20 Best Network Monologues – Page 2 of 2

Network (Diana)

Category: Play Role: Diana From: Network

DIANA: Last night Howard Beale went on the air and yelled bulls – for two minutes and we”ve got press coverage you couldn”t buy for a million dollars. Did you see the overnights on the Network News? It has an eight in New York and a nine in LA and 27 share on both cities. I can tell you right now if we put Beale back on tonight the show will get a 30 share at least. I think we”ve totally lucked into something.Yes, I think we should put Beale back on the air tonight and keep him on. Frank, that dumb show jumped five rating points in one night! We just increased our audience by twenty or thirty million people in one night. You”re not going to get something like this dumped in your lap for the rest of your days and you just can”t p – it away. Howard Beale got up there last night and said what every American feels – that he”s tired of all the bulls -. He”s articulating the popular rage. I want that show, Frank. I can turn that show into the biggest smash on television.I see Howard Beale as a latter-day prophet, a magnificent messianic figure, inveighing against the hypocrites of our times, a nightly Savonarola, Monday through Friday. I tell you, Frank, that could just go through the roof. And I”m talking about a six-dollar cost per thousand show! Do you want to figure out the revenues of a strip show that sells for a hundred thousand bucks a minute? One show like that could pull this whole network right out of the hole. Now, Frank, it”s being handed to us on a plate. Let”s not blow it.*For Paddy Chayefsky”s original film version of this monologue, click here.More Monologues from “Network”RelatedShareTweetPin

Yes, I think we should put Beale back on the air tonight and keep him on. Frank, that dumb show jumped five rating points in one night! We just increased our audience by twenty or thirty million people in one night. You”re not going to get something like this dumped in your lap for the rest of your days and you just can”t p – it away. Howard Beale got up there last night and said what every American feels – that he”s tired of all the bulls -. He”s articulating the popular rage. I want that show, Frank. I can turn that show into the biggest smash on television.I see Howard Beale as a latter-day prophet, a magnificent messianic figure, inveighing against the hypocrites of our times, a nightly Savonarola, Monday through Friday. I tell you, Frank, that could just go through the roof. And I”m talking about a six-dollar cost per thousand show! Do you want to figure out the revenues of a strip show that sells for a hundred thousand bucks a minute? One show like that could pull this whole network right out of the hole. Now, Frank, it”s being handed to us on a plate. Let”s not blow it.*For Paddy Chayefsky”s original film version of this monologue, click here.More Monologues from “Network”RelatedShareTweetPin

I see Howard Beale as a latter-day prophet, a magnificent messianic figure, inveighing against the hypocrites of our times, a nightly Savonarola, Monday through Friday. I tell you, Frank, that could just go through the roof. And I”m talking about a six-dollar cost per thousand show! Do you want to figure out the revenues of a strip show that sells for a hundred thousand bucks a minute? One show like that could pull this whole network right out of the hole. Now, Frank, it”s being handed to us on a plate. Let”s not blow it.*For Paddy Chayefsky”s original film version of this monologue, click here.More Monologues from “Network”RelatedShareTweetPin

*For Paddy Chayefsky”s original film version of this monologue, click here.More Monologues from “Network”RelatedShareTweetPin

Network (Hackett)

Category: Movie Role: Hackett From: Network

HACKETT: I got a hit, Schumacher, and Ruddy doesn”t count any more. He was hoping I”d fall on my face with this Beale show, but I didn”t. It”s a big, fat, big-t -d hit, and I don”t have to waffle around with Ruddy any more. If he wants to take me up before the C.C. and A. board, let him. And do you think Ruddy”s stupid enough to go to the CCA board and say: “I”m taking our one hit show off the air?” And comes November Fourteen, I”m going to be standing up there at the annual CCA management review meeting, and I”m going to announce projected earnings for this network for the first time in five years. And, believe me, Mr. Jensen will be sitting there rocking back and forth in his little chair, and he”s going to say: “That”s very good, Frank, keep it up.” So don”t have any illusions about who”s running this network from now on. You”re fired. I want you out of your office before noon or I”ll have you thrown out.More Monologues from “Network”RelatedShareTweetPin

Network (Howard Beale)

Category: Movie Role: Howard Beale From: Network

I don’t have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. It’s a depression. Everybody’s out of work or scared of losing their job. The dollar buys a nickel’s worth. Banks are going bust. Shopkeepers keep a gun under the counter. Punks are running wild in the street and there’s no one anywhere that seems to know what to do with us. Now into it. We know the air is unfit to breathe, our food is unfit to eat, and we sit watching our TVs while some local newscaster tells us that today we had 15 homicides and 63 violent crimes as if that’s the way it’s supposed to be. We know things are bad. Worse than bad. They’re crazy. It’s like everything everywhere is going crazy so we don’t go out anymore. We sit in a house as slowly the world we’re living in is getting smaller and all we say is, “Please, at least leave us alone in our living rooms. Let me have my toaster, and TV, and my steel belted radials and I won’t say anything.” Well I’m not going to leave you alone. I want you to get mad. I don’t want you to protest. I don’t want you to riot. I don’t want you to write to your congressman because I wouldn’t know what to tell you to write. I don’t know what to do about the depression and the inflation and the Russians and the crying in the streets. All I know is first you’ve got to get mad. You’ve got to say, “I’m a human being. God Dammit, my life has value.” So, I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window, open it, and stick your head out, and yell, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” I want you to get up right now. Get up. Go to your windows, open your windows, and stick your head out, and yell, “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!” Things have got to change my friends. You’ve got to get mad. You’ve got to say, “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!”

Network (Howard)

Category: Play Role: Howard From: Network

HOWARD: Twenty-five years, Max. I came over from CBS in “51. Can you believe it? They were just building the lower level on the George Washington Bridge – I remember just after I started they were doing a remote there. Except nobody told me. Then ten after seven in the morning, I get a call. “Where the hell are you? You”re supposed to be on the George Washington Bridge!” I jump out of bed, run downstairs, I get out in the street, I flag a cab, jump in. I say, “Take me to the middle of the George Washington Bridge!” The driver turns round. He says, “Don”t do it, buddy. You”re a young man, you”ve got your whole life ahead of you.” (They break into uncontrollable laughter.) I think I”m going to kill myself. I”m going to blow my brains out right on air, right in the middle of the seven o”clock news. “The Death Hour”. A great Sunday-night show for all the family. Wipe Disney right off the air.*For Paddy Chayefsky”s original film version of this monologue (by a different character), click here.More Monologues from “Network”RelatedShareTweetPin

*For Paddy Chayefsky”s original film version of this monologue (by a different character), click here.More Monologues from “Network”RelatedShareTweetPin

Network (Howard)

Category: Play Role: Howard From: Network

HOWARD: I don”t have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. Everybody”s out of work or scared of losing their job, the dollar buys a nickel”s worth, banks are going bust, shopkeepers keep a gun under the counter, punks are running wild in the streets, and there”s nobody anywhere who seems to know what to do and there”s no end to it. We know the air”s unfit to breathe and our food is unfit to eat and we sit and watch our teevees while some local newscaster tells us today we had fifteen homicides and sixty-three violent crimes, as if that”s the way it”s supposed to be. We all know things are bad. Worse than bad. They”re crazy. It”s like everything”s going crazy. So we don”t go out any more. We sit in the house and slowly the world we live in gets smaller and all we ask is, please, at least leave us alone in our own living rooms. Let me have my toaster and TV and my hairdryer and my steel-belted radials and I won”t say anything, just leave us alone. Well, I”m not going to leave you alone. I want you to get mad. (He gets up from his desk and walks to the front of the set.)I don”t want you to protest. I don”t want you to riot. I don”t want you to write to your congressmen. Because I wouldn”t know what to tell you to write. I don”t know what to do about the depression and the inﬂation and the defense budget and the Russians and crime in the street. All I know is, first you”ve got to get mad. You”ve got to say: “I”m a human being, goddammit. My life has value.” So I want you to get up right now. I want you to get out of your chairs and go to the window. Right now. I want you to go to the window, open it and stick your head out and yell. I want you to yell, “I”m mad as hell and I”m not going to take this any more.”Get up from your chairs. Go to the window. Open it. Stick out your head and yell. And keep yelling. First you”ve got to get mad. When you”re mad enough we”ll figure out what to do. Stick your head out and yell, “I”m mad as hell and I”m not going to take it any more.” “I”m mad as hell and I”m not going to take it any more.” “I”m mad as hell and I”m not going to take it any more.”That”s it. I”ve had it with the foreclosures and the oil crisis and the unemployment and the corruption of finance and the inertia of politics and the right to be alive and the right to be angry. I want to hear the little man and woman – I want to hear you now – go to your windows – yell out so they can hear you – yell and don”t stop yelling – so the whole world can hear you – above the chaos and degradation the apathy and white noise.They”re yelling in Chicago. Yell, yell, and then we”ll work out what to do about terrorism and the oil crisis. Stick your head out of the window and shout it with me: “I”m mad as hell and I”m not going to take it any more. I”m mad as hell and I”m not gonna take this any more. I”M MAD AS HELL AND I”M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANY MORE.”*For Paddy Chayefsky”s original film version of this monologue, click here.More Monologues from “Network”RelatedShareTweetPin

I don”t want you to protest. I don”t want you to riot. I don”t want you to write to your congressmen. Because I wouldn”t know what to tell you to write. I don”t know what to do about the depression and the inﬂation and the defense budget and the Russians and crime in the street. All I know is, first you”ve got to get mad. You”ve got to say: “I”m a human being, goddammit. My life has value.” So I want you to get up right now. I want you to get out of your chairs and go to the window. Right now. I want you to go to the window, open it and stick your head out and yell. I want you to yell, “I”m mad as hell and I”m not going to take this any more.”Get up from your chairs. Go to the window. Open it. Stick out your head and yell. And keep yelling. First you”ve got to get mad. When you”re mad enough we”ll figure out what to do. Stick your head out and yell, “I”m mad as hell and I”m not going to take it any more.” “I”m mad as hell and I”m not going to take it any more.” “I”m mad as hell and I”m not going to take it any more.”That”s it. I”ve had it with the foreclosures and the oil crisis and the unemployment and the corruption of finance and the inertia of politics and the right to be alive and the right to be angry. I want to hear the little man and woman – I want to hear you now – go to your windows – yell out so they can hear you – yell and don”t stop yelling – so the whole world can hear you – above the chaos and degradation the apathy and white noise.They”re yelling in Chicago. Yell, yell, and then we”ll work out what to do about terrorism and the oil crisis. Stick your head out of the window and shout it with me: “I”m mad as hell and I”m not going to take it any more. I”m mad as hell and I”m not gonna take this any more. I”M MAD AS HELL AND I”M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANY MORE.”*For Paddy Chayefsky”s original film version of this monologue, click here.More Monologues from “Network”RelatedShareTweetPin

Get up from your chairs. Go to the window. Open it. Stick out your head and yell. And keep yelling. First you”ve got to get mad. When you”re mad enough we”ll figure out what to do. Stick your head out and yell, “I”m mad as hell and I”m not going to take it any more.” “I”m mad as hell and I”m not going to take it any more.” “I”m mad as hell and I”m not going to take it any more.”That”s it. I”ve had it with the foreclosures and the oil crisis and the unemployment and the corruption of finance and the inertia of politics and the right to be alive and the right to be angry. I want to hear the little man and woman – I want to hear you now – go to your windows – yell out so they can hear you – yell and don”t stop yelling – so the whole world can hear you – above the chaos and degradation the apathy and white noise.They”re yelling in Chicago. Yell, yell, and then we”ll work out what to do about terrorism and the oil crisis. Stick your head out of the window and shout it with me: “I”m mad as hell and I”m not going to take it any more. I”m mad as hell and I”m not gonna take this any more. I”M MAD AS HELL AND I”M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANY MORE.”*For Paddy Chayefsky”s original film version of this monologue, click here.More Monologues from “Network”RelatedShareTweetPin

That”s it. I”ve had it with the foreclosures and the oil crisis and the unemployment and the corruption of finance and the inertia of politics and the right to be alive and the right to be angry. I want to hear the little man and woman – I want to hear you now – go to your windows – yell out so they can hear you – yell and don”t stop yelling – so the whole world can hear you – above the chaos and degradation the apathy and white noise.They”re yelling in Chicago. Yell, yell, and then we”ll work out what to do about terrorism and the oil crisis. Stick your head out of the window and shout it with me: “I”m mad as hell and I”m not going to take it any more. I”m mad as hell and I”m not gonna take this any more. I”M MAD AS HELL AND I”M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANY MORE.”*For Paddy Chayefsky”s original film version of this monologue, click here.More Monologues from “Network”RelatedShareTweetPin

They”re yelling in Chicago. Yell, yell, and then we”ll work out what to do about terrorism and the oil crisis. Stick your head out of the window and shout it with me: “I”m mad as hell and I”m not going to take it any more. I”m mad as hell and I”m not gonna take this any more. I”M MAD AS HELL AND I”M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANY MORE.”*For Paddy Chayefsky”s original film version of this monologue, click here.More Monologues from “Network”RelatedShareTweetPin

*For Paddy Chayefsky”s original film version of this monologue, click here.More Monologues from “Network”RelatedShareTweetPin

Network (Howard)

Category: Movie Role: Howard From: Network

HOWARD: I don”t have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. It”s a depression. Everybody”s out of work or scared of losing their job, the dollar buys a nickel”s worth, banks are going bust, shopkeepers keep a gun under the counter, punks are running wild in the streets, and there”s nobody anywhere who seems to know what to do, and there”s no end to it. We know the air”s unfit to breathe and our food is unfit to eat, and we sit and watch our tee-vees while some local newscaster tells us today we had fifteen homicides and sixty-three violent crimes, as if that”s the way it”s supposed to be. We all know things are bad. Worse than bad. They”re crazy. It”s like every thing”s going crazy. So we don”t go out any more. We sit in the house, and slowly the world we live in gets smaller, and all we ask is please, at least leave us alone in our own living rooms. Let me have my toaster and my tee-vee and my hair-dryer and my steel-belted radials, and I won”t say anything, just leave us alone. Well, I”m not going to leave you alone. I want you to get mad.I don”t want you to riot. I don”t want you to protest. I don”t want you to write your congressmen. Because I wouldn”t know what to tell you to write. I don”t know what to do about the depression and the inflation and the defense budget and the Russians and crime in the street. All I know is first you got to get mad. You”ve got to say: “I”m mad as hell and I”m not going to take this any more. I”m a human being, goddammit. My life has value.” So I want you to get up now. I want you to get out of your chairs and go to the window. Right now. I want you to go to the window, open it, and stick your head out and yell. I want you to yell: “I”m mad as hell and I”m not going to take this any more!”*For the version that was done in the Broadway play starring Bryan Cranston, click here.More Monologues from “Network”RelatedShareTweetPin

I don”t want you to riot. I don”t want you to protest. I don”t want you to write your congressmen. Because I wouldn”t know what to tell you to write. I don”t know what to do about the depression and the inflation and the defense budget and the Russians and crime in the street. All I know is first you got to get mad. You”ve got to say: “I”m mad as hell and I”m not going to take this any more. I”m a human being, goddammit. My life has value.” So I want you to get up now. I want you to get out of your chairs and go to the window. Right now. I want you to go to the window, open it, and stick your head out and yell. I want you to yell: “I”m mad as hell and I”m not going to take this any more!”*For the version that was done in the Broadway play starring Bryan Cranston, click here.More Monologues from “Network”RelatedShareTweetPin

*For the version that was done in the Broadway play starring Bryan Cranston, click here.More Monologues from “Network”RelatedShareTweetPin

Network (Howard)

Category: Movie Role: Howard From: Network

HOWARD: (serene, sits behind his desk) What”s happening to me, Max, isn”t mensurate in psychiatric terms. This is not a psychotic episode. It is a cleansing moment of clarity. (stands, an imbued man) I am imbued, Max. I am imbued with some special spirit. It”s not a religious feeling at all. It is a shocking eruption of great electrical energy: I feel vivid and flashing as if suddenly I had been plugged into some great cosmic electromagnetic field. I feel connected to all living things, to flowers, birds, to all the animals of the world and even to some great unseen living force, what I think the Hindus call prana. It is not a breakdown. I have never felt so orderly in my life! It is a shattering and beautiful sensation! It is the exalted flow of the space-time continuum, save that it is spaceless and timeless and of such loveliness! I feel on the verge of some great ultimate truth. You will not take me off the air for now or for any other spaceless time!More Monologues from “Network”RelatedShareTweetPin

Network (Jensen)

Category: Movie Role: Jensen From: Network

JENSEN: You have meddled with the primal forces of nature, Mr. Beale, and I won”t have it, is that clear?! You think you have merely stopped a business deal that is not the case! The Arabs have taken billions of dollars out of this country, and now they must put it back. It is ebb and flow, tidal gravity, it is ecological balance! You are an old man who thinks in terms of nations and peoples. There are no nations! There are no peoples! There are no Russians. There are no Arabs! There are no third worlds! There is no West! There is only one holistic system of systems, one vast and immane, interwoven, interacting, multi-variate, multi-national dominion of dollars! Petro-dollars, electro-dollars, multi-dollars!, Reichmarks, rubles, rin, pounds and shekels! It is the international system of currency that determines the totality of life on this planet! That is the natural order of things today! That is the atomic, subatomic and galactic structure of things today! And you have meddled with the primal forces of nature, and you will atone! Am I getting through to you, Mr. Beale? (pause) You get up on your little twenty-one inch screen, and howl about America and democracy. There is no America. There is no democracy. There is only IBM and ITT and AT and T and Dupont, Dow, Union Carbide and Exxon. Those are the nations of the world today. What do you think the Russians talk about in their councils of state Karl Marx? They pull out their linear programming charts, statistical decision theories and miniMax solutions and compute the price-cost probabilities of their transactions and investments just like we do. We no longer live in a world of nations and ideologies, Mr. Beale. The world is a college of corporations, inexorably determined by the immutable by-laws of business. The world is a business, Mr. Beale! It has been since man crawled out of the slime, and our children, Mr. Beale, will live to see that perfect world in which there is no war and famine, oppression and brutality. One vast and ecumenical holding company, for whom all men will work to serve a common profit, in which all men will hold a share of stock, all necessities provided, all anxieties tranquilized, all boredom amused. And I have chosen you to preach this evangel, Mr. Beale.More Monologues from “Network”RelatedShareTweetPin

Network (Louise Schumacher)

Category: Movie Role: Louise Schumacher From: Network

Then get out. Go anywhere you want. Go to a hotel, go live with her, but don’t come back! Because, after 25 years of building a home and raising a family and all the senseless pain that we have inflicted on each other, I’m damned if I’m gonna stand here and have you tell me you’re in love with somebody else! Because this isn’t a convention weekend with your secretary, is it? Or, or some broad that you picked up after three belts of booze. This is your great winter romance, isn’t it? Your last roar of passion before you settle into your emeritus years. Is that what’s left for me? Is that my share? She gets the winter passion and I get the dotage? What am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to sit at home knitting and purling while you slink back like some penitent drunk? I’m your wife, damn it! And if you can’t work up a winter passion for me, the least I require is respect and allegiance! … I hurt, don’t you understand that? I hurt badly!

Network

I don’t have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. It’s a depression. Everybody’s out of work or scared of losing their job. The dollar buys a nickel’s worth, banks are going bust, shopkeepers keep a gun under the counter. Punks are running wild in the street and there’s nobody anywhere who seems to know what to do, and there’s no end to it. We know the air is unfit to breathe and our food is unfit to eat, and we sit watching our TV’s while some local newscaster tells us that today we had fifteen homicides and sixty-three violent crimes, as if that’s the way it’s supposed to be. We know things are bad – worse than bad. They’re crazy. It’s like everything everywhere is going crazy, so we don’t go out anymore. We sit in the house, and slowly the world we are living in is getting smaller, and all we say is, ‘Please, at least leave us alone in our living rooms. Let me have my toaster and my TV and my steel-belted radials and I won’t say anything. Just leave us alone.’ Well, I’m not gonna leave you alone. I want you to get mad! I don’t want you to protest. I don’t want you to riot – I don’t want you to write to your congressman because I wouldn’t know what to tell you to write. I don’t know what to do about the depression and the inflation and the Russians and the crime in the street. All I know is that first you’ve got to get mad. You’ve got to say, ‘I’m a HUMAN BEING, God damn it! My life has VALUE!’ So I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell, ‘I’M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!’ I want you to get up right now, sit up, go to your windows, open them and stick your head out and yell – ‘I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!’ Things have got to change. But first, you’ve gotta get mad!… You’ve got to say, ‘I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!’ Then we’ll figure out what to do about the depression and the inflation and the oil crisis. But first get up out of your chairs, open the window, stick your head out, and yell, and say it: “I’M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!

In this famous scene from Network, veteran TV journalist Howard Beale, whose live rants are being exploited by his tv station, snaps and encourages the viewers at home to show the world that they’re mad at the injustices taking place, while the station is more interested in the ratings and is therefore overjoyed that the broadcast is becoming a phenomenon, with people heeding Howard’s advice. Peter Finch posthumously won the Academy Award for his performance as the crazed and exuberant journalist Howard Beale.