Daily Dialogue — October 23, 2015

Forrest Gump: (V.O.) I ran and ran, just like Jenny told me to. I ran so far and so fast that pretty soon I was all by myself which was a bad thing.
Forrest Gump: Bubba.
Forrest Gump: (V.O.) Bubba was my best, good friend, I had to make sure that he was OK.

Voices calling out in the Jungle.

Forrest Gump: Bubba.
Forrest Gump: (V.O.) And on my way back to find Bubba, well there was this boy laying on the ground.
Forrest Gump: Tex. OK
Forrest Gump: (V.O.) I couldn’t just let him lay there all alone and scared the way he was. So I grabbed him up and run him out of there. [brings Tex out and then runs back in] And every time I went back looking for Bubba somebody else was saying; Help me Forrest, help me. [brings out two more soldiers] I started to get scared that I might never find Bubba.
Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: [on radio] Listen Strongarm, I know my position is danger close, we’ve got Charlie all over this area. I’ve got to have those fast movers in here now, over?
Radio Operato: (O.S.) Red, Strongarm…
Forrest Gump: Lieutenant Dan, Coleman’is dead.
Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: I know he’s dead, my whole god damn platoon is wiped out.
Radio Operato: (O.S.) Red Lima 6, Red Lima 6, how copy this transmission?

Forrest tries to pick him up.

Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: [to Forrest] What are you doing? You leave me here, get away, just leave me here. Get out. [Forrest picks him up] I said leave me here God dammit.
Radio Operato: (O.S.) Red Lima Six, Red Lima Six, this Strongarm be advised your fast movers are inbound at this time, over.
Forrest Gump: (V.O.) Then is felt like something just jumped up and bit me.
Forrest Gump: Ah, something bit me.

They fall to the ground, an explosion, Lieutenant Dan returns fire.

Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: Ah, you dink son of a bitch.

Forrest picks him up and starts running.

Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: I can’t leave the platoon. I told you to leave me there Gump. Forget about me, get yourself out. Did you hear what I said? God dammit put me down. Get your ass out of here.

Forrest puts him down next to the other soldiers.

Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: I didn’t ask you to pull me out of there God damn you.

Forrest is trying to go back into the jungle.

Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: Where the hell do you think you’re going?
Forrest Gump: Get Bubba.
Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: I’ve got an airstrike inbound right now they’re going to nape the whole area. Don’t, you stay here God dammit. That’s an order.
Forrest Gump: I gotta find Bubba!
Bubba: Forrest…
Forrest Gump: Bubba.
Bubba: OK Forrest…I’m OK.

Forrest looks at his wound.

Forrest Gump: Oh Bubba, no.
Bubba: Now, I’m going to be all right.

Vietnamese voices are heard, Forrest starts to pick up Bubba.

Forrest Gump: Come on…
Bubba: I’m OK Forrest. I’m OK, I’m fine.

They outrun the napalm and sit near the rest of the soldiers.

Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: Helos inbound. Pop smoke, get it out there.
Forrest Gump: (v.O) If I’d a known that was the last time me and Bubba was gonna talk, I’d of thought of something better to say.
Forrest Gump: Hey Bubba.
Bubba: Hey Forrest. Forrest? Why did this happen?
Forrest Gump: You got shot.
Forrest Gump: (V.O.) Then, Bubba said something I won’t ever forget.
Bubba: I wanna go home.
Forrest Gump: (V.O.) Bubba was my best good friend. And even I know that ain’t something you can find just around the corner. Bubba was going to be a shrimping boat captain, but instead, he died right there by that river in Vietnam.

— Forrest Gump (1994), screenplay by Eric Roth, novel by Winston Groom

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Selflessness. Today’s suggestion by James Schramm.

Trivia: Following the success of the movie, Winston Groom wrote a sequel novel, ‘Gump & Co.’ (1995), which referenced the movie as if it had been released in Forrest’s world (he mentions that the movie was an inaccurate telling of his life — and brought him unwanted press attention). Forrest also meets Tom Hanks in the novel.

Dialogue On Dialogue: Commentary by James: “The epitome of selflessness; Forrest just wanted to make sure his best good friend was okay.”