The Amazing Howard Hughes [DVD]

I used to watch his bio on the History Channel and read the book by Noah Dietrich, who wrote the book this made-for-TV movie is based on. There are a lot of films and books about Hughes, but I believe Dietrich was most qualified seeing how he actually worked with Hughes for 30 years. In fact, the saying went that the success of Howard Hughes was 20% Howard's good luck and the 80% was due to the diligent, business-minded Noah Dietrich.The movie follows the book closely and readers will appreciate this. Tommy Lee Jones had yet to reach movie-star fame when this film was made in 1977 (a year after Howard Hughes died). He did such a great job that one will think they are watching the real Hughes on screen. He was a great choice. The film was much longer when it first aired on two different nights for part 1 and 2. It's cut down to about 2 hours, and that's okay because they really cut out the unimportant things that would cause you to lose interest.When Howard Hughes' father dies he inherits the Sharpe-Hughes Tool Company. He manages to buy out family members so that he is the sole owner, and in truth this was not easy. Some family members gave in to him simply to be rid of him, and one relative reportedly took Howard by the collar and threw him out of his home. In any case, the successful tool company was the money-maker for Hughes' fortune, allowing him to live lavishly, date high-profile actresses, and make movies at his pleasure. He never really ran the tool company. He left that up to Dietrich.Howard becomes obsessed with flying and creates TWA, makes contracts with the government for planes, but fails to deliver them. However, many companies also failed to deliver planes when in fact they received money during the war too. He falls in love with Katherine Hepburn, but she leaves him later for Spencer Tracy. He has a love affair with Ava Gardner, but that ends when she hits him over the head with a frozen steak. He's summoned to speak before Congress about his large plane, the Hercules (a.k.a. Spruce Goose), and how he failed to deliver it during the 2nd World War. Howard gains support from the public and flies the plane in Newport Beach Harbor for 1 mile, putting to rest if the plane would ever fly. Reports not shown in this film are how Hughes knew the plane was simply not fly-worthy for long trips across the Atlantic, and that's why he never flew it again.The life of Hughes was complex to say the least. He became recluse even to close friends such as Noah Dietrich. His paranoid behavior drove people like Dietrich out of their minds. Dietrich traveled to Africa with his family on vacation and even then Hughes managed to pry into his private life, eventually breaking the straw that kept them together. When Dietrich pressed Howard to make him a partner as he supposedly promised, Hughes said no, and Dietrich quit, ending their relationship. But one could not help feel empathy for Noah seeing how he did so much for Hughes, staying by his side even when others felt him to be insane.Howard was known to spend months at a time living in hotels, never leaving the room, and one time staying in a movie theater all alone. He never bathed, never changed, and his clothes literally fell off his body in tatters. No one really knows why Howard Hughes became the way he did. He had everything, yet nothing. He could not have a long-standing relationship without driving his ladies away. He never wrote a will because he believed once doing so was an admittance his life would come to an end. To understand this movie, one must have followed Hughes on his life and read about him. Otherwise, this movie isn't for you. I for one am glad to have it. It was a pleasure watching Tommy Lee Jones play him.

Enjoyed the movie very much particularly since it dates to 1977 and correctly portrayed Hughes as a brilliant capitalist and that he feared communism and it's spread. It skirts around his sexual relations and marriages, I assume bc this is a made-for-TV production. Note that this video is 123 minutes and the original TV series was 185. I would have preferred to longer version which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. Tommy Jones was a superb actor then as he is today. I thought I was watching the real HH's.

I first watched this item in the early 1980s. There were some scenes in the original film that have been deleted from the copy I purchased. I refer to the scenes when Hughes took off in his seaplane and went missing for some time and when he asked someone to burn his clothing and having Noah Dietrich get him some new ones. There could be up to 15 minutes edited, but as it was a long time ago I cannot be exact.

Like other reviews you may have noted, the sad truth is that this formerly-EXCELLENT tv movie, made the year after Hughes` death and starring Tommy Lee Jones in a solid portrayal, has been EDITED DOWN to such an extent that if you buy the readily-available extant vhs/dvd offerings, you will still have never truly seen this movie.My point here is not to merely grouse about the edited version, but to save others some probable trouble. Last year, emboldened by statements I read that there was in fact, an original vhs release full-length version of the tv movie, I started searching online to obtain it. I contacted over a dozen sources, I purchased from several who swore that they had 'the full version'...and was soundly and roundly disappointed. Most sellers did not know that there even was a longer version (and really did not care). The few I went so far as to purchase from believed they did have the full film, but found out differently when I received their vhs...and returned it. The term 'exercise in futility' springs to mind.(I gave up.)What`s worse, any hope for a new, full-length dvd release would high-probability have been back when the Hughes biopic "The Aviator" was released in 2004.... and that did not happen. So...Should you want the full-length version and be determined to undertake the search for it, be prepared for false leads, misinformation and probable failure. Should you actually succeed, let me know. I WISH YOU LUCK!

The movie was how I remembered it from it being on TV all those years ago. My parents recalled a some missing scenes, but as they are a bit whacked out of their gourd, it is hard to tell. There were no extras, but this movie was from the late 1970s when it was about the movies and not the extras.

This was Tommy Lee Jones at his best. I had an oppertunity to work on this film and had never heard of a Tommy, Lee or a Jones. But after seeing the quality of the work that this actor put forth. the way in which he prepared. His dedecation to detail.The maner in which he took on a charicter. It was obvious that we were in the presence of a very accomplished talent that would be around for quite some time. It was a joy to watch him work then and has been over the years. Tommy Lee Jones, thanks for the journey

Greatly liked the movie when I saw it on TV BUT an hour or more was cut from the DVD that I received. Not happy about that after the price I paid for it

It would be nice to find the original- without the cut out/deleted scenes...bu it sounds like from reading up on it..the original movie (un cut) is no where to be found???

bon

Great movie

Great video

By the advertisement I was led to believe this was the full mini series, which it was not. Had I known it was an abridged version I would not have bought it. I saw the original and it was fantastic and the DVD I bought was just a taste of the complete version. You should not claim a running time other than what it actually is.

Excellent biopic of Howard Hughes. Considering it was originally a tv mini series, it's superior to the much lauded and hugely budgeted blockbuster 'The Aviator'.Tommy Lee Jones for me IS Howard Hughes, and portrays the part with a quiet confidence compared with the histrionics of Dicaprio in the other version.