Top 30 Quotes From Howard Hughes

Howard: Pull back on the wheel a bit.
Katharine: GOLLY!
Howard: I don't think I've ever met anyone who uses the word Golly.

Howard: [Attempting a take-off of the Spruce Goose] Power coming up!
Glenn: Power coming up!
[Howard pushes on the throttles]
James: [On the radio] Howard Hughes has just alerted us. Asked everyone to hold on. Tremendous horsepower kicking up.
Howard: [Continuing to push on the throttles] Let me hear it, Odie!
Glenn: 25 miles per hour! 30!
James: Here we go. Here we go...
Glenn: 35!
James: ...The airspeed indicator has moved up to 25... 30... 35...
Glenn: 40!
James: ...As he pushes the throttle, that's 40...
Glenn: 45!
James: ...45. More throttle. That's 45...
Glenn: 50!
James: ...50. It's 50 over a choppy sea...
Glenn: 55!
James: ...55. That's 55...
Glenn: 60!
James: ...More throttle, that's 60...
Glenn: 65!
James: ...65!
Glenn: 70!
James: ...That's 70...
Glenn: 75!
James: ...75!
[Howard finishes pushing the throttles forward, the plane suddenly stops shaking as it takes off. There's a pause before everyone on the plane starts applauding]
James: And something momentarily cuts out, I believe we are airborne. We are airborne, ladies and gentlemen. I don't believe Howard Hughes meant this to be, I don't know. And we were up in the air. We were clearly up in the air.
James: Ladies and gentlemen, the Hughes mammoth aircraft has flown this afternoon in Los Angeles harbor. And it will personally look, at this moment, that Howard Hughes will be around in the United States for some time to come.

Howard: Look at me, Kate. Stop acting.
Katharine: Ha. I'm not acting.
Howard: I wonder if you even know any more.
Katharine: Don't be unkind.

Katharine: What's that on the steering wheel?
Howard: Cellophane. If you had any idea of the crap that people carry around on their hands.
Katharine: What kind of crap?
Howard: You don't wanna know.

Howard: Find me some clouds!

Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster: All right this has gon on long enough. Juan Tripp is a great American. His airline has advanced the cause of commercial aviation in this country for decades. Juan Tripp is a patriot. Juan Tripp is not a man who's interested in making money.
Howard: Well, I'm sure his stockholders would be happy to hear that.
[Everybody starts laughing]

[last lines]
Howard: [repeating over and over again] The way of the future...

[from trailer]
Howard: I'm in a street fight, and I'm not going to lose.

Professor: Well, the cumulonimbus formations about which you speak that look like...
Howard: Giant breasts full of milk. I want clouds, damn it.
Professor: 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: 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: Welcome to Hell's Angels.

Howard: Do you know those fellas? Do they work for me?
Noah: Everybody works for you, Howard.

[on "The Outlaw"]
Glenn: Howard, you really think they're gonna let you put out a whole movie just about tits?
Howard: [beat] Sure. Who doesn't like tits?
[cut to a panel of frowning members of the Motion Pictures Association of America]

Howard: [pensively weighing options] I could do that.
Jack: Do what?
Howard: Buy it.
Jack: You wanna *buy* the airline?
Howard: Well why not? We don't want a bunch of pencil-pushers gettin' in the way of us makin' our plane now do we?
Jack: No...
Howard: [walking away] You call Noel Dietrich. You tell him to start buying!
Jack: [yelling after him in shock] Hang on Howard! You sure you don't want to stop and think about this for a second?
Howard: Nope! I've got a tiger by the tail here and I'm not about to let go!

Howard: That's just what we do in my business.

Howard: [talking of Juan Trippe] He owns Pan-Am. He owns Congress. He owns the Civil Aeronautics Board. But he does not own the sky.

Howard: I'm Howard Hughes, the aviator.

Howard: What the *hell* does a senator from Maine need to fly to Peru for?

Howard: I care very much about aviation.

Mrs. Hepburn: We don't care about money here.
Howard: That's because you have it.

[Howard takes Kate to the Cocoanut Grove]
Katharine: Your kind of a joint, is it? Wouldn't have thought.
Howard: Yeah, well, they're open late. I go to a hot dog stand on La Cienega, too; they're open 'til around 4.
Katharine: Are they? How marvelous!

Howard: 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: They move, Mr. Hughes! Clouds move. That's what they do. They move!
Howard: [pointing to the Hell's Angels planes] Do you see that? It is costing me $5,271 A DAY to keep those planes on the ground! You get me some goddamn clouds, huh?

Howard: Come in with the milk. Come in with the milk. Come in with the milk.

Katharine: I've been famous - for better or worse - for a long time now... I wonder if you know what that really means.
Howard: I got my fair share of press on Hell's Angels. I'm used to it.
Katharine: Are you?
Katharine: 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: Kate, they can't get in here. We're safe.
Katharine: Oh? Oh, they can always get in. When my brother killed himself there were photographers at the funeral. There's no decency to it.

Ava: You listened to my phone calls?
Howard: No! No! No! Honey I would never do that! I'd never do that! I... I just read the transcripts, that's all.

Howard: Does that look clean to you?
Ava: Nothing's clean, Howard. But we do our best, right?

Howard: You don't care about money because you've always had it.

Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster: ...we would like him to reappear. Would you ask him to return?
Howard: No, I don't think I will.
Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster: Will you try to have him return?
Howard: No, I don't think I'll try.
Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster: You don't think you'll try?
Howard: No, I don't think so.

Howard: Don't tell me I can't do it; don't tell me it can't be done!

Howard: 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: I'll take my chances.
Howard: 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: Love what you've done with the place...

Howard: Will you marry me?
Ava: You're too crazy for me.

Howard: Actresses are cheap in this town, darlin'. And I got a lot of money.
Katharine: Please, Howard, this is beneath you.
Howard: No no. This is exactly me. You come over here out of the blue and tell me you're leaving me for someone else and you have the nerve to expect graciousness?
Katharine: I expected a little maturity, I expect you to face this situation like an adul...
Howard: DON'T TALK DOWN TO ME! Don't you EVER talk down to me! You are a movie star, nothing more!