"Come on, Mike!" "Hello, good people!" " Hi, there!" "You better all grab your courage, 'cause this is flyin' weather." "I'm talkin' $5.00 for the best five minutes of your lives." "when you die and Saint Peter says, "when was you happiest down there?"" "you're gonna say, "It was OK the day I got married," ""and I didn't much mind the day I first fell in love," ""but seeing the sky with the Great Waldo Pepper, that beats 'em all!"" "But first, first, who wants a free ride?" " Me!" "Me!" "well, usually I try to pick somebody that shows more enthusiasm." "But I'll make an exception." "what's your name?" "Scooter." " Scooter!" "You're big and strong." "That's the main thing 'cause I'll need a lot of gas." "I can tell there's a lot of riders here today." "Take this to the nearest gas station every time I need it." "when we're all done, I'll give you a free ride." "OK." " Attaboy!" "OK, folks, if you'll just step right up here, let's go!" "Praise the Lord!" "Go ahead, get in." " But what if I don't like it?" "If you really hate it, I'll give you a second ride free." "Go on." "Go ahead." "OK." "Attaboy, Scooter." "Keep her comin'." "No, no, no." "I've changed my mind." "No, it's OK." "No, go ahead." "Yes, sir, who do we have here?" "OK, Scooter." "Thanks." "what about my free ride?" "I just told you that to get you to work for me." "I never take kids up alone." "You must've done pretty good today, if Scooter's right." "Yes, sir." "Best in over a year." "After the war finished, barnstorming was like this all the time." "I've been flying Nebraska for quite a while now." "Things are tough." "People are gettin' used to airplanes." "That's your plan for the rest of your life, cash for rides?" "No, sir." "Every penny goes into building a brand new biplane for air acrobatics." "Are you the best flyer in the world?" " Hush, Scooter." "wouldn't I like to be!" "But there's so many amazing pilots that've done incredible feats with their airplanes." "Sorry to disappoint you, Scooter, but I'm gonna be honest with you." "There's no way that I could say I'm the best pilot in the world." "I'm the second best flyer in the world." "who's better?" " I'd say the German ace Ernst Kessler." "He shot down 70 planes and lived to tell the tale." "That don't seem right." "Shootin' down Americans don't make a hero to me." "well, maybe not, but Kessler was special." "An honest day's work is what I call special." "were you in the war?" "In the last part of it." " Did you fight Kessler?" "Once." "we were flying patrol over the Hurtgen wood." "There were five of us, and we saw Kessler flying below us with one escort plane." "Now, he didn't see us, and we dove on him." "On the first pass, we shot down the escort plane, but Kessler was too fast." "I followed the escort plane down to make sure he was finished." "As I started climbing, I thought, "Kessler will make a run for it." But he didn't." "He took 'em all on." "One against four." "And he was doing the attacking!" "when I got back up, he'd shot down three." " How?" "well, Landis and Swaab were kids..." "Curtin couldn't have been more than nineteen." "They panicked." "By the time I got back up, he was after McKinnon." "He shot a burst into him, and Mac's plane caught on fire." "Now, Mac said that he would never, ever go down in flames, so he jumped." "Didn't he have a parachute?" " Nobody had parachutes then, Scooter." "No, he just would rather fall to his death than...burn going down." "Then Kessler dove in on me." " weren't you scared?" "Don't be dumb." "well, it's crazy, but..." "I was happy." "It was just me against him." "God, he was all over the sky!" "He could snap around a pin." "One minute I'd think I had him." "The next, he's comin' right at me." "And then he was behind me, and my guns jammed." "I pounded and pounded on the handles till my fists were bleeding." "I couldn't unjam them." "I was just there." "I was..." "I was helpless in his gun sights." "But he didn't fire." "He could see me pounding on my guns, and he pulls up alongside of me just as close as you are to me." "And he looks at me." "And he did it." " Did what?" "Saluted." "Just like that." "Over the Hurtgen wood, Ernst Kessler saluted me." "And then he peeled off... and dove back towards his lines." "I can take you folks high or low, fast or slow, and I can land you as soft as an old maid on a feather bed." "I can fly over your house and see who's visiting your wife!" "But first, for the bravest of the brave..." " Look there!" "Look at him!" "All right, folks, never mind." "He's just passing through." "For the bravest, I'll do some stunts first for free." "Look!" "Excuse me, folks." "A fellow lover of the blue may be in trouble." "I'll be right back." "Hello, good people!" "Thank you." "Thank you." "Before we start, I consider your presence here an act of aggression." "Aggression?" "This is my territory." "Smile!" "we don't want to disconcert the masses." "Then fly your crate outta here." " For what reason?" "Nebraska's mine." "I worked it for 2 years." " You just got yourself a new partner." "But these people are mine." "You're not leavin'?" " You grasp things very well." "Don't leave." "If you carry my gas can for me, I'll give you a free lesson." "Judging from that landing, you need all the help you can get!" "Forgive the intrusion, folks!" "Now, let's remind ourselves where we were." "Some people would say what you're about to see is probably the greatest exhibition of aeronautical skill in history." "I myself wouldn't go that far." "It is probably only the greatest since the invention of the airplane." "Now, this'll be the order, folks." "First, the falling leaf, then the barrel roll, then an inside loop." "And finally a daring low-level pass." "There he goes." " Son?" "Son?" "Oh!" "I'd be obliged if you'd prop me, son." "Glad to." " You're a good loser, and I like good losers." "Then again, you've probably had lots of practice." "Contact." "Little change in the programme, folks." "My partner and I have a little surprise for you." "How would you all like to see the famous Axel Olsson crash?" "The pond!" "The pond's the safest place, Axel!" "That's his signal, folks." "Means he's just rarin' to go." "Everybody down to the pond." "Everybody, the thing of it is," "Axel feels appreciated if, when he's done, assuming he's alive, there's a little reward." "In wichita, folks gave $15, $20 to see a crash up close." "But whatever you like, I'll take it." "Thank you kindly." "They love it, Axel!" "They're good people!" "Now down to the pond!" "That's the best spot to see it from." "Thank you." "Be sure and give the captain a nice round of applause." "It just means the world to him, knowing you care." "Hey, you!" "Come back here!" "Come back here!" "That was a mistake." "what?" " He shouldn't have taken off his gun." "why not?" " Arabs behind those rocks." "You like movies?" " Hmm, if the clothes is nice." "Is this your sweater?" " Uh-huh." "No, no!" "Don't worry." "You know what I'd do if I was him?" " what?" "Throw sand in their eyes, blind 'em." "You could tell it was Kessler's black and yellow plane." "It had three wings and looked like a wasp." "That could sting you, you mean?" "Right." "And he had his girlfriend's name, Lola, painted on the plane." "Honest?" " Yeah." "The highlight of my life would be to see my name flyin' through the..." "There's Axel." "Hi, Axel!" "My goodness, he's hurt himself again." "what happened to you?" "It's a long story." " It'll be too upsetting!" "Meet my friend." "He's a pilot, too." "He's been telling me exciting things." "Axel, this is Waldo Pepper." "Smile, son." "Never disconcert the masses." "why don't you sit down, dear?" "Oh, I can't hardly believe it." "Me sittin' here with two aces." "Tell him about you fighting the black and yellow German!" "No, he wasn't..." "He wasn't black and yellow, Mary Beth." "His plane was." "That's right." "And it had "Lola" written on it." "Lola was Kessler's truest love." " Ernst Kessler?" "You fought Ernst Kessler?" " He sure did." "Go ahead, tell him, Waldo." "Later." "Later, maybe." " No, please." "No." " Do it, Waldo." "Kessler could have killed Waldo, but he let him go 'cause Waldo's guns jammed." "when Kessler and Waldo tangled, Kessler had such respect for Waldo, that he just gave him a salute, and off he went." "That must've been some thrill." " well, it went by so fast." "But looking back, I'd have to say it was kind of exciting." "Oh, he's just bein' modest, Axel." "That was very dangerous." "That German had shot down four planes before Waldo could stop him." "Landis, Swaab, Curtin, McKinnon." "Right, and..." "How did you know?" "Because they were with me in the 14th Scouts, Mary Beth." "when they took off that morning, I didn't see any Waldo Pepper." "You didn't?" "There were five of them." "Kessler shot down four, but let the flight leader live." "His name was Captain Frank Madden." "He died in combat months later." "I don't get it." " You're sitting here with a four-flusher." "He's been telling you stories, getting you drunk, to have his way with you." "Come on." "Should've been me." "Ladies and gentlemen..." "It is my pleasure, as the head of the Dillhoefer Flying Circus, to present to you, on his first and his foremost" "and his final tour of America, the greatest flyer, the most courageous ace of aces," "the most foolhardy aerial stunt performer in this entire civilised world." "the black knight of Germany, Ernst Kessler!" "Goddamn Kraut!" "All right. now!" "He's made his turn out there, ladies and gentlemen." "He's coming back." "so keep your eyes on him." "He's about to perform a spectacular victory roll!" "what are you doin' here?" " It'll be a monoplane." "He's gaining speed vertically." " A monoplane?" "You're building me a plane with only one wing?" "The biplane is as dead as a dodo bird." "And now he comes, gaining speed. pulling up!" "And there it is, it's a roll going straight up into the heavens." "And now he comes out of it on the top." "In case you hadn't noticed, that was a biplane." "Exactly, an antique." "Another death-defying manoeuvre!" "Monoplanes fall apart." " Mine is cantilevered." "They can't pull high Gs." " Absolutely untrue!" "They're unstable, they're unmanoeuvrable and..." "And they can't do that." "who flew a glider at the age of 10?" " You did." "who busted his butt in a parachute made of bedsheets?" "I did." " Then don't lecture me on aerodynamics." "He's going now for altitude, ladies and gentlemen..." "It really is a brilliant concept, Waldo." "wait a minute." "Let go." " Tell your grandchildren." "At an altitude of 3,000 feet, the only man alive today to do ten full, complete revolutions without a crash... the death spin of Ernst Kessler!" "You're worried about manoeuvrability..." "Shut up!" "Four!" " Five!" "Six!" "Seven!" "Eight!" "You're running out of room." "Nine!" "Ten!" "He is the best, isn't he?" " You can beat him, Waldo." "In my monoplane." "Here he is, folks." "He's coming in to land." "The greatest aviator in the world." "Ernst Kessler!" "Ladies and gentlemen, a short intermission, during which time, for a nominal fee..." "Have you test flown it yet?" " As soon as it gets an engine." "I got a line on a surplus Liberty." "All it takes is money." "Here, I got lucky last week." " That'll do for a down payment." "Don't worry." "I'll get more." "Mr Dillhoefer." " Yeah." "I'd like to introduce myself." "I'm Waldo Pepper." "The answer is no." "I thought we might..." " The answer's still no." "I know who you are." "You're a damn good pilot." "Right?" "Barnstorming ain't what it used to be, so now you want a job in my Flying Circus." "But do you got an act?" "No!" "The answer's no unless you got an act." "Look up there!" "You think they want to see a good pilot?" "They want blood." "Sudden death is my business, not good pilots." "wait." "Give me a chance, please?" "You get the same deal as everybody else." "I lose the Kraut to a western outfit at the end of this month." "So there's an act free." "Do a stunt where people think you're gonna die." "No!" "where people are sure you'll die, and I'll take you on." "You might try wing-walking." "I hear it's very popular down south." "Good luck!" "Yoo-hoo!" "Hey!" "Yoo-hoo!" "Hey, Waldo, how you doin'?" "well, it's an inferior model, but it'll suit my purposes." "what do you mean?" " I'm borrowing your plane." "what?" " You wrecked mine, remember?" "And it won't be ready for a month." "Take your hands off that!" "Dillhoefer's promised me employment if I get an act, so I'm using your plane to improvise with." "You're not using my plane for anything." "It's the least you can do for someone who was in combat!" "I was in combat with the 6th Pursuit." "They made me an instructor, and I couldn't get away!" "I'm not a vindictive man." "You learned your lesson, and there's no need to apologize." "who's apologizing?" " You're both starving'!" "You are, practically!" "why don't you just try helping' each other?" "what would we do?" "You're half crippled." "My engine's givin' me fits." "Actually, I have some ideas." "Mary Beth, can you drive?" "what?" " Can you drive?" "Oh... why?" "Go straight, Mary Beth!" " Got it." "Goin' straight." "To the left!" " To the left?" "No, you go straight!" "Slow down!" " You want me to slow down?" "Now go faster!" " Faster, OK!" "Right!" " what?" "Turn it to the right!" "wait, you go straight!" "To the left!" "what the hell are you doing?" "You told me to go faster!" " Not you, you're fine." "Here!" "Here!" "Slow it down." " I'll stall out if I go any slower." "You won't." "Just come across the field, go steady and slow, and we'll adjust to you." "OK." " I hope I don't ruin everything." "Don't worry." "we're doin' a great stunt!" "I don't want to be a stickler for accuracy, but you're just flying." "She's just driving." "I'm doing a great stunt." "That's true, and that's why you're gettin' all the glory." "To the right." "Get over!" "To the right." "More!" " Oh..." "OK!" "Get over to the right!" "No, no, don't run over it!" " Oh, oh!" "Faster, faster!" "Come back here!" "Faster, Mary Beth!" "I'm going as fast as I can!" " More!" "Waldo." " Not now!" "Waldo!" " You're doing fine!" "Go straight." " You oughta listen to me." "Damn it, I said not now!" "Waldo!" " I got it!" "what about Maudie?" "You told her?" " No." "My sister worries enough about you as it is." "Need some help?" " No, I got it." "Go on, it'll be OK." "Go on, go on." "Ezra, your lunch is waiting for you inside." "Guess who's home." "You bastard!" "You rotten bastard!" "Every time you come home, you do this!" "You got some nerve!" "Get out!" "I'm sorry, Waldo." "I don't know what got into me." "It was seeing you all bandaged up again that did it." "I never get to see you unless you're all banged up." "I guess it's kind of mean to throw things at a crippled man." "I'm sorry, Waldo." "I really am." "Ow...!" "Scratch my back and I'll forgive you." "what?" "Scratch my back and I'll forgive you." "OK?" " OK." "Be careful." " This itching is driving me nuts." "There?" " H-higher." "OK." " Ahh!" "Yeah, yeah." "You're forgiven." "Waldo, is it always gonna be when something's broken?" "My coming' back home, you mean?" "Your comin' back home, I mean." "You could fly with me." "Waldo, I get sick!" " You think, still?" "The last time I went up with you, all I saw was the inside of a paper sack." "Yeah, I guess." "Besides, I don't think it would look proper." "we could get married." " Think of all the girls you'd miss." "I'd try very hard to cut down." "Really." "That's very sweet of you, but no thanks." "If I'd have married you, it would've been before the war." "You were awful cute in those days." " I'm still awful cute!" "You practically promised me you'd get killed." "I know." "I know." "Sorry about that." "well, I guess you're still trying." "I really do love you, Maudie." "Except in flying weather!" "Oh, Waldo." "Hey, Maudie..." "Remember this thing is so different and genius-like, that you might not think it's perfect; it is perfect." "But you might think it needs to be touched up." "Hurry up!" "Hold on!" " we're moving as fast as we can." "I haven't had an unlimited budget, so it won't look all clean and dusted." "I don't give a damn about clean." "That's what's so unique about this plane." "It's the design." "Concentrate on that." "The design." "well, there it is, the Stiles Skystreak!" "Don't you think it might be a little nose-heavy, Ezra?" "Here, here!" "Here it is!" " what?" "An elevator trim tab you operate from inside the cockpit." "The horsepower?" " 80." "will it take a 120?" " If you got the money, it will." "It'll take a 180." "Do you like it?" "what about the wings with a 180?" " I'll buttress them with wires." "Don't worry!" "Do you like it?" " Ezra..." "I could do an outside loop in this, couldn't I?" "Couldn't I?" " Of course you could." "Even I could do an outside loop in this, but I'm a superb pilot!" "what's an outside loop?" " The last great stunt." "Even Kessler hasn't done it." " why not?" "His plane could never take the stress." "Do you realize if you build the first plane to do it, and I'm the first guy to fly it, we could both be rich and famous, d'you think so?" "I need some more money." " Oh!" "I'll get the money." "He likes it!" "Any time you're ready." "Come on, now." "we flipped and you lost." "You gotta go first." "we gotta find out if we can do this." "Dillhoefer won't give us a job unless we can wing-walk." "Go on!" "Come on back." "Get back in." "I didn't like it much!" "All right, get back here and we'll switch." "Come on!" "Take the stick." "Ow!" "watch it!" "Ladies and gentlemen!" "The unbeaten, untied, unethical wing-walking wonders of the world," "Olsson and Pepper!" "Guy last week did that standing on his head." "Folks, I haye always had a warm spot in my heart for the lovely town of "Pauth"." "Poth!" " Poth." "And for your entertainment memories, we have a special guest." "who has agreed to take the first flight with us this afternoon." "Ladies and gentlemen, the world-famous opera star," "Madame Jessie Lund!" "Folks, I always tell the boys our annual sojourn to Great Rapids is the climax of the year." "So just crowd right in!" "Just crowd right in!" "Excuse me for a moment." "well?" "Is she gonna help us out?" "Yes or no?" "No!" "It's too dangerous." "we need new stunts." "where's this outside loop?" "It'll be ready by the Fair." " we could starve by then." "we need something to bide us through." "Duke, I'll make you legendary." " I've been legendary all month." "Then I'll make you unprecedented!" "Roller skating on the wing?" " Gates done that this season." "what if I parachute off and play the harmonica?" "No good." "Gates done it and tooted a flute." "what the hell do you want, Doc?" " Sex!" "That's what's gonna pull us through." "I am always sayin' how I just crave adventure." "Then it's yes?" " Honey!" "Don't let him bully you!" "She's gonna do it!" "Now, here's what we do." "we put her on the wing..." " And she'll act afraid." "And the wind will blow her clothes off." "why would the wind blow her clothes off?" "The wind doesn't blow my clothes off." "Nobody wants to see you with your clothes off!" "Her, they'll come runnin' to see, if you know what I mean." "A good gimmick!" "we'll just shred her clothes beforehand, and you're a good girl." "I get to pick the clothes." " what was that, honey?" "And I get to pick the words about me on the sign." "I want my name higher than anybody else's and bigger than anybody's." "I want to be the "It" girl of the skies!" "No, that isn't so good." " Stop her." "Nobody's gonna stop me, Buster Brown!" "Now, this is what you're gonna write." "Now!" "I want it higher and bigger than anybody else's name." ""Fabulous, fantastic Mary Beth McIllhenny, the "It" girl of the skies!"" "All right." "All right!" "OK!" "Now, honey, now!" "Help me!" "Somebody, help me, please!" "Please, help me!" "Somebody, please help me!" "Help me!" "Oh, God!" "Somebody, help me!" "Please, help me!" "Help me, somebody!" "Please!" "Help me!" "Oh, my God!" "Axel!" "Axel!" "They're coming out!" "Terrific, honey!" "You can come back now!" "OK, come back now!" "You don't want to freeze on me, do you?" "Come on in before you catch a cold!" "Mary Beth!" "This is work to get it up." "They're coming back." "what the hell's he trying to do?" "He can't land with her out there." "He'll cartwheel." "She's frozen." "Come on!" " I knew she wasn't worth top billing." "Move!" "Contact." " Contact." "what are they doin'?" " How the hell do I know?" "They don't know what they're doing!" "we're both gonna die if you stay out there!" "Please!" "Crawl to the centre and get out of there!" "Mary Beth!" "Jesus!" "I'm going across." "I can't keep it level with both of you out there." "Put it into a shallow dive." " OK!" "Mary Beth, I'm gonna help you!" "Here, take my hand!" "I'm gonna help you back, Mary Beth!" "Take my hand!" "Mary Beth!" "Take it!" "Take my hand!" "Jesus!" "You'll notify her family?" " Yes, sir, we know what to do." "I hate to say this, but I am in the business, and an accident like this does bring the people out, so excuse us." "Nobody's going no place unless he says so." "Unless who says so?" "I almost had her." "Jesus, I came so close." "In here." "Hey, Newt." "Hey, hotshot, how are ya?" " what do you say?" "Gee..." "Newt, this is Doc Dillhoefer and my partner, Axel Olsson." "Hey, you guys, this is Newton Potts." "He was my squadron leader in France." "You know, he got 11 planes, Doc?" " I've heard a lot about Mr Potts." "what brings you down here?" "You do, Mr Dillhoefer." "I'm the inspector for the Department of Commerce." "I'm gonna have to shut you down." " what?" "On whose authority?" " The Air Commerce Act." "Your air circus is operating in violation of the civil aeronautics code." "Come off it, Newt. what is all this?" "The fun and games are over, Waldo." "You've been scaring people for too long." "Flying is big business, and it's gotta be safe." "You can't wave your papers and ruin our livelihood just like that." "You meet the requirements, and you can fly again." "But your planes and pilots have to be licensed, no stunting over congested areas, no wing-walking." "It's all in there." "when you're ready for inspection, I'll come back." "But until then, you're grounded." "Do you think if I study real hard, I might pass?" "Are you gonna license the clouds and the rain?" "You gonna put highways in the sky to follow?" "Yep." "All that, too." "Along with airlines and airmail." "There's big money in it." "well, I'm no chauffeur, and I'm no mailman." "I'm a flyer, Newt." " Not anymore, Waldo." "Not until an investigation into that girl's death." "Waldo and Axel wanted to save her." "That will come out in the investigation, but until then, everybody involved will not be issued licences." "when's that gonna be?" " The board convenes in six weeks." "I've got a contract in two weeks." "I need Waldo and Axel to fly!" "You can't do this to me!" " It's not me, it's Congress and you guys!" "You done it to yourselves." "why don't you all grow up?" "Waldo, you're the greatest natural flyer I've ever seen." "If the war had been longer, you might have proved that." "But that kind of flying is finished." "You'll have to learn to live with it." "I'm sorry, hotshot." "Dillhoefer, I'll be in touch." "I just don't understand." "That guy was a great squadron leader." "what the hell happens to people?" "Kid's stuff." " what does it say?" "Not this." "Us." "what we've been doin'." "Waldo, he's right." "It's kid's stuff." " we can still fly the Fair." "Don't worry about Newt, he's an old pal." "I'm through, Waldo." "My heart isn't in it." "I'll see you." "You take care." "Come on!" "Hurry!" "Hurry!" "Hurry!" "Ladies and gentlemen, step right up!" "For25 cents see the next show." "The next show starts in about five minutes." "25 cents!" "Step right up, folks." "Come one, come all." "Ladies and gentlemen, this is a show of a lifetime." "Step right up!" "Do I fly?" "Or am I finished?" "Neither." "I fly." "Waldo, Newt said you'd already asked him three times." "He can't let ya." "Somebody's gonna do the outside loop any day now." "If I can do it here, now, you'll still have the plane." "He says you might get a two-month suspension." "You can take it to exhibitions all over the country, show Kessler up!" "All I did was try and save her." " I know." "Newt's got rules." "The local CAA is sitting out there." "CAA!" "Waldo... we've been together all our lives." "Tell me to fly it and I'll fly it." "Tell me to skip it and I'll skip it." "But I gotta know now." "Are you ready?" " Yeah." "Are you sure you're ready?" " Yeah!" "Down from the heavens, all for you the Stiles Skystreak!" "Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time in the history of aviation, the most difficult, the most dangerous" "aerobatic manoeuvre eye performed in the entire world..." "Mr Ezra Stiles will now perform the outside loop!" "He's over the top now. folks, and into his dive at 200 miles an hour." "He's coming out of the dive upside down." "Centrifugal force is trying to throw him out of the cockpit." "Put the power on." "Power on!" "Late!" "Tremendous pressure on his head." "He could black out any second." "He's trying to push over the top and make history here for you today." "It's all right. folks." "He's under control." "He's not gonna make it." " He'll make it." "If he don't, we'll go into the opera routine." "Duke, get into the opera costume." " He'll make it." "Get the plane ready." "Don't let it hang there." "Piece of cake, Ezra!" "Pull back." "That's it!" "Now power!" "Now power!" "Don't let it slide back." "Jesus, don't let it slide back!" "Go back!" "Go back!" "Ace, get that goddamn plane started!" "Go back!" "Listen." "Let me..." "Let me get the belt." "Can you move your legs?" "Can you move your legs?" "Not much." " well, try." "They're jammed." " Son of a bitch." "Give me a hand, will ya?" " Oh, Christ!" "They're smoking!" "They're smoking!" " Hey!" "Put that away, goddamn!" "Put those cigarettes away!" "Get 'em away from the plane!" "Get 'em away!" " Fire!" "Fire!" "Don't let me burn!" "Waldo!" "Somebody give me a hand!" " Please!" "Help me!" "will somebody help me?" " Don't let me burn!" "Help me get him out!" " Don't let me burn!" "Waldo!" "Waldo, I'm burning!" "I'm burning!" "Waldo!" "Get away!" "Get away from here, you goddamn vultures!" "Go on back!" "Go back!" "Go on!" "Get away!" "Let's go!" "Come on!" "Come on!" "Come on!" "Get away!" "what the hell is he doin'?" "Get away!" "Hi, Newt." "He's down by the tree." "It's permanent, Waldo." "The regional board met in wichita." "Permanently grounded." "It's a federal offence if you ever fly again." "That means jail." "I did everything I could, but they wouldn't budge." "It's a miracle no one was killed." "If there had been you would've been up for manslaughter." "As it was, they figure they're letting you off easy." "well, they did the right thing." "There's no doubt about it." "Come work for me if you want." "It's the best I can do." "It's clerking', but you'd still be in aviation." "No, thanks, Newt." "Thanks, but no thanks." "well, if you change your mind, let me know." "what d'you think about Kessler?" "what?" " Outside loop, last week, St Louis." "well..." "Somebody was bound to do it sooner or later." "Yeah, I suppose so." "Take it easy, hotshot." " Yeah." "Hey." "who is it?" "It's me, Doc." "Waldo Pepper." "Goodbye!" "Just a minute, huh, Doc?" "Howdy, Doc." "Oh, hey, you're lookin' good, Doc." "Real good." "what you been doin'?" " Get to it, Pepper." "Oh, nothing." "I..." "I... well, I'm healing pretty fast, and..." "I was thinkin' about maybe gettin' back into flying." "I can't advise you." "You wanna go to jail, go to jail." "I'd use another name, of course." "I wouldn't want star billing or anything." "with me?" "You get me the worst publicity ever, you get me suspended for a year, and now you're asking me for a job?" "Come on, Doc." "You're crazy." "Pepper, there's not an outfit in this country that'll touch ya!" "It's all gone anyway." "They don't wanna see stunting anymore." "They want speed, records, fast, faster." "Get yourself a bug, hit 200, you're home free." "I..." "I can do that." "Goodbye, Pepper." "Olsson's doin' pretty good in Hollywood." "Maybe the CAA hasn't set itself up in the west yet." "Try California." "CAA..." "See you, Doc." "You're not a bad sort, Waldo, but you're dangerous." "How's the pay?" " It's good." "People are nutty, but you get used to them." "I haven't been out of work since I got here." "who do I see about getting a job?" " Don't worry about it." "Finish!" "Cut!" "Axel, move in." "Come on, Axel." "I'll be right back." "You'll be in that position over there." "Right here, gentlemen." "All right." "Stand by, everybody!" "Roll 'em!" "Speed..." "Action!" "Cut!" "You got that?" "OK for you?" "OK, Joe?" "Good." "Cut!" "Print!" "That was a good one." "Let's just wait a minute, Frank." "Just a minute." "I am just too cat-like to fall that way." "My fans will know it isn't me." "I have too much natural grace." "Couldn't he club me with a wrench or something?" "My reflexes are so..." " You were great." "Terrific!" "One more time!" "Axel, use the gun butt this time." "Props, move the debris so they can bring the table in." "You must be the famous Patsy." "Axel says be real nice to you." " You're damn right." "Hi, honey." " Hi." "werfel asked me to give you a message." "He wants you to reconsider." " I thought he had all his pilots." "Not after this morning." "Another mid-air?" "we've been through that before." "Tell him no." "I'm glad." "I already did." "Hey, let's us do it." "You're talking to an airline pilot!" "western promised me an opening once my application passes CAA review." "who'd approve you?" " I'm clean." "I took my year's suspension." "You really wanna get thrown to the lions?" "It's a lot better than getting creamed by Fokker." "I can't do that air work anymore." "I'm out of practice." "But we can work our way back." "I couldn't get the job myself, but werfel knows you." "Vouch for me." "I'd even use an assumed name." "How about it?" "Do you think we could?" "God knows werfel pays his pilots big." "All their next of kin agree on that." "These out-takes show Dick's piece of bad luck." "Dick'll be all right, more or less." "Thank God we had two different camera angles." "we can use the same one for both Curtin's and Landis' crash." "I'm positive the audience will never notice they're the same crash." "That's supposed to be Madden's plane, but we'll cut that out and start him going up to help McKinnon." "Here's the same crash from another angle." "See what I mean?" "Dick was lucky to get out of it alive." "He'll be in the hospital for a couple of months and no use to us." "Enough." "Lights, please!" "we've shot up to where Madden helps McKinnon." "I want to see McKinnon's plane flame, see him jump to his death, then Kessler and Madden's dogfight." "Can you handle that?" " No problem." "George!" "Mr werfel, I'd like you to meet my partner, the famous George Brown from the East Coast." "Mr werfel, the director." " what is this picture?" "It's called "Eagles Over France", about the 14th Air Scouts." "Ernst Kessler's battle." " They fought Kessler." "It's all true." "No, you're wrong." "The 14th Scouts didn't have Spads, Newports or SE-5s." "Mr Brown, anybody can supply accuracy." "Artists provide truth." " Mr werfel, I know this battle." "They were stationed much closer to the front line." "He's quite right." "It didn't look like that." "But then, perhaps, some poetic licence is justified." "You're learning." "Can you handle these three stunts?" "They're very dangerous." "we can do it." " How much will it cost me?" "Depends." " I'm on a very tight budget..." "You're Ernst Kessler?" " Yes." "And you're Brown?" "Sorry I sounded like an expert on your battle." "No need." "You probably know more about it than I do." "I was there, of course, but there wasn't much time for me to study." "I'm glad to be in your movie." " It's hardly mine." "I am just a technical advisor." "They let me do my own flying." "Publicity, I suppose." "Aren't you playing yourself?" "Ernst Kessler shot down 70 planes." "If you were casting the part, who would you pick?" "I'd pick you." " Oh, it doesn't matter." "It's all lies anyway, Mr Brown." "Let's forget the "Brown" stuff." "My name is Waldo Pepper." "You're Waldo Pepper?" "You were a friend of Ezra Stiles." "You were with him in Muncie when he tried for the outside loop." "You were in some trouble, yes?" " Yes." "It's over now?" " No." "It's very nice to have met you." "Perhaps we'll have a chance to fly together." "I'd like that." "Goodbye, Mr Brown." " Goodbye." "This is it." " Yeah." "Got any notions how to set this thing on fire in mid-air and jump clear without singeing your ass off?" "well, let's see." "Do you know how much werfel is paying for this stunt?" "Five hundred." "Five hundred?" "He's paying me $500 just to set this thing on fire and jump?" "No, not you." "He's paying me $500." "You're flying the Madden plane." "what?" " You're flying the Madden plane." "How do you know?" " Kessler talked to werfel." "He said he wanted to do the dogfight with you." "If I place a charge under the cowling..." "If I ran some wires under the floorboard to a switch here, when I hit the switch, the smoke pot goes." "when I jump clear, the plane will..." "I was not spying." "I did not wish to be an intrusion." "So..." "Tomorrow we do the McKinnon jump." "who's doing it?" "I am." " why?" "There are other pilots." "I'm 32 years old, I've been flying since I was 20 and I'm gettin' married." "Yeah, I'm gettin' married." "They're paying me $500 for this jump which makes my total net worth $250." "I need the money." "Yes, I understand the need for money, Captain, believe me." "I, myself, am in debt for slightly less than $40,000." "But..." "I still would not like to make that jump." "How can you be in debt for $40,000?" "I ask myself that from time to time." "All I can tell you is that life is clear for me up there alone." "In the sky I found, even in my enemies, courage, honour and chivalry." "On the ground..." "Is it secured?" " Huh?" "Is it secured?" " Yeah." "I'm gonna put the switch back here." " Yeah." "Are you sure?" "Sure about what?" " About..." "Hey!" "You stupid moron!" "This is already a fire hazard just sitting here!" "Go get me an end wrench." "Never mind." "I'll get it myself." "Madden got height on you that day." "They were up in back of you with the sun behind them." "How come?" "You're quite correct." "Yes, I was heading back home." "Cold and, I'm afraid, careless." "You know, I flew much better missions than this one." "Nobody knows about them, but I did." "This one only took eight minutes." "Someone down on the ground told me that once." "I was surprised." "You see..." "Nothing in my life has ever been the same since." "And eight minutes, it seemed too little, like a cheat." "The five of them came at us out of the sun." "And on the first pass, Madden shot down my escort plane, which left it four to one against me." "Of course, I wanted to run, but they had the angles on me, so I closed with them." "And that they did not expect." "You know..." "I could see how young they were." "So frightened." "And they already knew my plane." "who was Lola?" " My first wife." "You know, I've had three." "She left me soon after the war." "They all left me, but Lola is the only one that I still seek out in crowds." "where was I?" " They recognized your plane." "And they forgot everything." "They made such final mistakes." "I kept on firing until they were down." "The last to go was McKinnon." "And he flamed." "I don't blame him for jumping." "I'd have done the same." "But I didn't see him go, because Madden was on me." "Did you know it was Madden?" " I think so, yes." "I wanted it to be, I know that." "Madden, they said, was a wonder, and I was Ernst Kessler." "But not against children." "No, that proves nothing." "You see..." "I keep track of talent." "Madden tried going under you at first, didn't he?" "Yes." "were you surprised?" "I thought I was done, but I manoeuvred free." "But before I could breathe, he was on me again, and I said," ""My God, is he better than I am?" ""Is there someone who can beat me?"" "were you scared?" "No." "Everything was in order." "The world made total sense." "we battled." "No lasting advantage." "He was brighter." "I was smarter." "He was faster, and I was quicker." "Until he hesitated coming out of a turn." "His guns had jammed." "You know, I could see him, pounding on the guns, trying to make them regain function." "And I thought, "Run, Madden." ""Try for the clouds."" "But he didn't." "He came straight for me instead." "And I thought, "You are very stupid..." ""...but you are very brave." ""So someone else will have to kill you."" "was that when you saluted?" "Yes." "And then what did you do?" "wept." "Keep the smoke going for 10 seconds and then set the plane on fire." "Make sure the plane's really on fire before you get out." "You'll jump, and the camera ship will follow you all the way down." "OK." "Don't open your parachute too soon otherwise you'll spoil the whole effect." "Let's go." "You could not pull your chute at all, then he'd be sure to get the right effect!" "Let's go!" "Get me some scissors to get this boot off." "Guess who's still alive?" "Me!" "That's the one!" "we got it." "we got it." "Here we go." "Steady." "You wanted to be a movie star." "who, me?" "Boy, do I look forward to this a lot." "we got it." "Hold it." "who's that?" "Is that Newt?" "Hey, Newt!" "what you doin' in California?" "I'm working, as the regional head of the CAA." "western sent me Axel's pilot application." "I'm here to check a few things out, make a few comments about his character." "I've a stupendous character." "The world agrees on that!" "Good." "Good." "There any bad habits I should know about?" "Drinking, for example?" " This is no problem here." "well, I guess if western's dumb enough to want you, they won't be in business long enough for you to do them any harm." "Did you know Kessler's in town?" "Kessler is in town." "They're filming the Madden dogfight." " Right." "I read about that in the papers." "Next week or..." " No." "It's tomorrow." "well, I guess I got it wrong." "You gonna have a drink with us?" " No, thanks." "No, thanks." "I'm up early tomorrow." "Every pilot in town will sneak in on this one." "I don't know about you guys, but I wouldn't miss it for the world." "Hey, we'll see ya." " Yeah." "See ya, Newt." " Happy landings." "Take good care." "See him?" "If I saw him, I'd at least grunt or something." "Just keep a steady lookout." " werfel's waiting for you." "Right!" "well, what...what do you think?" "Hey, Brown!" " Yeah!" "we'll start with independent passes over the camera ship." "He'll signal when it's enough." "Then we'll cut to some head-on passes." "But remember at all times, keep close to the camera ship." "I know those are uncomfortable, and you didn't really wear them in the war, but we've two men dead already, so you'll wear them now." "Questions?" "what'd they do that for?" "who's flying with Kessler?" " Brown." "New guy." "I'll get him when he gets down." "what are they doing?" "They're actually fighting, for Christ's sake." "Come on, Waldo!" "Shake him!" "well, as long as he's up there." "He's gonna run him into the hill!" "Jesus, he rammed him!" "Get a camera!" "If those stupid bastards are gonna kill each other, I want it on film!" "where the hell are they?" "There's Waldo." "Look!" "One more pass and you got him!"