Can anyone explain the significance, if any, to the story? I recall Maryk asking "Barney, were you in some sort of a crackup"? My assumption is that his hand was injured in real life and they worked it into the script.
shareIn the novel, Barney Greenwald was a lawyer in civilian life who trained to be a naval aviator because he thought he could be more useful that way. He suffered an injury to his hand while crash landing his airplane, and was therefore available to defend Maryk while waiting to recover and rejoin his squadron.
shareThanks "cross-9". Finally - an explanation for that bandaged right hand!! I expect that the Greenwald character might have accounted for it in the film, but that the footage was cut. Which is unfortunate because, for those who didn't read the novel, the prominent bandage is rather inexplicable...prompting one to assume that Ferrer's injury was real, but had to be included due to the film's schedule.
shareThere's a bit more expository dialogue in the book. Supposedly he burned his hands when he crashlanded an F6F Hellcat on a carrier. He was just out of the hospital and was waiting for a medical clearance to rejoin a squadron, thus making him available for the trial. He'd gone to the same law school as the prosecutor who knew him and saw that he was in San Francisco and waiting out a medical clearance.
shareMaryk does ask him 'Have a crack-up?' when they meet for the first time and Greenwald confirms that he has.
shareI haven't read the book, but what I assumed when watching it (yes, I know what they say about assuming) was that Greenwald had been injured in combat. It should be obvious to most that the lawyer was a pilot with quite a few decorations. I got the impression this was done to heighten respect for the Greenwald character, and show us he was more than just a civilian lawyer who happened to get drafted. Contrast this with the doctor who testified, who had been in the service only five months. The defense made him out to be less convincing due to his lack of military experience. All this, along with his countenance, gives the Greenwald character the ability to reproof the Caine's officers.
Nobody gets to be a cowboy forever.