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

{ more will be added }

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 1970. Also, I worked in two different situations under Gen. Edward H. Nigro: he was commander at Sheppard Air Force Base Technical Training Center in 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 Nigro's retirement as a Major General in October 1967, he worked for Robert Maheu at H.N.O. in Las Vegas.}
          Though Howard was not yet 65 years old, his health was worsening; some say that he had developed pneumonia. On 5 November 1970, his Mormon handlers arranged for an ambulance to take their employer from the Desert Inn to nearby Nellis A.F.B. where a chartered air ambulance waited to whisk Howard Hughes southward. The subsequent takeover by Summa Corp. was swift – Robert Maheu & Ed Nigro were removed, the corporate entities were reorganized – and the four-year Nevada chapter of Howard's life was closed.

Cast of Characters
uncle Rupert Hughes [1872-1956]
Noah Dietrich [1889-1982], Howard's CEO from 1925-1957
Jake W. Ehrlich, Sr. [1900-71] = SFO lawyer for HRHughes for four decades
patent law firm Lyon & Lyon [1901-2003] of California & DC
Robert Maheu [1917-2008], head of Hughes Nevada Operations
purported heir Melvin Dummar

first wife [1925-29] Ella Rice Hughes Winston [1905-92]
alleged second wife [1949-?] Terry Moore {Davis McGrath Cramer Carey Rivers} [b. 1929]
wife [1957-71] Jean Peters Hughes [1926-2000]

"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 as Howard, Ed Flanders as Noah, James Hampton, Tovah Feldshuh {as Kate Hepburn}, Marla Carlis {as Jane Russell}, Walter O. Miles, Garry Walberg, Susan Buckner (as Jean Harlow}, Carol Bagdasarian {as Jean Peters} & James Bacon
Anchor Bay 2-hour color DVD [12/2002] out of prodn/used
Republic 2-hour color VHS [7/94] out of prodn/used
full credits from IMDb

"Melvin and Howard" [Universal Sept 1980]

Melvin & Howard movie directed by Jonathan Demme

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 widescreen DVD [10/99] for $22.48
Anchor Bay color VHS [9/99] for $9.99
full credits from IMDb

untitled Warren Beatty project [Paramount]

Announced 6/2011: Warren Beatty will produce and star as the elderly Howard Hughes in a fictional tale of a late-in-life
relationship with a much younger woman; actors being considered include Andrew Garfield, Alec Baldwin, Annette Bening
(Mrs. Beatty), Shia LaBeouf, Jack Nicholson, Evan Rachel Wood & Rooney Mara � not yet listed on IMDb

"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. Enroute 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
Warner b&w DVD [2006] out of prodn/used
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
Turner Home Ent. b&w DVD [1/2007] out of prodn/used
full credits from IMDb

	"LIFE: Great Romances, Volume 3" [2003] looks at couples Cary Grant & Barbara Hutton, Howard Hughes & Ava Gardner, Ernest Hemingway & Martha Gellhorn, Amelia Earhart & George Putnam, and Eva & Juan Peron Madacy Records b&w/color DVD [1/2003] for $9.88 complete set on 4 disks Madacy Records b&w/color DVD set [1/2003] 4 disks for $35.99
	"The Passions of Howard Hughes" [2004] Co-produced, written & directed by Mark McLaughlin; co-produced by & featuring Terry Moore; also featuring Jane Russell & Mamie Van Doren Koch Vision color DVD [10/2004] for $13.48 full credits at IMDb possibly based on Moore's 1996 tell-all book {below}
	"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
	"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
	"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: 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
	"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
	"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
	"The Beauty and The Billionaire" [1984] by Terry Moore Pocket mass pb [1984] out of print/many used
	"Next To Hughes: The Last Years of Howard Hughes's Strange & Tragic Life Chronicled By His Closest Advisor" [1993] by Robert Maheu & Richard Hack includes 8 pages of photos New Millennium Press mass pb [9/2004] out of print/used HarperCollins mass pb [6/93] 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 Passions of Howard Hughes" [1996] by Terry Moore & Jerry Rivers Amazon reviewers describe a trashy & tasteless expos� narrated by 'ex-wife' Moore General Publng Group 8½x5½ hardcover [4/96] out of print/many, many used B & B Audio cassette [7/96] for $13.22
	"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
	"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
	"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
	"Howard Hughes: His Life and Madness" [2004] by Donald L. Barlett & James B. Steele revised? re-published? edition of the 1979 book by the same authors (above} W.W. Norton 9¼x6¼ pb [9/2004] for $12.21
	"Howard Hughes: Aviator" [2004] by George J. Marrett Naval Institute Press 9x6½ hardcover [10/2004] for $17.61
	"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
	"The Investigation: A Former F.B.I. Agent Uncovers The Truth Behind Howard Hughes, Melvin Dummar & The Most Contested Will In American History [2005] by Gary Magnesen Author concludes that the trial over the 'Mormon Will' was a miscarriage of justice, akin to the trials of O.J. Simpson and of Robert Blake Barricade Books 9x6¼ hardcover [11/2005] for $18.68

	"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
	"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
	"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 & 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
	"Man, Moment, Machine: Howard Hughes and The Spruce Goose" [History Channel Oct 2005] 50-minute partly-dramatized account of the 1942-47 building of the world's {still} largest airplane, and Howard Hughes's one-time flight in Long Beach Harbor. Hosted by Hunter Ellis A&E Home Video color DVD [7/2007] for $22.49 full credits at IMDb

Spirit of America Bookstore Howard R. Hughes [1905-1976]

Spirit of America Bookstore
Howard R. Hughes
[1905-1976]