Season 1: Episode 9: Battling Baker Brothers
From Bravo 3/44th
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Contents |
Overview
- Directed by
- Bill L. Norton
- Story by
- Bill L. Norton
- Teleplay by
- Bill L. Norton and J. David Wyles
- Guest Stars
- Karl Bruskotter ... Karl Baker
- Kady Tran ... Crying Woman
- Also Starring
- Vincent Thinh Nguyen (as Vincent Thingh Nguyen) ... NVA Commander
- Mai Hoang ... Wounded VC
- Khoi Tran ... ARVN Scout
- Tuy Huynh ... Guard #1
- Kuan Hung Doan ... Guard #2
- Ta Phi Kendall ... Woodcutter
- Julio Herzer ... Radio Operator
- Original Air Date
- 10 December 1987
- Title Card
- From 1965 to 1973, 15,000,000 eligible American youth avoided the draft.
Episode Summary
In this story, we have twin brothers who were born only minutes apart, yet they were very different in nature. The uncanny resemblance was the only thing they shared. A visit by the brother turned into a fiasco for the Baker of Bravo company.
Sibling rivalry turned into a unique war story that will be told by both Bakers for years to come. There was a goodly amount of humor in this story and the Vietnamese girl crying over her dead dog stands out in my mind every time I think of the Battling Baker Brothers.
Tour of Duty shows us one more time in this story of the strong bonding that took place in the Vietnam war. The relationship between these twin brothers became stronger as they suffered the pains of being prisoners of war together. (By Ernest Johnson)
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Transcript (see transcript listing)
Excerpt from scene [31:25] Anderson and Goldman Appeal to Captain
ANDERSON: No, sir, he's not AWOL. He's just out there lookin' for his brother, now.
WALLACE: His brother is in a body bag.
ANDERSON: Excuse me, sir. Now, now shouldn't we let Graves Registration determine that? I mean, we don't know that. I mean, Baker could be right.
WALLACE: He disobeyed a direct order to get in the helicopter, didn't he?
ANDERSON: No, sir. He got on the helicopter just fine. It's just that he got off again.
GOLDMAN: Look, sir, if you could just give us 24 hours before you list him as anything. The point is, we gotta go out there and find him if we can, and bring him back.
WALLACE: Oh, yes, because I sure as hell don't want to be the one to write their mother and tell her one of her sons is dead and the other one is MIA. And I can't figure out why the Army would send two brothers to Vietnam in the first place.
GOLDMAN: Well, sir, apparently they both wanted to be here.
WALLACE: Gung-ho, huh?
GOLDMAN: Yes, sir.
WALLACE: Oh... okay. You've got your 24 hours.
GOLDMAN: Thank you, sir.
ANDERSON: You know, sir, if you had a brother, you'd do the same thing.
WALLACE: I don't have a brother.
Song Listing (see full series listing)
- Baja (L. Hazlewood) Performed by The Astronauts. Surfin' with the Astronauts. RCA, 1963.
Scene: Surfin' Baker Boys take on skateboarding. The guys hang-five and -ten!
- My Girl (S. Robinson/R. White) Performed by The Temptations. The Temptations Sing Smokey. Motown, 1965.
Scene: At the Baker Brothers' birthday bash, Karl mingles with Scott's friends. Scott steps out and falls in love.
Buy Song / Listen via iTunes
- Soldier Boy (L.Dixon/F.Greenberg) Performed by The Shirelles. Baby It's You. Sundazed, 1962.
Scene: Scott's new friend lip-syncs what she can't say in English.
Buy Song / Listen via iTunes
- My Girl Has Gone (W. "Pete" Moore/S. Robinson/M. Tarplin/R. White) Performed by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. Going to a Go-Go. Motown, 1965.
Scene: Scott discovers his girlfriend has gone off with Karl, and the brothers duke it out until LT and Sarge break up the party.
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- I Get Around (M. Love/B. Wilson) Performed by The Beach Boys. All Summer Long. Capitol, 1964.
Scene: Karl leaves Ladybird, transferring all the way up to the DMZ.
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Trivia
- Anderson, Zeke
- mother drove a pickup truck
- Baker, Karl
- has the complete Spider-man comic book collection
- Baker, Scott
- volunteered for Vietnam
- has an older twin brother, Karl. Is younger by 18 minutes.
- Wallace, Rusty
- doesn't have a brother
Favorite Quotes
GOLDMAN: Hang ten, Sergeant.
ANDERSON: Just add oregano, stir, and serve.
WALLACE: He disobeyed a direct order to get in the helicopter, didn't he?
ANDERSON: No, sir. He got on the helicopter just fine. It's just that he got off again.
Screenshots (see Screenshots page)
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