Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)

Cpl. Allison, USMC: You don't have to be afraid of me, ma'am. That was just drunk talk. I'd never hurt you! I'd rather *die* first!

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Cpl. Allison, USMC: I, uh... I've never loved anyone or anybody before... I've never even *lived* before. Never really... lived... inside. That's why I want to ask you to marry me. I want to look after you... not only while we're here but for the rest of our lives. So, tell me, ma'am, if there's a chance.
[awkward pause]
Cpl. Allison, USMC: I don't mean to give offense. ma'am, but... is there?
Sister Angela: No, Mr. Allison. You see, I've already given my heart... to Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Cpl. Allison, USMC: Like you was engaged or somethin'?
Sister Angela: Yes.
[shows him her left hand]
Sister Angela: This is the ring, and when I take my final vows, I'll wear a gold one: a marriage ring.
Cpl. Allison, USMC: Oh, I didn't know it was set up like that. I guess I didn't have no right to speak.
[slaps the box beside him, stands up]
Cpl. Allison, USMC: Well, I guess I'll go fix that lean-to for ya!

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Sister Angela: Only God knows what'll happen to us.
Cpl. Allison, USMC: And He won't tell, huh, ma'am?
Sister Angela: He might.

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The script called for several Japanese-speaking officers and a company of Japanese troops to be on the island. There were no Japanese men on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago, where the film was shot. A half-dozen who spoke the language were finally found in a Japanese emigrant community in Brazil and flown to the location to play the officers. For the non-speaking roles of Japanese troops, the company hired 50 Chinese who worked in the island's restaurants and laundries. This caused friction with the local islanders, who found it difficult if not impossible to get their clothes cleaned or to get a meal in a restaurant because most of the employees were working on the film.
The director and the explosives expert were reportedly left hanging onto an elevated platform on location - uninjured - after a short-circuit in explosives-effect wiring unexpectedly set off all of some 30 planted detonation devices at one time.
Originally when filming began on Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison, her co-star Robert Mitchum worried that Deborah Kerr would be like the prim characters she frequently played. However, after she swore at director John Huston during one take, Mitchum, who was in the water, almost drowned laughing. The two stars went on to have an enduring friendship which lasted until Mitchum's death in 1997.
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