(indistinct chatter)
MAN: How do we know
he's not in Los Angeles?
TV NEWSMAN 1: We were promised,
as you know, the call
would come to us at 4:00.
It's now 10 minutes after 4:00.
(indistinct chatter)
TV NEWSMAN 1: We're waiting
here, in Los Angeles, for a phone call
from legendary billionaire,
Howard Hughes,
which could debunk...
(clearing throat)
We're waiting here,
in Los Angeles, for a phone call
from legendary billionaire,
Howard Hughes,
which could debunk a writer's
claim that he's written
an authorized autobiography
of Hughes,
and that Hughes is in
a permanent state of dementia.
TV NEWSMAN 2:
The location of Howard Hughes,
still a complete mystery to us.
And if he's unable to call,
as promised
by the Hughes organization,
and prove that he is of sound mind,
well, the organization's
defense contracts,
its medical foundation,
even its casino licenses
could be in jeopardy.
TV NEWSMAN 1:
If he doesn't call as promised,
it's gonna be hard for him
to defend himself
against the charges in Miskin's book.
TV NEWSMAN 2:
Yes, wherever he's hiding.
Yes, I'm told now
that we can only wait
for Mr. Hughes' phone call until 4:30.
TV NEWSMAN 1:
Very few private citizens
can be said to have developed
such an astounding amount
of influence,
celebrity and achievement.
TV NEWSMAN 2: Always with
an eye out for new talent,
Hughes developed a reputation
for employing dozens
of young, aspiring actresses,
and keeping them under contract
- (telephone ringing)
- for years at RKO,
regardless of whether or not
they ever appear
in one of his pictures.
Hello?
TV NEWSMAN 1: Howard Hughes
was once the American ideal.
A moviemaker, an aviator,
an inventor...
Howard?
TV NEWSMAN 1: and an industrialist,
who, at the age of 18,
inherited a fortune
which gave him a monopoly
on the best device in the world
with which to drill for oil.
TV NEWSMAN 2: This is
a man with relationships
with presidents,
military leaders and people who are...
Howard, you've got 18 minutes
left to place the call.
TV NEWSMAN 1: In 1930, he produced
the most expensive movie ever made.
TV NEWSMAN 2: Well, Miskin's book says
that Howard Hughes
cannot remember anything,
that he's completely
unable to communicate.
TV NEWSMAN 1: Well, despite
his countless plane crashes,
all of which he survived...
Howard, can you hear me?
TV NEWSMAN 1: His design set new speed
records in his own racing aircraft,
and he essentially
became an American hero.
TV NEWSMAN 2: Of course,
he's an American hero.
But it's not as if
he's incapable of making a mistake.
He could be in the middle of making
a big mistake right now.
COLONEL WILLIS: I think
you're mistaken, Mr. Hughes.
I think you're mistaken.
HOWARD (over radio): I don't
make mistakes, Colonel.
COLONEL WILLIS: Okay,
he doesn't make mistakes.
The Department of Defense
has scheduled your flight...
HOWARD: The Department of Defense
didn't invent this plane, Colonel.
I did. I paid for it,
and I'll land it when
I'm goddamn ready to land it!
You are picking up
the Apple Blossom Queen.
Her name is Marla Mabrey.
Go down there, get her,
and drive her straight to her house.
Remember, any driver
who tries any hanky-panky
with a contract actress is gone.
He's fired.
Thank you.
Miss Mabrey, I'm Frank.
Nice to meet you.
Congratulations on being
the Apple Blossom Queen.
The car's just over there.
I'll get the, uh...
I'm Lucey, Frank. I'm Marla's mother.
Oh.
(chuckles)
- Uh...
- This is Marla.
- Hi, I'm Frank.
- Hi.
Uh, this way, please.
("Hooray for Hollywood" playing)
Oh...
(all chuckling)
- Sorry, sorry.
- Okay. All right.
Thank you.
Let me get that for you.
- Thank you.
- Of course.
LUCY: Maria's so excited
that she's actually
gonna finally meet Howard Hughes.
Will that be happening today?
That's hard for me to say, ma'am.
I'm new on the job.
I just, I got here from
Fresno two weeks ago.
Oh, my goodness.
Two weeks in Los Angeles
and you're working for Howard Hughes?
(clears throat) No harm
having high hopes, ma'am.
And what church do you go to, Frank,
if you don't mind my asking?
Well, it's First Methodist.
It's in Fresno.
Oh. All right, you're a Methodist.
- Right.
- I forgive you.
- Oh. She's kidding.
- We're Baptists.
(exclaiming) Blessed savior!
LUCY: Oh, my goodness! What a view!
This is very, very nice. This is...
({orchestral music playing)
493595)
Where in the world
is that coming from?
That's the Hollywood Bowl down there.
I think they're rehearsing.
Really?
$400 a week on top of this?
And your father never saw
$400 a week
even as a full professor.
(piano playing)
Um, the bags are all upstairs.
The kitchen's stocked.
Uh, I'll be right in the...
Outside in the car, if you need me.
Do you know where the nearest
Baptist church would be?
I'll check on that right away, ma'am.
So it just doesn't seem likely
that we'll meet
Mr. Hughes this afternoon?
We assumed we'd meet him
as soon as we arrived.
And where is the script
for Stella Starlight?
Oh, I'm sorry, I don't...
Any idea when I do the screen test?
I'm sorry, I really...
- (furniture clattering)
- (gasps)
Excuse me, sorry.
Uh, I'll be right outside in the car
until your next driver comes on.
His name is Levar.
Oh, my stars!
(giggling)
LUCY: Why are these chairs
so far back?
I'm gonna move them up.
MALE ANNOUNCER (on radio):
President Eisenhower
went on to say that
the government
has what he termed,
"all sorts of useful projects
on the shelf,"
to be put into action
against the recession
if and when they're needed.
HOWARD (on radio):
The economy of this country
is a lot stronger than
the spirit of those people
that I see.
"Bless us, oh, Lord,
for these, Thy gifts
"that we are about to receive
from thy bounty,
"through Christ, Our Lord.
- "Amen."
- Amen.
Well, from all I've read
about Howard Hughes
I hope he doesn't expect to
meet you in some hotel room.
Hi.
("Venus" playing)
Venus if you will
Please send a little girl
for me to thrill
A girl who wants
my kisses and my arms
A girl with all the charms of you
Venus, make her fair
A lovely girl
with sunlight in her hair
So, did you get caviar?
(sighs) Yes, I got caviar
but I still haven't met him.
Do you have any idea how many houses
he has for actresses under contract?
I think something like 14.
More like 22.
More like 26.
- Twenty six?
- Twenty six?
(indistinct chattering)
This is how we get paid?
Lord in heaven!
Nadine, am I meeting Mr. Hughes today?
(chuckles) Sit.
HOWARD:
This is an engineering problem.
You do know what these are?
MAN: Are these hulls of an aircraft?
HOWARD; What?
MAN: I don't know. Twin pontoons?
We do movies, Howard.
We don't know pontoons, propellers...
HOWARD: Gentlemen,
the way that the dress fits
around the breasts
makes it look like they're padded.
If the brassiere incorporated
some kind of point at the nipple
it would solve that.
And try not to let Miss Russell
hear you call them pontoons.
Good afternoon, gentlemen.
(softly) Both girls are going
away for the weekend,
so go now.
Oh, Frank, there you are.
Listen, you're doing swell,
and I want you to be prepared
to drive the boss any minute.
Well, my mom passed away.
Actually, I was raised
mostly by my grandma.
(clears throat)
And your dad?
Uh...
Well, he, kind of, took off
before she passed away, so...
I think every few weeks,
I'll probably be able to go back
and see my grandma and my girl.
I grew up across the street from,
actually, my fiance.
Right now she takes care
of her father's dog kennel.
Do you think I'll ever
get to meet Mr. Hughes?
So, who was it that said...
"They also serve
who only stand and wait"?
John Milton on his blindness.
([laughs)
Good for you, smart cookie.
You know, they say in Hollywood,
a girl can get in trouble
for having a case of the smarts.
Not just in Hollywood, honey.
(girls laughing)
Ha-ha.
But if you or me make a move
on one of these chicks,
we are dead in the water.
We're history. We're fired.
And the Iron Maiden has emerged.
- The what?
- Iron Maiden.
The virgin Marla.
ACTRESS 1: You did? That's horrible.
ACTRESS 2: Stop, you.
What's going on?
I called you three times.
Please, I'm late for my 4:00.
What's the matter?
You afraid the old man will hear
you were talking to a normal guy?
Oh, please, no.
Just don't, don't do this.
I'm not doing anything
and neither are you.
You're not allowed to do...
I'm doing just fine. Thank you.
You know what? Forget it.
- (chuckling)
- ACTRESS 3: What was that about?
Some guys never stop
looking to hide the salami.
- (laughing)
- What?
- What?
- Hide the salami.
Do the deed.
Dip the wick.
Varnish the cane.
Butter the muffin.
I get it.
Bye, girls.
("Rockin' Robin" playing)
He rocks in the tree tops
all day long
Hoppin' and a-boppin'
and a-singing his song
All the little birds
on Jaybird Street
Love to hear the robin go
tweet, tweet, tweet
Rockin' robin
Tweet, tweet, tweet
Rockin' robin
Tweet, tweedle-lee-dee
Go rockin' robin
'Cause we're really
gonna rock tonight
MARLA: Mamie told me
that six months ago
one of the drivers got fired
because he ate dinner with her.
But Sally says all the drivers
have to be hired
through their churches.
Fine, that doesn't make them angels.
And when is Frank Forbes' fiance
coming to town, anyway?
I don't want a ricochet romance
I don't want a ricochet love
If you're careless
with your kisses
Find another turtle dove
I don't want a ricochet romance
No, no, not me
If you're gonna ricochet, baby
I'm gonna set you free
Reverend Forbes,
do not charge the battery,
if you're not going to use the lights.
Unless, of course,
you'd like to be fired.
Anyway, the virgin Maria's a Baptist.
You do know why Baptists think
fucking is bad, don't you?
Because it might lead to dancing.
- Knock it off, Levar.
- (music playing)
Ma, he's making eyes at me...
And here's this.
Oh, thank you.
Careful, Granny.
"For food and all thy gifts of love,
"we give Thee thanks and praise.
"Look down, oh, Jesus, from above
"and bless us all our days."
- Amen.
- Amen.
Glad you're feeling
better now, Mr. Bransford.
MR. BRANSFORD:
Your fiance's been doing
a whale of a job
with the kennel, Frank.
But the puppies all tell me
they miss you around here.
Will the house you find us
have at least a tiny yard?
Absolutely.
MR. BRANSFORD:
And you still feel
Howard Hughes
is going to be interested
in developing a housing project
with a kid your age?
When you finally meet him.
For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God.
The Bible says that we're all sinners.
And the word "sin" actually means
that we've come short of
- God's standards.
- (floorboard creaking)
- Jesus said...
- (dog growling)
that we should love the Lord God
with all our heart, mind, and soul
and our neighbors ourselves.
And I think if...
You think he knows?
Knows what?
You know, that you and I have...
gone all the way.
Don't be silly.
Frank, why do
all you drivers slow down
and speed up again like that?
These are from
the Hughes organization.
Read card 4, please.
Read 4.
"When transporting
female contract players,
"drivers will slow
to two miles per hour
"at any dip, swale,
undulation or impediment
"that may jostle
unsupported body parts."
What does that mean, body parts?
You're kidding!
I haven't even met him
and he's protecting my body parts?
- What does it mean?
- Mom, he means my...
Oh, my God. That's outrageous!
I know. How does he know
they're unsupported?
- It's not amusing, Marla!
- That's what I wanna know.
It's funny.
It's not in the slightest
bit amusing.
To treat these women
like he owns their bodies.
- He doesn't own their bodies.
- To have these young girls go to class
in their tiny little dance outfits.
Uniforms, they're called uniforms.
Have them grabbing
for their paychecks
like it was bait on a hook.
- Which it is.
- Mom, please.
It's just so insulting
and disrespectful.
And you just watch all this
without saying one word,
- Frank, not a single word.
- What's he going to say?
Mrs. Mabrey, I've signed a contract
agreeing not to talk about Mr. Hughes.
Oh, have you? I can only imagine
what it is you won't talk about.
Do you realize my daughter's
never met Mr. Hughes?
I do, ma'am.
Never heard one word from him
about this screen test?
You know, you've saved your money.
You're a smart girl.
You can buy a lot of caviar back
in Front Royal, Virginia, my dear.
They don't have caviar
back in Front Royal,
Virginia, my dear.
Don't you be snippy with me,
young lady.
Nobody's getting any younger.
Mrs. Mabrey, I'd appreciate
your keeping this between us.
I've never met Mr. Hughes either.
- Amen.
- Amen.
- (phone ringing)
- I'll get it.
Hello?
- Mabrey?
- Yes, Nadine.
Everything in the house is fine?
Yes, everything is fine.
Thank you. We would like to know,
when is the screen test
for Stella Starlight?
And where, for heaven's sake,
is Mr. Howard Hughes
who's never been gracious enough
to speak one word
to my daughter since she's been here?
We are not a couple
of Virginia bumpkins.
We've waited long enough.
I have nothing further to say.
Good night.
Marla,
you turned down a scholarship
to Mary Washington.
You haven't written a song
since you've been here,
and you haven't even met this man
who's supposedly
making your screen test.
His money is not enough
to buy your time.
Mom, he's the king of Hollywood,
he's one of the most
respected men in America.
He's some kind of a genius.
Everybody wants him, he's a busy man.
And you are a gifted young woman
with a wonderful future.
God forbid, in a town like this.
This game Howard Hughes
plays with young women,
it doesn't fool me one bit.
Nobody's getting any younger.
We are going home.
We?
I love you, Mom.
I'll help you pack.
METHODIST MINISTER:
The Bible tells us,
that whosoever
looketh on a woman
to lust after her,
hath committed adultery
with her already in his heart.
BAPTIST PREACHER:
Someone who tells us the Bible
doesn't deal with sex before marriage
is simply trying
to avoid feeling guilty.
There is a time to reap
and a time to sow.
There is a time to embrace,
and a time to refrain from embracing.
(choir singing inside)
- Hi.
- Hi.
How was church?
(inhales)
Miss your mom, huh?
Let's just go. I like driving.
I didn't think you knew how.
Ugh! I mean, I like going for a drive.
I know how to drive,
or I did. Let's go.
What do you mean "You did"?
My dad, God rest his soul,
thought women drivers
were dangerous,
so I quit, then I forgot how. Okay?
- What are you doing?
- You'll remember.
You've got a driver's license,
don%you?
Let's go. I want to show you
a place off Mulholland Drive.
(cheerful music playing)
Wait.
(clears throat) It's nice back here.
- (tires screeching)
- (horn honking)
MALE DRIVER; Hey!
Ooh.
Oh. (chuckling)
What do wanna show me?
It's just some acreage
I wanna develop.
Slow down a little bit around here.
It's for affordable housing.
Affordable housing?
Yeah. You know,
people who aren't rich.
They wanna get out of the cities,
and into the suburbs.
Just take a right, right here.
Take a right, right here?
Never mind.
The land I'm gonna show you,
the Teamsters own it.
They tried making it a golf course,
but nobody came.
Okay, you can slow down
a little bit more, right?
It's 117 acres.
(stammering) I feel, you know,
if you make a good deal
on the land
and then you subdivide...
I don't mean big houses,
I mean, modest houses
for middle class families.
Okay, there's... (stammers)
- (car horn honking)
- (clears throat)
Cash is king right now.
With Howard Hughes as a backer,
I mean, I know
I can make him a profit.
I wanna call it Mulholland Canyon.
You got a light.
They told me again,
"Be ready to drive the boss."
Wow! You might even meet the guy.
I should become a driver.
(chuckles)
Well, I'm driving.
I think you're right
about this place.
They told me earlier,
class was canceled.
They didn't call you?
I never quite know
what's going on. (chuckles)
I had such a strange day.
I was outside at Schwab's,
and this guy
started talking to me.
It was nice, I mean he wasn't...
He wasn't making
a pass at me or anything,
but we talked, and he said
he'd like to have dinner, and I'm...
(stammers)
I'm just looking at him,
and then I realize who I'm talking to.
Bobby Darin.
I said, "I can't believe it.
"You're Bobby Darin."
I mean, okay, he didn't know
I was an actress or anything.
But I didn't even know
he was Bobby Darin.
I just...
I...
I feel...
Old.
Old?
I mean, wouldn't you say in
Hollywood as a rule,
when you've been here
as long as I have
that you should have
already more or less
shown what you can do?
Let's be honest, maybe I'm not
the right girl for this,
I mean aren't you supposed
to have big bosoms
and be sexy and casual
about everything?
I'm a square.
I can't really act. I can't dance.
I can write songs,
but I can't really sing.
A movie actress should
sing songs, not write them.
Wouldn't you say that's true?
I mean, as a rule.
I mean, in this town,
aren't those the rules?
What?
Come on, Frank, you know the rules.
(sighs)
You're an exception.
The rules don't apply to you.
(telephone ringing)
Hold on.
(dial tone ringing)
MARLA (over phone): Hello?
Marla, hi.
I just wanted you to know...
you're meeting
with Mr. Hughes tonight.
I'll send someone
to pick you up right away.
Thank you.
Guess what.
This is the Beverly Hills Hotel?
We take the private entrance
to the Polo Lounge.
(both chuckling)
Hi!
Oh, thank you.
Oh.
Would you like a cocktail?
Oh...
I don't drink.
(chatter)
(music playing at a distance)
- Okay, I'll be in the car.
- Oh, okay.
Would you follow me, Ms. Mabrey?
MAN: What are you talking about?
- It's dark in here.
- Have a seat.
Does he always keep it this dark?
(Marla exhales)
Does he stay in this bungalow?
(sighs) Sorry, I can't say.
Did I hear
he has five bungalows?
Hmm.
What's in those bottles?
That's water.
From Maine.
(Marla scoffs)
Water.
From Maine.
Is Frank still here?
He's, uh...
He's in the car.
- You like crossword puzzles?
- (sighs)
- Yeah.
- (phone ringing)
Yes?
Right away.
Ah! Mr. Hughes. I recognize
you from your pictures.
I'd like to thank you.
Thank you for my acting classes,
thank you for my ballet classes,
thank you for the house
thank you for the paycheck,
and thank you for the chance
to become a star.
Your name is, is...
- Marla.
- Marla.
- Marla Mabrey.
- Marla Mabrey. Yes.
Some champagne, Marla?
Oh, no. No, thank you, I don't drink.
You don't like to
have a drink? (chuckles)
No, actually I've never had one.
You've never had a drink?
No.
Huh.
You've never had
a drink in your life?
No.
Good for you, good for you.
(stammering) You do eat, yes?
(chuckling) I do.
Yes, I do eat.
Ah, gee.
This is neat.
Steak, mashed potatoes,
little peas.
Just about every single one
of my favorites.
Should I take mime, Mr. Hughes?
They say it's the visual that counts.
A picture's worth a thousand words.
And stardom's all in
how you carry your body.
Is it true Lana Turner took mime?
I guess I'm just all confused.
(chuckles)
What material will I do
when you do my screen test
for Stella Starlight?
- (whispering indistinctly)
- (saxophone playing)
Nice.
Yes.
That's rayon, you know,
the American Viscose Corporation
started making rayon before the war.
Good stuff.
- Hello?
- Yes?
Look, I want you to tell Arnold
that the wing flaps are not 35.4.
They're 36.9.
I have told him that
not once, but twice!
So take care of it!
Mr. Hughes,
I don't know if I have the talent
to be successful in the movies,
but I think I do.
And I'm not insulted by your
failure to meet me sooner
because I know you have your
own way of doing things.
And I may be a bumpkin from Virginia,
but I'm a good Christian.
And I'm smart enough to know
that if the rumors
I've heard about you
with women were true,
you wouldn't have had time
to fly a plane, let alone invent one
whether the wing flaps
were 35.4 or 36.9.
So I only hope I can earn
your respect for my work
because you've certainly
earned my respect for yours.
- (laughs)
- What is so funny?
Hey, I'm gonna get busy
on the screen test.
Nadine.
Blessed Savior!
Will you say hello to Nadine for me?
She's a treasure.
Nadine, I wanna get busy right away
on the Stella Starlight screen test
for Marla Mabrey, okay?
Good. Also, make sure
Harvey retouched the picture
of me in my sweater.
Okay.
Thanks, Marla.
(door closes)
Thank you!
So what's he really like?
My mom could not have been more wrong.
A total gentleman! Amazing!
I mean, yes, he's not young.
But the man's
an incredibly romantic figure.
I mean, let's face it, he's old
but everybody's got a crush
on him anyway.
I don't know if it's the money
or the power or the mystery or what.
This is silly.
What am I,
Mamie Eisenhower in a limousine?
(chuckling) I think maybe
it's gonna happen now, Frank.
I just met Howard Hughes.
Frank, that's 3:15 a.m.
Do you read me?
Roger. 3:15 a.m.
What's 3:15 a.m.?
I'm meeting him.
I pick him up here, 3:15 a.m.
(laughs) It is a big day!
My mom could not have been
more wrong! (chuckles)
That's water.
From Maine.
(Marla scoffs)
Water.
From Maine.
How many bathrooms did
the house you grew up in have?
One.
Mine, too.
Keep dreaming about that house.
I keep knocking walls out
and making it bigger and bigger.
No, no, no. I need to know
if that son of a bitch Levar,
is behaving appropriately
with these girls.
And by the way,
I'm not sure about Wilbur either.
So tonight, I'm checking out
this kid Frank Forbes.
(orchestral music playing)
Did you ever think you'd be sittin' in
your front yard listening to
the Los Angeles Philharmonic?
Let's just hope nobody saw me
driving you in the front seat.
Frank, I really wanna
let you know
that when you told me
the rules don't apply to me
it was really helpful.
Good.
You know, they don't
apply to you either.
Right.
Right.
Right.
(door unlocking)
I guess we better
say good night.
Yes.
Good night.
Hey! You've got a date at 3:15.
(sighs)
Bobby Darin's not coming by later?
(panting)
Mr. Hughes, I'm Frank.
It's really an honor
to have the opportunity
to drive you, Mr. Hughes.
I didn't... I wasn't...
I didn't know I'd be...
It would happen that
I'd be driving you, but I...
or that I'd be...
meeting you, I mean.
It's a nice night.
Hey, do you think Levar
and Wilbur are the kind of guys
who might wanna
chippy on their wives?
- Chippy, sir?
- Cheat.
Oh! I think they're
both honest men, sir.
- Not old and jaded, you know?
- No.
Yeah, because that's one thing
I simply cannot abide
is a married man
who chippies on his wife.
I have to fire him, you know?
And if anybody working for me
wants to strike up a relationship
with one of
our contract actresses
- I have to fire him.
- Right.
- I just have to do that...
- Yeah.
They told me you're engaged to
be married to your...
- seventh grade sweetheart?
- Yes.
- Is that good? Yeah.
- Yes, thank you.
I admire that.
Tell me something.
Is... What is your thinking on Sally?
Or, uh...
Or Mamie, for instance?
Do you think
they're straight arrows?
- Straight arrows?
- Yeah.
Or the Apple Blossom Queen.
Does she play around?
Marla Mabrey, you mean?
Marla Mabrey, yeah. ls she fast?
- Fast?
- Fast. Promiscuous. Yeah.
Oh, well,
everybody who knows her says
she's the most devout
Christian they've ever met.
Really? And does she drink?
I'm told she's never had
a drink in her life, sir.
- Really?
- Yes.
- She go to church?
- Not far from my own.
You...
You go to church every Sunday?
- Yes, Sir. Since I was 13.
- Really?
You know, all these girls
want their own cars.
But I'm telling you,
if you don't drive them,
you can't keep an eye on them.
And it's just a, it's just a...
You gotta have
- their gate keys.
- Yes.
The keys to their gate,
because I'm telling you...
Venereal disease
in Los Angeles County's
- up something like 85%.
- Really?
Are you familiar with available land
off Mulholland Drive, sir?
We're very impressed
by a guy named Colton at Searle.
And he seems to have come up
with something for the ladies
called a birth control pill.
- Birth control?
- Birth control pill.
It's a contraceptive. It's Enovid.
If you're smart,
you'll buy yourself some Searle stock.
Mmm. Thank you for that tip, sir.
You know, Hoffmann-La Roche
just got a new drug
through the FDA.
It's an antidepressant.
They're calling it Librium.
The company's Swiss,
but they've got an American division
with a CEO by the name
of Bob Clark. He's part Irish.
So instead of Smith Kline,
or Merck, or Upjohn,
or Pfizer, or even Searle,
you might wanna take a look
at Hoffmann-La Roche.
Might be a heck of a stock.
Uh-huh.
A-ha!
Oh, that's nice.
Yeah.
(clears throat)
Hmm.
"For food and all Thy gifts of love,
"we give Thee thanks and praise.
"Look down, Oh Jesus, from up above
"and bless us all our days. Amen."
Okay, now, what did you wanna
- Oh!
- Sell me on Mulholland Drive?
It looks to me, sir,
that this might be, excuse me,
the right time to buy
a very unique piece of land.
It's 117 acres. It's got everything.
It's located right above Mulholland...
Do you like to fly?
- Fly?
- Fly.
Um, no, sir.
- No?
- No.
Why?
Uh, I never have. (chuckles)
You never have what?
Flown in a plane.
You've never flown in a plane?
No.
Oh.
No, no, no, sir.
Sir, this one's on Frank Forbes.
Who's Frank Forbes?
(laughing)
I got you! I got you on that one!
You got me with that one, sir. Yes.
No, I know you, Frank.
I know all about you. You know that?
- I know all about you.
- Really?
- This thing, you know...
- Mm-hmm.
About two and a half months,
maybe three months
gonna be ready to test.
But tomorrow
we're testing a little plane.
Oh, really?
And I want you there with me.
- Okay?
- Yes, sir.
- You understand?
- Yes, sir.
- You get it?
- Yes, sir.
Okay. Good.
You know, sometimes
I just like to come out here
and just sit, have a burger,
and just talk to my plane.
(laughter)
Hi, plane.
Say hello to my plane, will you?
Hi, plane.
Plane, this is Frank.
And tomorrow,
we got the little plane.
(upbeat orchestral music playing)
COLONEL MAXWELL: Mr. Hughes,
you continue this flight
at the risk of endangering
a plane that has been paid for
by the government
of the United States.
HOWARD (on radio): I am trying to land
the goddamn thing!
COLONEL MAXWELL: Mr. Hughes,
get on your safety frequency.
(Static)
Come in, please.
- No safety frequency.
- (engine sputtering)
(metal rattling)
Do I... (gasps)
A little surprise, huh?
It works. Yeah.
I feel this. Do you like it?
MALE ORDERLY 2: Yes, sir.
Don't touch that codeine.
(metal clanging)
(scoffs)
(sighs)
(scoffs)
- If you can get pushing...
- Don't tell me what to push!
I invented the goddamn thing!
Time for your enema, sir.
Give the goddamn enema bag
to Mr. Forbes, please.
Yes.
Mr. Forbes. The enema bag.
You're the only person I trust
with that thing now, Frank.
I tell you, this dope stops you up.
It stops you up.
Buying you some of
that birth control stock.
It's gonna go through
the goddamn roof.
Frank, you know how old I was
when I inherited the
Hughes Tool Company from my daddy?
Younger than you.
Mr. Hughes, I don't know
that I'm really qualified to...
Oh, that's gonna be a bad scar.
What do I...
What do I do with that?
I'll check on it, Mr. Forbes.
Lana Turner's roses
are better than mine.
But look at these!
Daisies.
So unexpected.
Jean Peters is smart.
Mr. Forbes, Nadine is on the phone.
Where I come from,
daisies are cheap.
- Yeah?
- Frank, it's about...
Yes, hello, Nadine.
I've been on duty
at the hospital
a hundred percent of my time.
It's a little difficult
for me to count
how many gallons of gas
that I used
before Mr. Hughes
had his accident.
Thank you.
(slams headpiece)
You've moved up.
WOMAN: Mr. Forbes.
It's been a while.
They need you.
Okay. Uh...
Bobby Darin's
not sending you daisies?
(jovial instrumental music playing)
Okay, fine. I get it.
I have to still
sit in the back seat.
But if we're going to lunch,
do we eat at the same table,
or...
No. I'm eating in the kitchen,
of course.
- (giggling)
- I think, you know what?
Why don't you just drive?
I should sit in the back seat.
I don't know why I'm,
you know...
I guess nobody can say
we don't follow the rules.
FRANK: "For food
and all Thy gifts of love,
"we give Thee thanks and praise.
"Look down, Oh Jesus,
"from above and bless us all
our days. Amen."
MARLA: Amen. I can't believe it.
He's finally out of the hospital,
and right away
you fly to Washington?
You're gonna miss my screen test.
I heard Eisenhower sent him
a telegram.
If Eisenhower was really smart,
he'd have Howard Hughes
just bomb Moscow,
and have communism over
and done with.
I think Howard Hughes
should be president.
There's nobody like him.
He's on another level.
Seriously, the poor man,
he's gotta deal with these
TWA stockholders
who are crabbing about moving
from propellers to jets.
At the same time,
he now has to convince
the United States Senate
that the Hercules can fly.
So you're gonna fly to Washington?
I will not be flying.
Thank you for asking. I will be taking
the train early in the morning.
When does Sarah move to LA?
Um, well, I... (stammering)
Don't know if Sarah and I are...
She still believes that
once you've been intimate
or gone all the way
with a person,
that in the eyes of God
you're committed to that person
for the rest of your life.
So she believes
since you and she have...
gone all the way,
that you're already married?
I agree with Sarah.
That's why I've never done it.
That's why I'm waiting,
because I have to be sure.
Well that's, I mean,
that's a little...
I'm not legally married.
(chuckles)
(train chugging)
HOWARD: Senator,
I have come here to testify
of my own free will.
Senator, I have come here to
testify of my own free will.
Wait. (stammering) Senator,
I have come here to testify
of my own free will.
Senator, I have come here to
testify of my own free will.
(exhales)
(Howard sighs)
Any word on
the possibility of me...
getting a ticker tape parade?
They don't have ticker tape
parades in Washington, Howard.
There are no skyscrapers here.
Do you think I don't know
what you're planning?
What I'm planning?
What you're planning.
You think I'm nuts, right?
You think I'm nuts.
Howard, all I said was,
I think you should see someone.
HOWARD: "See someone?"
I really think you need help, kid.
See someone?
What are you talking about?
Do you realize
that I'm trying to move
an entire airline
from propellers to jets?
And the stockholders could hear
that I am sitting in a loony bin
locked up with some psychiatrist
who can declare me
to be incompetent
and then I have to give
the whole goddamn business
over to some
goddamn conservator?
You do realize that?
- I'll be in my room, Howard.
- (breathes deeply)
(door closes)
What are you looking at?
You got any ideas?
Speak up.
I think you represent
to the majority of this committee,
what is great about capitalism
as opposed to communism.
I think these people
are scared of you,
and I think they wanna be you.
(scoffs) I don't think
you have to practice
what you're gonna say like this.
I think you can go in there,
and try not even knowing
what you're gonna say
until you say it.
And you're not, in my opinion,
gonna say the wrong thing.
Huh.
([laughs)
You know...
You know how old I was
when I took over my daddy's company?
I was younger than you.
Did I tell you that?
MALE DIRECTOR: Roll film.
Okay. Darling, relax.
Tell us a little about yourself.
Okay. I'm from
Front Royal, Virginia.
I've always been interested
in speech and dramatics.
- I write songs.
- Turn to your left.
Can you raise
your chin up a little?
Great.
Keep talking.
I was going to go
to Mary Washington College,
where I intended
to major in English.
Okay, can you turn
to your right?
But keep talking, and chin up.
Major in English, go on.
Um...
But I decided
when I won a talent contest
that maybe I'd give it a go
in Hollywood.
Okay, can you turn
to your right?
Great, great, great. Okay.
Do you sing?
Well, sort of.
Should I keep talking?
Okay, turn to your left.
Do you swim?
Sure!
Wardrobe,
do we have any bathing suits?
If you ever wanted
to slip out for a bite or something,
I think we could do
that under the radar.
SENATOR FERGUSON:
Mr. Hughes,
the American people
wanna know if someone
is making a profit
on a plane that can't fly!
Senator...
I have come here to testify
of my own free will.
Nobody's making any profit.
This plane will be used
for testing and research
and advancing the art of
aviation in this country.
In a few more days, it'll fly.
I have stated that
if it were to be a failure,
I would leave this country
and never come back.
And I mean it!
- (applause)
- It'll fly, Senator.
It'll fly.
MALE NARRATOR: Howard Hughes's
giant plane has flown.
And at the controls, the successful
designer, builder, owner,
airspeed record holder,
multimillionaire himself,
Howard Hughes.
- Bravo!
- (all cheering)
Billionaire, goddamn it,
not millionaire.
And what the hell happened
to the close-up of me
in the cockpit? You know,
the plane flew for one mile,
and nobody knows
if it'll ever fly again.
And they know what it cost.
That does me no good
at TWA. All right,
thank you, gentlemen.
Thank you very much. Greg?
GREG (on phone): Yes, Howard?
Howard?
- Howard?
- (door closes)
I gotta know
what legal steps I gotta take
to keep these people
from sticking me with a psychiatrist,
and then committing me
to an insane asylum...
Then declaring me
to be incompetent,
and then turning over
my entire business to a conservator.
You gotta tell me
what I have to do...
To legally keep them
from doing that, okay?
Call me back.
(phone ringing)
Hello?
- (doorbell ringing)
- Hello, ma'am.
I was informed that
your television antenna
was defective.
I brought over the newest model.
And I was wondering
if you would...
I just saw your screen test.
You were great.
It was great!
Really?
Well...
I thought it was pretty awful!
You were great.
They just wanted to see me
in a bathing suit!
I didn't do it.
(stammers)
But they didn't say anything
when it was over.
You've got something these guys
don't even know about yet.
I mean, wait till
Howard Hughes sees it.
I have two more of these
in the car, just in case.
Daisies.
And not from Jean Peters?
Well, they could be.
They could be from anybody.
They just, according to the rules,
can't be from me.
Part of my job. Part of my job.
One day I told my friend
I was terribly blue
Was it far too late to do
What I dreamed I would do?
He thought for a moment,
then he answered
He said the rules
don't apply to you
He said it very simply
and quietly too
But as if there wasn't
any doubt at all
That he knew
He gave me a gift
That I would treasure
He said the rules don't apply
To you
In the movies we see
In the shows on TV
And in anthems passionately sung
There's a message that you've got
To keep believing in yourself
But they generally mean
if you're young
ls it written in the air
As it seems to be
That we haven't long at all
To find our destiny
I'll always remember
to be grateful
That the rules don't apply
To me
(indistinct chatter on radio)
- (Marla grunts)
- (glass shattering)
(groaning)
(both panting)
(door bell ringing)
Who is that?
It's Levar.
- What?
- He's driving me to class.
(continues panting)
This is my fault.
This is all my fault.
This is my fault.
(softly) No, no.
This is not your fault.
This is all my fault.
This is my fault.
And it's fine.
Let's face it, it's fine.
I sang you the song.
- This is my fault.
- (doorbell ringing)
This is all my fault.
There's a broom and a dustpan
in there, okay?
Wait, tell Levar
I brought the antenna. Okay.
Hi, come on in.
Hi.
(dryer whirring)
Oh, Frank and I were trying
to make space
- for the TV and...
- Wow.
- Let me help you with that.
- Thanks!
Sure.
Wait. What, what time is it?
We're gonna be late for class.
Oh, no,
you're not going to class.
Mr. Hughes wants to see you.
Now?
Yeah, yeah,
I thought they called you.
I'm supposed
to take you over there.
Hey, Levar.
Hi, Frank.
They sent me over
with the new antenna.
It didn't work though.
We were trying to move the TV.
- I'll do that. I'll do it.
- No, no, no.
I'll do that, I'll do that.
Yeah, be careful of your feet.
I'll get the other
antennas from the car.
No! I'll do that! Because I know
that you're late. So I'll get them.
BOY-
I'm, uh...
I'm gonna get some towels.
I just don't know how this
stands with the church.
I'm sorry.
I'm gonna go to Fresno.
- I'm gonna talk to Sarah.
- You're married!
You're a married man!
- I'm gonna be honest with her.
- I know that!
- I have been with her since...
- You're right.
We were in
the seventh grade together.
What's been happening with us
is not your fault.
But I've behaved
like a cheap floozy.
You're not hearing
what I'm saying.
I'm not some disgusting
tease of a virgin...
- You've done nothing wrong!
- Trying to steal
another woman's husband.
Are you listening to me?
You're not listening
to what I'm saying.
I am not trying to steal
another woman's husband.
- You've done nothing wrong.
- You're not an adulterer.
You're married, Frank.
- You're not...
- You're...
Need help?
No, thanks, Levar. I'm just gonna
change my clothes. Thanks, Frank.
See you later.
I hired you as my double
because you look exactly like me.
The shoes are all wrong.
Now, get out of here.
They'll be more
exacting next time, sir.
Okay. That, that
you cannot legally
commit a person
to an insane asylum
if they are married and their spouse
refuses to commit to it?
- Yes, sir.
- Uh-huh.
Well, what if there is no spouse?
Greg, I got 30,000 people
working for me
on weapons the Pentagon
would trust nobody else to do,
and you're telling me go out
and get a wife to stay out
of the loony bin?
After your meeting,
what would you think about
sneaking out
some place totally private?
Yes, ring
Mr. Brian Forester, please.
(buzzer ringing)
Brian Forester.
This is Howard Hughes.
Hello, Mr. Hughes.
We've traveled a long way, sir,
to discuss TWA. We were just hoping
we could skip over
and say a quick hello.
We're in the same hotel,
after all.
You could just be
a few feet away!
I'm terribly sorry,
Mr. Forester.
I will talk to you later.
(exhales)
Hi. Want some ice cream?
No, thank you.
(sobbing)
Bit on top.
Yes, yes. That's good.
- The young lady is here, Mr. Hughes.
- Oh.
Also, Mr. Forester,
the Merrill Lynch man,
- called again.
- Uh-huh.
They're in bungalow 8-A.
They wanna know
which bungalow you're in.
Uh-huh.
They wanna see you.
There's no need for anyone
to know what bungalow I'm in.
(sniffles)
Yeah, just give me...
Yeah, yeah, yeah...
Good, good, good. Okay.
And, you can take...
Be careful.
Yeah, because...
You, uh...
Uh-huh.
Yeah, yeah. That's good.
("Take Five" playing)
(exhales)
And a little bit more over.
That's good.
Hey. Hey-
Argh! Get that person
outta here!
(stammering)
Let's find your mommy and daddy.
So are we finished
with this haircut or not?
How should I know?
He's very exacting.
Exacting's not even
the word for that.
I don't look like him!
(sighs)
So now you're telling me
to just go get married
to somebody
who's nice enough to keep people
from putting me into an insane asylum?
Also, I'm running outta codeine.
FRANK: Sarah, we should take
a little bit of time.
We need to take time to think.
(exhales)
(sniffles)
(blows)
(faint thud)
Well, hello.
What did you say?
I said hello!
Mm-hmm.
It's been a while, Mr. Hughes.
Huh?
It's been a while since we met.
I have a telephone message
from Mr. Forester.
Read it.
"We came at your request to lend you
- "$400 million for TWA.
- Mm-hmm.
"Shouldn't we at least
be allowed to meet you,
"as the person who controls TWA,
"face-to-face?"
HOWARD: What was his tone?
- Nervous.
- Service?
Nervous!
Ah, yeah.
Well, okay, thank you.
Yeah, it has been
a while since we were able
to see one another, Marla.
I do see your name
on my check every week.
That's sort of like seeing you.
Would you excuse me?
Shut the door.
What the hell is she doin' here?
You said you wanted the girl
with the two M's.
That's not her.
That's Marla Mabrey.
She's a Baptist nun,
for Christ's sake.
That's the only one
on the payroll with two M's.
Did it occur to you
that maybe the one
that I wanted with the two M's
was not on the payroll?
Ah! You meant Marilyn Monroe?
Who?
Marilyn Monroe? Her?
Yes! Marilyn Monroe!
I'll get rid of her at once.
I apologize, sir.
- Marilyn. I'll get Marilyn.
- No. Hey, wait, wait...
I'll get rid of her.
You go on home.
(exhales)
How's your mother?
She's very well.
- (phone buzzing)
- Uh-huh.
(groans)
Bankers.
Big boys from New York.
(phone buzzing)
From what I read,
bankers work in extremely
conventional ways.
I don't pretend to understand
the airline business,
but I'm told you say propellers
are a thing of the past.
Well, I think your mother
probably thought I was okay
as long as she was sure that
we had nothin' to do with each other.
(phone buzzing)
I think she thought that if I had been
just one of those girls
you wouldn't have real respect
for my integrity.
- Ah.
- (phone buzzing)
I mean, I guess a girl's always
got a reputation to think about.
Well, I guess a man always
has a reputation to think about.
- (chuckling)
- (phone buzzing)
- Uh...
- Hello?
Mr. Forester?
Mr. Hughes?
Listen, I don't think
there's any real
necessity for us to meet.
I mean, there's no reason
why we can't do this
on the telephone.
Well, let me be plain, sir.
I am not authorized to approve
our venture to lend you
$400 million unless we meet.
(belches)
Mr. Hughes?
Mr. Hughes?
If there's a Stella Starlight script,
you could have fooled me.
Did you look at my screen test?
Mr. Hughes, please just
tell us what bungalow you're in.
It would be so very easy.
We're, we're 14 feet away.
Five feet away? Twenty feet away?
Which one is your bungalow?
We'll come to you!
Uh, Mr. Forester...
I'm sorry, I don't think there's any
need for us to actually meet.
(stammers)
There's no reason why we shouldn't
be able to do this on the telephone.
Mr. Hughes?
Mr. Hughes?
These guys wanna have
a face-to-face meeting with me,
- and then be able to say I'm crazy.
- (phone ringing)
And then I'll have to give up control
of TWA to them. It's just...
Well, maybe you'd teach them a lesson
if you just gave it to them.
Then they could sue me
for a whole lot of money,
and then they may come after
my daddy's company,
and so I really
can't afford to let them
make me some kind
of a psychiatric case.
I would leave this country
and never come back.
I'd leave this country,
and never come back.
You know?
I'd leave this country,
and never come back.
I'd leave this country,
and never come back.
What, I'm not gonna do it.
They just have a face-to-face
meeting with me,
and then call me a nut?
Well, that's ridiculous!
And you have all your
own people around you
who you know you can trust.
May I give you some advice?
Yes.
Never trust anybody.
Not me, not anybody.
They're not your mommy
or your daddy.
The only person
you can trust is you.
Do you have children?
Me? (laughs)
- No?
- No.
I'm afraid that I'm still
more of a son than a father.
But I'll tell you somethin'
very important,
that a couple of limeys
came up with
three or four years ago.
Little thing called DNA,
and we're workin' with it
over at my foundation.
In a sense, you are your father,
because his DNA
is still inside of you.
It keeps goin' on,
and your father had nothing
to say about it.
That's what makes him
still alive.
DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid.
It's got all the genetic
instructions
that cause all of the function
and development of all
known living organisms.
It's the basic,
hereditary material
in human beings,
and it's gonna replicate,
and replicate, and replicate,
whether we want it to or not.
(stammers) You have no choice.
It's just gonna keep going.
It's gonna keep you alive.
What if Stella Starlight sang?
You know, make the movie a musical.
I can sing!
Well, but nobody should have children
if they don't want to.
That's for sure.
Yeah. Well, anyway,
if I lost my daddy's company,
it'd be like losing my daddy.
Those finance people are jackals.
Jackals?
Jackals.
Why should you meet with them?
And so what
if you repeat yourself a lot?
It adds emphasis.
Emphasis?
Have you heard from people
that I'm crazy?
Well, if what you are
is crazy, then,
then give me more crazy!
You're not crazy.
You're just...
Smart.
You are not like other people.
You're an exception.
(telephone ringing)
Hello?
- Mr. Hughes?
- Um...
I am not going to be able
to talk to you until later.
(shouts) What is later?
Thank you. Thank you.
Mr. Hughes?
(phone breaks)
(panting)
Wanna hear
a little song I wrote?
(playing piano)
One day I told my friend
I was terribly blue
Was it far too late to do
What I dreamed I would do
He thought for a moment
then he answered
He said the rules
don't apply to you
([laughs)
In the movies we see
In the shows on TV
And in anthems passionately sung
There's a message that you've got
To keep believing in yourself
But they generally mean
if you're young
You say you're feeling broken
So terribly blue
'Cause it's far too late to do
What you dreamed you would do
But I'll tell you a secret
(sighs)
And I swear to God it's true
You make an old guy courageous, Marla.
Is that a compliment, Howard?
(chuckles)
You're not calling me Mr. Hughes.
Makes me feel so much younger.
(gasps) Good, Howard!
Now, how would you like
to forget about
bringing the entire
American aerospace industry
into the inevitable future
and drive to Palm Springs
in a car?
They say it's like heaven.
If I had a car, I'd drive you there.
All you girls should have cars.
And we should tear up
your term contract
and just make it a picture
a year for three years.
$100,000 a picture, okay?
It doesn't seem real to me.
That's what's real.
You think it's crazy to trust
your gut instinct?
"There is a tide
in the affairs of men,
"which taken at the flood
lead on to fortune.
"Omitted, all the voyage of their life
"is bound in shallows
and in miseries."
Yes.
"There is a time for everything.
"A time to reap and a time to sow.
"A time to abstain from embracing,
"and there is a time to embrace."
(sighs)
We don't need a justice of the peace.
With this ring, I thee wed.
(upbeat rock music playing)
(both grunting)
Wait.
Careful. (clears throat)
Yeah.
Yeah. That's it.
What do you mean
we need time to think?
I just, I mean that...
We've been thinking
since the seventh grade.
(Frank sighs)
I only mean that we should
take a little bit of time.
You know, we're not
in the seventh grade anymore.
I'm just saying it's probably...
(sniffling)
You mean you need time to think.
(bangs table)
(whimpers)
Get me Greg.
Yes, Howard?
- Greg?
- Yes?
I've changed my mind. Get the plane.
I'm going to Vegas in one hour.
Howard, no air...
FORESTER (shouts): Mr. Hughes,
do you want my money?
Do you want my money?
Do you want my money or not?
The hell with TWA,
you son of a bitch!
We're flying American Airlines
back to New York!
(yawning)
(keys clink)
(sighs)
(engine starting)
- Hi.
- Hi.
Wow!
This is great!
They're giving all the girls cars.
- They told me at headquarters.
- (laughs)
But I can't make mine start.
- Really?
- No.
Do you want me to...
Um...
- It's probably flooded.
- Flooded?
(engine starting)
Yeah. It's flooded.
Um, you have to wait a little.
(engine starting)
(engine revving)
Did somebody give that to you?
(scoffs)
Who gave that to you?
You're a married man, Frank.
- I...
- Who gave that to you?
I can't do this
with you anymore.
I'm seeing someone.
It's private.
I'm not gonna
discuss it with you.
- Hello?
- Hello?
- Nadine!
- Yes?
Hi, it's Marla.
Marla, hi.
Would you please ask
Mr. Hughes to call me back?
I'm sorry, Marla.
All I can say is
he's gonna be out
of town for a month.
Possibly five weeks.
Anything I can help with?
Well, could you tell
him I've decided
against the agreement
we discussed?
I can't do it.
I just can't do it.
I'll give him your message.
Okay. Thank you.
I used to have a life.
(on radio) Walter O'Malley,
the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers
has announced the team will
be moving to Los Angeles.
Also, a bulletin just in
about Howard Hughes.
Howard Hughes just
announced he's married.
And wouldn't you know,
he married an actress.
The new Mrs. Hughes is
Hollywood actress, Jean Peters.
In other news,
Premier Khrushchev told the United...
Oh, my God.
Jean Peters hit the jackpot!
Sally told me
he was moving to Las Vegas
for a while, but not to get married.
And meanwhile, he's out of town,
and he's got poor Frank and Levar
cooped up in the studio
all day and night.
I'm gonna go down to RKO tomorrow
and tell Levar why you can't believe
anything Howard Hughes ever says.
I've had it with Howard Hughes.
Mamie, I forgot something.
I'll catch up with you later.
- Hey, Mamie.
- (chatter, laughter)
(upbeat music on stereo)
(Howard burps loudly)
Hello, gentlemen.
I don't want anybody knowing
I'm not in Las Vegas.
They cannot know I'm in Los Angeles.
We got some things to catch up on.
Just tell what's his name,
to walk over to the White House
and loan the vice president's
brother $205,000.
Read me back the last page of my memo
on my wife's missing cat.
Yes, Mr. Hughes.
"I have been in Las Vegas
for 37 hours now.
"I have been told there has not been
"one iota of progress
"in Los Angeles in the search
for my wife's missing cat.
"I want somebody who is an expert
"in the ways of animals of this type.
"Los Angeles is not the jungle.
"It is not the Everglades.
It is not New York City
"with the dense population.
"If a zoo had lost some
valuable animal
"in the Los Angeles area,
"there would have been
25 or 30 men
"scouring the countryside,
"men skilled in the habits and
ways of an animal of this kind
"and would have found it by now."
"I feel that there is
absolutely no reason why
"a search should not
have been instigated
"for this animal, equal in any way
"to what would have happened
"if some damned train
had broken down here
"and some leopard or panther
or whatnot had escaped.
"There is absolutely no reason
why a man of my resources
"and having the resources and
organization that I have got,
"there is no goddamned
reason in the world."
"There are many, many, many things
"that could have been done
"in the almost one and a half days
"that I have been here in Las Vegas.
"I hope you will read
this seven times,
"because I have never meant anything
"more sincerely than I mean this.
"Signed, Howard R. Hughes."
It's 26 pages long, Mr. Hughes.
We have four carbon copies.
(sighs)
Hello?
Howard, I'm here.
- You wanted to see me.
- I'm married now, Noah.
Do you still think
I need to be seen
by these TWA people?
Well, you're going to have to let them
look at you eventually, Howard.
Admit it, Noah.
You can't legally commit me
to an insane asylum,
because I have married a woman
that I have known
and trusted for years,
and you know very well
that she would never
give her consent to it.
I love you, Noah,
but you're not my father.
You're fired.
- You've been replaced.
- (line disconnects)
(Frank sighs)
He's lucky to have you, Frank.
(sighs)
Good luck, son.
Don't let him start to think
you're trying to be his father.
The vice president's
brother is apparently
not in Washington, D.C., this week.
We think he's in Miami.
And he will supposedly...
His secretary said he'll be back
sometime in the middle
or end of next week.
So if we need to get in touch
with him or send him anything,
we can do it sometime
towards the middle...
- Frank, Frank, Frank.
- Yes, Mr. Hughes?
Does he know I'm back in Los Angeles?
I don't wanna have to call him again.
(clatters)
I want banana nut ice cream.
Hey. Excuse me.
What are you doing?
What's going on?
- Stella Starlight!
- What are you talking about?
Stella Starlight is a really,
really stupid title
for a really stupid movie.
But not nearly as stupid as I am
- for thinking he'd ever make it.
- What are you talking about?
First, he gives me a lot of
junk about how great I am.
And now I can't get him on the phone.
He hasn't even bothered to
look at my stupid screen test!
- Wait a minute.
- Wait a minute for what?
- Wait a minute.
- Howard Hughes?
Is that who you're waiting for?
I think you should take some time.
And maybe don't try
to advise me on my career.
How could I advise you
on your career?
I have no idea what's
going on in your life or where
you're getting your advice
from. And I'm not asking.
I'm not asking about your ring.
I'm not asking...
(sighs)
Reverend Forbes, banana nut.
You know, I don't know
if I still got a shot at her.
But if anybody does, trust me,
it's the Reverend Frank Forbes
of Fresno.
Stop.
(sniffles)
Mr. Hughes, I think maybe
now is a good time
to deal with the acreage
that I spoke to you about
the canyon off Mulholland Drive.
I've got a plan.
The time for suburban
development has come.
Its time has come... And, and...
Mulholland Canyon is gonna be gold.
And you know what Victor Hugo
once said?
"There's nothing so powerful
"as an idea whose time
- "has come."
- (phone buzzes)
I would like to just drive you
- out there tomorrow and show you.
- Howard, it's Bob Maheu.
On my first day as your new CEO,
I must tell you that if you don't
let these people from TWA see you,
they can make you be
seen by them in court.
Bob. Bob, Bob.
Nobody makes me be seen anywhere.
You got that?
However, I am...
I am making you be seen tonight
in Las Vegas, Nevada,
with our entire staff.
We're all gonna be there,
we're all flyin' in tonight.
We're moving to Nevada.
You wanna know why?
Because I am selling TWA.
Selling TWA?
There's no state tax in Nevada, Frank.
Howard?
And if you're still
afraid of flyin'...
Howard?
You know, you better
get in the car soon,
because it's a three hour
and 47 minute drive.
Howard?
Is that banana nut?
Uh...
Banana nut, sir. Yeah.
(music playing on stereo)
Somewhere
Beyond the sea
Somewhere waiting for me
My lover stands on golden sands
(on speaker) Mr. President,
I know how well you understand
that there is no one who
has done more than I have
to rid Hollywood of communists.
And please allow me
to clarify, once more,
the extreme danger all Americans
will face in living
anywhere near a nuclear test site.
Sincerely, Howard R. Hughes.
Elvis Presley, Pat Boone,
Frankie Avalon, Bobby Darin.
I mean, what do you think a guy
like Bobby Darin makes on something
like "Beyond The Sea"?
(on speaker) Frank, how's it going on
the banana nut ice cream front?
The company's definitely
not making it anymore.
But the good news is we located
the last batch, 350 gallons.
And the company's
being very cooperative.
Let's buy it.
The company's not for sale, sir.
The ice cream! Buy all of it.
- How does it get here?
- By refrigerated truck.
Well, why don't we fly it in?
Ice cream does not travel
well on airplanes.
Why don't we look into a...
- refrigerated truck?
- That's a great idea, sir.
(phone ringing)
Mr. Hughes, I'm finding more
and more tax advantages
for buying up real estate in Nevada.
With accelerated depreciation,
you get just as much on hotels
- as you would on, on shopping centers.
- It's the White House again.
Mr. Hughes, the White House
is calling again...
I want banana nut ice cream!
I am in the middle of a desert!
Are you not in the desert with me?
Is it not hot enough for the desert?
Where do I put 350 gallons
of ice cream, huh?
The same flavor!
All of it is banana nut!
All of it is banana nut! Carlos?
Frank, we've been waiting
here for six weeks.
I am his chief executive officer.
I have to meet him.
I understand, Mr. Maheu.
Of course, you're right.
In California, abortion's...
not legal.
You might wanna give
the whole thing more thought.
- (music playing)
- Jingle bells
Jingle bells
Jingle all the way...
Howard, I think we should meet.
Moe Dalitz says he needs
you to change floors.
They own the hotel.
The mob is nothing to be fooled with.
Can we please meet?
Look, you ask that shitty
little Mafia hoodlum
how much he wants for the hotel
and say "yes" on the condition
he's out by Thursday.
There is no need for you
or anyone else to see me.
Howard. I feel I must advise you
that you can still be made
to be seen in court
in order to defend against charges
that you mismanaged TWA.
That's not true. That's not true.
I'm also finding it very difficult
to run your entire operation
when I've never, ever
actually seen you.
I mean, in the flesh.
Do you realize that, Howard?
That I've never actually seen you?
Howard?
(crying)
Bob? If you were
to actually see me
you could not represent me
in the way that I need to be.
You are my chief executive officer,
you are not my father.
Okay, what's this?
It's Stouffer frozen
turkey dinner, sir.
Okay, well, I want you to
notify the Stouffer company
to remove the dark meat of the turkey
from the turkey frozen dinner.
- Banana nut?
- Banana nut, sir.
Forget banana nut!
Okay. Levar!
No more banana nut ice cream.
You got that?
No more banana nut ice cream.
From now on...
I want French vanilla.
Goddamn it. I want French vanilla now.
I want you to bring me
that schedule of Maheu's
because I wanna know exactly
- what that son of a bitch is doing.
- (phone beeps)
Mr. Hughes,
Marla Mabrey has just come in.
I put her in the speakerphone room.
Shall I tell her
you're unavailable, sir?
Frank, handle this, will you?
Go talk to her.
Tell her I'm just not seeing people.
I want French vanilla from now on!
French vanilla immediately.
Hi.
What can I do for you?
It's my career, not yours.
And you can help by accepting that.
It's really none of
your business, Frank.
Okay.
But you can tell your boss
I feel it's only right
that I meet with him
before taking any action.
(door closing)
I don't know. You never looked
at her screen test.
She might have someone new
who's advising her.
Who? An agent? Lawyer? What?
Have you heard she might be
involved with somebody?
I've heard nothing! l...
Never mind. You go ahead.
I'll talk to her.
Yes, sir.
(sighs)
(on speakers) Marla?
Are you, are you there, Marla?
Are you in the room?
I can't do this
on the telephone, Howard.
I'm not seeing people.
Something we didn't plan on
has happened.
You better pick up the phone, Marla.
We should have been more careful.
From a single encounter,
Marla? From one time?
Do you really expect me
to believe that?
I'm surprised.
I didn't think you were
that kind of a person.
How much money are you looking for?
Hey, is vanilla and French vanilla,
is it the same thing?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yes, it's the same?
I'm gonna go check on it.
(vase shatters)
You're acting crazy.
I know more about the business
than you think I do.
Oh, all those big deals
in your future, Frank?
You better get them in writing.
I don't need them in writing.
Well, that's right.
'Cause you trust him.
He won't even meet with his wife.
- Lucky woman.
- He won't let anybody look at him.
- Oh, well, he's right!
- There's no reason...
He's right. Because they might see
exactly what he is,
a cold, sleazy, egomaniacal, old fake
not worth meeting with.
You wanna have meetings
or make movies?
They got names for guys that are doing
what you're doing, Frank.
Who do you think you're talking to?
I think I'm talking to
somebody that sold out
and you can tell the guy
that you sold out to
that I'm never going back
to that stupid house!
And he can throw
whatever's in it away.
And that you wanna go home
to your fiance
and get legally married!
Do you actually think that you're
going somewhere with Howard Hughes?
You're even scared
to get on his plane!
- Okay, just...
- Don't be physical with me, Frank!
Whoever the hell
is advising you right now...
You know, it's none of your business
who's advising me now!
You need someone
who's advising you now!
To move on, Frank, move on! I have!
- Do you mind if I speak?
- Get out of here!
No, because there's
nothing left to say!
And if you call me,
I won't talk to you.
So kindly treat
my privacy with respect!
Respect?
Go back to your goddamn mystery man,
with your privacy and your rings
and don't worry about
me ever calling you.
Believe me, I never will!
(sniffling)
HOWARD (on phone): Nadine, who called
that Maheu didn't tell me about?
Today? The chairman of the FAA,
the Under Secretary of Defense,
the Treasury secretary,
someone from the air traffic
controller's union,
and a man from the AFL-CIO.
All right, look, we're leaving
that son of a bitch Maheu
alone in Vegas tonight.
Nobody tells him about it!
He's finished. He's fired!
We're going to Nicaragua.
This isn't the only place
in the world without taxes!
Get me my pilot's jacket.
All right, come on, come on.
Let's go. Come on!
Going through the kitchen now.
It's all up to me.
Nothing gets bought,
nothing gets sold without me.
For all practical purposes,
I am Howard Hughes.
Come on, Frank. Get outta the car.
There's nothing to be afraid of.
Come on!
(engine starting)
Frank, you can do this.
Come on. Flying can be fun.
I think I'm ready.
Okay, Cappy, it's about time
I did this again.
Gentlemen, I am finally
gonna do something
that I haven't done for far too long.
Far too long.
Cappy, this is Frank here's
first plane ride.
I wanna make it memorable.
- Everything ready?
- Yes, sir.
Here we go.
We got banana nut?
Have we...
- Uh...
- A pint and a half, sir.
Pint and a half.
Finally! It's been far too long!
(laughing) Far too long.
Spoons.
President Somoza is coming aboard!
Mr. Hughes!
(chuckles) Welcome to Nicaragua.
You look incredible!
- You look wonderful.
- Thank you. So do you.
- You have not aged.
- Thank you.
I wanna know
what you're doing in...
(Speaking Spanish)
There's an important message for you.
(Speaking Spanish)
"The United States
Federal Court decided today...
(aide continues speaking Spanish)
"in the case of TWA...
(aide continues speaking Spanish)
"a judgment of $645 million
"against Howard Hughes...
(aide continues speaking Spanish)
"who refused to appear."
This cannot be good.
They think I'll have to sell
the Hughes Tool Company to pay it?
I'll never sell my daddy's company.
My daddy would say it's time to call
Raymond Holliday down in Houston.
Get him to come down here.
(bell tolling)
So...
I just want you to know
I don't think you're doing
the wrong thing.
And I am so relieved
that you're not
going back to Hollywood.
Mom, I haven't told another
living soul about this.
Doctor Diamond is a good man,
and he's coming in on a Sunday.
So, shall we go?
Now, when you were 10 years old,
when you used to come down
to your daddy's factory...
Raymond, my daddy always trusted me
to take care of things.
Now, trying to take care
of the Hughes Tool Company
at a time like this.
That's like trying to
take care of my daddy.
You're not your
daddy's father, Howard.
Your daddy's dead.
No, he's not.
He's in my DNA.
Oh, Lord!
You know, you're gonna die, too.
Who you gonna leave it to?
Whose DNA you gonna be in?
In my opinion,
if you don't sign it now,
they're gonna do what they said.
They're gonna withdraw the offer
to buy the damn company.
So, if I sign this thing,
would they still keep
the Hughes name on the company?
You don't drill for oil
with a name, Howard.
(chuckles)
You know, I'm planning on
doing a little flyin'.
Do you wanna come?
- Do a little flyin'?
- Hmm.
What?
I'm just not sure...
you ought to be thinkin'
about flyin' anymore, Howard.
Come on in, Frank.
(sighs)
Okay. Please give this
to the gentleman, and
tell him that I have asked him
to please consider
keeping my father's name
on the company.
This is signed.
Mr. Hughes has asked you
to consider keeping
his father's name on the company.
(snickers)
(Spanish music on stereo)
I notice you don't say grace anymore.
I don't mean to be negative,
but do we live
in Nicaragua now?
Although, I am kinda getting
to like Managua.
(indistinct chatter)
Wave, Frank.
(coughs and laughs)
Whoo. Let's keep it going.
(Spanish music on stereo)
(rumbling)
(panting)
Don't worry, don't worry!
I know how to handle earthquakes!
We're going to London.
Check out the tax setup,
Frank, and get me some codeine.
The University of Virginia's
going coed.
They're finally letting women in
so I might even go for a doctorate
and do my dissertation on music.
Good for you.
Thanks for not throwing
my things away, Nadine.
I had no idea where to send them.
Where do we call you in Virginia?
Maybe it's better if I call you.
(Frank mumbling)
Therefore, the percentages noted
in the column were percentage of...
(mumbling)
(on speakers) Frank, we've been
in London too long with no fun.
I want you
at the Gatwick Airport in 45 minutes
in the DC-3.
(line disconnects)
Give the man some credit.
He knows he can't fly.
Mr. Hughes!
So happy to finally meet you
in person, sir. At last!
I'm sure you need
no introduction to the DC-3. This one,
of course, is equipped with
the Pratt & Whitney R-1830
Twin Wasp engines,
- which improve...
- I know the DC-3 very well.
Um...
Certainly an improvement over the
original Cyclone 9s which were wanting
- in the old oomph department.
- Where to, gentlemen?
Where do we go?
I don't know, sir.
If we are heading east,
then that would be northern
France, possibly Belgium.
What do you think,
wing commander? Belgian waffles?
How does it sound?
Uh, I don't know.
All right, never mind.
You want a chicken sandwich?
- Not hungry.
- Not hungry. Okay-
How about you? Do you want
a chicken sandwich?
- No, thank you.
- I got three.
- I'm fine. Just eaten.
- No?
(laughing)
Did you know that
you're 20% less likely to black out
during a dive when you're my age?
Because the arteries
are less expansive.
No, I didn't know it, sir.
Remember that.
- Something to look forward to.
- Yes!
Okay, let's go.
(wind whooshing)
I think we may have a door still open.
Relax! I like it like that!
Just close the cockpit.
Gentlemen, you ain't
seen nothin' yet.
You know that line
Al Jolson used to use,
"You ain't heard nothin' yet"?
First time he ever sang it,
I saw him
upstairs on the roof
at the Amsterdam Theatre.
And it was
a big charity show.
Everybody's big stars,
big stars, and Jolson says,
"I gotta close the show,
"because I'm the world's
greatest entertainer
"and nobody, but nobody,
follows Jolson."
Well, everybody said,
"Okay, Jolson, you're the greatest.
"You close the show."
There was only one problem though.
Jolson didn't know
who he was following.
(laughs) Caruso.
He's gotta get up and sing
after Enrico Caruso,
the world's greatest voice! Ha!
So, Caruso comes out,
he's singing in Italian.
The audience just goes crazy.
- They go crazy.
- (plane clattering)
They're on their feet cheering.
They won't sit down,
they're cheering!
Caruso goes off,
Jolson comes out.
But he can't get them to shut up,
because they want more Caruso.
And finally Jolson shuts them up.
He makes them sit down
and that's when he says it.
He says, "You know,
you ain't heard nothing yet!"
"You ain't heard nothing yet!"
ls it true
what they say about Dixie
Does the sun really shine
all the time?
Do the sweet
magnolias blossom
Round everybody's door?
Do folks keep eating possum
'til they can't eat no more?
Is it true
what they say about Swanee?
Is a dream by that stream
So sublime?
Do they laugh, do they love
like they say in all the song?
If it's true,
that's where I belong
Swanee
Take a look at this.
How I love ya, how I love ya
My dear old Swanee
I'd give the world to be
Among the folks in D-I-X-I-E
Even though my mammy's
waitin' for me, prayin' for me
Hey, Frank!
Flyin' really gives a guy a chance
to do some thinking, doesn't it?
You know what
I'm thinking, Frank?
I am thinking that
it's time for me to buy
Pan American Airlines!
You ain't heard nothin' yet!
(children laughing)
Hey, where you goin'?
Come back here.
Well, tell hotel security
to tell the mother...
Yes, there's three of them.
They're all up here.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Go this way.
I have no idea how they got in.
Come on, kid. Please!
You gotta get out of here. Kid.
I know where you are, kid.
Please come out.
Please. Your mother
is waiting for you.
Mr. Hughes!
Mr. Hughes,
we have wonderful news!
The court of appeals
has reversed the TWA judgment.
You get all the money back!
Levar! Are you actually
so bird-brained
you think I didn't know that?
I get up earlier than you do.
Hey, look at you.
- What's your name?
- Hi.
- Tommy.
- Would you like some ice cream?
It'd be good for you!
Come on, let's go!
Come on, kid. We gotta go.
But he might like some ice cream.
Well, his mother is very upset.
Why did you talk to his mother?
He might have wanted ice cream.
Wait out in the hall or somethin'.
Why did you talk to his mother?
I didn't talk to the mother.
I talked to security.
You always say to keep kids out.
Why did you talk to security?
(shouts) Because that's my job!
- That is your job?
- Yes!
You're telling me what your job is?
Yes! That is my job!
Your job is to tell me
what your job is!
- Are you deaf?
- What?
You are deaf. You're deaf!
And you're old.
You're very old,
and you're very deaf!
HOWARD (shouts):
You calling me old and deaf?
You're deaf, and you're old!
And very deaf, and very old!
You do not know
what your job is.
No, I know what my job is!
You do not know what my job is!
You don't know what your job is!
I know my job! I know my job!
- You know what your job is?
- I know what my job is!
You know, it's "was."
- Is.
- Was.
- Is. Is. Is.
- Was. Was.
- Was?
- No, was.
- Was?
- Was. That was your job.
Get out.
Sir, the mother's very upset.
Get out.
(sighs)
Take 14 days to make a decision
on Mulholland Canyon.
Levar and I are gonna do it
whether you do it or not.
I know it's hard for you
to trust people,
but Levar is rooting for you
no matter how nutty you get.
It would be a big advantage for us
to be in business with you,
but it might be a big advantage
for you to be in business with us.
If you decide not to,
I can only respectfully
accept your decision and resign.
Do you realize
that your drug addiction
not only makes you more constipated,
it makes you crazier?
But since no one who works
for you, including me,
will put their job on the line
to try to keep you
from killing yourself,
then maybe your wealth
isn't always the best thing
for your health.
Frank, how come you never
talk about your daddy?
What?
You never talk about
your daddy. How come?
I could always tell my mother
how much I loved her, but I...
I couldn't tell my daddy
that well...
I don't know.
But I miss my daddy.
I wish I could just talk to him.
You know, I think I never had a kid
because I was afraid
that would make me feel old.
(laughing)
(sighs)
Remember the night we went out to
sit and look at the plane,
and had the burgers, you know?
It was a hell of a hamburger.
(sighs)
Do you still believe in
what the church tells you to believe,
like...
In heaven and...
I don't know, Mr. Hughes.
Yeah, me either.
I just...
I don't wanna do what a person
has to do to find out. (laughs)
Um...
All right, look,
I'll do Mulholland Canyon with you.
And I'll do it big. But I just
got... Under one condition.
From now on,
will you call me Howard?
Yeah!
([laughs)
(indistinct chatter and laughter)
TV NEWSMAN 1:
We are standing by
for a telephone call from legendary
billionaire Howard Hughes,
which could debunk a writer's claim...
The writer that was mentioned
earlier, Richard Miskin,
claims to have had access
to Howard Hughes.
And during that time, he says
that Hughes could not
remember anything,
was incoherent, and unable
to function.
And that Hughes is in
a permanent state of dementia.
The location of Howard Hughes
is still a complete mystery to us.
TV NEWSMAN 1: It will be
a major problem for Hughes...
- Yeah.
- If he doesn't call us
as promised
by the Hughes organization,
and defend himself against
the charges in Miskin's book.
TV NEWSMAN 2: One of
the pioneers who helped in...
Howard.
Was Howard Hughes.
He's one of the most
influential individuals
of the last quarter century.
Well, if she won't
even tell you her name...
TV NEWSMAN 1:
Hughes was romantically linked
to several young actresses
over the years...
Yeah.
Okay.
TV NEWSMAN 2: manufactured
a 25 million dollar flying boat.
TV NEWSMAN 1: Meanwhile,
we're told that the writer,
Richard Miskin,
may speak to us soon.
(indistinct chatter)
She's okay, guys. I got this.
These guys do their job.
Yeah, well...
They're new.
Why didn't you tell anybody
who you were?
Well, the last conversation
I had with Howard
wasn't very pleasant.
I have something to tell him
before he talks to the press.
Matt?
Matt, this is Levar.
Levar, this is Matt.
- Hi.
- Hello, Matt.
Hi.
TV NEWSMAN 1: We have here the writer
of the book, Richard Miskin.
Mr. Miskin, Hughes' people say
your book is a fake.
That he has never met
or even spoken with you.
I don't think you'll
hear Mr. Hughes say that
or anything else much.
I don't think you're going
to be hearing from him.
I doubt he even
remembers the book.
TV NEWSMAN 1:
Let me ask you again...
Sir, Howard Hughes
is a disturbed creature.
And my heart goes out to him.
But if it is upon
his flimsy recollection
that you're hinging your reportage,
then good luck to you.
That's all I have to say.
Good afternoon.
TV NEWSMAN 1:
Thank you, Mr. Miskin.
And now back to you.
TV NEWSMAN 2: Do we know what
qualified experts have to say
about the psychiatric
implications of Mr. Hughes',
uh, reclusive behavior?
TV NEWSMAN 1:
One could speculate...
Howard.
Possibly catatonic at this point.
No one seems to know.
TV NEWSMAN 2:
That could have a bearing
on a lot of his business interests.
It could affect his defense
contracts, for example.
TV NEWSMAN 33 A long list,
including the Hughes
Medical Foundation, right?
TV NEWSMAN 2:
The Hughes casino licenses
in Las Vegas could be affected.
TV NEWSMAN 3: And if this call
does not come in soon...
All right.
TV COMMENTATOR: Helicopter
to the public and Air Force officers
at Culver City, California.
Powered by turbojet motors,
the huge copter is designed
primarily to lift great weights.
It is the largest aircraft
- of its kind known.
- Hi.
And when perfected, it's expected
- to take off...
- Long time.
Carry the load
of a small freight car.
Yeah, long time.
Upwards of a hundred persons.
The copter itself...
Hey, how about this guy, huh?
Pounds, and its
rotating blades measure...
Frank, this is my son, Matt.
From tip to tip. (wind roaring)
Hi, Matt.
Hi.
Matt, when I first went to Hollywood,
Frank picked up your grandmother
and me at the plane.
Future of flight in all its varied
and promising phases.
What kind of ice cream
have we got, Levar?
I heard some talk about rum raisin.
Here, Matt, I'll show you
where the rum raisin is.
TV NEWSMAN 3: phone call
from billionaire Howard Hughes.
Have a seat there, guys.
Okay.
TV NEWSMAN 3: a writer by
the name of Richard Miskin,
that Hughes is unable
to remember anything...
I talked to Mamie Murphy.
She knows Richard Miskin.
Howard may have some questions.
TV NEWSMAN 3: historical footage
featuring Howard Hughes's...
It's good to see you, Marla.
TV NEWSMAN 3:
in aviation. (marching band music)
For me, too.
The 40-ton, 57-passenger liner that...
I'll let him know you're here.
Which has made
a newtrans-continental,
non-stop speed record
Here's the start.
TV NEWSMAN 3: what might be next
for the Hughes organization,
if Mr. Hughes never steps forward
to defend himself against the claims
in Mr. Miskin's book?
Howard, Marla Mabrey has come here.
She says she has something
to tell you about Miskin.
I told her I'd let you know.
TV NEWSMAN 2: certainly
going to be embarrassing
for Hughes and his entire empire.
How does one explain away the fact
that the man can't even make
a simple telephone call?
Bring her in.
TV NEWSMAN 3: I suppose they could
still come outwith some kind
of alternative evidence.
Struggling out of its
swaddling clothes.
And one of the pioneers who
helped was Howard Hughes,
still active in the industry today.
As a stunt,
the point of aviation speed...
TV NEWSMAN 1: David,
I'm looking at the clock
and if the call doesn't come by 4:30,
then it will be hard to defend
Howard Hughes against the charges
in Richard Miskin's book.
Howard?
TV NEWSMAN 1:
The clock is ticking, David.
Hello, Marla.
TV NEWSMAN 1:Any thoughts
as to what may happen...
We've lost touch.
I'm sorry I was in
such a bad mood
when you came to Las Vegas.
When was that?
Five years ago?
I was not at my best.
I know that, Howard.
Neither was I.
Mamie Murphy knows
Richard Miskin very well.
She told me that she was
very sure he never met you.
She'd testify
if you wanted her to.
TV NEWSMAN 3: go a long way
towards debunking a writer's claim
that he has written an...
I came with my son.
TV NEWSMAN 3: And has now gone into
what could best be described as...
Excuse me?
I came with my son.
He's in the living room.
TV NEWSMAN 1:
And there's another point to be...
And the father?
TV NEWSMAN 1:
if Hughes does not
prove that he's still alive,
and there is some question
as to whether he is.
Just someone I took up with.
It didn't last long.
TV NEWSMAN 3:
The call was, incidentally,
supposed to come in at 4:00.
Would you like me to meet your son?
Sure.
TV NEWSMAN 3:
If that call were to come in
within the next several minutes...
Matt? You wanna meet Mr. Hughes?
From New York
to New York in four days.
New aviation history is written.
TV NEWSMAN 3: Howard Hughes
simply does not allow himself
to be seen by anyone.
Howard, this is Matt.
TV NEWSMAN 3: It'll be very,
very difficult to defend Howard Hughes
against the charges...
Say hello to Mr. Hughes, Matt.
Hello.
TV NEWSMAN 3: covering him
for a long, long time. As have you.
How old are you, Matt?
Four and a half.
I'm curious
as to what's going to become
of the empire that he... (clicks off)
You look like I thought you'd look.
So do you.
Why do you stay in this room?
([laughs)
You know, I really
should get out more.
Okay, Frank, get Hollywood
on the phone.
Nadine, get Los Angeles, fast.
They're still on the line, Frank!
Get it, get it. I'm going to do this.
Howard, you can just...
Frank, they're still on the line!
They're still on the line? Good.
Matt, you wanna stick around
for a while?
Frank, where do I put it?
- Do I pin this on?
- Yeah.
(Slinky commercial jingle playing)
That goes around my neck?
TV NEWSMAN 3: We are being told
we will hear from
Howard Hughes immediately.
We are standing by.
I think that's the man
I'm gonna be talking to,
- but we'll see...
- Frank!
This belongs to him. I'm sorry.
Matt, I'll wait for you
in the living room.
TV NEWSMAN 4:
If you just joined us,
we're standing by for a phone call
from billionaire Howard Hughes.
We've been told the call
is coming in...
TV NEWSMAN 1: (on speakers) I'm told
someone claiming to be Howard Hughes
will be speaking to us momentarily,
so we can assess whether he is indeed
Howard Hughes.
Are you there, Mr. Hughes?
Good afternoon.
TV NEWSMAN 1:
Where are you speaking from, sir?
I'm speaking from Acapulco,
which is a city seaport
in the state of Guerrero
on the Pacific coast of Mexico.
About 190 miles southwest
of Mexico City,
located on a deep, semicircular bay.
I would say that the municipality
has an area of about
square miles and
it is the largest city
in the state. Far larger than
the state capital, Chilpancingo.
The name Acapulco
comes from the Nahuatl
language. It means
"place of big reeds,"
and that is where I am.
Next question, please.
Gene Handsaker,
Associated Press. Tell us a little
about the H-One.
Well, we first called it "The Racer."
It was designed by me in
conjunction with Dick Palmer.
We built it in a small building
of what has now become
the Lockheed terminal,
and that, by the way, Gene Handsaker,
is where you and I first met.
This airplane had a metal fuselage
with butt joints of which
we were very proud.
It had flush
rivets which later became
standard in the industry.
It had a wooden wing
which, of course, did not
become standard,
but it was the only thing
at the time that had
the smooth surface
that we needed. As I say,
a single engine,
single-seat airplane,
a beautiful little thing.
I still have it, actually,
out at the factory at Culver City.
You should go out there
sometime, Gene,
and take a look at it.
Next question, please.
Gladwin Hill,
for The New York Times.
How well I know you, Mr. Hughes.
How well do you know
the book's writer, Richard Miskin?
I don't know him.
I've never seen him.
I've never even heard of him
until two days ago.
Hi, Howard. Vernon Scott here.
As soon as you started
to talk, I knew it was Howard Hughes.
Did you really wear tennis shoes
with your tuxedo?
Yeah, well, they were shoes made of
sort of a non-strategic material.
Kind of a canvas or imitation leather.
I had a pair of these
that I liked very much.
I would wear them, and then they...
Some people called them
tennis shoes, but I...
I don't think they had anything to do
with being on a tennis court.
TV NEWSMAN 3: Can I ask you
a couple of questions
relating to national security?
Oh, I don't think so.
You know, I don't care to appear
in public very often, but...
I really should get out more.
But it has been a pleasure
speaking to you, gentlemen.
Any time. Good evening.
TV NEWSMAN 1:
I think that concludes
our press conference. Thank you,
- Mr. Hughes.
- (laughs)
I think there's a publisher
with a problem on his hands.
You were really good.
I have to go find my mom. Bye.
Kid! Kid!
- (door closes)
- Kid?
(sighs)
Things are looking up, Frank.
You did good.
We're going back to Hollywood.
I feel good! (laughs)
I think it's time to go home!
You know...
- Howard...
- (stammers)
You've done a lot of great things,
and you've done a lot
of great things for me.
I think it is time
for you to go home.
And I think it's time
for me to move on.
What?
I'm quitting, Howard.
Where'd they go?
They kinda slipped out.
Keep an eye on him, Levar.
Frank?
Frank?
(laughing)
(sighs)
(indistinct chatter)
(dramatic music playing)
You think it's time
we give it a try?
(switch clicks)
Let's get Matt.
Hey, you know what?
I got a really good idea!
(tape rewinding and playing)
What's in those bottles?
That's water.
From Maine.
(Marla scoffs)
Water.
From Maine.
(tape rewinding)
(singing on speakers)
He thought for a moment
Then he answered
He said the rules
don't apply to you
He said it very simply
and quietly too
But as if there wasn't any
doubt at all that he knew
He gave me a gift
that I would treasure
He said the rules
don't apply to you
In the movies we see
In the shows on TV
And in anthems passionately sung
There's a message that you've got
To keep believing in yourself
But they generally
mean if you're young
ls it written in the air
as it seems to be
That we haven't long at all
to find our destiny
I'll always remember
to be grateful
That the rules don't apply to me
(piano music playing)
(choir singing)
One day I told my friend
I was terribly blue
Was it far too late to do
What I dreamed I could do?
He thought for a moment,
then he answered r
He said the rules
don't apply to you
He said it very simply
and quietly, too
That as if there wasn't any
doubt at all that he knew
He gave me a gift
that I would treasure
He said the rules
don't apply to you
In the movies we see
In the shows on TV
And in anthems passionately sung
There's a message that you've got
To keep believing in yourself
But they generally mean
if you're young
ls it written in the air
as it seems to be
That we haven't long at all
to find our destiny
I'll always remember
to be grateful
That the rules don't apply to me
I wouldn't lie
The rules don't apply
The rules don't apply
To you
(instrumental "Hooray
for Hollywood" playing)