Today’s scene that I love comes from 1954’s The Caine Mutiny.

In this scene, directed by Edward Dmytryk, the Caine mutineers celebrate their acquittal when they’re confronted by their own defense attorney.  Having previously exposed Captain Queeg’s paranoia on the stand, Barney Greenwald (Jose Ferrer) has dealt with his guilty conscience by having a bit too much to drink.  He interrupts the celebration and calls out the man who he claims is the real “author of the Caine Mutiny,” the arrogant Keefer (Fred MacMurray).

This scene features Ferrer at his most vitriolic and MacMurray at his sleaziest.  Fred MacMurray was typically cast as a nice, All-American guy so it’s always interesting to see him cast as a bad guy in films like this one, The Apartment, and Double Indemnity.  MacMurray always tended to underplay his villains, playing them as self-centered cads who hid their true motives behind a façade of bland affability.  The Caine Mutiny features one of MacMurray’s best performances.

From The Caine Mutiny: