Companeros de armas y punetazos

Sergeant Eustis Clay (Steve McQueen) cannot wait to finish his peacetime service and move on to bigger, better things. He is a personal favorite of Master Sergeant Maxwell Slaughter (Jackie Gleason), a career soldier who is considerably brighter than Eustis, but enjoys his company and loyalty. Slaughter is wired into all the perks, back channels and supply sources an Army base can provide, and they all filter through his nearly autonomous cabin hub. Clay becomes involved in a number of schemes and scams, including one in which he will sell tickets for soldiers to watch Private Jerry Meltzer (Tony Bill) purportedly run a three-minute mile. He inconveniences Slaughter more than once, and in one case has a traffic mishap requiring him to be bailed out of jail. Determined to tempt Slaughter with the joys of civilian life before his hitch is up, Clay fixes him up on a date with a much younger woman, not-too-bright Bobby Jo Pepperdine (Tuesday Weld). At first, Slaughter is offended, but gradually he sees another side of Bobby Jo, finding they have a mutual fondness for crossword puzzles. Clay and Slaughter golf together and begin to enjoy the good life. One night, Clay is devastated to learn of the death of his dog Donald. A pair of hated rivals use their status as military policemen to lure Clay into a barroom brawl, where he is being beaten two-against-one before Slaughter angrily comes to his rescue. Together, they win the fight, but the middle-aged, overweight Slaughter collapses from the effort. Hospitalized, Slaughter delights Clay by suggesting they leave the Army together and go live on a tropical isle, surrounded by blue seas and beautiful girls. But Slaughter dies. A changed man, Clay re-enlists in the Army with a new sense of purpose.