The Aviator

Roles

• Howard Hughes - Adult (36-50), Male

About this piece

Howard Hughes' Hercules speech

Summary

The aviator is a biopic about Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio), movie producer, director, businessman and aviator. The film follows his life in Hollywood from the late 20s to the 40s as he spends a fortune on the movie "Hell's Angels", dates movie stars, designs and builds several record breaking airplanes including the Hercules, the largest plane ever built, acquires TWA and fights Senator Brewster to break Pan Am's monopoly in international travel. Brought to a Congressional hearing by Senator Brewster over misused government money that Hughes Aircraft received to build several war planes, Howard Hughes has to defend himself from several accusations. When Brewster asks him what he did with the 56 million dollars he received to build planes he never delivered (including the epic Hercules), Howard Hughes snaps. First he argues that his company is not the only one that received money to build planes or weapons that were never delivered. Then he promises to the committee that he will deliver the Hercules, the largest plane ever built, on which he put "the sweat of his life". If the planes fails to fly, he vows that he will leave the country....

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