Information
| Year: | 2004 |
| Rating: | 7.6(85519) |
| Listed in: | Biography, Drama |
| Directed by: | Martin Scorsese |
| Actors: | Leonardo DiCaprio John C. Reilly Alec Baldwin Alan Alda Cate Blanchett Kate Beckinsale |
| "For some men, the sky was the limit. For him, it was just the beginning." | |
Cast
| Directed by | |
|---|---|
| Martin Scorsese | |
| Actors | |
| Leonardo DiCaprio | as Howard Hughes |
| John C. Reilly | as Noah Dietrich |
| Alec Baldwin | as Juan Trippe |
| Alan Alda | as Senator Ralph Owen Brewster |
| Ian Holm | as Professor Fitz |
| Danny Huston | as Jack Frye |
| Jude Law | as Errol Flynn |
| Adam Scott | as Johnny Meyer |
| Matt Ross | as Glenn Odekirk |
| Brent Spiner | as Robert Gross |
| Stanley DeSantis | as Louis B. Mayer |
| Edward Herrmann | as Joseph Breen |
| Willem Dafoe | as Roland Sweet |
| Kenneth Welsh | as Dr. Hepburn |
| J.C. MacKenzie | as Ludlow |
| Jacob Davich | as Howard Hughes - 9 Years Old |
| Sam Hennings | as Frank |
| Joe Chrest | as Hell's Angels Director of Photography |
| Rufus Wainwright | as Cocoanut Grove Vocalist #1 |
| Harry Standjofski | as Crony of Louis B. Mayer |
| Vince Giordano | as Cocoanut Grove Band Member |
| Justin Shilton | as Hell's Angels Pilot |
| Arthur Holden | as Radio Announcer |
| Raymond Ducasse | as Roscoe Turner |
| Joseph P. Reidy | as Aide to Howard |
| Stéphane Demers | as Maitre d' |
| Yves Jacques | as Waiter |
| Loudon Wainwright III | as Cocoanut Grove Vocalist #2 |
| Jason Cavalier | as Cocoanut Grove Patron |
| Chris Ufland | as Engineer |
| Al Dubois | as Pan Am Executive #1 |
| Alan Toy | as Man on Crutches |
| Sebastian Tillinger | as Timer |
| James Bradford | as Uncle Willy |
| Joe Cobden | as Another Guest #1 |
| Alan Fawcett | as Chairman MPA |
| Jordan St. James | as Hughes' Aide at Censor Hearing |
| David Purdham | as Emcee |
| Kevin O'Rourke | as Spencer Tracy |
| Vincent Laresca | as Jorge |
| Matt Holland | as Hughes' Staff Person |
| Dennis St John | as Nick the Custodian |
| Keith Campbell | as Marine |
| Al Vandecruys | as Doctor |
| James Rae | as FBI Agent |
| Terry Haig | as Another Senator |
| James McNamara | as Himself |
| John Koensgen | as Pan Am Executive #2 |
| Vladimir Kuznetsov Smith | as Caretaker |
| Mark Akeson | as Caretaker |
| Jason Pollard | as Caretaker |
| Pascal Anctil | as Reporter |
| Matthew I. Baker | as Photographer at 'Hell's Angels' Wrap Party |
| Gavin Black | as Hell's Angels Crewman |
| John David Braddock | as Photographer |
| John Brody | as Policeman |
| Benjamin Centoducati | as Film Worker |
| Al Coronel | as Bi-Plane Mechanic #1 |
| Matthew Corbett Davis | as Howard Hughes Aide |
| Brian Fortuna | as Dancer |
| Jess Graham | as Plane Engineer |
| Ian Halperin | as Hospital Room Visitor |
| Trevor Hayes | as Chef |
| Harrison Held | as Louis B. Mayer Crony |
| David Hillberg | as Stage Hand |
| Chase Hoyt | as Usher |
| Larry Kagele | as Pilot |
| Jason Klamm | as Man in Tux at 'Hell's Angels' Premiere |
| John Koehsgen | as Pan Am Executive #2 |
| Brian T. Lynch | as Ground Crewman |
| Lon Moriarty | as Hell's Angels Airline Mechanic |
| Eddie Napolillo | as Burly Man at 'Hell's Angels' Wrap Party |
| Matthew Reidy | as Photographer |
| Robert Robitaille | as Last Senator to the right |
| Scott Sahadi | as Photographer |
| Martin Scorsese | as Hell's Angels Projectionist/Man on Red Carpet |
| Frank Sivero | as Photographer |
| R. Bruce Steinheimer | as Plane Engineer/Field Tech |
| Michael-John Wolfe | as Cary Grant |
| Jeremy Zafran | as TWA Executive |
| Actresses | |
| Cate Blanchett | as Katharine Hepburn |
| Kate Beckinsale | as Ava Gardner |
| Gwen Stefani | as Jean Harlow |
| Kelli Garner | as Faith Domergue |
| Frances Conroy | as Mrs. Hepburn |
| Amy Sloan | as Howard Hughes's Mother |
| Josie Maran | as Cigarette Girl |
| Francesca Scorsese | as Little Girl |
| Charlotte Scott | as Little Girl |
| Linda Smith | as Another Guest #2 |
| Lisa Bronwyn Moore | as Noah's Wife |
| Emma Campbell | as Helen - Jack Frye's wife |
| Martha Wainwright | as Cocoanut Grove Vocalist #3 |
| Kathleen McAuliffe | as Brewster's Maid |
| Nellie Sciutto | as Secretary |
| Isabelle Champeau | as Editor |
| Elizabeth DeCicco | as Starlet |
| Elisa Dyann | as Coat Check Girl |
| Antonella Elia | as Secretary |
| Meghan Elizabeth | as Starlet |
| Danielle Franke | as Esquire Starlet |
| Lauren LeMay | as Starlet |
| Heather Sconyers | as Bathing beauty |
| Cathy Symonds | as Cocoanut Grove Patron |
Movie info
| Languages: | English |
| Filming dates: | 7 July 2003 - 14 November 2003 |
| Budget: | USD 110,000,000 |
| Gross: |
USA - 99,061,021 USD (13 March 2005) UK - 7,885,636 GBP (27 February 2005) Italy - 5,459,367 EUR (3 April 2005) Netherlands - 913,171 EUR (13 February 2005) |
| Plot: | Focusing on his early years (from the 1930 production of 'Hell's Angels' to the 1947 test flight of the Blue Spruce, when he was 42), this is the story of how young Howard Hughes transformed a small fortune into a massive one. The son of the Texan inventor of an amazing drill bit who died when he was 18, leaving him with 75% of the "Hughes Tool Co.", Howard Hughes quickly moved to Los Angeles to become a Hollywood film producer, where he helped launch the career of Jean Harlow and other starlets, and producing such classics as Hell's Angels, The Front Page, Flying Leathernecks, and Scarface (the 1932 original), eventually owning RKO Pictures. Hughes' legend came not from focusing on just Hollywood, however, as he simultaneously branched into industry after industry, including aviation in 1932 (including TWA Airlines), and during WWII, defense, leading to the creation of the (infamous) Spruce Goose, a flying boat of immense size. After WWII, Hughes' expansions continued, with an electronics company that was integral to the evolution of the satellite, and Hughes' several Las Vegas casinos (though this film may be ending before he moves there). This film will also focus on Hughes' romances with Hollywood stars like Katharine Hepburn and Ava Gardner. |
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Original Soundtracks
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"Music" (1930) from Hell's Angels (1930) Written by Adolph Tandler Courtesy of Universal Studios "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise" (1922) Music by George Gershwin Lyrics by Ira Gershwin and Buddy G. DeSylva (as Buddy DeSylva) Performed by Rufus Wainwright Courtesy of DreamWorks Records "Milenberg Joys" (1925) Music by Paul Mares, Ferdinand 'Jelly Roll' Morton (as Ferdinand Morton) and Leon Rappolo Lyrics by Walter Melrose Performed by Vince Giordano and His Nighthawks Orchestra "Shake That Thing" (1925) Written by Charlie 'Papa' Jackson (as "Papa" Charlie Jackson) Performed by Vince Giordano and His Nighthawks Orchestra "Fireworks" (1928) Written by Spencer Williams Performed by The Original Memphis Five Courtesy of MCA Records Under License from Universal Music Enterprises "Toccata and Fugue in D-Minor, BWV 565" (ca 1705) Written by Johann Sebastian Bach (uncredited) Performed by The Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Eugene Ormandy Courtesy of BMG Classics By Arrangement with BMG Film & TV Music "Yellow Dog Blues" (1914) Written by W.C. Handy Performed by Vince Giordano and His Nighthawks Orchestra "Blue Skies" (1927) Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin Performed by Al Jolson Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment "Somebody Stole My Gal" (1918) Written by Leo Wood Performed by The Original Memphis Five Courtesy of Columbia Records By Arrangement with Sony BMG Music Licensing "Thanks" (1933) Music by Arthur Johnston Lyrics by Sam Coslow Performed by Bing Crosby with Jimmy Grier and His Orchestra (as Jimmy Grier & His Orchestra) Courtesy of Columbia Records By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing "Avalon" (1920) Music and Lyrics by Buddy G. DeSylva (as Buddy DeSylva), Al Jolson and Vincent Rose Performed by Benny Goodman Quartet Courtesy of The RCA Records Label, a unit of BMG Under License from BMG Film & Television Music "Happy Feet" (1930) Music by Milton Ager Lyrics by Jack Yellen Performed by The Manhattan Rhythm Kings "After You've Gone" (1918) Music and Lyrics by Henry Creamer and Turner Layton Performed by Loudon Wainwright III "Moon Glow" (1934) Music by Will Hudson and Irving Mills Lyrics by Edgar De Lange (as Edgar DeLange) Performed by Benny Goodman Quartet Courtesy of The RCA Records Label, a unit of BMG Under license from BMG Film & Television "Ain't Cha Glad" (1933) Music by Fats Waller (as Thomas Waller) Lyrics by Andy Razaf Performed by David Johansen "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" (1928) Music by Jimmy McHugh Lyrics by Dorothy Fields Performed by Django Reinhardt and the Quintet of the Hot Club of France Vocal by Freddy Taylor Courtesy of The RCA Records Label, a unit of BMG Under License from BMG Film & Television "Ou Est Tu, Mon Amour?" Music by Emile Stern Lyrics by Henry Lemarchand (as Henri LeMarchand) Performed by Django Reinhardt and the Quintet of the Hot Club of France Vocal by Freddy Taylor (uncredited) Courtesy of The RCA Records Label, a unit of BMG Under License from BMG Film & Television Music "Paramount on Parade" (1930) Music by Jack King Lyrics by Elsie Janis "Down South Camp Meetin'" (1935) Music by Fletcher Henderson Lyrics by Irving Mills Performed by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra Courtesy of The RCA Records Label, a unit of BMG Under License from BMG Film & Television Music "Some of These Days" (1910) Music and Lyrics by Shelton Brooks Performed by Bing Crosby with Lennie Hayton and His Orchestra Courtesy of Columbia Records By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing "Symphony No.6 in B Minor (Pathétique) Op. 74" (1893) Written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (as Tchaikovsky) Orchestrated and Arranged by Howard Shore "St. Louis Blues" (1914) Music and Lyrics by W.C. Handy Performed by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra Courtesy of The RCA Records Label, a unit of BMG Under License from BMG Film & Television Music "Bugle Call Rag" (1923) (Benny Goodman version 1938) Music and Lyrics by Billy Meyers, Jack Pettis and Elmer Schoebel Performed by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra Courtesy of The RCA Records Label, a unit of BMG Under License from BMG Film & Television Music "Marie" (1928) Written by Irving Berlin Performed by Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra (as Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra) Vocal by Jack Leonard Courtesy of The RCA Records Label, a unit of BMG Under License from BMG Film & Television Music "Nightmare" (1937) Written by Artie Shaw Performed by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra Courtesy of RCA Under License from BMG Film & Television Music "Brazil" (1939) Music by Ary Barroso Lyrics by S.K. Russell (uncredited) Performed by Vince Giordano and His Nighthawks Orchestra "Stardust" (1929) Music by Hoagy Carmichael Lyrics by Mitchell Parish Performed by Vince Giordano and His Nighthawks Orchestra "I'll Be Seeing You" (1944) Music by Sammy Fain Lyrics by Irving Kahal Performed by Martha Wainwright "Cow Cow Boogie" (1941) Music and Lyrics by Don Raye, Benny Carter and Gene de Paul (as Gene DePaul) Performed by Ella Fitzgerald Featuring The Ink Spots Courtesy of MCA Records Under License from Universal Music Enterprises "Do I Worry?" (1941) Music and Lyrics by Bobby Worth and Stanley Cowan Performed by The Ink Spots Courtesy of MCA Records Under License from Universal Music Enterprises "Rhythm Futur" Written and Performed by Django Reinhardt and the Quintet of the Hot Club of France Courtesy of EMI Records Under License from EMI Film & Television Music "Bombasto" Music by Orin R. Farrar (uncredited) Performed by The Eastman Wind Ensemble Courtesy of Philips Classics Under License of Universal Music Enterprises "Back Beat Boogie" (1939) Written by Harry James Performed by Harry James and His Orchestra Courtesy of Columbia Records By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing "Moonlight Serenade" (1939) Music by Glenn Miller Lyrics by Mitchell Parish Performed by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra Courtesy of The RCA Records Label, a unit of BMG Under License from BMG Film & Television Music "Howard Hughes" (1940) Written by Leadbelly (as Huddie Leadbetter), John A. Lomax and Alan Lomax Performed by Leadbelly Recorded by Alan Lomax, August 23, 1940, Washington DC Courtesy of Estates of Leadbelly and Alan Lomax |
Goofs
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DATE: At least one of the Fokker biplanes shown rolling for takeoff in the Hell's Angels (1930) scenes had a modern opposed cylinder engine. Continuity: When Howard and Faith are at the nightclub, they share a chocolate sundae. The scene begins with a continuity issue involving Faith's spoon. As the sundae itself melts and re-freezes, the cherry jumps from the top to the side and back to the top with fresher fudge. Also, at one point, Faith is shown with her arm raised, eating, but, in the very next shot, her arm is on her lap. DATE: The grounded TWA Constellation airliners shown are "Super G Constellations" with wing-tip fuel tanks, a model that did not fly until 1951. TWA would still be flying regular "Constellations" in 1946, when the scene was supposed to have taken place, as all Lockheed Constellations were grounded from July 12 until August 23, 1946. DATE: In the early scene when Hughes takes Hepburn on a flight over LA, the first aerial shots briefly show a couple of obviously modern buildings as well as part of a freeway. DATE: The first time we see Pan-Am's headquarters, a close-up of the upper portion of the Chrysler Building shows several cellular telephone antennae. Continuity: The posters outside the viewing room where Howard locks himself change when he leaves. Before he leaves, the Scarface (1932) poster is on the left and the Hell's Angels (1930) poster is on the right, but by the time he's gone they have switched. Continuity: When the model of the Hercules is brought out to promote the plane's construction, the propellers are turning in the wide shots, but not in the close-ups. DATE: In 1928, Hughes orders "10 chocolate chip cookies" - which were not invented until 1933. Continuity: During the brawl in the nightclub, the violin player is standing/sitting between shots. Continuity: As Hughes steps out of his plane just before meeting Hepburn on the beach and he buttons his coat, his tie is outside the coat. In the next shot of Hughes, the tie is tucked in under the buttoned coat. DATE: In the Pantages Theatre premiere sequence, posters for The Women (1939) are quite visible. On the soundtrack we hear an announcer praising the newly discovered Ava Gardner who did not enter films until 1941. DATE: The Honolulu clock behind Brewster shows the time is 9:30, 3 hours earlier than the time on the Los Angeles clock (12:30). Based on Brewster's line about Harry S. Truman being Vice President, the scene takes place between January-April 1945. Until the Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time Zone was changed to its present 3-hour differential in 1947, Hawaii was a half-hour behind the West Coast. Revealing mistakes: In a shot with the Hercules aircraft in the background, a painter is seen applying paint to the nose-area of the aircraft with a paint roller. The roller passes past the section that he is supposed to be painting. DATE: Howard Hughes refers to the Lockheed "F-80" when he's talking to Noah and Odie about working with jet engines. Since this conversation took place the same day as the flight of the Spruce Goose, 2 November 1947, then he should have called it the "P-80", as the Air Force did not discard the "Pursuit" designation until 1948. Miscellaneous: In the closing credits, Kenneth Welsh's name is misspelled as Kenneth Walsh. Continuity: When Howard is lying in the hospital bed, the pillow changes positions between shots. Continuity: The overhead shot of the H-1 just before Hughes takes it off for its test flight show the airplane with its short wings (used for setting pure speed records), whereas the in-flight shots portray the airplane with its long wings (used for cross-country races and setting cross-country records). Continuity: When Hughes is checking the control panel mock-ups for the Hercules, his hands are on/off the controls between shots. Revealing mistakes: When Hughes is staring at his hands in the projection room he raises them to be illuminated by the light of the projector in a close-up, but in the subsequent long shot, although his hands are still in the light, there are no shadows of the hands on the screen. DATE: When the Spruce Goose first gets airborne, two members of the crew stationed behind the cockpit can be seen briefly exchanging a high five. DATE: When Howard is in the hospital, Trippe sends a flower arrangement that contains Gerber Daisies. Gerber Daisies are a hybrid and were not bred until after the 1950s. DATE: Near the end of the film, when Hughes and others are in the tent beside the Spruce Goose, the ceiling fans are of a modern style not invented in the 1950s. DATE: There are references to both Ava Gardner and Linda Darnell well before either became a movie actress. DATE: The dialog places the scene where Hughes shows Frye and Gross the XF-11 on Christmas Night 1944, but the plane's insignia is of the post-World War II USAF, a red bar in the center of the white bar; it should have just the white bar. And the star on the left boom is pointing in the wrong direction. Continuity: At the premiere screening of Hell's Angels (1930), in the first wide shot after the film ends, Dietrich is seen to be one of the first to applaud, but on the close up of him, he is shown as being hesitant and watching others to see if they start applauding. Continuity: In the first scene where they are filming Hell's Angels (1930), Hughes puts his hand up in the air in a close-up, but then it's down by his side when they cut to the wide shot. Continuity: In the restaurant scene with the indoor snowfall, snowflakes on Howard's shoulders appear and disappear between shots. Continuity: When Howard does his first (and last) flight with the Xf-11, you can see a very wide runway from the cockpit view before takeoff. But from the outside view (probably made with 3d studio) you can see a narrow runway. DATE: Whilst Katharine Hepburn and Howard Hughes are dining in the Coconut Grove in 1935, she states "Haven't you heard? I'm being labeled box office poison..." Hepburn and a list of other stars including Mae West and Joan Crawford were not listed as box office poison until 1938 by a board of film distributors. Continuity: When Hughes is dining with Senator Brewster in the hotel, his jacket seems to vary between being buttoned and unbuttoned. Before he rises to leave, he buttons it, but when he stands up, it is unbuttoned again. Then when he walks into the hallway (in what appears to be a differently coloured jacket) it is buttoned up again. Continuity: When Hughes leaves the hotel room after his dinner with the senator, he is wearing a different color suit. BOOM: When Howard is in the hospital after his plane crash, a boom mic is visible on the door. Continuity: In the frontal shot of the Hercules, the pilot's and copilot's cockpit windows are open. The next shot is from the side of the Hercules and the windows are closed. Revealing mistakes: During the filming of Hell's Angels (1930), as one of the SE5a scout biplanes taxis past, the fact that it is a reduced-scale replica is obvious due to the oversize pilot's head. Also, same shot, you can see his modern microphone attached to the helmet. Continuity: When Howard rolls out the "Spruce Goose" at the dinner party, the plane's eight engines are shown with propellers spinning, then seen from a different angle they are not spinning, and then back to a head-on shot they are spinning again. Continuity: In the Coconut Grove when we first see Errol Flynn , the waiter brings out Howard's "usual", which includes 12 peas. The first shot of the dinner plate shows 12 peas. The shot of the dinner plate after Jude Law steals a pea still shows 12 peas. The amount of peas does not change until the third shot of the dinner plate showing that there are now 10 peas. Continuity: When Faith Domergue crashes her car into Howard Hughes and Ava Gardner's car, even after two crashes there is no significant damage seen on either car. Revealing mistakes: During the test flight of the Hughes H-1 racer, as Hughes pulls the plane up over the runway, a shadow on the ground reveals a plane with fixed undercarriage - the H-1 had retractable landing gear. Continuity: When Howard is washing his hands at the Coconut Grove, the one where he cuts his finger, the overhead shots of his scrubbing his hands vigorously has inconsistencies in the splashes on the sink: first spotted with dirty splashes, then no splashes on the sink and then lightly spotted with dirty splashes. CHAR: When first in the Coconut Grove, Howard orders a "milk with the cap still on". When Howard receives the milk there is no cap on it. Fact errors: Odie was not aboard the Hercules on her maiden flight because Hughes wanted there to be no doubt that he was at the controls. Those on board with Hughes were Radio Operator Merle Coffee, Flight Engineer Don Smith, Flight Mechanic John Glen, James McNamara , and various reporters. DATE: In the Coconut Grove Errol Flynn is portrayed as an established and successful movie star. The scene is set prior to September 13, 1935 (the date given in a scene soon thereafter), but Flynn was virtually unknown until Captain Blood (1935), which was released in December of that year. Fact errors: When the speed is read out during flight it is given in miles per hour. Aviators always refer to speed in knots. The speedometer is labeled in knots also. (They made sure to do it twice so we didn't miss the error.) Continuity: As Howard enters the tent at the end of the film, he raises his arms to clasp Noah and Odie on their backs. But in the next shot, his arms are down. Continuity: The shot of Howard and Ava talking near the end is spliced with a shot of them over Howard's shoulder with her mouth open, then back to the first shot, and her mouth is closed. Continuity: As Howard enters the tent at the end of the film, he is carrying his hat. When he's talking to Noah and Odie in the next shot, his hat is on his head. Fact errors: In the film, the Hercules is not only airborne, but flying over boats and above the newsreel cameras filming it. In fact, the Hercules was airborne for about 20 seconds, and was never more than 70 feet above the water. Fact errors: In the film, the witnesses inside the Hercules are seated and separated from Hughes as he was at the controls. Newsreel footage showed that people were actually standing in the cockpit, with James McNamara steps away from Hughes. Revealing mistakes: When we see Sir Ian Holm sitting in the Hercules his head barely comes over the back of the seat. In reverse shots the head and shoulders of Professor Fitz are clearly visible - obviously a stand-in. Continuity: When Professor Fitz tells Hughes there are clouds in Oakland, the sky behind Fitz is blue, but the sky behind Hughes is white. Continuity: Errol Flynn reaches out for Katharine Hepburn's hand twice as Howard Hughes introduces them. Continuity: Errol Flynn has a drink in his left hand when he approaches Katharine Hepburn and Howard Hughes ' table, but the drink is gone when he kisses her hand moments later, then later appears on the table, even though we don't see Flynn put it there. Continuity: The lamp shade Errol Flynn removes off the lamp sits flat on the table, then leans on its left side, then sits flat again. Continuity: The shots of Hughes flying the speed-test plane show him in an open cockpit, but the cockpit is clearly closed in the shots of the plane actually flying, then the cockpit is open again when Hughes lands in the beet field. Continuity: The sky alternates between sun and shade during the speed-test run. Revealing mistakes: Timing Hughes during the speed-test run, Odie says "347" (miles per hour) then "352", yet, both times, his stopwatch is at 18 seconds when he clicks it. Continuity: The close-ups of the stopwatch timing Hughes isn't the same stopwatch that Odie is holding. Continuity: Odie has his finger on the reset button of his stopwatch during the speed-test, then at the crown. Fact errors: Odie tells Hughes that there is enough fuel in the H-1 for two runs. Just after takeoff, the fuel gauge reads "43". Going into the first run, it's at "30". Going into the third run, it's nearly at "10". The H-1 doesn't drain that much fuel that quickly, nor would the gauge needle drop from "10" to "0" in a second, stalling the engine. Continuity: As Hughes crashes into the neighborhood, a pair of glasses on a kitchen counter fall down twice. Revealing mistakes: Hughes flies the H-1 without goggles, yet his eyes are not affected. Even with a windscreen, the wind should have caused his eyes to water. Continuity: While Hughes asks Ava if she wants to go to Paris, two guys with blue suits pass behind them three times. DATE: The Hell's Angels (1930) screened at the premier is not the master - which the real audience saw - but the 1989 restoration of the film, as evidenced by the blue-hued dirigible scenes. DATE: Luddy shoots Hughes with a Bolex reflex camera, which was not manufactured until the 1950s. DATE: Robert Gross's eyeglasses are too thin and modern for the time period. Revealing mistakes: One of the SE-5As planes that Hughes and Noah walk past has an air-cooled cylinder engine instead of its original water-cooled V8 engine. Continuity: As Hughes approaches Mayer at the Coconut Grove, the men with Mayer switch positions. Revealing mistakes: As Howard gets the idea to build a single-wing plane out of the bi-plane, Odie smashes the support holding up its upper wing with a beam. But the upper wing is already broken, with a covering laid over the joint. Continuity: When Hughes starts to shout "Oakland!", the shadow of the tower behind him and Dietrich changes. Continuity: When a model Hercules is shown at the party, it passes by two ladies in red twice. Continuity: Hughes's top speed on the last run in the H-1 is 352 MPH, yet going into the run, the speedometer needle is at 410 MPH, then it is at 352 when the needle pops out. Crew: Lighting screens are reflected in Katharine's glasses while she's in the car heading to the set. Continuity: The Spruce Goose flies over a group of boats, which disappear in the next shot. Moreover, the plane is flying lower in the shot. Fact errors: The real Hughes had brown eyes, but Leonardo DiCaprio's blue eyes are not covered with brown contact lenses. Continuity: As Hughes and Dietrich first talk on the Hell's Angels (1930) location, the same two men pushing a klieg light walk behind them twice. DATE: At least two of the Feds who trash Hughes's office are smoking filtered cigarettes before filtered cigarettes were introduced. Continuity: When Katharine and Hughes drive up to the Hepburn estate, it is sunny. When she gets out of the car moments later, the sky is overcast. When we zoom in on Hughes as Luddy shoots him, the sky is sunny again. When she gathers the clan and introduces them to Hughes, the sky behind them is blue, and the sunlight reflecting off of the roof is a yellow-orange, indicating that the sun is beginning to set. When we cut back to Hughes, the sunlight is the same as it was when we first cut to him as he was being shot by Luddy. Continuity: When Ava smacks Hughes, the flowers in the vase he knocks down fall onto the left side of the hearth. When we cut to the wide shot, the flowers are now strewn in front of the hearth and on the rug. When she stomps out of the room after him, the hearth is now clean. Continuity: After Dietrich introduces himself to Hughes, everything to their right disappears when the shot changes. Continuity: After Hughes yells "Oakland!", he passes behind Dietrich, then passes him again in the wide shot. Continuity: The positions of Hughes's arms and Frye's head as they talk about Hughes buying TWA. Continuity: The angle of the sketch of the Hercules on the back of the photo that Hughes hands to Odie changes. Fact errors: The film implies that Hughes re-shot Hell's Angels (1930) for sound. In fact, he re-shot the dialogue sequences only, tweaked the plot, and replaced Greta Nissen with Jean Harlow. Fact errors: The hearings were chaired by Michigan Senator Homer Ferguson, not Senator Brewster. Brewster did testify at the hearings, and was questioned by Hughes himself. Crew: Light screens are seen reflected in Robert Gross's eyeglasses. Continuity: Hughes's left hand is hanging up the phone as he points his right index finger up to acknowledge Katharine as she walks into the office. In the next shot, his left hand is rubbing his forehead, and the finger is down. Continuity: The right-side half of the soap holder on the bathroom sink as Hughes vigorously washes his hands is straight in one shot, then is lined up against the faucet in the next shot. Continuity: As Hughes confronts Roland Sweet, you see the face of the thug in the car behind Hughes. When we cut back to Hughes, the thug's face is completely dark. When we cut to Hughes again, the thug's face is visible again, and lighted differently from the first time we saw him. Continuity: Hughes is holding a pen and notebook as he asks Ava what she thinks about the new name of his airline. But we don't see the the pad or notebook anywhere when we cut to a wide shot of them moments later as he fetches her wrap. Continuity: As Frye tells Hughes about the airline route bill that Brewster is pushing on Trippe's behalf, Hughes removes his hat. In the next shot, the assistant walking behind them has the hat, and Hughes has the drawings for TWA's new logo. It's clear that Hughes exchanged the drawings for the hat, but we never see the assistant with the drawings to begin with. DATE: Senator Brewster's eyeglasses have non-reflective coating, which was not available then. Continuity: The static shot of Odie and the others watching Hughes zip by them during the speed test was clearly shot on a sound stage. Fact errors: Hughes writes in his notebook with his left hand as he asks Ava what she thinks about the new name of his airline. Archive photos show that the real Hughes wrote with his right hand. Continuity: At the lunch with Brewster, the garnish on Hughes's fish, the garnish next to the fish, and the potatoes and the asparagus on the plate move from when Hughes is served the meal to when he begins to eat. Continuity: Before the man throws the crumpled-up paper ball at Errol Flynn, a couple passes between them, disappear in the next shot, then reappear as Flynn turns around in reaction. Continuity: After Ava shaves Howard, she instructs him to rinse off his face. The water in the sink has drained, and the faucet is off. But as his hands move under the faucet, it is running, and there is water in the sink again. Continuity: After Hughes crashes the XF-11 and is laying on the ground, the left leg of his trousers is undamaged. As the Marine picks him up moments later, it's in tatters, and his left calf is now exposed. Continuity: As Hughes lifts off in the XF-11, there are yellow and white stripes on the runway that weren't there a moment earlier. Revealing mistakes: As Hughes runs his hand across the H-1's body the first time, you can see the sheet above his index finger bend in a bit, which shouldn't happen. Continuity: As Katharine blots her face with the handkerchief on the golf course, a group of people walk up the slope to her left in the opposite direction, but there is no sign of them or the slope in the next shot. Continuity: When Errol Flynn reaches Hughes and Katharine's table, he takes a final drag off of his cigarette, then exhales. When Flynn kisses Katharine's hand moments later, he is clearly exhaling the cigarette smoke. Continuity: Errol Flynn's cigarette moves from his right hand to his left hand as Hughes and Katharine stand up, then back to his right hand as they leave. Continuity: Errol Flynn holds a drink in his right hand and a cigarette in his left hand as the man behind him hits him with the crumpled-up paper ball. As he turns around to react in the next shot, the drink in now his left hand, and the cigarette is in his right hand. Continuity: As Hughes tells Dietrich "but it all makes good sense to me", the action behind them changes. Continuity: When we first see Louis B. Mayer, his arms are down. When he turns around after Howard Hughes taps him on the shoulder, he has a drink in his hand. Continuity: When we first see Louis B. Mayer, the bar that he and his party are gathered at is to his left. As he talks to Howard Hughes , the bar is now to his right as evidenced by the drink he sets down while talking to Hughes. Continuity: As Hughes talks to the cigarette girl at the Cocoanut Grove, the same couple walk up to the table behind him twice. SYNC: Louis B. Mayer's mouth movements doesn't match his vocals near the end of his talk with Hughes. Continuity: As Hughes complains about the airplane footage, his arms are moving in a circular motion in one shot, then his left arm is down in the next shot before he moves it again. Continuity: Hughes inspects a rudder while talking to Dietrich, but neither he or Dietrich are in the shot when we cut to a frontal view of the plane, even though we still hear Hughes talk. Continuity: We cut to a frontal view of the plane whose rudder Hughes is inspecting with Dietrich, then to a shot of Hughes and Odie at the propeller, but we never see Hughes and Dietrich walk around to the front of the plane. Continuity: In the projection room with Dietrich, Hughes jots down notes with his right hand. When he is at Ava's house much later in the film, he jots down notes with his left hand. Continuity: As Hughes is on the phone ordering Reel 10 to be re-run, his right index finger is pointed. When he orders chocolate chip cookies in the next shot, the finger now touches his thumb in an "OK"-like gesture. Continuity: As Dietrich breaks the bad news regarding the cost overruns on Hell's Angels (1930), Hughes runs his hands through his hair up either side of his head, then stops. In the next shot, his hands have met on the back of his head, with the the fingers interlocked. Continuity: The mink on Katharine's right shoulder before and after Hughes hands her the steering wheel of the plane. Continuity: When Hughes is burning his clothes, his fringe appears in the close ups and disappears in the wide shots. Continuity: The sunlight as Hughes taxis down the runway in the H-1 changes radically. Continuity: Hughes puts the drawings for TWA's new logo down on the table to free his hands. But as he chews out the assistant who gave him the drawings, we cut to a close-up of the mock TWA logo, and Hughes is holding it with his left hand. In the next shot, his hands are empty again. Continuity: As Hughes orders Frye to dig up dirt on Brewster, a man in a full brown coverall suit appears behind Fyre that wasn't among the workers until then. Continuity: As Hughes finishes shaving as he talks to Katharine, there is still foam on his chin. As he moves to rinse his face, the foam is gone. Revealing mistakes: As Hughes wipes the blood off his hands in the Cocoanut Grove bathroom, it is obvious from the spots on the towel that it is make-up and not actually emitting from the cut on his finger. CHAR: Katharine's reaction when Hughes pushes the yoke to her tells us that she knows nothing about flying, yet he doesn't give her a basic rundown of the instruments and controls. Fact errors: Because Hughes has been in the projection room for weeks, he should be dehydrated, yet not only does he produce enough urine to fill dozens of milk bottles, the urine is clear; it should be dark yellow or amber. Continuity: The "fog" surrounding the model of the Hercules as it taxis up and down the runway changes radically. Continuity: The two models who present the Hercules are at the curtain as it parts. In the next shot, they are standing several feet from the curtain, near the middle of the runway. Continuity: As Hughes stands at the doors to his office, the ice cream carton he holds has shifted to his left hand, and the spoon, which had been against the carton, is now in his right hand. Continuity: The ice cream spoon Hughes holds against the carton as he enters his office is in the carton when he defies Katharine and answers the phone. Fact errors: Hughes is shown ordering 40 Lockheed Constellations on Christmas Night 1944 after being pitched by Frye and Gross. In fact, in 1939, after Hughes bought 25% of TWA at Frye's behest, he requested a 40-passenger transcontinental airliner with a 3,500 mile range from Lockheed; in the movie, Frye and Gross pitch a 60-passenger craft with a 3,000 mile range. Fact errors: The propeller tips on the XF-11 are painted. Archive photos show that the first XF-11 didn't have paint on the propellers tips, but the second XF-11 did. Continuity: The sunlight when Hughes is in the cockpit of the XF-11, taxis down the runway, then takes off. CHAR: A main plot point is that Hughes is mysophobic, yet he engages in behavior that someone who suffers from mysophobia would not: he makes incidental contact with various characters; he opens the doors of public places with a bare hand; he turns the public restroom faucets on with a bare hand, and uses their towels; Katharine and Ava complain about his womanizing; Ava refers to his "filthy gym shoes"; he shares the same sundae and spoon with Faith; he shakes hands with Brewster before their lunch; he leaves food in the projection room half-eaten and exposed to ants; he shakes hands with people as he walks out of the hearings. Continuity: The handkerchief folds in the breast pocket of Trippe's dress jacket as he talks to Hughes at the Cocoanut Grove. Continuity: Hughes has small hands with slender fingers, but the right hand that reaches for the Cocoanut Grove bathroom door is broader with beefier fingers. Continuity: The Sydney, Honolulu, and Los Angeles clocks first seen in Trippe's office are later replaced by clocks representing New York, London, and Paris. PLOT: How did Faith know exactly where Hughes and Ava were going, and when they would arrive? Continuity: As Mrs. Hepburn asks Hughes about his politics, the drinking glasses before her and the plate of sliced bread before him are spaced apart, and he holds a bowl of carrots even though he doesn't have a plate. Katharine passes a bowl of string beans to Mrs. Hepburn, who passes them back to her, and takes the carrots with her left hand. When we cut to Hughes after Mrs. Hepburn asks him about Roosevelt, the carrots are now in her right hand, and the drinking glasses in front of her have moved. As Hughes grunts, the carrots are in Mrs. Hepburn's left hand again. When we cut to Hughes after Luddy says "What are you snickering at?", there are carrots on Uncle Willy's plate that weren't there before. As Hughes complains about the dog, Luddy holds the string beans with his left hand. In the next shot, Luddy's left hand reaches for the dog under the table. In the next shot, Luddy holds the string beans with his left hand again. When Dr. Hepburn says "Don't you like dogs?", there are carrots on Hughes's plate that weren't there before. When we cut to Mrs. Hepburn, she is holding a full bowl of carrots. When she passes the carrots to Katharine without serving herself as Hughes says "No, no, I wasn't", the amount of carrots has changed, and the carrots on Hughes's plate are gone. As Luddy asks Katharine something, he passes the string beans to his right. When Dr. Hepburn says "A bad experience? With a dog?", the string beans are passed across him. Two shots later, Luddy holds the string beans again. Seven shots later, Hughes holds the string beans. When Dr. Hepburn asks Hughes if he reads, Hughes handles a fork and a napkin. When Uncle Willy reacts to Hughes's use of the word "snuff", Hughes is leaned over to his right as he looks at Uncle Willy, then, two shots later, is upright holding just the napkin. When we cut to Hughes after Mrs. Hepburn says "Flying magazines?", his hands are on his lap, and the plate that was next to the vase before is now near him. When Katharine mentions the plane Hughes is building, Luddy, a glass up to his lips, says "Oh, really?", but his lips don't move. We then cut to Luddy, and the glass is gone. When Luddy says "a mere trifle, darling", Hughes's arms are in his lap when they should still be holding the two pieces of bread he was using to describe the plane he is building. As Hughes reacts to Dr. Hepburn telling him he's a urologist, there is a fork and vegetables on Hughes's plate that weren't there before. When Hughes says "I'll bet", the fork and vegetables are gone. As Hughes says "Well, that's because you have it", his plate is gone, the drinking glass and the sliced bread are in the same spot they were when the scene began, the spoon in the string beans has moved, and the amount of beans in the bowl has changed. When Hughes gets up, his plate reappears, there is a red pitcher between Hughes and the lady which should have been in the shots of Hughes from Dr. Hepburn's point-of-view, and there is a candle holder near Katharine and Mrs. Hepburn which we should have seen in the shots involving them. FAIR: Various people and events in Hughes' life, and events in the lives of the real-life characters he interacts with have been altered or omitted to fit the dramatic narrative. Fact errors: According to biographers, Hughes Tool Company ("Tool Co"), which owned a 90% market share of petroleum drill bits, was such a gusher of cash, the financial crunches in the movie never took place. Hughes entered the entertainment, aviation, and hospitality industries solely by using the revenues generated by Tool Co. In 1953, Hughes spun off Hughes Aircraft, which had been spun off from Tool Co., and donated it to the Howard Hughes Medical Institute as its endowment. Fact errors: Hughes replies to Mrs. Hepburn's statement "we don't care about money" with "that's because you've always had it", an insinuation that he has made his own way whereas they were of "old money" (a "point" Hughes makes again when he says: "some of us choose to work for a living" as he leaves the table). In fact, it was opposite: the real Hughes was born into millions whereas the Hepburns, while well-off, had to work for what they had. Fact errors: While shooting the dogfight, a plane clips the camera mounted on Hughes' plane, and brown film spews out. Brown is the hue of undeveloped color film. Hell's Angels (1930) was shot in black and white; the hue of undeveloped black and white film is either gray or blue. In the next shot the camera mounted on the plane is undamaged. SYNC: The singer at the Cocoanut Grove is at the microphone until we cut to a wide shot, and he's now stepped away from the microphone and swinging his arm, yet we still hear him singing. FAIR: Hell's Angels (1930) is set during World War I when parachutes were unavailable to pilots. But parachutes were available in 1930 and the Hell's Angels crew made use of them out of common sense. CHAR: Hughes has cellophane wrapped on the yoke of the plane he flies Katharine in, yet the stick of the H-1, the yoke of the XF-11, the yokes he has to choose from for the Hercules, the yoke and the throttles of the Hercules, and his car's steering wheel on have nothing wrapped on them. Fact errors: In a newsreel account, Hughes himself says that the H-1's top speed was "approximately 370 miles an hour", and that the engine failed when the plane was "20 feet above the ground". In the movie, the H-1's top speed is 352 MPH, and the engine fails in mid-air. CHAR: Johnny Meyer tells Hughes that all the color cameras in Hollywood are being used by Cecil B. DeMille, who is making a movie for Paramount. The film referenced, The King of Kings (1927), was actually made for Pathé-DeMille, not Paramount. Fact errors: When Hughes asks how long can the Civil Aeronautics Board keep the Constellations grounded, Frye replies until the CAB completes its investigation into "the Redding (Pennsylvania) crash". Although all Constellations were grounded from 12 July - 23 August 1946 (the period covered in the scene), there wasn't a commercial plane crash in the US in 1945 or 1946, and there wasn't a crash involving a Constellation until 20 October 1948. FAIR: It is not certain that Hughes had any of his germ phobias prior to either the crash of the XF-11 or the congressional hearings. However, according to Faith Domergue's autobiography, Hughes began to display the bizarre behavior that would typify his later years as early as 1942. Fact errors: In the H-1 run, Hughes wears a fedora. As the newsreel account of the ensuing crash showed, he actually wore a skull cap and goggles. Continuity: The amount and position of fudge on the sundae that Howard and Faith share in the Cocoanut Grove changes with each shot. |
Quotes
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Howard Hughes: I feel like a little adventure. Katharine Hepburn: Do your worst, Mr. Hughes. Juan Trippe: If you let him testify at that hearing, the whole world will see what he's become. They should remember him for what he was. Howard Hughes: Do you know those men? Do they work for me? Noah Dietrich: Everybody works for you, Howard. Howard Hughes: Come in with the milk. Come in with the milk. Come in with the milk. Ava Gardner: Get that crazy bitch away from me! Howard Hughes: Will you marry me? Ava Gardner: You're too crazy for me. Ava Gardner: You listened to my phone calls? Howard Hughes: No! No! No! Honey I would never do that! I'd never do that! I... I just read the transcripts, that's all. Katharine Hepburn: [flying Howard's plane] Howard, there's a rather alarming mountain heading our way. Howard Hughes: Show me all the blueprints. Show me all the blueprints. Show me all the blueprints... show me all the blueprints... show me all the blueprints... show me all the blueprints... [last lines] Howard Hughes: The way of the future. Howard Hughes: [pensively weighing options] I could do that. TWA Executive: Do what? Howard Hughes: Buy it. TWA Executive: You wanna *buy* the airline? Howard Hughes: Well why not? We don't want a bunch of pencil-pushers gettin' in the way of us makin' our plane now do we? TWA Executive: No... Howard Hughes: [walking away] You call Noel Dietrich. You tell him to start buying! TWA Executive: [yelling after him in shock] Hang on Howard! You sure you don't want to stop and think about this for a second? Howard Hughes: Nope! I've got a tiger by the tail here and I'm not about to let go! Noah Dietrich: You've just placed the largest order for aircraft in the history of the United States, Howard! I've got a bill here from Lockheed-Martin for forty million dollars! Do you think I've got that just sitting around in petty cash? Noah Dietrich: I've gotta tell you, the board over in Houston has been getting a little concerned about the cost of this operation out here. Howard Hughes: [grimicing] Ah! would you stop showing them the books, Noah? Noah Dietrich: That's illegal Howard. Howard Hughes: [smiling] Well, maybe it's a little naughty. Noah Dietrich: We're incorporated in Houston. The board has to see the books. Howard Hughes: Well, incorporate a new division out here. We'll call it Hughes Aircraft. Get into that will ya? Katharine Hepburn: What's that on the steering wheel? Howard Hughes: Cellophane. If you had any idea of the crap that people carry around on their hands. Katharine Hepburn: What kind of crap? Howard Hughes: You don't wanna know. Howard Hughes: You have called me a liar and a thief and a war profiteer. Howard Hughes: You want to go to war with me? Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster: It's not me, Howard. It's the United States Government. We just beat Germany and Japan. Who the hell are you? Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster: All right, let's get down to business. Let's talk turkey. My investigation... [He nearly bursts into laughter] Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster: My investigation has turned up a lot of dirt. It could be really embarassing if this stuff got out. I'd like to save you from that embarassment. Howard Hughes: That's very kind of you, Owen. Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster: My committee has the power to hold public hearings. I'd like to spare you from that. Howard Hughes: [smirks] Would you, now? [Brewster abruptly drops his silverware] Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster: Look, do you wanna go down in history as a war profiteer, Howard? Is that what you want? Howard Hughes: [gravely] What do you want, Owen? Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster: You agree to support my C.A.B. bill, and I won't hold public hearings. Howard Hughes: I can't do that, Owen. Can't do that. The C.A.B. bill would kill TWA. Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster: Sell T.W.A. to Pan Am. You'll get a good price. You'll get a fair price, I'm telling you. Howard Hughes: And then...? Then you won't go public? Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster: Right. That's right. The investigation's closed. Nobody knows a thing. It's better for everybody. [pause] Howard Hughes: You know, Owen, I'm still wondering one thing. The picture of the llama you got last year. Where'd you sail from? Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster: [disinterested] We didn't sail. We flew. Howard Hughes: You flew? Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster: Yeah. Howard Hughes: Ah. Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster: [Brewster stops chewing abruptly, realizing what Howard's implying] Howard Hughes: [leans in] Are you sure you want to do this, Owen? You want to go to war with me? Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster: It isn't me, Howard. It's the United States government. We just beat Germany and Japan. Who the hell are you? Howard Hughes: That's just what we do in my business. Howard Hughes: [as Hepburn leaves him] Actresses are cheap in this town - and I got a lot of money. Doctor: [after detailing Hughes's terrible injuries in the plane crash] He's getting blood transfusions now, but, uh... Noah Dietrich: Whose blood? Doctor: I'm sorry? Noah Dietrich: Whose blood? Doctor: From our stock. Noah Dietrich: Oh, he's not gonna like that. Doctor: Mr. Dietrich... I doubt he's ever gonna like or dislike anything again. I'm terribly sorry. Katharine Hepburn: I expect you to face this situation like an adul... Howard Hughes: DON'T TALK DOWN TO ME! Don't you ever talk talk down to me! You're a movie star, nothing more! Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster: [talking of Howard Hughes] I'll have him dragged here to Washington. I want to see the whites of his lies. Howard Hughes: [talking of Juan Trippe] He owns Pan-Am. He owns Congress. He owns the Civil Aeronautics Board. But he does not own the sky. Jack Frye: So you want me to bribe senators? Howard Hughes: I don't want them bribed, Jack. I want it done legally. I want them bought. Glenn Odekirk: 352 on your last run! Howard Hughes: She'll go faster. Katharine Hepburn: Let me take the wheel. [from trailer] Howard Hughes: I'm in a street fight, and I'm not going to lose. Howard Hughes: I want ten chocolate chip cookies. Medium chips. None too close to the outside. Spencer Tracy: Trouble with Mr. Hughes? Katharine Hepburn: There's too much "Howard Hughes" in Howard Hughes. That's the trouble. Katharine Hepburn: Can't you just eat ice cream out of a bowl, like everyone else? Howard Hughes: Look at me, Kate. Stop acting. Katharine Hepburn: Ha. I'm not acting. Howard Hughes: I wonder if you even know any more. Katharine Hepburn: Don't be unkind. Jack Frye: You want me to bribe senators? Howard Hughes: I don't want them bribed, Jack. I want this done legal. I want them *bought*. Noah Dietrich: Get a doctor! No one sees him like this! [Howard takes Kate to the Cocoanut Grove] Katharine Hepburn: Your kind of a joint, is it? Wouldn't have thought. Howard Hughes: Yeah, well, they're open late. I go to a hot dog stand on La Cienega, too; they're open 'til around 4. Katharine Hepburn: Are they? How marvelous! Howard Hughes: [doesn't hear what Kate says] Excuse me? Katharine Hepburn: Well, if you're deaf, you must own up to it. Get a hearing aid, or see my father. He's an urologist, but it's all tied up inside the body, don't you find? Howard Hughes: Mmm. Katharine Hepburn: Me, I keep healthy. I take seven showers a day to keep clean, also because I'm so vulgarly referred to as "outdoors-y." Well, I'm not "outdoors-y," 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? [Howard is getting attention after flying around the world in 3 days] Katharine Hepburn: You know, fame is supposed to be *my* turf. Howard Hughes: No, wait! Honey, you can't move! You can't move, you're safe here! You're in the germ-free zone now, y'understand? Ava Gardner: I'll take my chances. Howard Hughes: No, no! Honey, wait... wait, uh... [Ava removes the string barriers from the doorway and walks into the study. She turns on the light, revealing that entire room is covered with used tissues and string barriers everywhere. Silence for a moment] Ava Gardner: Love what you've done with the place... Howard Hughes: Does that look clean to you? Ava Gardner: Nothing's clean, Howard. But we do our best, right? Howard Hughes: You're the tallest woman I have ever met. Katharine Hepburn: And all sharp elbows and knees. Beware. [first lines] Allene Hughes: Q-u-a-r-a-n-t-i-n-e. Young Howard Hughes: Quarantine. Q-u-a-r-a-n-t-i-n-e. Quarantine. Katharine Hepburn: I've got a better idea, take me flying! Or better yet, I'll take you flying! Howard Hughes: Do your worst, Miss Hepburn. [on "The Outlaw"] Glenn Odekirk: Howard, you really think they're gonna let you put out a whole movie just about tits? Howard Hughes: Sure. Who doesn't like tits? Ava Gardner: You don't own me, Howard. I'm not one of your teenage whores and I'm not some damn airplane! Katharine Hepburn: I've been famous - for better or worse - for a long time now... I wonder if you know what that really means. Howard Hughes: I got my fair share of press on Hell's Angels. I'm used to it. Katharine Hepburn: Are you? Katharine Hepburn: Howard, 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. Howard Hughes: Kate, they can't get in here. We're safe. Katharine Hepburn: They can always get in. When my brother killed himself there were photographers at the funeral. There's no decency to it. Glenn Odekirk: We installed the 450 radial, but the struts won't take the vibration. Minute we go contact, the struts start craking at the attach points. Howard Hughes: Dammit, Odie, if the 450's too big, figure something else out! Glenn Odekirk: We've done everything - we've rebuilt her from top to bottom. If we drain the fuel tank for a couple of runs she might make 180 mph. Howard Hughes: I want minimum 200. Glenn Odekirk: Yeah, well, I want a date with Theda Bara, but that ain't gonna happen either. Howard Hughes: Don't be so sure... OK, OK, OK, this is a simple engineering problem. We just gotta think it out. [pause] So if the struts won't sustain the engine we need - then we gotta get rid of them. Glenn Odekirk: Then the top wing falls off. Howard Hughes: Then let it. Glenn Odekirk: What? Howard Hughes: Who says we need a top wing? [pauses] Who says we need *anything*? [Glenn is warming up to Hughes' idea] Glenn Odekirk: A monoplane... Howard Hughes: A cantilevered monoplane. They're doing it in France. To the hell with the top wing and the struts... Glenn Odekirk: 550 Whitney Wasp engine... Howard Hughes: 100 octane fuel will give us a top horsepower of - what? Glenn Odekirk: Seven hundred. Howard Hughes: Squeeze it to a thousand and we got the fastest plane ever built. Glenn Odekirk: You know, I just gotta say... we've already spent over $200,000 rebuilding this plane. Howard Hughes: To the hell with it. [smiles] Howard Hughes: Tear it up, Odie. [Glenn takes a sledgehammer and annihilates the struts on the top wing; the top wing falls off] Juan Trippe: [walks away from TV showing the Hughes investigation trial] Switch it off. Pan-Am Employee: The hearings aren't over yet. Juan Trippe: The hearings *are* over. [Is looking at a map of the globe] Juan Trippe: The airline bill will be defeated in the senate. TWA will beging flights over New York to Paris, leaving over Moscow to Japan - to Hawaii - to Los Angelses - To New York. [Realizes that Pan Am's monopoly is finished] Juan Trippe: Fuck. Howard Hughes: I care very much about aviation. Ava Gardner: Oh, a box of trash! You shouldn't have. Howard Hughes: Thats just what we do in my buisness. Howard Hughes: I read in the magazines that you play golf. Katharine Hepburn: On occasion... Howard Hughes: How 'bout nine holes? Katharine Hepburn: *Now*, Mr. Hughes? Howard Hughes: Sometimes I truly fear that I... am losing my mind. And if I did it... it would be like flying blind. Howard Hughes: Little Howard likes citrus. Professor Fitz: Well, the cumulonimbus formations about which you speak that look like... Howard Hughes: Giant breasts full of milk. I want clouds, damn it. Professor Fitz: Yes, clouds that look like giant breasts full of milk, cannot exactly be guaranteed for any particular occasion. So you might have to... to wait. Howard Hughes: 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 some clouds! Find me some clouds! Hell's Angels Pilot: Welcome to Hell's Angels. Howard Hughes: I've been to Chatsworth, Santa Cruz, Encino, San Diego, Riverside, Van Nuys, and Bakersfield. It has been eight months! Where are my goddamn clouds, huh? Professor Fitz: They move, Mr. Hughes! Clouds move. That's what they do. They move! Noah Dietrich: Nice day. Howard Hughes: Yeah, very funny. Noah Dietrich: Listen, I got a call from Houston. They're getting real nervous about all this. Howard Hughes: Stop showing them the damn bills, Noah. Noah Dietrich: That would be illegal, Howard. Howard Hughes: Shit, no. Maybe it's a little bit naughty. Howard Hughes: What the *hell* does a senator from Maine need to fly to Peru for? Howard Hughes: I'm Howard Hughes, the aviator. Howard Hughes: Pull back on the wheel a bit. Katharine Hepburn: GOLLY! Howard Hughes: I don't think I've ever met anyone who uses the word Golly. Katharine Hepburn: Men can't be friends with women Howard. They must posses them or leave them be. It's a primitive urge from caveman days. It's all in Darwin. Hunt the flesh. Kill the flesh. Eat the flesh. That's the, ah, male sex all over. Howard Hughes: Stop there, if you please, Miss Domergue. Have you had surgery, Miss Domergue? Faith Domergue: No. Howard Hughes: Do you have scars of *any* kind? Faith Domergue: No. Howard Hughes: 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. Now very nice. You move well. Live with your family, do you? Faith Domergue: Yes. Howard Hughes: That's nice. Tell me somethin'. How old are you, Miss Domergue? Faith Domergue: Fifteen. Howard Hughes: Holy Mother of God. Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster: ...we would like him to reappear. Would you ask him to return? Howard Hughes: No, I don't think I will. Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster: Will you try to have him return? Howard Hughes: No, I don't think I'll try. Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster: You don't think you'll try? Howard Hughes: No, I don't think so. Mrs. Hepburn: We don't care about money here. Howard Hughes: That's because you have it. |
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