magazines?
- What was that?
- Oh, he's a little deaf.
- Pass the goddamn butter, I beg you.
- You read flying magazines?
Trade journals. On engineering. Aviation.
We read books.
Howard has to read the trade pieces, Mom,
because he's designing a new aeroplane.
Oh, really? Do tell.
Well...
...it's quite exciting, actually.
It's a spy plane for the Air Corps.
A twin-engine plane with some...
...I must admit,
some rather unique design features.
You see,
it has these two booms at the back...
Luddie built a birdhouse once.
You remember that, dear?
- Yes, well, a mere trifle, darling.
- I remember the painting!
The painting, it's called
May 18-0- something.
Anyway, Goya's vastly overrated.
All the Spaniards are.
- Nonsense! Picasso is sacred.
- I'm a urologist.
- It was quite aesthetic, really.
- A sacred monster.
The birds don't care for it much,
but the bats do.
- I'll bet.
- That's such bunk!
- Do speak up, dear.
- Nothing, nothing, Mrs. Hepburn. Nothing.
Why did you speak? I can't abide people
who speak but have nothing to say.
Did you go to mechanic school
to learn all this airplane guff?
No, no, I didn't, Luddie. No.
Well, Howard just flew round
the world in three days.
- I think we've had enough about airplanes.
- And dogs.
- Then how did you make all that money?
- We don't care about money here.
Well, that's because you have it.
Would you repeat that?
You don't care about money
because you've always had it.
- How did you make all that...?
- Excuse me, I'm speaking.
- Okay.
- Thank you.
All right.
Some of us choose to work for a living.
Speaking of which, I have more of that
airplane guff to attend to.
Excuse me.
Well, seems a rather high-strung chap.
You're a fine bunch of bullies,
aren't you?
Have you talked to Mr. Mayer
about letting you do Jane Eyre?
The old philistine won't budge.
Too arty, don't you know.
I'm convinced the man hasn't read anything
longer than a Katzenjammer Kids in his life.
No fair, kicking.
You have to use the mallet.
Really, darling, you can't retire
from the field of battle like that...
...or they'll never respect you.
- Katie, I don't understand.
You're like a different person in there.
They just expect me to be a certain way.
There's only one real Kate,
and that's your Kate.
Over in Hollywood. Aviation tycoon
Howard Hughes is cooking up something big.
Even as he edits his new picture. He's been
secretly meeting with the U.S. Air Corps.
We applaud his patriotism and look forward
to his newest marvel.
You know how many Allied ships we lost
because of U-boat attacks?
- No.
- Six hundred and eighty-one ships...
...just this year so far. The Army needs
a new airplane to fly the troops to Europe.
These ships, they're sitting ducks
for the U-boats.
- You wanna build a troop-carrier plane?
- Stop thinking like an insect.
Not just to carry troops,
a plane to carry everything.
The troops and the jeeps and the tanks
and whatnot. Here, take a look.
No. Other side.
I figure around 200 feet from nose to tail.
Wingspan, around 300.
We're gonna need
about 24,000 horsepower.
Now, this is just what Kaiser
and the Army are looking for.
- They're gonna pay for it this time.
- What are you getting us into?
Well, it's a big plane,
so I'm calling it The Hercules.
Swell name, isn't it?
- How heavy you imagine this thing is?
- Say around 200 tons.
Well, I didn't say it was gonna be easy.
All right, boys,
I want you to rig up something like this.
Should give the proper uplift ratios and
reduce need for torque support on the front.
We are not getting enough production
out of Jane Russell's breasts.
I want smooth titties, gentlemen.
Smooth titties.
- It's all in engineering, isn't it, Odie?
- Howard...
...do you really think they're gonna let you
put out a whole movie just about tits?
Sure. Who doesn't like tits?
Good afternoon, gentlemen.
Sorry I'm late.
Please