The anthem ends on a discordant note, emphasizing how patriotic fervor among the dutiful citizenry can be generated by the Establishment for its own strategic purposes.Buck falls from his horse, revealing that his face is hideously covered with blood.Blinded by blood (both figuratively and literally), Buck begs Pike to kill him, and Pike perfunctorily and coldly complies with his request o put him out of his misery:Pike, is that you? I can ride, Pike.Rats invade their quarters.Suddenly, he bombardment eases and the men run outside to take their positions in the trench.(Paul is easily distinguishable, because the spike on his helmet has been shot away.) The mobile camera travels over he heads of the men in the trench (evidently one of the earliest uses of a crane shot in any film).The other major character in the film is tall, outspoken newspaper reporter Peter Warne (Clark Gable), who is first seen surrounded by a mob of onlookers listening to "history in the making" as he is arguing with his fatherly editor-boss Joe Gordon (Charles C.The club""s buxom blonde, ditzy cigarette girl Rita (Barbara Nichols, a former stripper) accosts Sidney for his apparent neglect.