Eccentric is into the word to begin to describe the irrepressible Howard Hughes, movie mogul, pilot, business mogul, controversial political figure, husband and lover. There have been big screen films about him, some legend and others factual. This TV film from the golden age of television's movie of the week is especially memorable for the outstanding performance of Tommy Lee Jones at the beginning of his career, fresh off a daytime soap opera and preparing for film stardom. He doesn't act out the role of Howard Hughes. He is Howard Hughes, through and through, and he definitely should have been nominated for an Emmy for his strong performance.
To portray a man like Howard Hughes over a two night period Is impossible, so this focuses on the important points of his life, becoming the heir to his father's estate, creating Hughes aircraft and becoming a movie Mogul by producing films such as "Hell's Angels", "The Front Page" and "Scarface". for a decade, he focuses mainly on flying and dating such beautiful movie stars as Katharine Hepburn, here played with great conviction by stage actress Tovah Feldshuh. There's also a glimpse of Jean Harlow but other than one line shooting "Hell's Angels", she's basically in the background, only seen briefly in her trademark platinum permanent wave. there's also silent screen star Billie Dove home Hughes briefly dates, and of course later on wife Jean Peters. a scene dedicated to the making of the outlaw focuses on the ample Jane Russell and how Hughes chooses to shoot her bust.
Then, there's the controversy of his fights with the government over his aircraft business, his descent into seclusion do to a fear of germs, and how he deals with the press by basically speaking through major side-steps. Ed Flanders is excellent as his loyal right-hand man who can only put up with use eccentricity for so long before choosing to abandon him. Relationships with other employees are also dramatized, showing that once Hughes dump someone out of their life, they were done for good.
But, in spite of his ruthlessness, buying off of politicians and other a moral behaviors, she uses a total charmer here, and Jones captures him consistently and brilliantly. I truly felt like I was back in the 1930's at the height of his rising legend. Every detail is perfect, including shots of movie premieres, Hepburn storming into his office, the arrogance of government hearings and details of how he dealt with his businesses that aren't too complex in order to keep the audience interested. you can try to compare this to "The Aviator", but this stands out perfectly on its own, and holds up today on its own merits.
To portray a man like Howard Hughes over a two night period Is impossible, so this focuses on the important points of his life, becoming the heir to his father's estate, creating Hughes aircraft and becoming a movie Mogul by producing films such as "Hell's Angels", "The Front Page" and "Scarface". for a decade, he focuses mainly on flying and dating such beautiful movie stars as Katharine Hepburn, here played with great conviction by stage actress Tovah Feldshuh. There's also a glimpse of Jean Harlow but other than one line shooting "Hell's Angels", she's basically in the background, only seen briefly in her trademark platinum permanent wave. there's also silent screen star Billie Dove home Hughes briefly dates, and of course later on wife Jean Peters. a scene dedicated to the making of the outlaw focuses on the ample Jane Russell and how Hughes chooses to shoot her bust.
Then, there's the controversy of his fights with the government over his aircraft business, his descent into seclusion do to a fear of germs, and how he deals with the press by basically speaking through major side-steps. Ed Flanders is excellent as his loyal right-hand man who can only put up with use eccentricity for so long before choosing to abandon him. Relationships with other employees are also dramatized, showing that once Hughes dump someone out of their life, they were done for good.
But, in spite of his ruthlessness, buying off of politicians and other a moral behaviors, she uses a total charmer here, and Jones captures him consistently and brilliantly. I truly felt like I was back in the 1930's at the height of his rising legend. Every detail is perfect, including shots of movie premieres, Hepburn storming into his office, the arrogance of government hearings and details of how he dealt with his businesses that aren't too complex in order to keep the audience interested. you can try to compare this to "The Aviator", but this stands out perfectly on its own, and holds up today on its own merits.