[% music %]
[crickets chirping]
[water lapping]
Woman: Q-u...
a-r...
a-n-t...
i-n-e.
Quarantine.
Q-u-a-r...
[gasps]
a-n-t...
i-n-e.
Quarantine.
You know the cholera?
Yes, mother.
You've seen the signs on the houses where coloreds live?
Yes, mother.
You know the typhus?
I do, mother.
You know what they can do to you?
Yes, mother.
You are not safe.
[plane engine roars]
Man: You may be directing this movie, Howard.
But what you're asking, we can't do it.
Howard: Don't tell me I can't do it.
Don't tell me it can't be done. The gyro forces are too much.
You send these planes into barrel rolls,
They won't make it.
It's the climax of the picture. You make it work.
Look, decrease the vertical trajectory if you have to.
A Le Rhône rotary won't stall at 60 degrees. I've done it.
Howard, we're still short two cameras.
We need to cut that sequence down--
We're not cutting anything, all right?
I'll get those cameras.
Set up for rehearsals in five.
Mr. Hughes. I'm Noah Dietrich.
Your office said I might find you here.
Dietrich. You're a... You're a man on the come.
I read your résumé and talked to your references.
You know what I'm looking for?
Well, as I understand it, you're looking for
A second-in-command at Hughes tools.
Someone to help oversee
The financial aspects of the business.
Yeah, I'm looking for somebody
To run it and do a damn good job.
Look, there's really only one thing you've gotta know.
My folks, they're gone now. So it's my money.
Now, what I choose to do with that money
May seem crazy to those sons of bitches in Houston--
And I'm sure as hell it does. --But it makes good sense to me.
You got that?
Got it. Good.
Now, you made, what, $5200 a year at your last job?
I'll pay you 10,000.
Guess I'll be working twice as hard.
You'll be working four times as hard.
I just got you at half-price, Mr. Dietrich.
Welcome aboard, huh? Thank you.
You're my voice now. Make them understand that.
Look, some of those fine folks down there still call me Junior.
You tell them it's Mr. Hughes now. You bet.
So when do we go to Houston?
We don't. Cholera epidemic in 1913. Two thousand dead.
Whole place is nothing but pestilential swamp.
Typhus, malaria, cholera, yellow fever.
You name it, they got it.
You see that, Mr. Dietrich?
You are looking at
The largest private air force in the entire world.
What do you think of that, now?
It's your money.
Start them up!
[%%]
[people whistling]
["I'll build a stairway to paradise" playing]
%% I'll build a stairway to paradise %%
%% with a new step every day %%
%% I'm going to get there at any price %%
%% stand aside I'm on my way %%
%% I've got the blues %%
%% and up above it's so fair %%
%% shoes go on and carry me there %%
%% I'll build a stairway to paradise %%
%% with a new step every day %%
%% I'll build a stairway to paradise... %%
Man: I just saw the rough cut
Of the new Tod Browning movie, London after midnight.
Lon Chaney is incredible.
It's his best performance in a long time.
It's gonna be a big hit. The cards are great.
It's supposed to be--
Hello, Mr. Mayer.
I-I don't know if you remember me.
My name's Howard Hughes.
I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time.
Oh, yeah, Howard Hughes. Yeah.
The airplane picture, right? Exactly.
Yeah, I remember.
Hell's angels. You heard of it.
Good. Yes.
Listen, I was wondering
If I could have a moment of your time.
I... I need a few cameras.
Yeah?
Yeah, two, to be exact. Mm-hmm.
I already bought every camera I could find.
But we're shooting our big dogfight sequence this week,
I need two more.
Desperately.
You think MGM could help me out?
With what?
Cameras. Oh, with the actual cam--
Well, we're not usually in the practice
Of helping out the competition.
Oh. No.
So how many cameras do you have now?
Twenty-four.
[coughs] [laughs]
[laughing] you--? Wait a minute.
[mutters] wait-- no.
You have 24 cameras? That's right, 24.
And you--? You need two more?
Yeah.
You don't think you got it with 24?
No. No, sir.
You know, I think-- I think we've got 'em all--
Don't we have 'em all--? They're all used, right?
All 26 of them. I only need two, sir.
Jesus Christ, Sonny.
Howard. Howard.
Let me give you a little advice, huh?
Why don't you take your oil money--?
Drill bits. Take--
All right, your drill-bit money, yeah.
And put it in the bank. Uh-huh.
Because if you continue making the movie the way that you are,
There isn't gonna be a distributor,
Who'd wanna distribute it. Mmm.
You're not gonna find anybody
Who wants to see the movie. Mm-hmm.
And you're not gonna have any more oil money.
Mmm.
So...Welcome to Hollywood.
Yeah, well... I'll be sure to
Remember that, Mr. Mayer. Yeah.
Good luck. All right.
Man: He needs 26 to make it work?
Mayer: He's out of his mind.
Man: And you know me,
I looked down at my pants. It was a strange situation.
Boss.
Scram, love boat, let's go.
Another soda. You know what I mean.
Milk, please. In the bottle.
With the cap still on.
Okay, Howard, what'd his highness say?
Son of a bitch won't part with a single goddamn camera.
Can you believe it? Howard...
Why don't you try and make do with what you have, huh?
What I have isn't enough, John, not for how I see it.
Look.
My name depends on this picture.
If it doesn't work, I'm back to Houston
With my tail between my legs,
Making goddamn drill bits for the rest of my life.
Couldn't you find a way to do with the cameras you have?
I mean, jeez, you ought to hear about
What's going on with DeMille over at paramount ahem.
He's shooting his bible picture, right?
He's gotta do a crucifixion, John.
But he's doing it in Fresno. Johnny.
Johnny! Suddenly, a bunch of tractors--
Johnny. Yeah?
You're a press agent. Yeah.
Are you not? Yeah.
You're supposed to know all the ins and outs of Hollywood?
Yeah, absolutely. Do you?
Yeah, absolutely.
Then you leave the big ideas...
To me.
Oh, yeah. Of course, boss.
Cigar, cigarettes, sen-sen?
%% shake that thing! %%
Thelma, I thought you were
Over at the brown derby with, uh...Trixie.
N-no, Theresa.
Margaret, yeah. Margaret. Exactly.
What happened to Margaret?
She lost her shoes--
Thank God that's settled.
Oh, I'm sorry. Thelma, this is Howard Hughes.
Howard and I were just discussing
How he wants me to pull a camera out of my ass.
Cigarette?
Oh, no. Thanks, I don't smoke.
Phew.
Boy, you are just hitting on all six cylinders, aren't you?
My God.
Would you do me a favor and just...?
Would you just smile for me one time? Just once?
Whew! Yeah, yeah.
You see, you got a short upper lip.
Makes for a much nicer smile.
[laughing]
See, I wonder what gives
A beautiful woman like you pleasure.
I mean, say you're just standin' there, right?
And I--
I just touch you, just-- just like this.
With my fingertips.
I mean, do you--? Do you like that?
Do you?
[softly] you see, I wanna learn what pleases you.
I wanna learn everything about you.
Would you let me do that?
Would you give me that job?
[sighs]
Uh...
I'm off in a half an hour.
Well, I'm in room, uh--
Two-seventeen.
See you there.
[chuckles]
%% shake that thing! %%
[laughing]
Johnny, get on the horn to Universal and Warners.
I need two more cameras by Saturday.
Rent them if you can. Steal them if you have to.
Absotively, boss.
Absotively.
[telegraph beeping]
Newscaster: Rumors coming from
A lonely airstrip out at Van Nuys.
Sources whisper that young Texas industrialist
Howard Hughes just won't stop
Pouring money into his war epic.
And do we mean epic!
One hundred and thirty-seven pilots,
87 airplanes,
35 cameramen, 2000 extras.
How long will it be before this picture
Ends up costing as much as the real war?
Goddamn it. Why the hell do they look so slow?
This isn't what it was like up there.
They look like a bunch of goddamn models!
[sighs]
Son of a bitch.
Howard?
Without something standing still behind the planes...
We've got no idea of how fast we're moving.
We got no sense of relative motion.
Call over to UCLA.
Get me the best meteorologist they got.
You get him here in an hour, all right?
[%%]
Hey. You want the good news or the bad news?
Bad news, always. All right.
We installed the 450 radial.
But the struts won't take the vibration.
Minute we fire her up,
The struts start cracking at the attach points.
Well, what's the good news? There isn't any.
Goddamn it, Odie.
If the 450's too big,
We just gotta figure something else out.
We've done everything.
We've rebuilt her from top to toe.
Now, if we drain the fuel tank for a couple runs,
She might make 180 Miles per hour.
I want minimum 200, all right?
Well, I want a date with Theda Bara,
But that ain't gonna happen.
Ah, don't be so sure.
So...
If the struts won't sustain the engine we need,
We gotta get rid of the struts.
No, then the top wing falls off.
Then let it.
What?
Who--? Who says we need a top wing?
I mean, who says we need anything?
A monoplane.
A cantilevered monoplane, right?
They're doing it in France.
To hell with the top wing and the struts.
Put in a 550 wasp engine. One-hundred-octane fuel.
That would give us a top horsepower of what?
Seven hundred.
We squeeze that to 1000,
We've got the fastest plane ever built.
[both laugh]
Ohhh. You know, I've just gotta say
We've already spent over $200,000 rebuilding this plane.
Yeah.
To hell with it.
Tear it up, Odie.
Go on.
Well.
The, uh...
Cumulonimbus formations about which you speak...
That look like, uh...
Giant breasts full of milk.
I want clouds, damn it.
Yes, clouds...
That look like giant breasts full of milk...
Cannot exactly be guaranteed for any particular occasion.
So you might have t-to...
To wait.
Well, then we'll wait.
Look, whatever they pay you at UCLA,
I'm doubling it, all right?
You work for me now. Find some clouds.
Find me some clouds!
Welcome to hell's angels.
[the original Memphis Five's "fireworks" playing]
Thank you.
Howard: I've now been to Chatsworth,
Santa Cruz, Encino, San Diego,
Riverside, Van Nuys and Bakersfield.
It has been eight months!
Where are my goddamn clouds, huh?
They move, Mr. Hughes!
Clouds move!
That's what they do. They move! You see that?
It is costing me $5271 a day
To keep those planes on the ground.
You find me some goddamn clouds, huh?
Nice day.
Yeah, very funny.
Listen, I got a call from Houston.
They're getting real nervous about all of this.
Stop showin' them the damn bills, Noah.
That would be illegal, Howard.
Shit, no. Maybe it's a little bit naughty.
Aw. Hughes tool is incorporated in Texas.
They have to see the bills.
Incorporate a new division out here.
All right? We'll call it Hughes aircraft. Odie.
Do we need these rivets on the cowling?
Yeah, or the reverse thrust would rip it off.
They're gonna give me drag. Do something about that, okay?
Wind resistance on the rivets? Yeah, I want her slippery.
Howard, there are serious tax consequences
To incorporating in California.
Just take care of it, would you?
Mr. Hughes! Mr. Hughes!
Oakland!
We have clouds in Oakland! You mean it this time?
Yes!
Goddamn it, yes. I can promise you.
Clouds in Oakland.
All right, all right. Don't get all jittery now.
Oakland!
We're going to Oakland! Oakland...
[the original Memphis Five’s "Fireworks" resumes playing]
Down and to the left!
That was perfect!
Man: That's right, senator George.
I'm going to say it to you right now...
Newscaster: Yes, young Howard Hughes has pulled it off!
After two years, hell's angels has finally finished filming.
There's gonna be
One heck of a wrap party in Hollywood tonight.
The price tag? A staggering $2 million.
So if every human being in America buys a ticket,
Heck, he might even make a profit.
[laughing]
[playing "yellow dog blues"]
First, the clouds don't come.
Then planes break down. Then the planes crash.
[voice fades out]
Seems we've had everything
But a damn plague of locusts on this thing.
I mean, you have to admit.
Now, honestly, did you ever think
You'd actually finish the damn thing?
Come with me.
Mama, darling, if I'm a success in this show...
Well, we're gonna move from here.
Oh, no. Oh, yes.
We're gonna move up in the Bronx.
Lot of nice, green grass, a lot of people you know.
There's the Ginsbergs, yeah?
The Guttenbergs and the Goldbergs.
A whole lot of "bergs." I don't know 'em all.
[audience laughs]
You see, this is what the people want.
Silent pictures are yesterday's news.
So I figure we gotta reshoot hell's angels for sound.
How much of it?
All of it.
Before you even ask, I'll tell you.
An additional 1.7 million. We got that much?
No!
Well, we'll make it.
Take care of that, would you?
Now, get this.
%% blue skies %%
%% smiling at me me, me, me %%
[audience applauds]
%% nothing but little blue skies do I see %%
%% do-do do-do do %%
%% bluebirds singin'... %%
Newscaster: In the halls of 7000 romaine,
It goes on day after day, month after month.
Howard Hughes is now editing some 25 Miles of film.
Heck, I say release it now
And give the world its first 560-hour movie.
Woman: Pat, Mr. Hughes needs this reel
In the projection room right now!
Newscaster: Enough is enough, Mr. Hughes.
Are you ever gonna let us
Actually see this little epic of yours?
Hurry up!
[boom]
[automatic gunfire]
Who is it? Noah.
Ah, come on in.
Been on the phone to Houston for three solid hours.
We're fixing every goddamn book we have.
Wait, wait, wait.
Yeah. Run reel 10 again.
I think we're duplicatin' a shot here.
And tell Jimmy I want 10 chocolate chip cookies,
All right?
Medium chips, none too close to the outside.
Got it?
Did you remember
That goddamn shot from reel 10?
No. I don't remember anything from reel 10.
I don't know what reel 10 is.
I'm a businessman, Howard.
And so are you.
Now, look.
This has been a great ride.
We've had a hell of a lot of fun.
But you're losing $25,000 a day doing this.
Every day.
So...
What are my options?
Well, this time I don't know that you have any.
I'm afraid you gotta close it down.
Dig your way out.
I'm sorry, Howard.
I truly am.
[sighs]
[inhales]
Projectionist: Reel 10, Mr. Hughes.
Mortgage tool co.
Every asset.
[clears throat]
You heard me.
You do that, you could lose everything.
Well, I won't.
I won't.
All right.
I'll get into it.
Thanks, Noah.
[%%]
[crowds cheering]
Reporter: More than half a million good souls
Lining the curb of Hollywood boulevard.
Look at the automobiles, ladies and gentlemen.
There are at least 45,000 cars here,
Making it the greatest traffic jam ever seen.
Reporter 2: Howard Hughes must have quite a lump in his throat tonight.
Six months after the stock market crashes
And after the death of three of his pilots,
He's finally unveiling his $4 million baby doll.
Reporter 3: It's the most expensive movie ever made.
Nothing five-and-dime for our Mr. Hughes.
Nothing like tonight has ever been seen before,
And I can certainly say, it will never be seen again.
Reporter 4: Five hundred thousand people are crowding the streets
To get a glimpse of the stars and celebrities.
Three companies of marines were called to assist
The 250 special police who are handling this enormous crowd--
Reporter 5: This is an industry town, my friends.
And nobody but nobody makes a movie outside a studio.
Sure, some Hollywood insiders over at the brown derby
May be laughing...
Reporter 6: And now, ladies and gentlemen, I think...
Yes, yes, I can just see Mr. Hughes' car arriving now.
Mr. Hughes escorts the lovely starlet Jean Harlow tonight.
He discovered her for this picture,
And we think her platinum-blond locks
And hot-jazz, baby-doll style are gonna make her a big star.
[bulbs popping, clinking]
[crowd cheering]
Howard! Howard!
Man: Over here!
Mr. Hughes! This way, boss.
[over pa] Mr. Hughes, how about a word?
Big night for you, Mr. Hughes.
Big night for you tonight.
Very big. Very big.
Tell us what it was like making this fabulous picture.
Yes.
Uh, yeah.
So four million clams from your own pocket.
Nervous how the flick will fly?
Big night. You enjoy the show.
Yes, well,
Let me present the feminine star of this spectacle,
Hell's angels,
Miss Jean Harlow.
Thank you.
I would like to use this occasion
To publicly thank Mr. Hughes
For the opportunity he gave me.
Thank you.
Thank you!
Oh, and now I'd like to ask Roscoe Arbuckle
To introduce his pet lion cub, Gilmore.
What the hell's the matter with you?
Can't remember my name?
Oh, I'm sorry. Roscoe turner.
And this would be Gilmore.
[bold, dashing theme playing]
[automatic gunfire]
[shouts]
It's going! It's going!
Murder!
That's what this dirty, rotten politician war is, murder!
You know it as well as I do.
[bold theme ends]
[audience applauding]
[giggles]
Stand up, slim, take a bow.
[audience cheering]
And reel four played way too long, too many coughs.
Get Harry and the team outta the party,
Get 'em over to the office.
I wanna cut a few shots tonight.
Oh, find Glenn Odekirk. Somebody write this down.
"flush rivets," you got that?
Flush rivets. Flush rivets.
Lickety-split, boss.
Man: Here he is! Here he is!
[crowd cheering]
Man: Variety says, "this one won't miss!"
Man 2: New York herald tribune, "magnificently photographed!"
Man 3: Thrilling! Awesome beyond description!
Man 4: The most extraordinary output
Ever to emerge from a motion-picture studio.
Man 5: Not for a long time have I seen anything as enthralling.
Man 6: A sensational success.
Man 7: It costs 4 million dollars,
And it has 4 million thrills!
Man 8: Majestically...
Man 9: Most epic picture of its kind.
[Bing Crosby's "Thanks" playing]
%% and thanks for unforgettable nights %%
%% I never can replace %%
%% and memories that linger %%
%% like a haunting tune %%
[plane engine droning]
%% it is better to have loved you, dear, and lost %%
%% than never to have loved at all %%
%% yes, it's better %%
%% for no matter what the cost %%
%% I held the world in sway %%
%% an emperor for a day %%
%% and thanks again %%
%% for taking me on the road to paradise %%
%% we lost our way %%
%% still I must convey my thanks %%
I don't want to look like Boris Karloff.
If you know what I mean.
I, uh, read in the magazines that you play golf.
On occasion.
Well, how about nine holes?
Now, Mr. Hughes?
If it would be convenient, miss Hepburn.
[%%]
You're not extending enough on your follow-through.
Follow-through is everything in golf, just like life.
Ha-ha-ha! Don't you find?
[chuckles]
Saw your Scarface picture.
Violent.
Realistic.
Movies are movies, Howard. Not life.
Now, the stage,
The stage is real.
Real flesh-and-blood human beings
Right out there in front of you, buster.
Can't look away. Can't munch popcorn.
That would be rude.
Do you like the theater?
No.
Oh, I adore the theater.
Only alive onstage. I'll teach you.
We'll see some Ibsen, hmm.
If the republicans haven't outlawed him by now.
Ha-ha! You're not a republican, are you? Couldn't abide that.
How did you vote in '32? Well, I didn't.
You must! It's your sacred franchise.
Hmm.
[the Benny Goodman quartet's "Avalon" playing]
Heard you were wooing Ginger Rogers. What about that?
Ah, she's, uh, just a friend.
Ha! Men can't be friends with women, Howard.
They must possess them or leave them be.
It's a primitive urge from caveman days.
Ah. It's all in Darwin.
Hunt the flesh, kill the flesh, eat the flesh.
That's the, uh, male sex all over.
Excuse me?
Well, if you're deaf, you must own up to it.
Get a hearing aid. Or see my father.
He's a urologist,
But it's all tied up inside the body, don't you find?
Mmm. Me, I keep healthy.
I take seven showers a day to keep clean.
Also, because I'm
What's so vulgarly referred to as "outdoorsy."
Well, I'm not outdoorsy. I'm athletic. I sweat.
There it is. Now we both know the sordid truth.
I sweat, and you're deaf.
Aren't we a fine pair of misfits?
Three.
Noble effort.
So I suppose you're wooing me now?
Oh, well.
Not enough.
These rivets have to be completely flush.
I want every screw and joint countersunk.
I want no wind resistance on the fuselage.
She has got to be clean, Odie.
Clean. Understand?
Okay, Howard.
I don't know what else to tell you.
Howard: Well, what have you got for me?
Man: The thing is,
TWA needs a new plane, a modern plane.
Oh, yeah? What kind of plane? Okay.
Dc-3 has 21 daytime seats and 14 overnight berths.
Something bigger?
Try 50 seats with a ceiling of 12,000 feet.
No. No, 20,000.
Think about it, Jack. What does 20,000 feet give you?
Less turbulence.
Right, because it's above the weather.
Jack, we wanna fly above the weather.
Only one percent of the American population
Has ever set foot on a commercial airliner.
Why? Because they're scared to death, Jack, and they should be.
I mean, 7000 feet is bumpy as shit. You know that.
We build a plane that flies above the weather,
We could get every man, woman and child in this country
To feel safe up there.
An airplane with the ability to fly
Into the substratosphere...
Across the country.
Across the world.
Now, that is the future.
You with me? Yeah.
Shoot straight with me now.
I don't wanna get into all this
If your board doesn't have the balls for it.
Would they support us?
I don't know. They're tight bastards.
Well, what's your financial picture?
Not great.
Last year's deficit?
Seven hundred and seventy thousand.
What's it selling at? About $8 a share.
That's the lowest it's been, huh?
I could do that.
Do what? Buy it.
You wanna buy the airline? For crying out loud, Jack.
We don't want a bunch of damn pencil pushers
Gettin' in the way of us makin' our plane, do we?
Gimme brass tacks, now.
What does controlling interest in TWA cost me?
Call it 15 million.
[whistles]
That is a chunk of change, huh?
Yeah.
You call Noah Dietrich.
You have him start buying.
Howard, hold on.
Are you sure? You wanna think about it for five minutes?
Hell, Jack,
I've got a tiger by the tail here.
I ain't gonna let it go.
[band playing "happy feet"]
Maitre d': Good evening, Mr. Hughes.
Welcome. Your table is ready.
How goes the aviation, Mr. Hughes?
Howard: Oh, just fine, Pete.
I'm so glad.
Good evening, Mr. Hughes. Madame.
It's "miss."
Miss. The usual, Mr. Hughes?
Please. Yeah.
And may I recommend, for the lady, our clementine soup
Followed by roast wild duck with currant glaze
And poached pears in Rose sauce.
It's truly divine.
Yeah. That sounds fine.
Your kind of, uh, joint, is it?
Wouldn't have thought.
Yeah, well, they're open late.
I go to a hot dog stand on La Cienega too.
They're open till about 4.
Are they?
How marvelous.
%% happy feet %%
%% I've got those happy feet %%
%% give them a low-down beat %%
%% and they begin dancing %%
%% I've got those... %%
Johnny: Howard!
Hi! Son of a gun.
Kate, this is, uh, Johnny Meyer.
I supposed you could call him my press agent.
Pleased to meet you. Loved you in Alice Adams.
You're too kind. I'm sure you know Errol.
Mr. Flynn.
Yes. Kate.
Kate. Kate of the clenched-jawed Hepburns.
Enchanting as always.
You should use lox on your hands, by the way. I do.
Katie, you and Howard ought to cook up a picture.
Costar with Errol.
Man: Hey, my chair! I could sell that in spades.
That would be marvelous. Howard?
[laughs]
I think not.
Don't you read variety, Mr. Meyer?
Well, I'm box-office poison.
I'm on the outs, the skids, the doldrums.
Washed-up, day-old fish not worth the eating,
So they tell me.
Errol: Hell with them. Hell with them, my dear.
Soulless pricks to a man, right?
Johnny tells me you're thinking about
Doing a western, of all goddamn things.
Are you making a western, Howard?
Yeah, makin' a western. Gonna call it the outlaw.
Yeah, you know what it's about? S-e-x.
It's all about s-e-x.
It's a western.
You can't have fornication in a western. It isn't done, old boy.
It's not real sex, skinny. It's movie sex.
What Scarface did for the gangster picture,
The outlaw's gonna do for the western.
Put the sex and guts and blood right up there on the screen.
Have you seen my cigarettes? Don't mind us.
New York cut steak, 12 peas, bottle of milk with the cap on.
You're the only movie star who can't afford his own cigarettes?
Jack has all my money.
I hope your food isn't getting cold
At your table somewhere or...Something.
No, no, no. We're here all night. Don't worry.
Now, Howard-- thank you.
Now, Howard...Howard...Howard,
If you're seriously talking about
Putting carnality back on the silver screen,
You must swear to let me in on the casting session.
I have somewhat of an eye.
Eye for talent. Isn't that right, Johnny?
Gotta give up prancing in tights to be talent scout.
Yeah, that prancing in tights paid for my new yacht.
You must all come sailing with me.
Catalina this weekend. What do you say?
Yeah. Catalina. Sounds grand. Yeah.
Let's have some fun.
I've even managed to coax the luscious Miss de Havilland
And her equally luscious sister
To accompany me.
Though I fear their mother will insist on coming along
To preserve their questionable virtue.
We shall assault these twin monuments
Of pristine Britannic beauty nonetheless.
What do you say, Howard? Yeah?
Yeah. Yeah?
Yeah.
[Howard clears throat]
I gotta-- I gotta go.
If you'll excuse us, we have--
We have to be somewhere.
You are somewhere, Howard, you madman.
Somewhere else. Excuse us.
Kate: Charmed, gentlemen.
Do help yourself to the poached pears.
I hear they're divine.
Well. Howard Hughes, ladies and gentlemen.
Was that meant for me?
My hero. God, all that Hollywood talk bores me silly.
As if there aren't more important things in the world.
Mussolini, for one.
Where are we going, by the way?
Do you feel like a little adventure?
Do your worst, Mr. Hughes.
Man: You think you own this place, you limey bastard?
Errol: I'm a tasmanian bastard, you ignorant prick.
Johnny: Thattaway, Errol.
Errol: Let me at him!
[band playing "after you've gone"]
[the Benny Goodman quartet's "Moonglow" playing]
Howard: That's Mr. Mayer's house right there.
Do you know where Jack Warner lives?
What's that on the steering wheel?
Oh. Cellophane.
If you had any idea of the crap
That people carry around on their hands.
What kind of crap?
You don't wanna know.
Hold on to the wheel for a bit. Oh! Oh!
[laughing]
[gently] that's too hard. Relax your hand. Relax your hand.
Oh.
You see, you've gotta feel the vibration of the engine
Through your fingertips.
Do you feel that?
Yes.
Yeah.
Well, that's good.
Golly...
Well, she's all yours.
Where are you going?!
I think there's some, uh-- some milk back here.
Just keep us steady, now.
All right.
Howard? Yeah?
There's a rather alarming mountain heading our way.
Pull back on the wheel a smidge. Go on.
Golly!
[both laugh]
You know, I don't think I've ever met someone
Who actually uses the word "golly."
You all right? Want me to take over?
Just when I'm getting the hang of it?
You, uh-- you want some milk?
Oh, please.
Utterly smashing! We'll do it again.
I'm free Wednesday.
Little early for golf, though, don't you think?
Oh, no, no. I live right there.
Oh.
Feel like a drink?
Lead on.
Now, that makes for a challenging par four.
My decorator picked out the wallpaper and such.
He's queer as a bedbug.
But I just hate this room.
Gives me the willies.
Ugh.
Like I'm about to be swallowed up
By the latest issue of town & country.
[Django Reinhardt's "I can't give you anything but love" playing]
[softly] what room do you like?
My study.
Take me there.
You are the tallest woman I know.
[moans]
And all sharp elbows and knees. Beware.
Will you fly me to work tomorrow?
%% I can't give you anything... %%
It is tomorrow.
%% oh, baby, oh %%
%% that's the only thing %%
%% I've plenty of %%
%% oh, baby %%
%% dream a while %%
%% scheme a while %%
%% we're sure to find, baby %%
%% happiness %%
%% and I guess %%
[scatting]
%% gee, I'd like to see you %%
%% looking swell, baby %%
%% Diamond bracelets %%
%% Woolworths doesn't sell %%
%% my pretty baby %%
%% till that lucky day %%
%% oh, that lucky day %%
%% you know darn well, oh, babe... %%
Keep your eye on the fuel gauge.
She's got a minimum of fuel to keep her weight down.
Two runs. That's it. After that, you're flying on vapors.
And then you crash, and then you die.
Right. Just give her easy flying.
Don't worry about speed,
And don't think about the record today.
I wish to God you'd let someone else take her up.
You got 20 damn test pilots working for you.
Hell, why should I let someone else have all the fun?
See you in a bit.
Howard: Contact!
[engine whirring]
[%%]
[crowd exclaims]
Whoo!
Man: Three thirty-nine.
Goddamn!
Three forty-seven.
Whoo! Son of a bitch.
Three fifty-two.
Three fifty-two!
[crowd cheers]
Good girl.
[engine sputters]
[whirring stops]
Damn it.
Goddamn it.
Oh, God!
There goes our meal ticket.
Odie: Come on!
[sirens wailing]
Odie: Howard!
How did we do?
Three fifty-two on the last run.
[laughs]
She'll go faster.
Country mouse!
Kate! Katie!
Kate: Upstairs, city mouse.
Hello.
Good Lord! What happened to you?
Oh, nothing. A hard landing. I cut my foot.
Sit down. I'll take care of it. You tell me everything.
You cannot imagine what it was like, Katie.
You-- you cannot imagine the speed.
She was like a winged bullet up there.
What did she make?
Oh, around, uh...
352.
You did it.
Fastest man on the planet.
Hot dog! I'm so proud of you.
She did it, baby.
Oh, you knew she would.
Oh, she was fine. She was just fine.
[sighs]
Now let me see your foot.
Yeah.
Good God! You're covered in blood.
Oh, no. That's just beet juice. I crashed into a beet field.
What?
Yeah, I crashed in a beet field.
[both laughing]
Let me get you cleaned up.
Heavens, what is this? Electrical tape?
Yeah. Odie just sort of slammed it on there.
[gently] but all I could think about was...
Gettin' home to see you.
I am so proud of you.
Now, this is gonna sting a little bit.
Ow! Oh, this is useless.
Come to the bathroom.
Don't get beet juice on the carpet.
Yeah. I won't, I won't.
Ah! Too hot!
Don't be a baby.
Was the, uh...Press there?
Some.
But, uh...
They're calling everyone.
Should be on the wires by now.
What is it?
Kate?
I've been famous for, well, better or worse...
For a long time now, and...
I wonder if you know what it...
Really means.
Yeah, I had my fair share of press on hell's angels.
Heh, I'm used to it.
Are you?
Howard, we're...
We're not like everyone else.
Too many acute angles.
Too many...Eccentricities.
We have to be very careful not to...
Let people in,
Or they'll make us into freaks.
[whispers] Kate...
They can't get in here.
We're safe. Oh. Oh.
They can always get in.
Wh-- when my brother k--
Killed himself...
There were photographers at the funeral.
There's no decency to it.
Ahem, you know, sometimes I...
Ahem.
I get these feelings, Katie.
I get these ideas, these, uh...
Hmph...
Crazy ideas about, uh...
[coughs]
Things that may not, uh...
Things that may not really be there.
Yeah.
Sometimes I truly fear that I'm...
Losing my mind.
And if I did, it would...
It'd be like flying blind.
You understand?
You taught me to fly, Howard.
I'll take the wheel.
[bold fanfare playing]
Newscaster: Smashing all records,
Howard Hughes outdoes Jules Verne's wildest dreams.
Around the world from New York to New York in four days,
Even beating Wiley Post's mark by over three days.
New aviation history is written
When his Lockheed monoplane returns swiftly and safely.
A daring aviator.
A true pioneer of the world's airways.
From New York to Paris, he cuts Lindbergh’s time in half.
Then on to Moscow.
Thirty-five hours out of New York,
He roars across Siberia’s trackless wastes.
Sixty hours out of New York,
[continues over radio] he heads for Alaska, most hazardous hop of all.
Continuing the terrific pace, he comes home,
Bringing new laurels to American aviation.
Howard Hughes and his crew
May find more worlds to conquer--
[switch clicks]
[sighs]
You're not gonna believe this. It just came across the wires.
Howard Hughes has bought control of TWA.
I thought Mr. Hughes was flying around the world.
Apparently he did it while he was flying,
Over the radio.
I have heard some disquieting rumors about Mr. Hughes.
I'd like to know everything there is to know
About Mr. Hughes.
I'd like you to attend to that for me.
Thoroughly.
Newscaster: Ah, the Pantages is glittering tonight.
Howard!
Right over here, Mr. Hughes. This way, over to the left.
Mr. Hughes, how was your flight?
Miss Hepburn! When are you gonna name the day?
Over here, Mr. Hughes. Could you raise your head a little?
What's the next movie, Howard? Give us the scoop.
Right here, Howard. How many more records are you gonna set?
Right over here. Come on, Howard.
Give us a smile. It won't kill you.
Howard, this way! Beautiful!
Raise your head a little. Over here, Mr. Hughes!
[clamoring continues]
Mr. Hughes, when are you gonna fly around the world again?
You gonna fly with Kate next time?
You get lonely without her?
How about Amelia Earhart, huh?
You talk to Lindbergh about your round-the-world flight yet?
Mr. Hughes, where's Linda Darnell tonight?
Please, Mr. Hughes.
Right here. Right here, Mr. Hughes. That's it.
Are you trying to be more famous than Lindbergh?
You know, fame is supposed to be my turf.
L.B.!
If you don't get more distinguished
Every time I see you.
Oh, you look so beautiful.
Ha-ha-ha. Is that true?
Don't worry about it, Howard.
She's just working the room. It's her job, baby.
Announcer: Sultry southern tigress
Ava Gardner dazzles the room tonight.
Hi, Ava.
She's the newest star in the MGM galaxy.
And believe you me, she puts the "cheese" in "cheesecake."
Kate: Well, Jane Eyre
Has been selling popcorn for over a hundred years, lb.
[sighs]
[toilet flushes]
Hello.
Could you reach me a towel?
I, er...
I really, uh...
Can't do that.
I'm sorry.
[inhales]
[exhales]
Kate: I'm an idiot.
I'm a complete idiot, and I'm sorry.
Forget it.
No, no. I'm a vain, preening ass
Without a single redeeming feature.
Well, that's not true. You have very good teeth.
[laughs]
Come on.
I've got a better idea. Take me flying.
Or better yet, I'll take you flying.
Do your worst, miss Hepburn.
[%%]
%% some of these days %%
%% you're gonna miss me, honey %%
%% some of these days... %%
Kate: Don't be so squirmy, Howard.
You're gonna get on famously with father and mother.
And I'm sure they'll like you too.
Once they get to know you.
%% you'll be sorry %%
%% when I'm away %%
%% now you're gonna be lonely %%
%% just for me only... %%
Hello! Hello!
Woman: Kath, hello.
Kathy.
Sweetheart, who's that with the camera right there?
That's my ex-husband, Ludlow.
Father and mother are just mad about Luddie.
What the hell is he doing here?
Oh, he's here all the time.
Hello!
Sorry we're late.
Mom.
Oh. Oh, thank you.
Dad. Darling.
Kate: Uncle Willy!
Luddie: Oh, who have we got here?
Don't feel self-conscious.
Hepburns! Hepburns!
Attention, please. This is Howard.
Howard, welcome.
Father: Don't worry, he's had his lunch.
[family laughs]
Luddie: He likes you. That's unusual.
We pay our devotion to the arts here. A colony we created.
Julian's a painter. Abstract, of course.
What the hell's the point of painting something real
When you can just take a picture nowadays?
Don't you agree?
Where do you stand on politics, Mr. Hughes?
Excuse me?
We're all socialists here.
Oh. We are not.
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
You've met Mr. Roosevelt.
What make you of him?
[clears throat]
[grunts]
What are you sniggering at?
What? What was that?
You just sniggered.
No, no. The dog. It seems to be crushing my feet.
Oh! Oh, my God.
Buster! That way.
Luddie: Hey! Hey!
[both laughing]
Don't you like dogs?
Young man, I will not have you
Sniggering at Mr. Roosevelt at my table, please leave.
No, no, no. I wasn't.
I thought everybody liked dogs.
Well, perhaps he had a bad experience as a child.
Does it stick in your craw that Howard gets more press than you?
A bad experience with a dog?
No, no.
You are such a shy creature, aren't you?
Mother: Perhaps it was a very large dog.
The press can be a damned nuisance...
Father: Was it a doberman?
It burns my goat! My goat!
A doberman, Mr. Hughes? Or a dachshund?
Neither, sir.
Dachshunds are little dogs, Hep dear.
Luddie: They should all be lined up against a wall and shot.
What's that...Spanish painting?
Kate: The goya.
Goya. Of course. Yes. Goya painted that.
Yes, yes, Mexican.
What was that called?
Anyway, that's the vulgar press, I'm sure.
Do you read much, Mr. Hughes?
Oh, I try to stay up to snuff on the trade journals, yeah.
Snuff?
Mother: These would be flying magazines?
What--? What was that?
Oh, he's a little deaf.
Julian: Pass the goddamn butter, I beg you.
You read flying magazines?
Here, take the butter.
Trade journals. On engineering.
Aviation.
We read books.
Mm-hmm.
Well, Howard has to read the trade pieces, mom,
Because he's designing a new aeroplane.
Oh, really? Do tell.
Well, uh...
It's quite exciting, actually.
It's a spy plane for the air corps.
A twin-engine plane with some...
I must admit, some rather unique design features.
You see, it has these two booms at the back--
Luddie built a birdhouse once.
You remember that, dear?
[family laughs]
Yes, well, a mere trifle, darling.
Linda: Oh, I remember the painting!
The painting, it's called may 18-0-something.
Anyway, goya's vastly overrated.
All the Spaniards are.
Nonsense! Picasso is sacred. I'm a urologist.
Mother: It was quite aesthetic, really.
A sacred monster, that's what Picasso is.
The birds didn't care for it much, but the bats do.
I'll bet.
Oh, that's such bunk!
Do speak up, dear.
Nothing, nothing. Mrs. Hepburn, nothing.
Then why did you speak?
I can't abide people who speak but have nothing to say.
Luddie: Did you go to mechanic school to learn all this...
You know, airplane guff?
No, no, I didn't, Luddie. No.
Well, Howard just flew around the world in three days.
I think we've had enough about airplanes.
Father: And dogs, apparently.
Then how'd you make all that money?
We don't care about money here, Mr. Hughes.
Well, that's 'cause you have it.
[chuckles]
[silverware clatters]
Would you repeat that?
You don't care about money because you've always had it.
How did you make all that--? Excuse me, I'm speaking.
Okay.
Howard: Thank you. All right.
Some of us choose to, uh, work for a living.
Speaking of which, I have more of that, uh...
Airplane guff... To attend to.
Excuse me.
Luddie: Well, seems a rather high-strung chap.
You're a fine bunch of bullies, aren't you?
Have you talked to Mr. Mayer about letting you do Jane Eyre?
Oh, the old philistine won't budge.
Too arty, don't you know.
Daddy, I'm convinced the man hasn't read anything longer than
A Sunday Katzenjammer Kids in his life.
No fair, kicking. You have to use the mallet.
Really, though, darling,
You can't retire from the field of battle like that
Or they'll never respect you.
Katie, I don't understand.
You're like a different person in there.
Oh...They just expect me to be a certain way.
There's only one real Kate, and that's your Kate.
[telegraph beeping]
Newscaster: And over in Hollywood, aviation tycoon Howard Hughes
Seems to be cooking up something big.
Even as he edits his newest motion picture,
He's been secretly meeting with the US Air Corps.
We applaud his patriotism
And look forward to his newest mechanical marvel.
Do you know how many allied ships we lost this year
Because of u-boat attacks?
No. Six hundred and eighty-one ships
Just this year so far.
Now, the army needs a new airplane
To fly the troops over to Europe.
These ships, they're-- they're sitting ducks.
They're sitting ducks for the u-boats.
You wanna build a troop-carrier plane?
Stop thinking like an insect, Odie.
Not just a plane to carry the troops,
A plane to carry everything.
The troops and the jeeps and the tanks and whatnot.
Here, take a look.
No. Other side.
Phew.
I figure around 200 feet from nose to tail.
Wingspan, around 300.
We're gonna need about 24,000 horsepower.
[laughs]
Now, this is just what Kaiser and the army are looking for.
And don't worry, they're gonna pay for it this time.
Christ. What are you getting us into?
Well, it's a big plane, so I'm callin' it the Hercules.
Swell name, isn't it?
How heavy you imagine this thing is?
Say around 200 tons.
Well, I didn't say it was gonna be easy.
All right, boys, I want you to rig up
Something like this.
Should give the proper uplift ratios
While reducing the need
For additional torque support on the front.
We are not getting enough production
Out of Jane Russell's breasts.
All right? I want smooth titties, gentlemen.
Smooth titties.
It's all in engineering, isn't it, Odie?
Howard...
Do you really think they're gonna let you
Put out a whole movie just about tits?
Sure.
Who doesn't like tits?
Good afternoon, gentlemen.
Sorry I'm late.
Will the secretary please record that Mr. Hughes has arrived
And that this session is now called to order.
I yield the floor to Mr. Breen.
Mr. Hughes, members of the committee,
I have reviewed Mr. Hughes's photoplay entitled the outlaw,
And I can state categorically
That I have never seen anything quite so unacceptable
As the shots of the mammaries of the character named Rio.
For almost half the picture, the girl's mammaries,
Which are quite large and...Prominent,
Are shockingly uncovered.
For this reason, I have concluded
The picture appeals only to prurient interest
And should be denied
The motion picture association's seal of approval.
Really, Mr. Hughes.
Thank you, Mr. Breen. Mr. Hughes.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Breen.
It's good to see you again, I haven't seen you all
Since that situation with all the violence in Scarface.
Situation here seems to revolve around
Miss Russell's mammaries.
Mr. Breen feels that they are too prominent, yes?
More prominent than other mammaries
Have been up on the screen?
Well...I hope to dispel that notion.
Jean Harlow.
Ann Sheridan.
Irene Dunne.
Claudette Colbert.
Rita Hayworth.
Betty Grable.
And the lovely miss Jane Russell.
Now, all these shots, save for miss Russell,
Were enlarged from pictures that received
Mr. Breen's seal of approval.
Now, as you've probably noticed by now,
They all contain...Mammaries.
I will ask my associate to join me now.
May I introduce Dr. Ludlow Branson of Columbia University.
Dr. Branson...
Is a mathematician of some note.
Yes.
And he will now demonstrate
That in fact miss Russell's mammaries are no more prominent
Than any of these other fine ladies'.
Doctor.
Doctor?
You forgot your calipers.
Oh!
Er...Gentlemen...
Mr. Hughes.
Uh...
Let us commence by calling this
Mammary exhibit number one.
Now, you'll see that the length of the actual cleavage...
[clears throat]
If I may...
Is...Five inches and a quarter.
Now, if we move to mammary exhibit...
Newscaster: Dateline: Hollywoodland.
Movie tycoon Howard Hughes
Must have the greatest job in the land.
Each and every night,
The lucky guy has to escort a different beautiful woman
To a different dazzling event.
The TWA king always talks up his airline
As he escorts a succession...
[band playing wild, festive song]
[crowd applauding]
Emcee: The Hercules, ladies and gentlemen.
The Hercules.
A plane, a boat, a flying city.
Now, don't forget, every Bill comes to me.
They don't pay for anything.
Let those men decide whether or not to fund the plane,
So I need them real happy.
You do what it takes. You betcha, boss.
How 'bout the girls? How are they in the bomb department?
Well, let's put it this way. It'll be a regular boob buffet.
I don't think the gentlemen from the air corps
Will have any trouble scoring tonight.
Emcee: And inside, 700 brave American soldiers,
A dozen Sherman tanks,
All winging their way over the Atlantic,
Free from the threat of the u-boats below.
Could Jules Verne himself
Have ever imagined anything so magnificent?
Could he have imagined her mammoth wingspan,
Longer than a football field?
Don't you see how this demeans me?
Since when do you care about the scandal rags?
Every time there's a picture of you with another woman,
It's like a slap in the face.
Don't you understand that?
Well, that's overstating it just-- just a bit.
Joan Crawford, Ginger Rogers, Linda Darnell, Joan Fontaine!
And now Bette Davis, for God's sake.
Look...They're Cracker Jack candy, honey.
They don't mean anything to me.
Oh, very nice.
Well, you're the one that said
That all men are predators, right?
I mean, it's all in Darwin, remember?
And am I to expect this behavior to continue after the wedding?
What is really bothering you, Kate?
Is it the women or the publicity, huh?
Can't you eat ice cream from a bowl
Like everyone else in the world?
[phone ringing]
Don't you dare.
Yeah?
No, Odie, this is, uh... Not a good time.
Well, for chrissakes,
We can't make the Hercules if we don't have any aluminum.
Wait.
No. No. I can hear you better now.
Look, you tell the war production board
That this is an essential strategic operation.
Odie, if they're giving aluminum to Douglas, Northrop and Boeing,
They sure as hell can give some to Hughes aircraft.
Don't set the ice cream--
Meantime, we gotta think of something else.
If we can't get aluminum, we'll have to find another way.
Christ. I don't know, you tell me.
We'll find some alloy that works just as well.
Right. Look, o--
If we can't get any aluminum,
We'll just have to use wood.
Odie: You can't make a 200-ton plane out of wood.
Why the hell not? The damn thing is a flying boat, right?
What do they use to make boats? Oak.
Think of the Hercules like a flying Spanish galleon.
Spanish galleons could weigh 1200 tons.
Good luck today, huh?
Howard: We just have to find the right kind of wood.
Something light but strong.
Man: Morning, Kate.
Odie: Pine, cedar, maybe birch.
Man: Catch!
From my farm.
If you like it, I can get you a bushel.
Trouble with Mr. Hughes?
[laughs]
There's too much Howard Hughes in Howard Hughes.
[chuckles]
That's the trouble.
[light jazz playing]
[jazz continues playing over radio]
Beautiful.
Don't you even take Christmas off?
Nice to see you, bob.
Sorry, I've, ahem, got grease on my hands.
Have we got something to show you.
[%%]
Take a look.
The XF-11 reconnaissance flier. Spy plane, really.
I figured I needed to do 'em one better.
Yeah.
She's my Buck Rogers ship.
She's a looker.
Okay, what do you got for me?
Jiminy cricket.
Seating capacity for 60. Wingspan, 123 feet.
Four double cyclone engines. Her ceiling's 25,000 feet.
Gross weight?
Eighty-six thousand, wing loading of 41 pounds.
So less drag on the plane in thinner air.
So high-cruise power,
You're looking at a top speed of around 340.
Giving her a range of about 3000 Miles.
Cross-country.
Nonstop.
Bob...
You know something?
You are a son of a bitch.
[all chuckle]
[clears throat]
Yeah.
Bob, you got something on your suit.
Hmm?
Yeah.
On your lapel there. You got something on your lapel.
Bob.
Right there, bob.
You missed it. Right there.
Clean it off, would you?
Here. Thanks.
No, throw it away.
No, over there.
Thanks.
So, uh, what do you call her?
The constellation, but we can change that.
No, no, no.
It's pretty. I like her.
So, what kind of deal can you give me?
What kind of deal can you give me?
Bob: We'll give you the first 40 planes off the assembly line.
Jack: That should give us about two years' exclusivity with her.
Hell, more than that.
United and American don't have
The imagination for a plane like this.
Bob: Two years ahead of Juan Trippe, then.
How much?
Four hundred and fifty thousand each.
So that's 18 million for the first 40.
[chuckles]
Hell, TWA can't afford that. The damn airline's flat-broke.
[sighs]
Guess I'll just have to pay for them myself.
Build them, bob. Send the Bill to Noah Dietrich.
Oh, and thank you.
Merry Christmas.
Noah [over phone]: You have just placed the largest order for airplanes
In the history of the damn planet, Howard.
Lockheed just sent us a Bill for $18 million.
Now, now. Don't you get all hysterical on me, Noah.
It isn't good for you.
This is a lot of money for some planes, Howard.
Yes, I know it's a lot of money.
It's too damn much.
You think I just got $18 million in petty cash?
Look, I should've told you earlier. It slipped my mind.
Slipped your mind? Oh, for God's sakes.
Right.
Look, I'll get back to you. Bye.
How could 18 million goddamn dollars slip your mind?
Hey, honey. What are you doing home?
You're not one for tears, and, well...
Neither am I, so it's best to...
Come out with it.
I've met someone, I've fallen in love, and I'm moving out.
If I could...Make it any more gentle, I would.
But I...Can't, so...
There we both are.
[chuckles]
Let's be honest.
It's all been a grand adventure, but it couldn't possibly last.
We're too alike, you and I.
You met someone?
Someone more appropriate. To me, I mean.
Wh--?
What does that mean, "more appropriate"?
Um, someone more... Attuned to my needs.
Look at me, Katie.
Stop acting.
[laughs]
I'm not acting.
I wonder if you even know anymore.
Don't be unkind.
You, uh...?
[clears throat]
You wanna--? You wanna go?
Huh?
Go on.
Actresses are cheap in this town, darling.
I got a lot of money.
Howard, please. This is beneath you.
No, no, this is exactly me.
You come in here out of the blue
And tell me you're leaving me, just like that,
And you have the nerve to expect graciousness?
I expect a little maturity.
I expect you to face the situation
Like an adult who--
Don't talk down to me!
Don't you ever talk down to me! You are a movie star.
Nothing more.
[laughs]
[door slams]
[%%]
[telephone rings]
Woman: Don't answer it.
What is it, Howard?
Hey, Noah...
I need you to get over to Penney’s
And buy me some new clothes.
Penney's isn't open. Oh, shit.
It's 2 in the morning.
Yeah, that's right.
Yeah, well, first thing tomorrow, then, all right?
I need two new suits off the rack, one light and one dark.
Three white shirts and three pairs of white tennis shoes.
You got that?
Yeah. No, no.
Make it Woolworth’s. Woolworth's.
No, no, Penney’s. Penney's.
All right, then.
I'll get into it as soon as I can, Howard.
All right?
No-- Noah, do you have a recorder?
No.
Are you recordin' this conversation?
No. Okay.
I trust you.
Howard--
Listen, I need those suits first thing tomorrow, all right?
All right.
Wait, wait. Did I say Penney’s or Woolworth’s?
Penney's.
Better make it sears.
All right, then, sears.
I'm sorry, honey.
If I don't answer, he'll just call back.
[footsteps]
Howard: Stop there, if you please, Miss Domergue.
Have you had surgery, Miss Domergue?
No.
Do you have scars of any kind?
No. Ahem.
Wipe off your lipstick.
That's much better.
Now, you understand that you'd be under contract to me.
Personally.
Do you know what that means?
Now turn around for me.
[%%]
Oh, very nice.
You move well.
Live with your family, do you?
[clears throat]
Yes.
[softly] yes. That's nice.
Tell me somethin'.
How old are you, Miss Domergue?
Fifteen.
Holy mother of God.
[fun, cheerful music playing]
Domergue: Well, a car picks me up every morning at 8,
And off I go.
I'm getting my high school diploma.
Howard thinks that education is important.
That's right.
And then after classes,
I'm off for elocution and grooming and fittings.
Well, blow me down.
Don't tell me Pan Am's working out of the cocoanut grove now?
Hello, Jack. Hello, Juan.
Helen, good to see you.
How are you, Howard?
Good, thanks.
This is Miss Faith Domergue.
Sit down. Pleasure.
Now, what the hell you doing out here?
Well, I'm out this way
To meet with Douglas about the dc-4.
It's our new plane, and it is gonna be a pip, let me tell you.
How's the constellation coming?
Good.
Great.
So how about letting me steal a peek?
[Helen chuckles]
Don't think so.
You know, I should be cross with you.
You stole Ray Loewy from us.
He's doing our interior design.
That's right.
He was doing ours.
So...
What are your colors?
Stop fishing.
[group laughs]
So you have buttons...
Or zippers?
I'm sorry?
Buttons or zippers...
For the drapes on the sleeping berths?
Uh, zippers.
Oh.
Buttons.
Uh-huh.
So I suppose you'll be expanding on down to Mexico.
Jack: Why do you say that?
Well, your range is 3000 Miles.
I would imagine you'd expand from Los Angeles to Mexico
And maybe on down to south America.
Hey, that's a good idea. Anyone got a pen?
Or across the Atlantic.
Now, honey, you've had enough of this ice cream.
You gimme that spoon.
You don't wanna get your gloves all sticky.
Isn't that too far?
New York...
To Newfoundland...
To Ireland.
To Paris.
Well...
Pan am welcomes you.
We're overbooked as it is.
It's such a burden doing it all on your own,
[laughing] let me tell you.
It's miss...? Domergue.
Yes, of course.
Was that a rumba or a samba you were doing out there?
[giggles] it was a samba.
A samba, yes.
Howard, I never knew you were such a good dancer.
Helen, Jack.
Good going, boss.
You just gave away our entire postwar strategy.
Ah, he can't stop us.
He's pan am, Howard.
He can stop anything!
Waiter, give me the largest scotch you got.
I don't know what in the hell you're so goddamn giddy about.
Excuse me.
[breathing heavily]
[gasps]
Woman [in distance]: %% I'll be seeing you %%
%% in all the old familiar places %%
%% that this heart of mine embraces %%
%% all day through %%
%% in that small café %%
%% the park %%
%% across the way %%
%% the children's carousel... %%
Jack.
I want you to get in touch with Mr. Joyce and Mr. Berg.
Those are my boys in Washington.
Set up a meeting with Jesse Jones.
He's the secretary of commerce, old golfing buddy.
Whoa, slow down.
We're gonna need terminals in both Ireland and France.
And I wanna get some tax breaks from them.
If that shit-ass thinks that he owns the entire goddamn world,
He's got another thing coming.
Pan am owns Europe. He's smart.
We ought to think about Mexico!
Oh, to hell with Mexico, Jack!
No one airline should have a monopoly on flying the Atlantic.
For chrissakes, it just isn't fair.
Look, he owns pan am, he owns congress,
He owns the civil aeronautics board,
But he does not own the Sky.
We're in a street fight with that son of a bitch,
And I am not gonna lose.
I've been fightin' high-hat Ivy league pricks like him
My whole goddamn life.
And listen, fire Ray Loewy.
You goddamn heard me? Fire Ray Loewy.
He's spying for Trippe.
That shitheel knew all about the goddamn buttons.
Spies in my midst, Jack.
[clears throat]
Spies in my midst.
%% I'll be looking at the Moon %%
%% but I'll be seeing you %%
Hello, Howard.
Roland.
So...
What can I do for you?
Howard: I want all the pictures you have
Of Kate Hepburn and Spencer Tracy.
All the negatives.
And I want you
To kill the story.
Howard, he's a married man. He's a catholic.
They're both movie stars. Fair game all around.
My office knows where I am, Howard.
I'm not gonna kill you, Roland.
[snickers]
I don't do that.
How much?
Not for sale.
How much?
Not...For sale.
[sighs]
You ever cheat on your wife, Roland?
Hmm?
You ever screw a colored girl?
You ever steal anything? You ever hurt anyone?
Good night, Howard.
You ever go to a communist party meeting, Roland?
TWA stock.
How much?
Fifty thousand shares.
Ten.
All right.
Man: This isn't gonna be that easy.
He's been making big contributions
On both sides of the aisle.
And Jack Frye is out there lobbying everybody in town.
The French and British ambassadors
Are all lined up on his side now.
I'm telling you, TWA is serious about going international.
Okay.
Point, Mr. Hughes.
Very well. You know what I think?
I think it's time for you to introduce
The community airline Bill on the floor of the senate.
Is it done?
My people are finishing it right now.
I also have to get you on the committee
Investigating the national defense.
On the committee, or chairman?
You know, I-- I could be much more effective as chairman.
It's a great public platform.
You know, it generates a lot of press.
Wasn't Truman chairman of that committee?
Yeah, right. Look.
Now he's vice president. Look what he did with it.
No, I think, uh...
I-- I think chairman.
What do you think?
Chairman, that is interesting.
Yeah.
Let me show you these specs for the dc-4.
Howard: Ava, what do you think about trans world airlines?
Transcontinental and western just doesn't fit anymore.
Now that we're going international,
We need a name that reflects that.
Trans world is good. Kind of peppy.
TWA, right? Keep the same initials.
That way you don't need to repaint any of the planes.
That's you. Always pinching pennies.
Hand me my wrap.
Ella Fitzgerald [over speakers]: %% cowboy song %%
%% it was a ditty %%
%% he learned in the city %%
%% comma ta ai yi, yeah %%
%% comma ta yippety yi yeah %%
Man: %% get along %%
%% get hip, little doggies... %%
Knock it off.
%% better be on your way %%
%% get along %%
%% get hip, little doggies... %%
I have something for you.
[whispers] stay here.
%% in the strangest way %%
%% comma ta ai yi yeah... %%
What the hell is this?
It's a present.
Go on, open it.
Oh, a box of trash. You shouldn't have.
Keep lookin', keep lookin'.
It's a kashmiri sapphire. Best in the world.
I had my boys all over the damn globe looking for this.
Why?
Because.
Look.
It matches your eyes.
I am not for sale.
For chrissakes, Ava, it's just a present.
You can't buy me, Howard, so stop trying.
Don't buy me any more diamonds or sapphires
Or any other goddamn thing.
You can buy me dinner. How about that?
Jesus, Ava.
Ava: It's bad enough I have to endure
Those filthy gym shoes of yours.
But then I get all dolled up,
And we go out in this old jalopy without a hood.
Ava...
Will you marry me?
No, Howard.
Well, why not, for Heaven's sake?
In the first place, I don't love you.
In the second place, I'm still married.
Look, you got girls stashed all over town.
You got a damn harem just at the Bel-air.
Why don't you marry one of your bungalow girls?
Those are employees. I'm not gonna marry an employee.
Jesus Christ, how would that look?
%% am I frantic %%
%% 'cause we've lost the spark? %%
Good Lord, what is goin' on?
[tires squealing]
Oh, my God!
Goddamn it!
Faith!
Faith, what the hell?!
Ava: Look out!
Goddamn, what the hell are you doing?!
Man: Are you okay, lady?
Faith [sobbing]: What are you doing with her?
We are going to dinner, that's all.
Now, get out of there.
Get that crazy bitch away from me!
Don't you love me anymore?
'course I love you, pork chop.
Ava, look over here. Howard.
Hey. Photographer: Come on, Howard.
Jack: Juan Trippe is working
With that goddamn Senator Brewster now.
They're after you, Howard.
If the community airline Bill becomes law,
We are finished, my friend.
Pan am will have a legal monopoly
On international travel.
Well, how can they justify it, Jack? It's un-American.
Senator Brewster is saying
That nationalized foreign carriers
Like Air France and Lufthansa can offer lower rates
Because they don't have to compete, right?
So, hey, let's just get rid of all that messy competition
And have a nationalized airline of our own,
And why don't we make it pan am?
I'm not kowtowing to Washington or anyone else.
Odie: Howard, I need you up here.
One sec, Odie.
Look, we are trans world airlines, all right?
Get me somethin' with a circle or a globe
Or somethin' round for God's sake.
[whispers]
Speak up. One cut.
I don't give a rat's ass what he says.
I'm not making a single cut. I'll release it without a seal.
All right. We gotta go public with this.
I'm gonna talk to Hearst, see what press he can give me,
But it'll come to a vote in the senate,
So we gotta get some senators on our side.
What do you want me to do? What Trippe does.
Set up some offshore operations.
See who's up for re-election. Let's start making donations.
So you want me to bribe senators?
I don't want them bribed, Jack. I want it done legally.
I want them bought.
And put a team of investigators on Senator Brewster.
I need to know everything there is to know about that shitbag.
Where he goes, what he says and who he screws.
Get into it right now, Jack. You got it.
[%%]
[sighs]
Just give me a second.
All right, what do you need?
Rudder and elevators.
No. These are fine.
But have Simon and Pete get back to me
On the hydraulic assemblies.
We need a secondary system here.
Okay.
And, listen, we need to take another look at the wheel.
Jesus. The damn wheel?
Yeah.
It just doesn't feel right.
Christ almighty, you've seen 8000 goddamn wheels.
Choose one, please. Just one of them.
I know, I know.
This one? I know. This one...
This one's pretty close. Pretty close.
[%%]
Ahem, Odie.
Mmm.
That man sweeping up over there...
Does he work for me?
I mean, have you seen him before?
Name's Nick, something like that.
Why's he lookin' at me?
Odie: I don't know.
Fire him.
And make sure they use damp brooms from now on.
Respiratory diseases are expensive,
And I don't want a bunch of damn lawsuits.
Okay, but can we at least proceed
With the instrument panel we discussed?
The tool shop's ready.
No, I wanna see the blueprints again.
Look, Howard, the deadline is now completely unrealistic.
At this rate, the war's gonna be over by the time she's done.
Now, I need you here to help consult on vital decisions,
And you're off dealing with movies.
You got a thousand goddamn workers
Waiting for you to make a decision here--
Hey, Odie!
Take it easy, all right?
I understand you're under a lot of pressure,
But it's gonna do me no good if you crack up on me like that.
All right? Look.
Take a couple hours off, all right?
You ju-- you relax a little. Okay.
See your wife. Okay.
All right.
Be sure to show me all the blueprints.
All right.
Show me all the blueprints.
I'm serious, now. Show me all the blueprints.
Show me all the blue-- show me all the blueprints.
Howard.
Show me all the blueprints.
I wanna get this right, so show me all the blueprints.
Show me all the blueprints. Show me all the blueprints.
Show me all the blueprints.
Howard. Show me all the blueprints.
Show me all the blueprints.
Show me the blueprints. Show me the blueprints.
[%%]
[gags]
[moaning]
[breathing heavily]
Quarantine.
Q...
U...
A...
R...
A...
N...
T...
I...
N...
E.
Quarantine.
[chuckles]
[J.S. Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in d minor" playing]
General McEwen.
Colonel Bertrang. Thanks for coming down.
Odie, you reading me okay?
Yeah, Howard. You're a-okay.
Odie [over radio]: All right, flight controls are active.
She's all yours.
Spotless, Odie. No wiggle on the wheel or throttle.
Take it easy.
How does she sound, Howard?
She's whisperin' to me, buddy.
All right, make her sing.
Well, Odie, she can fly. Congratulations.
I'm glad to hear it.
Retract landing gear and climb to 5000 feet
On a heading of 2-7-0.
Howard: Retracting landing gear and climbing to 5000 feet
On a heading 2-7-0.
Jesus, she's fast!
What's your air speed, Howard?
Two ninety two.
All right, take her back to 200.
No damn way.
All right, Howard. We gotta bring her home.
Scheduled time of one hour and 45 minutes has elapsed.
Set course for 0-9-0--
Gimme 10 more minutes. Roger that.
Negative...Howard. Bring her home.
Okay. Okay.
Setting course for 0-9-0.
Preparing to descend.
Howard: Jesus.
What is it, Howard?
The right wing just dipped.
I'm-- I'm losing starboard engine.
Increasing power to 2800 rpm.
Cuttin' back.
Increasing starboard engine only.
Cuttin' back.
I'm losing altitude.
Howard, check starboard-engine manifold pressure.
It's good, but rpm's are low.
Are both starboard props turning?
Hold on.
It looks like they are,
But she's pullin' me back and starboard, Odie.
How bad is your cross control?
I'm at full left rudder and full left aileron,
But she won't stay level.
Goddamn it.
Howard, give us your position.
Two thousand feet over--
Oh, Christ, I don't know, Beverly Hills.
Fifteen hundred feet.
Oh, we're goin' down!
I'm gonna try for the Wilshire country club.
Ninth hole. You readin' me?
Wilshire country club, copy that.
Howard, reduce engines to 1000.
[yells]
I'm going down! I'm not gonna make it, buddy!
Goddamn it!
[grunting]
[screams]
[screaming]
[groaning]
[coughs]
[snap]
[screaming]
[coughing]
[sizzle]
[screaming]
[sirens wailing]
Is there anyone else inside?
Is there anyone else?!
[groans] no.
I'm Howard Hughes, the aviator.
[screaming]
[screams]
Man: Every inch of his wiring and fluid connection.
Doctor: He has burns to 78 percent of his body.
Nine ribs are shattered. Not broken, shattered.
As are his nose, his chin, his cheek,
His left knee, his left elbow.
He has 60 lacerations on his face, to the bone.
His chest was crushed, so his left lung has collapsed,
And his heart has shifted entirely
To the right side of his chest cavity.
Jesus, God.
He's getting blood transfusions now, but...
Whose blood?
I'm sorry?
Whose blood? From our stock.
Oh, he's not gonna like that.
Mr. Dietrich, I doubt
He's ever gonna like or dislike anything again.
I'm terribly sorry.
[%%]
[weakly] orange juice.
It's...
It's not fresh from the kitchen, so I...
I have 'em make it here so... So I can see.
[chuckles]
Look at me.
I'm a monster.
Yeah. Orange juice has nutritional value.
There's... There's some flies outside my window, though.
So...
Little Howard likes...
Citrus.
[softly] don't he just...?
Tell me.
An oil seal ripped off the starboard rear propeller.
When the pressure dropped, the prop reversed pitch.
You understand me?
Howard, I'm sorry to have to tell you this now,
But there's something else.
You followin' me?
Yeah.
The air force canceled the contract on the Hercules.
The war's over now,
And they say they don't need it anymore.
I have to know what you want me to do.
Should I release the staff?
How far...
From...
From finishing?
About six months.
No, in...
In money.
Seven million.
Maybe more.
Build it.
Build it, Odie.
Noah: Howard...
A constellation crashed outside Reading, Pennsylvania.
The civil aeronautics board has grounded the whole fleet.
[chuckles]
You know...
[%%]
Juan Trippe sent me flowers.
[laughs]
Take a look.
Noah: What did you do with all the others?
Oh, I had them taken out.
They, er... They attract aphids.
Aphids are...
They're just awful little creatures.
But, uh...
[chuckles]
But these ones...
I wanted to see these ones every day.
[bold theme playing]
Newscaster: Can white elephants really fly?
That's everybody's question.
It's the hull of the world's mightiest airplane,
A flying boat built by Howard Hughes.
Two hundred and twenty feet long,
It towers higher than a five-story building.
Power lines have to be cut as it starts the trip
From culver city, California, to the pacific, 30 Miles away.
Moving the 60-ton load is quite an engineering problem.
But you gotta ask, was anything this big ever supposed to fly?
There goes one wing section,
160 feet long with four engine housings.
Double that and you've got some idea of the wingspread.
An airplane that challenges a mountain for sheer size.
How long can they keep us grounded?
Until they finish investigating the reading crash.
Could be months.
Jesus. You're already running a $14 million deficit.
How you gonna afford to keep them out of service?
We go international, we'll make it up.
Look, Brewster's C.A.B. bill just isn't going away.
That Bill passes, and you bought
All these goddamn planes for nothing.
We're fighting the C.A.B. bill.
Meanwhile how do you suggest we keep TWA flying?
Don't say "just go to tool co" this time.
As it is, we're pumping every damn cent into the Hercules,
Which, I might add, the air force doesn't even want anymore.
Now, look, Howard, I'm glad Jack here
Is feeling so sunny about things, but I've seen the books.
I'm telling it to you straight.
I'm not just crying wolf this time.
We're in serious trouble. You've gotta make a choice.
You wanna be bankrupted by the big plane...
Or by the big airline?
[clears throat]
Go see Thomas Parkinson at the equitable in New York.
Get a loan against all the TWA equipment and capital.
Use the planes as collateral.
Hell, use the desks, use the pens,
Use everything we got.
Try to get me 40 million.
And if TWA defaults on the loan?
Then Juan Trippe buys us cheap.
Under my bed!
You put a goddamn microphone under my bed!
Listen to me. I am concerned about you, baby.
I just wanna make sure you're okay, that's all.
And who is in that car?
That goddamn car's been with me 24 hours a day.
That car is there for your protection!
The only one I need protection from is you, you sick bastard!
You don't own me, Howard.
I'm not one of your teenage whores,
And I'm not some damn airplane.
Look, honey, I-I'll have them take all the bugs out.
You have to understand I need to know where you are.
Why?
Because I worry about you, that's why!
Bullshit!
What do you mean, "all the bugs"?
[clears throat]
What do you mean, "all the bugs"?
There's more.
How many?
I don't know, 12. Twelve, maybe, and...
And on the telephones.
Oh, Christ, Howard, on the telephone?
You listen to my phone calls?
No, no, no, honey.
I would never do that. I'd never do that.
I--
I just read the transcripts, that's all.
What do you wanna know, Howard?
Was I screwing Artie Shaw last night?
Was I screwing Sinatra the night before? You bet!
Everyone told me you're a goddamn lunatic,
But I didn't listen.
It's no wonder Kate Hepburn dumped your demented ass!
Shut your goddamn mouth!
Get out, you pathetic freak.
[panting]
Get out!
Is everything all right, sir?
Take out all the bugs, huh?
Except for the one on the bedroom phone.
Sir, the FBI are at the house.
Noah: This is outrageous!
Everything in these offices
Is the private property of Hughes productions.
My legal counsel is on the way--
Federal warrant.
Don't interfere with the search, sir.
Newscaster: Dateline: Los Angeles.
Howard Hughes has a new houseguest.
No, it's not another beautiful starlet.
This time it's the FBI.
Howard: Noah, you have got to help, all right?
This is the 10th goddamn time they have been here.
Newscaster: Rumor has it that
Federal agents working for senator Ralph Owen Brewster
Have practically taken up residence
In the aviation mogul's Hollywood home.
Look, I mean, they are touching things.
Noah, Noah, they are touching things.
Noah: Just keep yourself calm,
And I'll be down there as soon as I can, Howard.
Howard?
[knocking at door]
Brewster: Howard, hello.
Owen, nice to see you again.
Good to see you again. Come on inside.
Emma, you can start up lunch now.
Yes, sir.
Well...Really lovely room. It's nicely decorated.
Thank you. Here, have a seat.
Thanks. Thanks for coming by.
I just thought you and I should have a Chance to talk privately.
You know, outside the office.
Huh. Well...
I appreciate that, Owen.
So...You're coming out pretty strong against the C.A.B. bill.
You're comin' on pretty strong for it.
Well, it's my Bill, Howard, you know.
Look, I believe sincerely that America cannot afford
To have more than one international carrier.
Hmm.
So, I mean, do you think it's fair that
One airline should have a monopoly on international--?
A monopoly? No, no, no. Oh, no.
No, I think one airline could do it better.
See? Without competition.
All I'm thinking about are the interests, you know,
The needs of the American passenger.
That's just beautiful. What is that?
Is that a...?
Is that a yak?
Some kind of a yak?
No, that's-- that's a llama.
My wife picked that up when we were in Peru a year ago.
Son of a gun.
A real llama.
From Peru?
Yeah. From a year ago, I think it was--
Yeah, it was about a year ago.
Lunch is served, senator.
Good. Okay. Come on, let's go have some lunch.
[Brewster clears throat]
Now, did you--?
Did you actually get to see any llamas?
No, no.
My wife just liked the painting.
Oh. It's a hell of an interesting animal.
I'll have to read up on those.
How do you spell that? Like...?
Like Fernando lamas?
No, no. It's-- it's...
It's the animal, it's got two l's.
Here, come on, have a seat.
It's Brook trout. Hope you like fish.
I love it.
[clears throat]
Thanks.
I know you're not a drinking man,
So I hope--
Hope water's okay.
Thanks.
All right, let's get down to business.
Let's talk turkey.
My investigators--
[laughing]
My investigators have turned up a lot of dirt.
Could be really embarrassing if this stuff got out.
I'd like to save you from that embarrassment.
That's very kind of you, Owen.
My committee has the power to hold public hearings.
I'd like to spare you that.
Would you, now?
Look.
You wanna go down in history as...
As a war profiteer, Howard?
Is that what you want?
What do you want, Owen?
You agree to support my C.A.B. bill,
And I won't hold public hearings.
I can't do that. Why not?
Can't do that, Owen. The C.A.B. Would kill TWA.
Sell TWA to pan am.
You'll get a good price. You'll get a fair price.
I'm telling you.
And then--?
Then you won't go public? Right. That's right.
The investigation's closed. Nobody knows a thing.
That's-- it's better for everybody.
You know, Owen, I'm...
I'm still wonderin' one thing.
What's that?
The picture of the llama you got last year?
Yeah.
Where'd you sail from?
We didn't sail. We flew.
You flew?
Yeah.
Oh.
Are you sure you want to do this, Owen?
You want to go to war with me?
It isn't me, Howard.
It's the United States government.
We just beat Germany and Japan.
Who the hell are you?
You...
You tell Juan Trippe something for me, all right?
Tell him thanks for the flowers.
And he can kiss...
Both sides...Of my ass.
[panting]
[grunting]
[%%]
Brewster: Well, we have a long list of particulars.
Chief among them is that
He defrauded the American government of $56 million
While we were at war, when we could least afford it.
While brave men were dying on the beaches of Normandy,
Mr. Hughes was picking the pocket
Of the American taxpayer.
I sleep...
In this room...
In the dark.
I'll have him dragged here to Washington if I have to.
I wanna see the whites of his lies.
[reporters laugh]
I have a place...
I can sleep.
He has a lot of questions to answer, son.
I have a chair.
Particularly about
That monstrous boondoggle of his, that--
That model airplane he's building.
That flying lumberyard.
That spruce goose.
[reporters laughing]
No, he'll-- we'll get him here.
[chuckles]
That's just beautiful.
Oh, yeah.
I like the desert.
It's hot there in the desert, but...It's clean.
It's clean.
Oh, I need to sleep.
[clears throat]
I should drink something first.
[cane clatters]
I should drink something first.
[clears throat]
Wait a minute.
What if that milk is sour?
[clears throat]
That milk is bad.
I shouldn't...
Pick up the bottle of milk with my right hand.
And I shouldn't take the... Top off with my left hand,
Put it in my pocket.
My left pocket.
[%%]
[knocking at door]
Howard, it's-- it's Kate.
I need-- I need to talk to you.
[snorts]
Can you hear me?
I'm coming in.
[sighs]
Howard, unlock this door immediately.
[coughs]
I can't, sweetie.
You mean you won't.
Howard, pl-please let me see you.
I haven't shaved.
Well, neither have I.
[laughs]
Come on.
You...
You-- you let me in.
I can hear you, Katie.
I could always hear you.
Even in the cockpit, with the engines on.
[laughs]
Well, that's because I'm so goddamn loud.
Howard, I...
I came to thank you.
I found out what you did for Spence and me.
Buying those awful pictures.
You love him.
He's everything I have.
[Howard sliding against door]
[thud]
H-Howard?
I'm glad for you, Kate.
Go away now. Would you do that?
Howard, pl-please.
Go away.
Just for now. I'll see you soon.
We'll go flying together.
Yes!
Yes, pl-please. You take me flying again.
Howard, I-- I can take the wheel.
Howard?
Howard, are you--? Are you there?
[sniffles]
[sighs]
Howard?
Howard, are you there?
Come on, Howard.
[softly] Howard, are you there?
[%%]
Come in with the milk. Come in with the milk.
Come in with the milk
Come in with the milk.
He is to open the bag with his right hand
And hold the bag out to me at a 45-degree angle
So I may reach into the bag without...
[clears throat]
Without touching the paper.
[clears throat]
Repeated from the beginning.
Howard: If there is any variation of these instructions,
Even to the smallest degree,
The entire process must be repeated from the beginning.
Come in with the milk. Repeated...
Come in with the milk. From the beginning.
Come in with the milk. Repeated...
Repeated from the beginning.
Come in with the milk. Come in with the milk.
Q.
[urine trickling]
R.
N.
T.
Q.
U.
E.
I.
T.
I.
N.
E.
N.
E.
E!
I.
[breathing heavily]
Man: Howard?
Hello?
Who is it?
Howard, it's Juan.
[clears throat]
Juan.
Juan, right.
Yeah.
We had an appointment, right? Yeah.
Howard: Ahem, I-I remember that.
Look, um...
I got a hell of a cold in here. A hell of a cold.
So you just take a seat out there,
'cause, you know, I don't wanna get you sick.
I'll never forgive myself if I got you sick, you know.
I don't wanna get you sick. I don't wanna--
[whimpers]
Thank you.
[clears throat]
Okay, Howard, I'm sitting.
I've brought along our accountings.
Now, pan am is trading at 13 and five-eighths.
TWA at... Four and a quarter.
Oh, come on!
Come on, come on, come on, come on.
We both know I'm not gonna sell TWA!
Besides, you couldn't afford her anyway.
Our domestic routes alone are worth more than twice pan am.
Well, considering our stock is trading at three times yours,
I find that a dubious claim, Howard.
What I--
[sighs, clears throat]
What I mean is...You have no domestic routes. All right?
I mean, you get TWA, you-- you span the globe.
Now, I'm not gonna sell, and you know I'm not gonna sell.
Here's the point.
Owen Brewster works for you.
Howard, I didn't elect Senator Brewster.
We can thank the voters of Maine for that.
Now...
If I appear at his hearings, Juan,
It could get nasty, ahem.
Real nasty for all of us.
Well, I think considerably more so for you.
While the good people of America were losing sons at Anzio,
You produced a dirty movie and built airplanes that don't fly.
Well, that's just not fair, is it?
I mean, the XF-11 flew quite well
For an hour and 45 minutes!
I mean, I wish you were up there with me, Juan.
It was... It was exhilarating!
Be that as it may,
You still have to answer for the spruce goose.
[bang]
It's called the Hercules!
And it will fly, goddamn it!
[chuckles]
I certainly hope so.
The American people deserve something
For their $13 million.
I won't sell TWA!
I won't!
I know that, Howard.
I know that.
But I'm going to get it anyway.
You're going to default on your loan from equitable
After Senator Brewster destroys your reputation,
And you can't find additional capital for the airline.
The hearings will also show Hughes aircraft
To be mismanaged and incompetent, and...
It will go bankrupt too.
But you won't be insolvent.
You'll still have tool co.
Perhaps you'll head back to Houston to rebuild your empire.
I rather hope you do.
By that time, pan am will have bought TWA
And painted all those magnificent Connies
Blue and white.
So when you do return,
It will be on a pan am plane.
Well...
[clears throat]
You seem to have me in a corner here, buddy.
Not a position in which I'm very comfortable.
I think you're gonna be less comfortable
At Senator Brewster's hearings.
Very public, Howard.
Lots of cameras, newsmen.
I understand you're not particularly fond of crowds.
Perhaps we should spare you that.
Well, thank you...
For your concern, Juan.
I find that...
Very moving.
It's been a real pleasure.
Noah will see you back to the airport now. You...
You fly safe.
Thank you, Howard, and you take care of that cold.
Oh.
Don't you worry.
I certainly will.
Bye-bye.
[sighs]
If you let him appear at those hearings,
The whole world will see what he's become.
People should remember him as he was.
He'll have a subpoena in three days to appear in Washington.
If you can get him out of there by then.
[%%]
[screaming]
[groaning & retching]
[automatic gunfire]
[explosion]
[groaning]
[door opens]
[gasps]
Mr. Hughes?
[sighs]
I don't have any shoes.
Could you get me some shoes?
Shoes?
Yeah.
[%%]
How nice of you to dress for me.
Can I come in?
Yeah.
Yeah, you...
You can come in.
Thank you for coming.
Now, let's get a drink.
W-wait, wait, wait, wait, honey.
Y-you can't move. You can't move.
You're-- you're safe here.
You're in the germ-free zone now.
You understand?
I'll take my chances.
No, no, no.
Honey, wait.
Wait, wait, uh...
[clearing throat]
Love what you've done with the place.
Now...
Let me look at you.
When do you go to Washington?
Um...A week.
[clears throat]
No, no. Just-- just-- just under a week.
I mean, I... I don't know the date today, but, uh...
I have to be... I have-- I have to be, uh...
[gently] all right, take it easy.
[%%]
There's nothing there, Howard.
Hmm.
You know, I... I see things.
I know, baby.
Rinse your face off now.
Put your hands in the water and wash off the soap.
I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere.
Does that look clean to you?
Nothing's clean, Howard.
But we do our best, right?
Yeah.
[clears throat]
[%%]
[breathing heavily]
[clears throat]
Ava: What do you think?
I look all right.
You look great.
Will you marry me?
You're too crazy for me.
I gotta go, baby.
Okay.
Thanks.
You'd do it for me.
Reporter: Hi, Howard. How are you doing?
[crowd clamoring]
[clears throat]
[gavel cracks]
Brewster: The committee will come to order.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I must insist
That we maintain quiet during these proceedings.
All right, Mr. Hughes, will you stand to be sworn?
Do you solemnly swear
That in the matter now pending before this committee,
You will tell the truth, the whole truth,
And nothing but the truth, so help you God?
I do.
Pardon me for speaking loudly,
But I understand you have some difficulty hearing.
Howard: No, that's... That's quite all right.
I mean, everybody knows I'm deaf.
I'm not gonna try to hide it, ahem.
[crowd laughs]
Mr. Hughes, it is the intention of this committee--
Mr. Hughes has a statement.
All right. All right.
You may-- you may proceed
With this, uh, statement, Mr. Hughes.
Mr. Hughes, do you have a statement?
Ahem, I'm gonna...
I'm gonna attempt to be, uh, honest here.
I mean, my reputation's being destroyed,
So I might as well lay the cards on the table.
Senator Brewster,
If you hadn't have gone too far overboard,
If you hadn't have put the red-hot iron in my side,
I might've been willing to take a shellacking
In this publicity spree of yours.
I might have been willing
To sit back and take a certain amount of abuse,
Simply because, well...
[chuckles]
Well, I am only a private citizen.
Whereas you are a senator with all sorts of powers.
But I think this goddamn circus has gone on long enough!
[gavel cracks]
That's quite sufficient, Mr. Hughes.
You have called me a liar, sir, in the press.
You have called me a liar and a thief and a war profiteer.
The witness will restrain his--
Why not tell the truth, for once, senator?
Why not tell the truth
That this investigation was really born
On the day that TWA first decided to fly to Europe,
On the day that TWA first invaded Juan Trippe's territory?
Sit down, Mr. Hughes.
On the day that TWA first challenged
The generally accepted theory
That only Juan Trippe’s great pan American airways
Had the sacred right to fly the Atlantic?
You are not here to make a speech.
[gavel cracking]
I asked for silence!
I asked for quiet in this room...
Brewster: We have in our possession receipts in the amount
Of $170,000,
Acquired from Mr. John Meyer.
Mr. Meyer works for you, does he not?
He does.
And what is his official title?
I-- ahem.
I don't exactly know, senator.
A lot of people work for me.
Can you explain why your press agent
Would pay out more than $170,000
To representatives of the United States Air Force?
Well, I don't know.
I suppose you'd have to ask him, senator.
Well, would you produce him?
Produce him?
Will you cause him to appear?
Well, senator,
You had John Meyer on the stand
For three days last week.
Well, be that as it may,
We would like him to reappear here.
Would you ask him to--? To return?
Uh...
No, I don't think I will.
[crowd laughing]
Will you try to have him return?
Well...
No, I don't think I'll try.
You don't think you'll try?
Well...
No.
I don't think so.
[crowd laughs]
One hundred and seventy thousand dollars
Paid out to the air force
In the form of hotel suites,
TWA stock...
Female companionship.
Now, is it possible that...
These could be considered bribes?
I suppose you could call them that, yes.
Would you repeat that?
[sighs]
I said, I suppose you could consider them bribes.
Yes.
Well, would you like to explain that, Mr. Hughes?
Well, I'm afraid you don't know
How the aviation business works, senator.
See, wining and dining air force dignitaries
Is common in our business.
It's because we all want the big contracts.
All the major aircraft companies do it.
Now, I don't know whether it's a good system or not,
I just know it is not illegal.
You, senator,
You are the lawmaker.
If you pass a law
That states no one can entertain air force officers,
Well, hell, I'd be happy to abide by it.
[crowd laughs]
Senator Brewster, your story is a pack of lies,
And I can tear it apart if allowed to cross-examine you!
We're not gonna have this bickering back and forth.
Somewhere between two and 500,
If you'll just let me get started.
Now, if you believe that because of your great wealth and power,
You can intimidate any member of this committee,
I want to advise you that you're mistaken.
Now submit your questions to the chair.
I'll put this very simply.
On February 12 at the mayflower hotel,
Did you or did you not tell me
That if I were to sell TWA to pan am
That this entire investigation would be called off?
No, I did not.
And I have asked you repeatedly
To submit your questions in writing.
Well, how long have you known Juan Trippe, senator?
I've known Mr. Trippe for some time now,
And that's not the question. Is it not--?
Is it not true
That Juan Trippe donated $20,000 to your last campaign?
I mean, he spoke to me as if you worked for him.
[crowd murmuring]
All right.
[cracks]
I have a personal friendship with Mr. Trippe that is--
Is it true you accept free tickets from pan am
So you can circle the globe in support of your C.A.B. bill?
No, it is not true.
Well, who wrote that Bill, senator?
No, we're asking the quest--
Who actually wrote the C.A.B. bill?
The actual words in the Bill. Did you write them?
This is not how these hearings are going to be conducted.
I-I have it right here.
Maybe it will refresh your memory.
"Bill s-987 to amend the civil aeronautics act."
Now, you introduced this Bill to the senate.
Lot of words.
You write all of 'em?
Did you write any of them, senator?
Now, look, Mr. Hughes--
Now, this entire Bill was written
By pan am executives
And designed to give that airline
A monopoly on international travel.
And you've been flogging this Bill
All around the world on their behalf, have you not?
I have duties that take me all over the world, Mr. Hughes.
Well, what the hell
Does a senator from Maine need to visit Peru for?
[crowd mutters]
I was...
I was seeking outlets for our trade...
Our trade goods. Ah.
Buy a lot of lobsters down there, do they?
[crowd laughs]
[cracks]
Senator Brewster, how many times
Have you visited Juan Trippe’s office in New York
In the last three months?
Huh?
Would you like me to tell you, senator?
All right, this has gone on long enough.
Juan Trippe is a great American.
His airline has advanced the cause of commercial aviation
In this country for decades.
Juan Trippe is a patriot!
Juan Trippe is not a man who is interested in making money.
Hmm.
Well, I'm sure his stockholders would be happy to hear that.
[crowd laughs]
[gavel cracks]
I'm telling you, we're gonna clear this room.
[over radio] this is James McNamara speaking to you
From aboard the Howard Hughes 2000-ton flying boat,
The world's largest aircraft.
This is the Sky giant which has prompted congress
To investigate the war contracts of Mr. Hughes.
Today, before boarding the craft,
Mr. Hughes told newsmen
That this test would be solely a taxi experiment.
He said he didn't know what might happen.
He pointed out that the mammoth flying plywood shell
Might ship some water under high-speed taxi pressure.
He said definitely, however,
That he would not take the craft
Into the air until next spring.
The thin man from culver city
Pronounced the craft an unknown quantity.
Hi, boys.
[group applauds]
None of that, now. None of that.
As we speak to you,
We're about 5 feet in back of Mr. Hughes.
And we are looking through
One of the side windows in the cockpit.
Professor, why don't you come on up front here?
In other words, we are 30 feet high in this aircraft.
Strap yourself in right there.
You ought to be able to see just great.
You can visualize just how gigantic this ship is.
Huge crowds jam
The surrounding shoreline this morning...
All right, boys...
Let's fire it up.
[%%]
One's good.
[engine rumbling]
Two's good.
Three's good.
Four's good.
Five's good.
Six is good.
Seven's good.
Eight's good.
Advancing master throttles.
As you probably know by now, I have to do
A great deal of screaming here into our microphone.
Odie: Prop start up.
Understood. Ahem. Lower 15 degrees of flaps.
Lowering 15 degrees of flaps.
Howard. What?
She's gotta hit 70 to have any kind of Chance.
Yeah, I know. I know.
I might add that it's a beautiful day out here
Off the coast of southern California.
Crystal-blue skies, a warm sun...
Twenty-five Miles per hour.
And a relatively calm sea... Thirty.
...By the breakwater of the outer harbor.
Thirty-five.
One would think that these eight power plants
Might shake the mighty craft to pieces...
Take it easy, Howard.
...Craft certainly is holding up...
Forty!
Throttling back for starboard turn 180.
[%%]
The flight crew itself consists of four men.
Mr. Hughes, however, has added 11 maintenance men
To this maiden taxi test,
Stationed at various places throughout the ship,
Checking points of stress and strain.
How does she sound, Odie?
Sounds good, Howard.
[clears throat]
Professor.
Yes?
Do me a favor.
Would you take a look out that window there
And tell me what the wind is doing?
I would say that we have a 15-knot wind.
Would you call that a headwind, professor?
I would, Mr. Hughes.
Brewster: I must insist that we maintain silence.
We must have quiet during these proceedings.
All right, Mr. Hughes, will you stand to be sworn?
Mr. Hughes, did you receive
$43 million to manufacture
100 XF-11 spy planes
For the United States Air Force?
I did.
How many functional planes did you deliver
To the United States Air Force?
None.
Would you lean a little closer to the microphone, sir?
None.
Did you receive $13 million to manufacture
A prototype of a flying boat known as the Hercules?
[clears throat]
I did.
And did you deliver that plane?
I did not.
So by your admission in this chamber, Mr. Hughes,
You have received $56 million
From the United States government
For planes you never delivered.
That is correct.
[audience murmuring]
Well, excuse me for asking, Mr. Hughes, but wh--?
Where did all that money go?
Well, it went into the planes, senator.
And a lot more.
More?
[chuckles] do tell, Mr. Hughes,
What other larcenies did you commit?
I mean, I put my money into the planes, senator.
My money.
See, the thing is that I care--
Mr. Hughes, your personal finances
Are n-- are not--
Let him speak.
All right, proceed, Mr. Hughes.
See, the thing is, I care very much about aviation.
It has been the great Joy of my life.
That's why I put my own money into these planes.
And I've lost millions, Senator Brewster,
And I'll go on losing millions.
It's just... What I do.
Now, if I've lost
A lot of the government's money during the war,
Well, I hope folks will put that into perspective.
You see, more than 60 other airplanes
Ordered from such firms as
Lockheed, Douglas, Northrop and Boeing
Never saw action either.
In all, more than $800 million
Was spent during the war on planes that never flew.
Over 6 billion on other weapons that were never delivered.
Yet Hughes aircraft, with her 56 million,
Is the only firm under investigation here today.
Now, I cannot help but think that has a little more to do
With TWA than planes that did not fly.
I think you've made your point, Mr. Hughes--
One second, Senator Brewster, I have one more thing
To say here to this committee...
And that has to do with the Hercules.
Now, I am supposed to be...
Many things which are not complimentary.
I am supposed to be capricious.
I have been called a playboy.
I have even been called an eccentric,
But I do not believe that I have the reputation of being a liar.
Now, needless to say,
The Hercules was a monumental undertaking.
It is the largest plane ever built.
It is over five stories tall
With a wingspan longer than a football field.
That's more than a city block.
Now, I put the sweat of my life into this thing.
I got my reputation all rolled up in it.
And I have stated several times
That if the Hercules fails to fly,
I will leave this country and never come back.
And I mean it.
[crowd murmuring]
Now, Senator Brewster...
You can subpoena me,
You can arrest me, you can even
Claim I've folded up and taken a run-out powder,
But, well...
I've had just about enough of this nonsense.
Good afternoon.
[crowd applauding]
Howard: I have to do it.
Reporters: Mr. Hughes! Mr. Hughes!
Mr. Hughes! Mr. Hughes! Mr. Hughes!
Man: I'd love to see the Hercules in the air.
Thank you, thank you so much.
Thank you. Thank you.
Noah: Excuse us. Excuse us, please. Thank you.
Howard: Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Switch it off.
The hearings aren't over yet.
The hearings are over.
The airline Bill will be defeated in the senate.
TWA will begin flights from New York to Paris,
Then on to Moscow, to Japan, to Hawaii...
To Los Angeles...
...To New York.
Fuck.
[%%]
Power comin' up.
Odie: Power coming up.
McNamara: Howard Hughes has just alerted us.
He has asked everyone to hold on.
Tremendous horsepower kicking up.
Let me hear it, Odie!
Twenty-five Miles per hour.
Thirty.
Here we go.
Thirty-five.
The air-speed indicator has moved up to 25.
It's 30.
It's 35. Forty.
As he pushes the throttle, it's 40.
Forty-five. Forty-five.
More throttle.
Forty-five. Fifty.
It's 50 over a choppy sea. Fifty-five.
It's 55.
Sixty. More throttle. It's 60.
Sixty-five. It bounces to 65.
Odie: Seventy.
It's 70.
Seventy-five. It's 75.
[sounds silence]
And something momentarily has just cut out.
I believe we are airborne.
We are airborne, ladies and gentlemen.
I don't believe that Howard Hughes
Meant this to be, I don't know.
[crowd cheering & applauding]
And we were really up in the air.
We were really up in the air.
[%%]
Ladies and gentlemen, the Hughes mammoth aircraft
Has flown this afternoon in Los Angeles harbor.
Well, it certainly looks at this moment
That Howard Hughes will be around the United States
For quite some time to come.
Howard: What we must understand is that technologies like these
Are the way of the future.
That's enough questions for now.
Jack: TWA and Hughes aircraft were delighted
To have you come here and witness this wonderful sight.
Excuse us for just a second.
Sorry.
So you feel like going to Paris?
Now?
TWA is startin' up flights to Europe.
Thought I might pilot the first one myself.
Ought to be some fun.
Mmm. Lots of good shopping in Paris.
Hell, I'll buy you anything you want.
You can buy me dinner. How about that?
Dinner, then. We got a date?
Okay, baby, you got a date.
I'll be back in a second,
But don't you go anywhere, now.
I mean it.
All right, listen, boys.
Something new: Jet airplanes.
You know anything about jets?
No, but it sounds expensive.
Oh, it will be, but we gotta get started.
Come on, ahem, walk with me.
Whoever can start utilizing
Jet technology on commercial airliners
Is gonna win all the marbles, you understand?
Odie, what do you know about the science?
I know a little. I can work something to show you.
Basic turbine stuff.
Noah...
Who are those fellas?
They work for me?
Everybody works for you, Howard.
Huh.
Lockheed worked on the f-80.
So let's get bob gross, see if he can help us out.
Okay. What, now?
Of course now.
We gotta get into it.
Jets are gonna be the way of the future.
Odie: It's 4:30.
Noah: I talked to bob last week.
He's in New York. So it's 7:30.
He won't be in the office.
We'll get Nancy to figure out what hotel he's at.
Do you want a telephone call, or you want some kind of meeting?
No, we want a meeting. Don't we, Howard?
You want me to bring him out here tomorrow, then, Howard?
[murmurs] the way of the future.
The way of the future.
Howard? Howard?
The way of the future.
[Howard clears throat]
The way of the future.
Let's take a walk, Howard.
Ahem, way of the future.
Gimme a hand here, will you, Glenn?
The way of the future. The way of the future.
[clearing throat]
The way of the future. The way of the future.
Noah: All right, stay here. I'll be right back.
You understand, Howard?
The way of the future. The way of the future.
Guard the door. I'll get a doctor.
No one sees him like this.
The way of the future. The way of the future.
The way of the fu--
Way of the future!
The way of the future.
[crickets chirping]
Howard's mother: You are not safe.
Young Howard: When I grow up
I'm gonna fly the fastest planes ever built,
Make the biggest movies ever
And be the richest man in the world.
[whispers] the way of the future.
[chuckles]
[normal] the way of the future.
The way of the future.
[Glenn Miller "Moonlight Serenade" playing]
[%%]
[Leadbelly's "Howard Hughes" playing]
%% listen, everybody let me tell you about dreams %%
%% dreams are made in a time of need %%
%% get up in the mornin' %%
%% and put on your shoes %%
%% you can read about Howard Hughes %%
%% oh, Lord %%
%% read about Howard Hughes %%
%% get up in the morning %%
%% read about Howard Hughes %%
%% Howard Hughes was a millionaire %%
%% he said I'm gonna take my little trip up in the air %%
%% he takin' a trip all around this world %%
%% he was tryin' to beat the record %%
%% of that great Lindbergh %%
%% oh, Lord %%
%% of that great Lindbergh %%
%% tried to beat the record of that great Lindbergh %%
%% Katharine Hepburn was at home on her knees %%
%% Howard Hughes was in the air he was flyin' with speed %%
%% Howard Hughes got back home and he fell on the air %%
%% he's lookin' at girls goin' to that world that fell %%
%% oh, Lord %%
%% goin' to that world that fell %%
%% just lookin' at girls and goin' to that world that fell %%
{{{ the end }}}