Hughes and the mystery atomic test

The Los Angeles Times had an interesting story Sunday about one small unanswered question from the atomic testing era at the Nevada Test Site. Naturally, Howard Hughes played a role.

Among the hundreds of atomic tests of the Cold War era, just one of them occurred at what is known as the Central Nevada Test Area, a remote area northeast of Tonopah. There has been speculation for decades as to why this detonation, code-named Faultless, took place where it did on Jan. 19, 1968, and why no further tests were conducted in this area far to the north of where most of the other atomic tests occurred.

The Times, however, interviewed Philip Coyle, former test director at the Nevada Test Site, who says the test was conducted at the distant outpost in response to pressure from Hughes, who was then living on the ninth floor of the Desert Inn and was among the earliest critics of atomic testing. The atomic blasts were known to shake the hotels on the Strip, alarming guests and employees alike. Hughes also was deeply worried about radiation exposure from the blasts.

According to the Times report: "The Atomic Energy Commission was under so much heat from Hughes, as well as other hotel owners, that the agency ordered a test to see whether a big detonation farther from the Strip would reduce the shaking there."

It turned out that Faultless, an extremely large explosion, still shook the Strip hotels. In addition, according to the Times, it "caused the earth to sink eight feet and opened gaps three feet across."

In short, Faultless proved to the AEC that detonating a bomb a little farther away from Las Vegas wasn't going to solve its dispute with Hughes.

To read the full article, go here.

Tulsa auction yields $1 million bid for Hughes car

I'm not sure where this car came from, but somebody paid $1 million for it the other day. See story here. The new owner, a former pro basketball player, envisions the car ending up in the Evergreen Aviation Museum, alongside Hughes' famed flying boat. That tidbit is in a story here.

The Silver Slipper sign story: True or false?

A memorial service was held recently for the late casino operator Claudine Williams, and the Las Vegas Review-Journal story about it notes that Williams and her husband sold the Silver Slipper to Howard Hughes. Citing an oral history by Williams, the story says Hughes wanted to buy the casino because he was worried that the casino's sign, a rotating silver slipper, might come loose and crash into his Desert Inn hotel across the street. See the story here.

This story conflicts with another common tale about why Hughes wanted to buy the Silver Slipper. In this story, the rotating sign was shining into his hotel room window and he didn't like it. The problem with this story is that Hughes' windows were covered. He didn't look out and little or no light came in. He wasn't sitting in his suite looking out on the Strip, so he might not have even been aware of the rotating sign at all.

This fact, of course, also calls Williams' story into question. However, Williams' story contains an important fact: It was Bob Maheu, Hughes' chief executive in Las Vegas, who told her that Hughes worried about the sign. Maheu was instructed to buy the casino, so in order to get the job done, he could have cooked up any old story about why Hughes wanted it. He could have told Williams the fictional story about the sign just to make conversation, or to in some way entice her to make the sale.

Leo apparently really wants to play Frank

Check out this excerpt from an article published in the San Jose Mercury News. Sorry for the little glitch in the text. Can't seem to fix it.

"Leonardo DiCaprio has reportedly hired a vocal coach to teach him to sing in a bid to win the role of Frank Sinatra in Martin Scorsese's upcoming biopic.

"That pounding you hear is Sinatra, angrily beating on the inside of his casket. And don't think he

can't get out.

"The actor, who has previously worked with Scorsese on the Howard Hughes biopic "The Aviator," is said to be training with a voice expert to learn how to mimic the late crooner. A source told British newspaper The Sun, "Leo has hired a top vocal coach to get him sounding like Sinatra. He is a massive fan of the singer and has always wanted to play him. He would be sick to miss out on the leading role because his singing wasn't up to scratch. He is now in intensive vocal coaching lessons to replicate Sinatra's distinctive style."

"Yeah, because it's just that easy.

"DiCaprio will have to work hard, as Johnny Depp and Harry Connick Jr. have also been mentioned for the part."

Hughes-modified car up for auction

Here's an article from Motor Authority about a Lincoln car that Hughes is believed to have modified in the 1930s. It will be up for auction next month. Find it here: http://tinyurl.com/o8epwh

A writer who doesn't like Di Caprio as Sinatra

Thoughtful piece at the Den of Geek website about the idea of Leo Di Caprio portraying Sinatra in Martin Scorsese's planned biopic. Find it here: http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/252712/why_sinatra_deserves_better_than_dicaprio.html

Hughes in re: ‘Gone with the Wind'

Interesting article in the New Yorker that begins with a perceptive Hughes comment regarding the filming of "Gone with the Wind." Find it here: http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2009/05/25/090525crat_atlarge_denby

Di Caprio candidate for planned Sinatra biopic

Rolling Stone magazine reports that Martin Scorsese, director of "The Aviator," is planning to make a Frank Sinatra biopic. One potential candidate for the leading role is Leonardo Di Caprio, who portrayed Howard Hughes in "The Aviator."

Other popular candidates for the role: Chris Pine (late of "Star Trek"), Ben Affleck, Ed Norton, Matt Damon, Johnny Depp, Val Kilmer, Justin Timberlake and Zac Efron.

One scene that absolutely must be in the film is when Sinatra, angered by old nemesis Hughes cutting off his casino credit, drove a golf cart through a plate-glass window at the Sands Hotel. When Sinatra confronted casino executive Carl Cohen and shoved a table at him, Cohen punched him and knocked out a couple of his teeth.

Las Vegas Review-Journal editor Don Digilio came up with a great line to describe Sinatra's meltdown: "Singer Tony Bennett left his heart in San Francisco, and Frank Sinatra left his teeth — at least two of them — in Las Vegas."

Hughes connection to late Claudine Williams

Longtime Las Vegas casino executive Claudine Williams died Wednesday at age 88. She was among the first women to serve in the highest levels of casino management.

Williams and her husband, Shelby Williams, moved to Las Vegas in 1964 and purchased the Silver Slipper on the Strip. They sold the casino to Howard Hughes in 1969, then used the proceeds to build the Holiday Casino, which later became Harrah's.

Hughes' long life after death

Here's an article about Hughes' name living on far beyond his death. Click here.