I've seen this film multiple times and I lack a clue regarding what is supposed to have happened between the scene where King is busted to private and "shipped out to gunnery school" and the scene immediately following that one where he and the Georgia duo are by the plane. He appears to be a staff sergeant and bearing no ill will toward the two rubes. I know there's no scene missing, but it sure seems like one is.
Probably too late for you to read this, but I'll try. I've seen the movie several times, and I agree that the timing of the scenes after they leave Basic appears rather jumbled. It seems that King because he really knows how the military works, got some of his promotions back as well as finding a cushy job, like he had before he was 'busted'. The character most likely had connections. He's happy because he thinks the duo is mostly out of his life, and there's no need to verbally abuse them any more or be afraid of them. He is now an officer's aide, and the duo are up in planes. It really isn't explained very well, but I'd guess that the original author/director/writers had to find some way to keep him around so that he could be in the room with the generals as they tried to figure out who was on the plane and why it was flying into a restricted area, and know how to work with Stockdale and Whitledge.
shareI seem to recall Andy Griffith having some narration about how Sgt King became a sergeant again, but possibly I'm confusing it with the narration in the book.
shareAs I recall from seeing a tape several years ago, when "No Time for Sergeants" was done on live TV on the United States Steel Hour in 1955, the story ended with the three characters being transferred to the Infantry. Maybe this is where the original play ended, and the additional scenes following just aren't up to snuff.
shareThe scene that the OP and others refer to occurred in the middle of the movie, long before the three stalwarts transfer to the infantry. That is still where the story ends.
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