogue.

[@Cryptonymicus]

And it used to refer to varnish.

[@jeffreyknickman5559]

Two things about this scene: 1). Keefer's a moral coward. He's only willing to repeat his claims if Maryck backs him up. 2). The score at the end is over-the-top and unnecessary. it overpowers the scene. The director would've been better served to have no music at all.

[@wallacegrommet9343]

Letting the Captain twist in the wind like that, shame

[@iamemjarrobinson8713]

By listening to all sides here I conclude that blame must be shared. Queeg indeed was a hornets nest ready to burst. But the officers insisted on poking that nest rather than smoking it. Humoring Queeg may have postponed the inevitable but the inevitable would have still happened.

[@zacharycat]

Keefer is planning to use Maryk to get rid of Queeg so that Keefer can take over himself. This is what happens in the book (by Herman Wouk) and he turns out to be a worse captain than Queeg. During a kamikaze attack he panics and leaves Willie to save the Caine. I think the movie left this out cause they were already over budget.

[@steveellis7174]

This is one of the few times I believe the move is better than the novel. I prefer the ending here to the one in the book.

[@TWS-pd5dc]

It is difficult to determine who really was at fault for the "mutiny'. IMHO the officers did not show the proper respect and loyalty. It was clear Queeg was shell-shocked and on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The officers, with the exception of the XO, completely played into Queegs paranoia. For that they escalated his breakdown and therefore were very much at fault. As Greenwald says so well at the end "you ragged him, made up songs about him". He needed their unconditional loyalty.

[@Tmanaz480]

He needed their loyalty but no one is owed unconditional loyalty in the US military. Your loyalty is to your country.

[@plasticweapon]

it's not owed to crazy people who shouldn't be in charge. i can determine wo was at fault for the mutiny: queeg. once it's established that the man in charge is mentally unsound, it's all downhill from there.

[@actioncom2748]

Kinda hard to maintain that loyalty when your commander will scream at you over a shirt tail but will lie to save his ass whenever he Incompetently runs over a tow line.

[@theophilusthistle1988]

Would you respect an officer who let the ship cut a towline in two then lie to command about it?? Queeg started screwing up before the crew knew anything about him....that said he was a sick man and never should have been given a command in the first place

[@TWS-pd5dc]

@@theophilusthistle1988 But why was he a sick man?? He had been in the navy for over 8 years at sea, had seen combat, had pushed through it while these reserve officers were as Greenwald so well put it "writing novels, tearing up the playing fields of Princeton, etc.". Those officers needed to support him, back him up. Had he believed his officers were behind him he might have deferred to them, relied on their counsel, etc. By mocking him, singing songs making fun of him, etc. they played right into his paranoia, can't you see that? The irony is that the XO Maryk was the only officer who did see that and wound up being the fall guy. But he was a stand up officer and refused to divide the blame among the other officers. He took full responsibility and took the consequences.

[@zhongwa]

Jeez, I hated MacMurray in this one.

[@Tmanaz480]

He was an underrated actor.

[@russellcampbell9198]

That's exactly how he wanted you to feel.

[@qwertyytrewq71]

Thats the straight dope!

[@tommym321]

what is interesting is that the scene in the movie where Queeg asks the other officers for help- a scene that does much to undermine the "righteousness" of the officers in their disgust of Queeg and later mutiny- is not contained in the novel.

[@bearcat648]

Thanks, that clears a lot of things up. This movie never made sense to me, as Keefer seemed 100% in the right, but they tried to make it seem like he had done something petty and underhanded at the end. If the movie gave a more balanced account of the captain acknowledging his issues and seeking help, that wraps it up a lot better.

[@tommym321]

bearcat648 well IMHO the novel is vastly superior to the movie, but that’s just my opinion

[@plasticweapon]

undermines it how? queeg, whose in command gets to fall apart and these guys at their wits end with him don't even get to be human?

[@tommym321]

plasticweapon well the thinking is, with that scene it makes Queeg a more sympathetic character in that he is asking these men to help him. Sometimes asking for help from subordinates shows both vulnerability and courage. Perhaps he would not have fallen apart if they had offered their help and support.

[@theophilusthistle1988]

That's all BS ....A Captain should NEVER plead with his crew to give him respect or "help"....He has to be strong in front of the crew

[@machia-mw1lm]

There was never a mutiny in the US Navy .

[@Tmanaz480]

Hence the fascinating novel.

[@LordZontar]

Actually there was, in 1842 aboard the brig USS Somers. Midshipman Phillip Spencer and two other mids planned to murder Captain Alexander Slidell Mackenzie, all the ship's senior officers, and then seize the ship and turn pirate, with apparently as many as two-thirds of the crew inclined to support the plot. Capt. Mackenzie decided action had to be immediately taken, the officers all concurred, and Spencer and his fellow conspirators were executed without even a court-martial since the threat was judged to be imminent. Mackenzie was cleared at the court of inquiry and a subsequent court-martial the following year. There were rumours of an attempted mutiny aboard the collier USS Cyclops in 1918 prior to her disappearance and for which one man supposedly was hanged, but those were never substantiated.

[@karenpato1]

That threatening to narc on the bible may have been the deciding factor to backstab Maryk.

[@mardonius12345]

You are most welcome. :-)

[@pascha1903]

wo ist die deutsche Fassung?

[@douglaslally156]

You see this dictionary ? I swear to you on...oh crap wrong book, hang on. It's here somewhere, ok there it is, let's start again. You see this Bible?

[@charleswest6372]

Keefer was the problem here. Big mouthed

[@paulmiller6647]

711

[@leafyutube]

Captain Bligh was worse than Queeg I think.

[@oldgoat142]

Way worse.

[@ECO473]

Far worse.

[@ECO473]

@glyn hodges Yes I have, and I'm aware Bligh was acquitted in his own court martial, Just the same, I wouldn't want to serve under either one.

[@TristanHayes]

@@ECO473 Then you wouldn't have wanted to serve in the Royal Navy at all, but that doesn't make Bligh "Far worse" in of himself for making best of a bad situation. In his case it was the system that was fucked up and he was one of the better men in it.

[@ECO473]

@@TristanHayes I admit I have no military bearing. So I couldn't have served under Captain Queeg, Captain Bligh, General Eisenhower, Colonel Klink, Sgt. Schultz, Colonel Hogan, or General Burkhalter, or any military leader, actual or fictional.

[@glenndoty739]

Fred McMurray was a great actor until he decided, based on one woman's opinion, to change his roles

[@samuelbowling3738]

Herman Wouk was really in his heart an ANTI-WAR type. I think Greenwald was precisely wrong at the party in the end. A can literally run and function without the captain, but absolutely CANNOT DO WITHOUT THE OFFICERS AND CREW. Respect, like love, forgivness and gratitude are things that have to be earned. And yes there never has been a mutiny in the US NAVY.

[@samuelbowling3738]

AND THATS THE STRAIGHT DOPE!!!!!!!!

[@streetgato9697]

Greenwald was right about Keefer, but he underestimated the danger an incompetent, stubborn skipper posed to a ship and its crew and the damage he would've caused. Perhaps as an aviator Greenwald had different view on how things should be.