Howard R. Hughes [1905-76] Page at Spirit of America Bookstore

Howard Robard Hughes, Junior was born 24 December 1905 in Houston [or Humble], Texas;
he died 5 April 1976 in an air ambulance on its way to Houston, Texas.

B I O

t e x t

h e r e

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The Nevada Years          Howard moved with his Mormon entourage to the Las Vegas, Nevada gambling resort in November 1966; the ostensible reason was that the state of Nevada has no personal or corporate income tax. The story goes that he took up residence at the Desert Inn Hotel on the Las Vegas 'Strip', and when management would not let him have the top floor to himself, he bought the place. He had owned thousands of mining claims all over the state of Nevada (and California) since the Twenties, and soon began buying more of them and several hotel and media properties. When the Hughes Nevada Operations Corporation {H.N.O.} was formed in late 1968, it consisted of the Castaways Hotel & Casino, the Desert Inn Hotel & Casino, the Frontier Hotel & Casino, the Landmark Hotel (a tower with two casinos), the Sands Hotel & Casino, the Silver Slipper Casino, North Las Vegas Airport, Alamo Airways, K.L.A.S TV-8, the Spring Mountain Ranch (today's planned community of Summerlin), and the private Executive Air Terminal facility at the southwest corner of McCarren Airport.
          {Coincidentally: The owner of this website worked for two years as Howard's systems programmer there in Las Vegas, on a then-state-of-the-art I.B.M. 360-30 computer (that employment ended with the Summa takeover in November 1968). I worked in two different situations under Gen. Edward H. Nigro: he was commander at Sheppard Technical Training Center, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas (where the Air Force trained me as a computer programmer, prior to my assignment to Nellis A.F.B in Las Vegas); and after his retirement as a Major General in October 1967, he worked for Robert Maheu at H.N.O.}
          Though he was not yet 65 years old, Howard's health was worsening; some say that he had developed pneumonia. His Mormon handlers arranged for an ambulance from the Desert Inn to take their employer to nearby Nellis A.F.B. where a chartered air ambulance whisked Howard Hughes southward. The takeover by Summa Corp. was swift; Robert Maheu & Ed Nigro were removed; the corporate entities were reorganized – and the five-year Nevada chapter of Howard's life was closed.

"Howard Hughes" triple-feature package [2004]
St. Clair Vision DVD [11/2004] 2 disks for $9.98
One hour of undefined material, plus 'bonus' of Hughes productions "The Front Page" [1931]; "The Outlaw" [1943] produced & co-directed by Howard Hughes, co-directed by Howard Hawks, starring Jane Russell; and "The Sin of Harold Diddlebock" [1947] directed by Preston Sturges, starring Harold Lloyd

"Hell's Angels" [United Artists Nov 1930]
Produced & directed by Howard Hughes; starring Ben Lyon, James Hall,
Jean Harlow & John Darrow; Oscar nominated for Best Cinematography
full credits from IMDb

"Scarface: The Shame of A Nation"
[United Artists March 1932]

The rise & fall of Italian ganglord Tony Camonte in Chicago, circa 1930.
Co-produced by Howard Hughes; directed by Howard Hawks & Richard Rosson; script by Ben Hecht, W.R. Burnett & others; starring Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak, Osgood Perkins & George Raft; listed at Nat'l Film Registry 1994
Universal b&w VHS [4/90] out of stock/used
full credits from IMDb

"The Sin of Harold Diddlebock"
aka "Mad Wednesday" [California Pictures/United Artists Feb 1947]

A mild-mannered clerk who dreams of past glory on the college football field is fired; after imbibing a potent drink. he goes on a wild rampage, with a lion in tow. Co-produced by Howard Hughes & Preston Sturges; written & directed by Preston Sturges; starring Harold Lloyd, Jimmy Conlin, Raymond Walburn, Rudy Vallee, Edgar Kennedy, Arline Judge, Franklin Pangborn, Lionel Stander, Margaret Hamilton, Jack Norton, Robert Dudley, Arthur Hoyt, Julius Tannen, Al Bridge, Victor Potel, Frances Ramsden & Jackie the Lion {NOTE: Originally released at 90 minutes, then re-edited as the 79-minute "Mad Wednesday" & re-released in 1950.}
"TSoHD" version: Alpha Video b&w DVD [1/2004] for $7.98
"TSoHD" version: V.C.I. Home Video b&w VHS [11/2000] out of prodn/used
"MW" version: Hollywood Movie Classics b&w VHS [1/85] out of prodn/used
full credits from IMDb

"His Kind Of Woman" [R.K.O. Aug 1951]

A deported crime boss blackmails an honest gambler to travel to Mexico in a plot to re-enter the U.S. after the gambler is killed. En route to a Baja resort, the gambler meets a sultry singer, and on arrival finds a crowd of bored sophisticates and a hammy actor for a sidekick.
'Presented by' Howard Hughes; directed by John Farrow; starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, Vincent Price, Raymond Burr, Tim Holt, Charles McGraw, Marjorie Reynolds & Jim Backus
video not available; full credits from IMDb

"Angel Face" [R.K.O. Dec 1952]

The step-daughter of a wealthy woman poisoned by gas hires a sappy ambulance driver as chauffeur. Suspecting the woman to be dangerous, he pulls away, but she schemes to keep him tied to her. When her parents' car plummets off a cliff, the schemer and the innocent are both charged with murder. 'Presented by' Howard Hughes; directed by Otto Preminger; music by Dimitri Tiomkin; starring Robert Mitchum, Jean Simmons, Mona Freeman, Herbert Marshall, Leon Ames, Barbara O'Neil & Jim Backus
video not available; full credits from IMDb

	"The American Aviator: The Howard Hughes Story" [P.B.S. 2004] E.D.I. Video color DVD [8/2005] for $5.98 includes "The Outlaw" [1948]
	"Howard Hughes: The Real Aviator - Money, Power, Genius, Madness" [2004] Written & produced by Bill Schwartz Sony/Shout! Factory color DVD [11/2004] for $9.74 full credits from IMDb
	"Howard Hughes: His Life, Loves & Films" [indep video release 2004] Directed by Lynn Stevenson Delta Music color DVD [12/2004] for $9.99 minimal credits at IMDb
	"The Passions of Howard Hughes" [2004] Koch Vision color DVD [10/2004] for $13.48 full credits at IMDb

	"Howard Hughes: His Women & His Movies" [Turner/WinStar tv special June 2000] Directed by Christian Sebaldt Fox Lorber 1-hour color VHS [11/2000] for $19.98 Fox Lorber 1-hour color DVD [11/2000] for $22.48 full credits from IMDb
	"Howard Hughes: The Man & The Madness" [indep TV movie 1999] Co-written & directed by Nick Millard Extras on the DVD include newsreel footage of Howard's many accomplishments M.P.I. Home Video color DVD [4/2005] for $12.99 M.P.I. Home Video color VHS [5/2001] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb
	"In Search of History: The Mysterious Howard Hughes" [A&E/History TV special 1999] Co=produced by Pat Broeske; directed by Cynthia Crompton A&E Home Video color VHS [2/2000] out of prodn/rare credits from IMDb
	"Melvin and Howard" [Universal Sept 1980] After an auto accident in the desert, small-town loser Melvin Dummar helps an old man who says he is billionaire Howard Hughes. After Hughes' death, a will appears naming Melvin as beneficiary. Directed by Jonathan Demme; starring Paul LeMat, Jason Robards, Mary Steenburgen, Michael J. Pollard, Melvin E. Dummar & Pamela Reed; won Oscars for Best Script & Best Actress [MS], nominated for Best Actor [JR] Anchor bay color VHS [9/99] for $9.99 Anchor Bay widescreen DVD [10/99] for $22.48 full credits from IMDb
	"The Amazing Howard Hughes" [EMI/CBS miniseries April 1977] A portrayal of billionaire Hughes as sometimes kind, sometimes ruthless, and never quite trusting of anyone. Directed by William A. Graham; based on the book by Noah Dietrich & Bob Thomas; starring Tommy Lee Jones, Ed Flanders, James Hampton, Tovah Feldshuh, Marla Carlis, Walter O. Miles, Garry Walberg, Carol Bagdasarian & James Bacon Anchor Bay 2-hour color DVD [12/2002] for $12.00 Republic 2-hour color VHS [7/94] out of print/used full credits from IMDb
	"The Carpetbaggers" [Embassy/Paramount April 1964] Though author Robbins denied the connection, the central character of the book & movie is obviously modeled on Howard Hughes. Directed by Edward Dmytryk; script by John Michael Hayes, based on the bestselling novel; starring George Peppard, Alan Ladd, Robert Cummings, Martha Hyer, Elizabeth Ashley, Lew Ayres, Martin Balsam, Ralph Taeger, Archie Moore, Leif Erickson, Carroll Baker, Arthur Franz & Tom Tully Paramount widescreen color DVD [4/2003] out of prodn/used Paramount color VHS [6/94] out of prodn/many used full credits from IMDb
	"The Carpetbaggers" [1961 novel] by Harold Robbins The hard-driven heir to an industrial fortune builds airplanes, directs movies and breaks the hearts of friends & lovers. A real potboiler, full of gratuitous sex scenes that were toned down in the movie. Forge/Doherty mass pb [5/2007] for $7.99 Pocket mass pb [6/93] out of print/used Buccaneer Books 9x6 hardcover [6/93] for $31.50

	"Labor, Civil Rights and The Hughes Tool Company" [2005] by Michael R. Botson, Jr. The National Labor Relations Board unanimously ended Jim Crow unionism & segregated labor unions at the giant Hughes Tool factory in Houston, Texas in July, 1964 - a victory for both the labor movement and the civil rights movement. Texas A&M Univ Press 9¼x6 hardcover [9/2005] for $18.06
	"Howard Hughes: Aviator" [2004] by George J. Marrett Naval Institute Press 9x6½ hardcover [10/2004] for $17.61
	"Howard Hughes: His Life and Madness" [2004] by Donald L. Barlett & James B. Steele revised? re-published? edition of the 1979 book by same authors (below} W.W. Norton 9¼x6¼ pb [9/2004] for $12.21
	"Hughes: The Private Diaries, Memos & Letters" [2001] by Richard Hack New Millenium Press 8¾x6 pb [9/2002] for $13.27 New Millenium 9¼x6¼ hardcover [9/2001] for $19.60 New Millenium ABR audio CD [9/2001] out of prodn/used
	"The Money: The Battle for Howard Hughes's Billions" [1997] by James R. Phelan & Lewis Chester 'His mysterious death began the last and most bizarre story of his life' Texere Publng 8¼x6 pb [7/99] out of print/used Random House 9¾x6½ hardcover [9/97] out of print/used
	"Howard Hughes: The Untold Story" [1996] by Peter Harry Brown & Pat H. Broeske Da Capo Press 9¼x5¾ pb [11/2004] for $11.67 Viking 9¼x6¼ hardcover [3/96] out of print/used
	"Howard Hughes: The Secret Life" [1993] by Charles Higham St. Martin's Griffin 9¼x6¼ pb [10/2004] for $11.44 Berkley mass pb [6/94] out of print/used Putnam 9¼x6¼ hardcover [7/93] out of print/used "El Aviador" [2005] by Charles Higham Ediciones B Spanish-language pb [2/2005] for $16.79
	"The Howard Hughes Affair" mystery novel [1979] by Stuart M. Kaminsky In 1941, young billionaire aviator Howard Hughes is doing secret work for the war effort; when he discovers a spy at an exclusive dinner party, he hires gumshoe Toby Peters who gets deeper and deeper, until he is rescued by Basil Rathbone. Ace pb [11/80] out of print/used Blackstone UNABR audio [2/99] for $26.94 Blackstone audio [3/95] 4 tapes for $32.95
	"Empire: The Life, Legend & Madness of Howard Hughes" [1979] by Donald L. Barlett & James B. Steele W.W. Norton 9¼x6 pb [1/81] out of print/used W.W. Norton hardcover [4/98] out of print/used
	"Howard: The Amazing Mr. Hughes" [1971] by Noah Dietrich & Bob Thomas Fawcett mass pb [8/76] out of print/used official Noah Dietrich website Noah Dietrich [1889-1982] entry at Wikipedia

	"Howard Hughes & His Flying Boat" [1981; rev 1998] by Charles Barton self-published pb [2/98] for $19.95 Aero Publishers hardcover [6/81] out of print/used
	"Dream To Fly: Howard Hughes and The Flying Boat" [2004] Presented by Evergreen Aviation Museum, narrated by Walter Cronkite EDI Video color DVD [8/2005] for $12.99 not listed at IMDb

Spirit of America Bookstore Howard R. Hughes

Spirit of America Bookstore
Howard R. Hughes