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Extremely versatile, Howard Hughes was a successful manufacturer, aviator, and film producer and director, and he acquired enormous wealth and celebrity through his various ventures. He set numerous aviation records, and his Hughes Aircraft Company built such notable planes as the Spruce Goose. However, he was perhaps better known for his eccentricities, especially his reclusiveness.
What was Howard Hughesâs early life like?
Howard Hughes was born in 1905, and four years later his father invented a rotary bit for oil well drilling that made the family extremely wealthy. Hughes showed a talent for engineering, but, after his mother (1922) and father (1924) died, he quit school to run Hughes Tool Company, which became a multibillion-dollar venture.
What was Howard Hughes like?
Howard Hughes was intelligent, ambitious, and adventurous. He was also a loner. In 1950 Hughes went into complete seclusion, and his mental health declined. Typically living in luxury hotels, he sought absolute privacy and was rarely seen by anyone except a few male aides. He often worked for days without sleep in a black-curtained room.
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Howard Hughes, 1936.
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Howard Hugheswas an American manufacturer, aviator, and motion-picture producer and director who acquired enormous wealth and celebrity from his various ventures but was perhaps better known for his eccentricities, especially his reclusiveness.
Early life
In 1909 Hughesâs father, Howard R. Hughes, Sr., invented a rotary bit for oil well drilling that made the family extremely wealthy. The younger Hughes early showed a talent for engineering, and he later studied at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, and at the Rice Institute of Technology, Houston. During this time, both his mother (1922) and father (1924) died. Hughes quit school and took control of his fatherâs business, Hughes Tool Company, in Houston. By the time he sold the company in 1972, it had become a multibillion-dollar venture.
Ben Lyon and Greta Nissen in Hellâs Angels (1930), directed by Howard Hughes; Nissen was replaced by Jean Harlow when the movie was changed from a silent film to a talking picture.
In 1926 Hughes moved to Hollywood, where he became known for making films that ran both over budget and afoul of censors. He produced several moviesânotably the Academy Award-winning Two Arabian Knights (1927)âbefore beginning work on Hellâs Angels in 1927. Numerous problems plagued the shoot. Originally intended as a silent film, it had to be reshot as a talkie. In the process, Greta Nissen was replaced by Jean Harlow. Several directors also left the production, and eventually Hughes took over. The film was finally released in 1930. While the storylineâtwo British pilots fall in love with a socialite during World War Iâproved uninspired, the filmâs stunning aerial sequences were considered groundbreaking. The drama was a box-office hit, though it failed to recoup its production costs, which were in excess of $3 million.
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Paul Muni (center) in the film Scarface (1932), directed by Howard Hawks.
Museum of Modern Art, Film Stills Archive
Hughes then produced a series of movies, notably Scarface (1932), which was based on the life of Al Capone. The shoot was marred by frequent arguments between Hughes and director Howard Hawks. In addition, its release was delayed by censors at the Hays Office, who demanded various changes to the violent and brutal film. In the end, it was a huge hit, and Paul Muni, who was cast in the title role, became a major star. Hughes later produced and directed The Outlaw (1943), about Pat Garrett, Doc Holliday, and Billy the Kid. However, most of the attention was focused on newcomer Jane Russell, whom Hughes cast as a love interest and outfitted in highly provocative clothing. He designed a special brassiere to accentuate her assets, though the actress later stated that it was never used during filming. Unsurprisingly, Russellâs wardrobe ran afoul of censors, and the lengthy battle between Hughes and the Hays Office generated much publicity, helping make The Outlaw a huge success.
Although Hughes never directed another film, he continued to work as a producer. In 1948 he bought a controlling interest in RKO Pictures Corporation but sold the shares in 1953. The following year he bought the whole company only to sell it again in 1955. He remained chairman of the board of RKO until 1957, when he left the film industry. That year Hughes, who had relationships with a number of prominent actresses, married Jean Peters; the couple divorced in 1971.
Aviation, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Las Vegas
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Howard Hughes.
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-USZ62-63333)
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Howard Hughes (left), 1944.
1996-1999 Lockheed Martin Corporation
While making films, Hughes was also involved in aviation. In 1932 he founded the Hughes Aircraft Company in Culver City, California. On September 12, 1935, in an airplane of his own design, he established the worldâs landplane speed record of 352.46 miles (567.23 km) per hour. On January 19, 1937, in the same craft, he averaged 332 miles per hour in lowering the transcontinental flight-time record to 7 hours 28 minutes. Flying a Lockheed 14, he circled Earth in a record 91 hours 14 minutes in July 1938. The following year Hughes bought a share of Trans World Airlines (TWA), and he eventually acquired 78 percent of its stock.
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The Spruce Goose.
Courtesy of the San Diego Air & Space Museum
Learn about seven of the largest things that ever took flight.
EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
During World War II, Hughesâs focus turned to military aircraft, and his company had several government contracts, notably for the Hughes XF-11 and the H-4 Hercules. The planes ran over schedule, however, as did his movies, and were not completed until after the war. In 1946 he flew the Hughes XF-11, a reconnaissance plane, on its maiden test flight and suffered a nearly fatal accident. The Hercules, an eight-engine wooden flying boat intended to carry 750 passengers, was not finished until 1947. That year Hughes was brought before a Senate committee investigating war profiteering. In the highly publicized hearing, he sparred with Sen. Owen Brewster and ultimately prevailed. Hughes subsequently piloted (1947) the Hercules, popularly known as the Spruce Goose, on its only flightâ1 mile (1.6 km).
Always something of a loner, Hughes went into complete seclusion in 1950. However, in 1953 he established the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, using profits from the Hughes Aircraft Company. According to Hughes, the centre was established to explore âthe genesis of life itself.â It became a leading biological and medical research institute and was one of the worldâs largest and most powerful charities. The following decade he refused to appear in court to answer antitrust charges concerning TWA and thus lost control of the business by default. In 1966 he sold his shares for more than $500 million.
The following year Hughes bought the Desert Inn, a resort casino in Las Vegas. He reportedly made the purchase after being told to vacate its penthouse. This sparked a buying spree that included other casinos and large swathes of undeveloped land; in the 1950s he had purchased property outside Las Vegas, and it would later become the planned community known as Summerlin. Hughes subsequently played an influential role in Las Vegasâs development, changing the cityâs imageâwhich was strongly linked to the Mafiaâand bringing more corporate investment.
