History Creator / HowardHughes

Hughes had two major careers, one in aviation and one in film-making. They overlapped briefly when he directed ''Film/HellsAngels'', a UsefulNotes/WorldWarI combat film with impressive footage of aerial combat. As as an aviation pioneer where in the 30s he set many records for flight times but in the 40s he became notorious for his rather impractical plane designs on government contracts, many of them proving to be AwesomeButImpractical in terms of being unsafe and expensive to enter mass production. The famous Spruce Goose (which Hughes [[InsistentTerminology insisted]] was the "Hercules")[[note]]He had a point in that the plane [[NonIndicativeName was made of birch]][[/note]] was the definitive example. The Spruce Goose was commissioned to be made of non-strategic materials, intended to transport a mammoth number of troops and materiel, was the heaviest ship at the time and still boasts the longest wingspan of any plane. It also took too long to build and the war was over, rendering its purpose meaningless. In the same period, Hughes also took a test-flight of another design, the XF-11 which ended up crashing in Beverly Hills. Hughes barely survived the incident, and it is believed that the cocktail of drugs that he took in this time accelerated his mental breakdown.

As a film-maker, Hughes' most important film was Creator/HowardHawks' ''Film/{{Scarface 1932}}'' which he produced. His reputation after that is significantly more ambiguous. His 1943 Western ''The Outlaw'' caused a scandal for its lewd sexualization of actress Jane Russell, earning the disapproval of UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode. Hughes was insistent that the camera focus on Russell's large chest and went the extra step [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer to design a bra, using aviation design principles, to better accentuate her bust]]. (Russell later said that the bra was so uncomfortable that she couldn't wear it, so she just padded her own). He also took over Creator/RKOPictures in the 40s and during his time, he came into conflict with several film-makers, Creator/PrestonSturges (who was [[WeUsedToBeFriends briefly Hughes' friend]]), Max Ophuls, Creator/JosefVonSternberg among others. He also became a rabid anti-communist, producing the notorious ''The Woman on Pier 13'', better known as ''I Married a Communist''. His eccentric business practises became the stuff of Hollywood legend, including meetings at 3:00 at the night at a gas station several miles outside of Los Angeles, a cult of secrecy, whimsical changes ordered to the editing of a film, hiring, firing and rehiring of directors (the 1950 film ''Vendetta'' which had four directors and later Hughes contributed some pick-ups, because why not). This later culminated in a bunch of tacky 50s spectacles that led to RKO, one of the most creative and enterprising of the Big 7 studios, to be reduced to a shell of its former self, described by one historian as a "systematic seven-year rape". The most notorious is ''The Conqueror'' [[WTHCastingAgency starring]] Creator/JohnWayne as UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan, with Hughes' irresponsible production led to the film being made on a site of nuclear testing. Exposure on the set is believed to have caused the cancer-related deaths of many of the cast members.

This was also a period where Hughes started withdrawing from public life, returning briefly in the 70s, when a biography by Clifford Irving was denounced by Hughes as a hoax at a teleconference. Since his death, Hughes became a HistoricalDomainCharacter, the subject of many films and books. Likewise most eccentric tycoons in comics and fiction are usually [[{{Expy}} heavily based on]] Hughes.

* ''Film/TuckerTheManAndHisDream'' by Creator/FrancisFordCoppola features Dean Stockwell as Hughes appearing in a small but memorable cameo where he voices encouragement for Tucker, displays his Spruce Goose and gives him advice on where he can get the steel he needs to build the contractually obligated number of cars.

* AuthorAppeal: Planes, girls with large breasts, and in the case of ''Jet Pilot'', his RedScare story with Creator/JohnWayne and Janet Leigh, ''both'' at the same time.
* CaptainErsatz: Quite a few, but Tony Stark, Iron Man was modeled on Hughes and later versions of Batman also take the eccentric millionaire from him. Howard Stark in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse is a direct allusion with Dominic Cooper channeling the Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio portrayal from ''The Aviator'' character well. Robert House of ''Videogame/FalloutNewVegas'' was also inspired by Hughes, and even has an [[http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images/b/bc/House.jpg in-game photo]] mirroring one of Hughes' most famous pictures
* DirtyCommunists: He was one of the TropeCodifier and TropeMaker in his 40s and 50s productions.

'''Howard Hughes''' (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an [[RenaissanceMan American business tycoon, entrepreneur, investor, aviator, aerospace engineer, inventor, filmmaker and philanthropist]].

He is perhaps the most legendary tycoon of the 20th Century, simply for the drastic contrast between his public profile at the height of his fame in the 30s and 40s and the absolute recluse he became at the time of his death. Once known for his good-looks and playboy reputation, along with an assortment of gorgeous movie star girlfriends, when his body was found, he was unrecognizable, his fingernails having grown enormously, his hair being uncut and his appearance haggard and shabby, his body had to be identified by fingerprints. The circumstances of his death, the unusual levels of control he kept on his staff and the revelations of his eccentricities and mental illnesses made Hughes a source of enduring fascination and ConspiracyTheory to this very day.

* ''Caught'', 1949 FilmNoir by Max Ophuls with Robert Ryan playing a NoCelebritiesWereHarmed version called [[PunnyName Smith Ohlrig]], intended by Ophuls as a TakeThat over his treatment by Hughes on the film ''Vendetta''.

* ''Film/HellsAngels'' (also directed, though the dialogue scenes were done by an uncredited James Whale)
* ''Film/TheFrontPage''

Hughes had two major careers, one in aviation and one in film-making. They overlapped briefly when he directed ''Hell's Angels'', a World War I combat film with impressive footage of aerial combat. As as an aviation pioneer where in the 30s he set many records for flight times but in the 40s he became notorious for his rather impractical plane designs on government contracts, many of them proving to be AwesomeButImpractical in terms of being unsafe and expensive to enter mass production. The famous Spruce Goose (which Hughes [[InsistentTerminology insisted]] was the "Hercules")[[note]]He had a point in that the plane [[NonIndicativeName was made of birch]][[/note]] was the definitive example. The Spruce Goose was commissioned to be made of non-strategic materials, intended to transport a mammoth number of troops and materiel, was the heaviest ship at the time and still boasts the longest wingspan of any plane. It also took too long to build and the war was over, rendering its purpose meaningless. In the same period, Hughes also took a test-flight of another design, the XF-11 which ended up crashing in Beverly Hills. Hughes barely survived the incident, and it is believed that the cocktail of drugs that he took in this time accelerated his mental breakdown.

As a film-maker, Hughes' most important film was Creator/HowardHawks' ''Film/{{Scarface 1932}}'' which he produced. His reputation after that is significantly more ambiguous. His 1943 Western ''The Outlaw'' caused a scandal for its lewd sexualization of actress Jane Russell, earning the disapproval of UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode. Hughes was insistent that the camera focus on Russell's large chest and went the extra step [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer to design a bra, using aviation design principles, to better accentuate her bust]]. He also took over Creator/RKOPictures in the 40s and during his time, he came into conflict with several film-makers, Creator/PrestonSturges (who was [[WeUsedToBeFriends briefly Hughes' friend]]), Max Ophuls, Creator/JosefVonSternberg among others. He also became a rabid anti-communist, producing the notorious ''The Woman on Pier 13'', better known as ''I Married a Communist''. His eccentric business practises became the stuff of Hollywood legend, including meetings at 3:00 at the night at a gas station several miles outside of Los Angeles, a cult of secrecy, whimsical changes ordered to the editing of a film, hiring, firing and rehiring of directors (the 1950 film ''Vendetta'' which had four directors and later Hughes contributed some pick-ups, because why not). This later culminated in a bunch of tacky 50s spectacles that led to RKO, one of the most creative and enterprising of the Big 7 studios, to be reduced to a shell of its former self, described by one historian as a "systematic seven-year rape". The most notorious is ''The Conqueror'' [[WTHCastingAgency starring]] Creator/JohnWayne as UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan, with Hughes' irresponsible production led to the film being made on a site of nuclear testing. Exposure on the set is believed to have caused the cancer-related deaths of many of the cast members.

This was also a period where Hughes started withdrawing from public life, returning briefly in the 70s, when a biography by Clifford Irving was denounced by Hughes as a hoax at a teleconference. Since his death, Hughes became a HistoricalDomainCharacter, the subject of many films and books. Likewise most eccentric tycoons in comics and fiction are usually {{Expy}} of Hughes.

Hughes had two major careers, one in aviation and one in film-making. They overlapped briefly when he directed ''Hell's Angels'' a World War I combat film with impressive footage of aerial combat. As as an aviation pioneer where in the 30s he set many records for flight times but in the 40s he became notorious for his rather impractical plane designs on government contracts, many of them proving to be AwesomeButImpractical in terms of being unsafe and expensive to enter mass production. The famous Spruce Goose (which Hughes [[InsistentTerminology insisted]] was the "Hercules")[[note]]He had a point in that the plane [[NonIndicativeName was made of birch]][[/note]] was the definitive example. The Spruce Goose was commissioned to be made of non-strategic materials, intended to transport a mammoth number of troops and materiel, was the heaviest ship at the time and still boasts the longest wingspan of any plane. It also took too long to build and the war was over, rendering its purpose meaningless. In the same period, Hughes also took a test-flight of another design, the XF-11 which ended up crashing in Beverly Hills. Hughes barely survived the incident, and it is believed that the cocktail of drugs that he took in this time accelerated his mental breakdown.

* ''Caught'', 1949 FilmNoir by Max Ophuls with Robert Ryan playing an {{Expy}} called [[PunnyName Smith Ohlrig]], intended by Ophuls as a TakeThat over his treatment by Hughes.

As a film-maker, Hughes' most important film was Creator/HowardHawks' ''Film/{{Scarface 1932}}'' which he produced. His reputation after that is significantly more ambiguous. His 1943 Western ''The Outlaw'' caused a scandal for its lewd sexualization of actress Jane Russell, earning the disapproval of UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode. Hughes was insistent that the camera focus on Russell's large chest and went the extra step [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer to design a bra, using aviation design principles, to better accentuate her bust]]. He also took over Creator/RKOPictures in the 40s and during his time, he came into conflict with several film-makers, Creator/PrestonSturges (who was [[WeUsedToBeFriends briefly Hughes' friend]]), Max Ophuls, Creator/JosefVonSternberg among others. He also became a rabid anti-communist, producing the notorious ''The Woman on Pier 13'', better known as ''I Married a Communist''. His eccentric business practises became the stuff of Hollywood legend, including meetings at 3:00 at the night at a gas station several miles outside of Los Angeles, a cult of secrecy, whimsical changes ordered to the editing of a film, hiring, firing and rehiring of directors (the 1950 film ''Vendetta'' which had four directors and later Hughes contributed some pick-ups, because why not). This later culminated in a bunch of tacky 50s spectacles that led to RKO, one of the most creative and enterprising of the Big 7 studios, to be reduced to a shell of its former self, described by one historian as a "systematic seven-year rape". The most notorious is ''The Conqueror'' starring Creator/JohnWayne as UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan, with Hughes' irresponsible production led to the film being made on a site of nuclear testing. Exposure on the set is believed to have caused the cancer-related deaths of many of the cast members.

* DirtyCommies: He was one of the TropeCodifier and TropeMaker in his 40s and 50s productions.

* CaptainErsatz: Quite a few, but Tony Stark, Iron Man was modelled on Hughes and later versions of Batman also take the eccentric millionaire from him. Howard Stark in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse is a direct allusion with Dominic Cooper channeling the Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio portrayal from ''The Aviator'' character well.

* ''[[Film/{{Scarface1932}} Scarface]]'' (producer)

'''Howard Hughes'''(December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an [[RenaissanceMan American business tycoon, entrepreneur, investor, aviator, aerospace engineer, inventor, filmmaker and philanthropist]].

Hughes had two major careers, one in aviation and one in film-making. They overlapped briefly when he directed ''Hell's Angels'' a World War I combat film with impressive footage of aerial combat. As as an aviation pioneer where in the 30s he set many records for flight times but in the 40s he became notorious for his rather impractical plane designs on government contracts, many of them proving to be AwesomeButImpractical in terms of being unsafe and expensive to enter mass production. The famous Spruce Goose (which Hughes ''[[InsistentTerminology insisted]] was the "Hercules")[[note]]He had a point in that the plane [[NonIndicativeName was made of birch]][[/note]] was the definitive example. The Spruce Goose was commissioned to be made of non-strategic materials, intended to transport a mammoth number of troops and materiel, was the heaviest ship at the time and still boasts the longest wingspan of any plane. It also took too long to build and the war was over, rendering its purpose meaningless. In the same period, Hughes also took a test-flight of another design, the XF-11 which ended up crashing in Beverly Hills. Hughes barely survived the incident, and it is believed that the cocktail of drugs that he took in this time accelerated his mental breakdown.

As a film-maker, Hughes' most important film was Creator/HowardHawks' ''Film/{{Scarface1932}}'' which he produced. His reputation after that is significantly more ambiguous. His 1943 Western ''The Outlaw'' caused a scandal for its lewd sexualization of actress Jane Russell, earning the disapproval of UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode. Hughes was insistent that the camera focus on Russell's large chest and went the extra step [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer to design a bra, using aviation design principles, to better accentuate her bust]]. He also took over Creator/RKOPictures in the 40s and during his time, he came into conflict with several film-makers, Creator/PrestonSturges (who was [[WeUsedToBeFriends briefly Hughes' friend]]), Max Ophuls, Creator/JosefVonSternberg among others. He also became a rabid anti-communist, producing the notorious "The Woman on Pier 13" better known as ''I Married a Communist''. His eccentric business practises became the stuff of Hollywood legend, including meetings at 3:00 at the night at a gas station several miles outside of Los Angeles, a cult of secrecy, whimsical changes ordered to the editing of a film, hiring, firing and rehiring of directors (the 1950 film ''Vendetta'' which had four directors and later Hughes contributed some pick-ups, because why not). This later culminated in a bunch of tacky 50s spectacles that led to RKO, one of the most creative and enterprising of the Big 7 studios, to be reduced to a shell of its former self, described by one historian as a "systematic seven-year rape". The most notorious is ''The Conqueror'' starring Creator/JohnWayne as UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan, with Hughes' irresponsible production led to the film being made on a site of nuclear testing. Exposure on the set is believed to have caused the cancer-related deaths of many of the cast members.

* ''Film/FForFake'' by Creator/OrsonWelles which tackles the Clifford Irving scandal. Welles also notes that initially he wanted to model Kane on Hughes.

* CaptainErsatz: Quite a few, but Tony Stark, Iron Man was modelled on Hughes and later versions of Batman also take the eccentric millionaire from him. Howard Stark in the ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'' is a direct allusion with Dominic Cooper channeling the Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio character well.

* EccentricMillionaire: He was the TropeCodifier in popular consciousness. His real-life paranoia and weird activities still leads to snarky jokes about Urine collected in bottles in popular culture.

* ''Film/{{Scarface1932}}'' (produced)
* ''Film/TheConqueror''

As a film-maker, Hughes' most important film was Creator/HowardHawks' ''Film/{{Scarface1932}}'' which he produced. His reputation after that is significantly more ambiguous. His 1943 Western ''The Outlaw'' caused a scandal for its lewd sexualization of actress Jane Russell, earning the disapproval of UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode. Hughes was insistent that the camera focus on Russell's large chest and went the extra step [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer to design a bra, using aviation design principles, to better accentuate her bust]]. He also took over Creator/RKOPictures in the 40s and during his time, he came into conflict with several film-makers, Creator/PrestonSturges (who was [[WeUsedToBeFriends briefly Hughes' friend]]), Max Ophuls, Creator/JosefVonSternberg among others. He also became a rabid anti-communist, producing the notorious "The Woman on Pier 13" better known as ''I Married a Communist''. His eccentric business practises became the stuff of Hollywood legend, including meetings at 3:00 at the night at a gas station several miles outside of Los Angeles, a cult of secrecy, whimsical changes ordered to the editing of a film, hiring, firing and rehiring of directors (the 1950 film ''Vendetta'' which had four directors and later Hughes contributed some pick-ups, because why not). This later culminated in a bunch of tacky 50s spectacles that led to RKO, one of the most creative and enterprising of the Big 7 studios, to be reduced to a shell of its former self. The most notorious is ''The Conqueror'' starring Creator/JohnWayne as UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan, with Hughes' irresponsible production led to the film being made on a site of nuclear testing. Exposure on the set is believed to have caused the cancer-related deaths of many of the cast members.

* ''Film/HellsAngels''
* ''Film/{{Scarface1932}}''

As a film-maker, Hughes' most important film was Creator/HowardHawks' ''Film/{{Scarface1932}}'' which he produced. His reputation after that is significantly more ambiguous. His 1943 Western ''The Outlaw'' caused a scandal for its lewd sexualization of actress Jane Russell, earning the disapproval of UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode. Hughes was obsessed that the camera focus on Russell's large chest and went the extra step [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer to design a bra, using aviation design principles, to better accentuate her bust]]. He also took over Creator/RKOStudios in the 40s and during his time, he came into conflict with several film-makers, Creator/PrestonSturges (who was [[WeUsedToBeFriends briefly Hughes' friend]]), Max Ophuls, Creator/JosefVonSternberg among others. He also became a rabid anti-communist, producing the notorious "The Woman on Pier 13" better known as ''I Married a Communist''. His eccentric business practises became the stuff of Hollywood legend, including meetings at 3:00 at the night at a gas station several miles outside of Los Angeles, a cult of secrecy, whimsical changes ordered to the editing of a film, hiring, firing and rehiring of directors (the 1950 film ''Vendetta'' which had four directors and later Hughes contributed some pick-ups, because why not). This later culminated in a bunch of tacky 50s spectacles that led to RKO, one of the most creative and enterprising of the Big 7 studios, to be reduced to a shell of its former self. The most notorious is ''The Conqueror'' starring Creator/JohnWayne as UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan, with Hughes' irresponsible production led to the film being made on a site of nuclear testing. Exposure on the set is believed to have caused the cancer-related deaths of many of the cast members.

As a film-maker, Hughes' most important film was Creator/HowardHawks' ''Film/{{Scarface1932}}'' which he produced. His reputation after that is significantly more ambiguous. His 1943 Western ''The Outlaw'' caused a scandal for its lewd sexualization of actress Jane Russell, earning the disapproval of UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode. Hughes was obsessed that the camera focus on Russell's large chest and went the extra step [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer to design a bra, using aviation design principles, to better accentuate her bust]]. He also took over Creator/RKOStudios in the 40s and during his time, he came into conflict with several film-makers, Creator/PrestonSturges (who was [[WeUsedToBeFriends briefly Hughes' friend), Max Ophuls, Creator/JosefVonSternberg among others. He also became a rabid anti-communist, producing the notorious "The Woman on Pier 13" better known as ''I Married a Communist''. His eccentric business practises became the stuff of Hollywood legend, including meetings at 3:00 at the night at a gas station several miles outside of Los Angeles, a cult of secrecy, whimsical changes ordered to the editing of a film, hiring, firing and rehiring of directors (the 1950 film ''Vendetta'' which had four directors and later Hughes contributed some pick-ups, because why not). This later culminated in a bunch of tacky 50s spectacles that led to RKO, one of the most creative and enterprising of the Big 7 studios, to be reduced to a shell of its former self.

Hughes had two major careers, one in aviation and one in film-making. They overlapped briefly when he directed ''Hell's Angels'' a World War I combat film with impressive footage of aerial combat. As as an aviation pioneer where in the 30s he set many records for flight times but in the 40s he became notorious for his rather impractical plane designs on government contracts, many of them proving to be AwesomeButImpractical in terms of being unsafe and expensive to enter mass production. The famous WhiteElephant the Spruce Goose (which Hughes ''[[InsistentTerminology insisted]] was the "Hercules")[[note]]He had a point in that the plane [[NonIndicativeName was made of birch]][[/note]] was the definitive example. The Spruce Goose was commissioned to be made of non-strategic materials, intended to transport a mammoth number of troops and materiel, was the heaviest ship at the time and still boasts the longest wingspan of any plane. It also took too long to build and the war was over, rendering its purpose meaningless. In the same period, Hughes also took a test-flight of another design, the XF-11 which ended up crashing in Beverly Hills. Hughes barely survived the incident, and it is believed that the cocktail of drugs that he took in this time accelerated his mental breakdown.

As a film-maker, Hughes' most important film was Creator/HowardHawks' ''Film/{{Scarface1932}}'' which he produced. His reputation after that is significantly more ambiguous. His 1943 Western ''The Outlaw'' caused a scandal for its lewd sexualization of actress Jane Russell, earning the disapproval of UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode. Hughes was obsessed that the camera focus on Russell's large chest and went the extra step [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer to design a bra, using aviation design principles, to better accentuate her bust]].

-->-- '''Leadbelly''', "Howard Hughes"

dreams are made\\''

and you can read about Howard Hughes"\\''

dreams are made\\
in a time of need,\\

and you can read about Howard Hughes"\\
-->-- '''Leadbelly''', "Howard Hughes"\\

-->-- '''Leadbelly'''