Decision Before Dawn (1951)

Richard Basehart: Lt. Dick Rennick

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Quotes 

• Lt. Dick Rennick : [Intro narration]  Of all the questions left unanswered by the last war, and probably any war, one comes back constantly to my mind. Why does a spy risk his life... for what possible reason? If the spy wins, he's ignored. If he loses, he's shot.

• Lt. Dick Rennick : Otherwise, the war hasn't changed much - crowded in the rear areas, and lonely as you got nearer and nearer the front, with nothing but a map to tell you where the enemy was supposed to be. But you soon discovered if your map was accurate enough.

• Cpl. Karl Maurer aka Happy : Not any harder than fighting for something I knew was wrong.

  Lt. Dick Rennick : You were a medic. You didn't really fight.

  Cpl. Karl Maurer aka Happy : [pause]  To be there is to fight.

• Lt. Dick Rennick : [Concluding narration]  A man stays alive as long as he's remembered, and is killed only by forgetfulness. So long, Happy. Let your real name remain unknown, but let the memory of your sacrifice serve as a key to the meanings of treason.

• Col. Devlin : A kid like Happy, even if he came through it alive, a traitor's always a traitor, no matter what his reasons are.

  Lt. Dick Rennick : We didn't hesitate about using him.

  Col. Devlin : In a war, to save lives, you use whoever you can. Trouble is, you always lose the best ones 'cause the best ones are willing to take a chance.

• Lt. Dick Rennick : A soldier's not much good if he can't find his way back to his own outfit.