I finally caught up with the 1977 made-for-TV movie called The Amazing Howard Hughes. I happened upon the DVD at our local library. It’s about two hours long and stars Tommy Lee Jones in the title role.
Please note that this review is based on the DVD version. I understand from the Amazon.com citizen critics that the DVD is a poor cousin of the original miniseries, which was longer and therefore better. Apparently the full miniseries has been shown on cable but I haven’t seen it. If anyone has a VHS or DVD copy of the full miniseries, I’d be very interested in seeing it and writing about it.
The first half of of the DVD version — covering roughly the first half of Hughes’ life — isn’t horrible. Jones does a pretty decent impression of the young and dashing Hughes. The story hits the usual highlights, from taking control of his late father's company to movie making to plane flying (and crashing) to courting Hollywood starlets. Interestingly, the first half of the film is weakest in portraying Hughes’ love life, giving short shrift to almost all the interesting stuff.
Another oddity: At least twice, we see Hughes amusing himself by playing the saxophone (and playing very well). My knowledge of Hughes is not encyclopedic but I’ve never read or heard anything about him playing the sax.
After Hughes flies the Hercules in 1947 — marking the end of Martin Scorsese’s superior The Aviator — the movie ventures into Hughes’ later life, when his eccentricities become more pronounced. After basically skipping a decade of time, his Las Vegas years begin promisingly with his clandestine move into the Desert Inn, but then end rather abruptly as he departs for the Bahamas. The movie suggests that he left Las Vegas because he feared the nearby nuclear testing, but that of course is not the case. The dramatic battle for control of Hughes’ empire in the wake of his departure from Las Vegas is not mentioned at all, as the movie turns immediately to the Clifford Irving affair.
The Amazing Howard Hughes leaves viewers wondering what exactly happened to the billionaire in his later years. There is almost nothing in the film about his abuse of painkillers following his near-fatal crash in 1946, and almost no effort is made to try to explain why he becomes a bedridden paranoid recluse.
The movie is based on a memoir written by Noah Dietrich, who was Hughes’ longtime righthand man but parted ways with him in 1956. Knowing this, it’s perhaps easier to understand why the movie falls apart in portraying Hughes’ life after Dietrich was out of the picture.
All things considered, I found The Amazing Howard Hughes watchable but I can’t imagine anyone other than diehard Hughes followers — and perhaps Tommy Lee Jones fanatics, whoever they might be — having much interest in it. Perhaps the full miniseries holds together better.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
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25 comments:
I heard a lecture by a non political Penn State professor in 1974, who categorized liberal rulers and conservative rulers with a list of qualities. He took the chart clear back to Egypt under the Pharaohs. In general it is a pendulum, with liberals being more freedom an worse morals, and conservative with protectionism, loss of liberties and retentive morals. It is amazing how true his observations have been over the years.
On thing is for sure, around Hughes there was never a vacuum of leadership. He made decisions when they had to be made. Solved problems by constant work around the clock, and rested only when the issue was resolved. I personally think he engineered the Watergate situation to get rid on a Republican cartel who he felt would enslave the nation.
Anonymous obviously has not read much authentic material about Hughes. Hughes did NOT make decisions - he had an incredible tendency to delay. It was a nightmare trying to get him to make decisions, even after deadlines had passed. Often this indecision caused him a lot of problems (see TWA litigation, for example). Anonymous obviously know nothing about the details of the Watergate situation, either. The Watergate break-in was made by Nixon's supporters to see whether Larry O'Brien (the Democratic National Chairman) was on the Hughes payroll. He was. Hughes was a Nixon supporter. Where do you suppose Anonymous got this very wrong information? Paul B. Winn
Yeah, but what about this miniseries, imzgr81? Have you seen it, by chance? Any thoughts?
I assume that the miniseries you refer to is "The Amazing Howard Hughes". I have it. I have a lot of the Hughes DVDs, etc., (there was a Hughes show on Modern Miracles tonight and I ordered it). Any time you want to borrow them you are welcome. It has been a long time since I saw it, so I don't recall at the moment anything in it that indicates whether Hughes was decisive or not. No matter what it says, he was a real procrastinator - probably sometimes deliberately in order to wear down the others involved.
imzgr81 is obviously parroting the party line. Hughes ONLY had serious decision making problems AFTER the plane wrecks and the blood transfusions (lot of anecdotal data about personality change from that, my lawyer got divorced from "uncontrollable" urges after a transfusion). Check your history and you'll be amazed how many of the Watergate buglers worked for, had worked for Hughes enterprises. You obviously have no idea of the Intertell connection and how that was used by Hughes and his companies.
"he was a real procrastinator - probably sometimes deliberately in order to wear down the others involved." Now you are starting to use your head, there was ALWAYS method to his madness.
I have made a time line of much of Hughes' and Peter's life and like mapping the solar system, things don't make sense until you build a model.
I have a library of all the Hughes material generally available and quite a bit that isn't publicly available, and unlike imzgr81 I don't have memory problems.
Anonymous: I can't give you an ounce of credibility until you stop being "Anonymous." That's silly.
Hey, Anonymous - my name is in a lot of the Hughes biographies - I was there when a lot of this stuff happened, especially from 1957 on. You won't even put your name on your posts! Who is it that has credibility? I was in meetings with the Interpol (it was not Intertel) people and have first-hand knowledge of what went on. I don't need some anonymous dude telling me what happened. I was Director of Corporate Records for Summa Corporation and ALL of the Hughes correspondence, memos, and ALL of the corporate records were under my care and custody. If you look at some of the trial transcripts you will find that I was a trial witness in most of the litigation, beginning with the dismissal of Maheu. If you are trying to obtain the truth, that's fine - but, if you're just pontificating,trying to show how much you know, you are failing by demonstrating how little you actually know. Paul B. Winn
imzgr81 Use your father's connections with the Morman church and find out the results of a blood sample they obtained 8 years ago in Bradenton, FL for comparison with that of Howard Hughes. Then talk to me!
imzgr81 By the way, like the Hughes pilot who finally came clean, you need to do the same. When you face your creator, bogus excuses of "national security", isn't going to fly with your creator and I think you know it.
We have just had a national example of how those old excuses and the cloak and dagger culture of the past just destroys society and the nation. You need to ask yourself, just what part you had in that disaster and take the success of the new president as an example of what openness accomplishes. Just my opinion and like they say, "Everybody has one."
Anonymous - you hide behind that moniker out of some kind of fear. Your comments are so ridiculous and stupid that I will not even address them. Paul B. Winn
Denial as a strategy worked for Georgie Dumbya and Richie Bad Aim!! Who knows, it may work for you! At least in this life!
Geoff:
Don't you think it curious that a protagonist suddenly becomes "interested" in bashing everything I have to say? If you're an honest journalist (which at this point I highly doubt), you have enough to dig with! get some results and you'll get more. A la "deep throat"! Question at the highest levels of the Morman church as to if the blood test genetically matched Hughes. Be careful, you wouldn't be the first person shot at in this caper! You had your chance for the whole story, now ya gotta dig! chow!
Geoff:
Here's Buffet's opinion of the newspaper industry:
"But his view on the future of the newspaper industry is dismal. "For most newspapers in the United States, we would not buy them at any price," he said. "They have the possibility of going to just unending losses."
As long as newspapers were essential to readers, they were essential to advertisers, he said. But news is now available in many other venues, he said."
You may end up working for me, bubba!
Strange that the KGB knew about Hughes funding a huge religious event in 1958 and you "never heard a word". You need to get to know the people you work for better!
Geoff:
Truth is it's own verification. Those who require more are simply greedy.
imzgr81
Already published memos show Hughes gave money to both sides, and a little extra to Donald Nixion to be a pump jokey in Whitter (ever been to the station?). It was simply influence buying, not support. When Nixon double crossed Hughes he paid the price.
Maxim: Don't ever play chicken with a man who has nothing to lose, or who just don't care. Hughes just simply didn't care, and made Nixon pay the price!
Mr Winn:
You comment about Interpol being Intertel was a little off. I refer you to Mr. Schumachers book page 112 and 12 lines from the bottom. In another spot, Geoff states, that the Intertel agency was used by Hughes quite often. I'm amazed you didn't know about it! ??????
An agency that Hughes used frequently and which even Mr. Maheu stated: Likely supplied Mr. Hughes with direct intelligence that even Mr. Maheu had no awareness of. Maheu in fact marveled that Hughes obviously knew information because his questioning indicated in depth infomation on subjects that even Mr. Maheu wasn't privy to.
Obviously someone in the American intelligence community or maybe even the mob has been watching the treatment of HRH and his family by the Morman Mafia and has taken exception with that treatment that continues in some areas even to this day. Something for those involved to think about, isn't it?
imzgr81
IMHO if Hughes had hidden a little better from his "aides and friends" he just might have live 20 years longer. IMHO
In "The Amazing Mr. Hughes, Noah Dietrich tells of Howard playing the sax several times. In fact he had a custom made sax cabinet in Houston that he wanted brought to LA, problem was it was built INSIDE the house and it wouldn't come out. He ordered it carefully cut in two and reassembled in LA. Noah was in charge of the move< if I remember correctly.
Wish someone would produce another movie about Howard Hughes and Pick Jim Carrey to play him ( A serious side)My grandmother worked for Howard Hughes. She is 99 years old today. She originally met Howard in Florida. She still has bits and pieces of his story from when she lived at the Beverly Hills Hotel. She worked for Jean Peters until she died. So many stories about this man...
Dear Anonymous in blue!
You were wise to do that as anonymous. My wife and daughter have just had their lives attempted as a result of my researching Howard.
If your mother lives in Hollywood and was with Jean at the Ohio State Beauty Contest, I would come to California just to talk to her.
It is not safe to talk on here, though, please email me at howard.research@yahoo.com
If she's the person I'm thinking of, I've been trying to contact her. If she has anything with Jean or Howard's DNA on it, I know people who will pay for it. Hopeing to hear from you.
If you arent' comfortable taking to me personally, I have a liscesed PI in California, (one of the best) who I can have call or talk to you.) The infomation as to the REAL truth has been hidden too long.
If your grandmother worked for Jean till she died in La Cholla, she knows what the DNA is for. Jean would have wanted it that way. Ask your grandmother.
Ruminating at midnight!
Could the Mormons and the Hughes heirs have teamed up? Could the Mormons be holding the Hughes will and doing the dirty work against the heirs named in it and for the heirs who are getting the money??? In exchange for a sweetheart piece of the pie from the heir ship dealings??? Even a small percentage commission would run into the millions and millions. With a 2 billion dollar payoff in the near future???? There have been stranger bedfellows than this! IMHO
Paul: Your name may have been in all the PAST Hughes biographies: but guess whose name WON'T be in the future biographies??? lol More cryptic references, just the kind Geoff likes!
Hello everyone, especially Geoff and Anonymous.
I have been frequently visiting this site. What attracts is ofcourse is the discussions on Howard HUghes but most importantly the facts about Hughes.
In India there is a 30 year old man who is a re-incarnation of Howard Hughes. A past life renowned regressionist has also confirmed and so have other experts.
Maybe if anyone is interested in knowing in knowing the real Howard Hughes, they should contact him on howardswami@gmail.com
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