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IMDb > Melvin and Howard (1980)
Melvin and Howard
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Melvin and Howard (1980) More at IMDbPro »

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Melvin and Howard (1980) -- The story of hard-luck Melvin Dummar, who claimed to have received a will naming him an heir to the fortune of Howard Hughes.

Overview

User Rating:
7.0/10   1,811 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
No change in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Jonathan Demme
Writer:
Bo Goldman (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Melvin and Howard on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
19 September 1980 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama more
Tagline:
A true story? more
Plot:
The story of hard-luck Melvin Dummar, who claimed to have received a will naming him an heir to the fortune of Howard Hughes. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Won 2 Oscars. Another 14 wins & 4 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Producer Ned Tanen Dead At 77
 (From Studio Briefing - Film News. 6 January 2009, 1:31 AM, PST)

Jason Robards Dies
 (From WENN. 28 December 2000)

User Comments:
One of the most neglected more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Jason Robards ... Howard Hughes

Paul Le Mat ... Melvin Dummar
Elizabeth Cheshire ... Darcy Dummar

Mary Steenburgen ... Lynda Dummar
Chip Taylor ... Clark Taylor
Melvin E. Dummar ... Bus Depot Counterman

Michael J. Pollard ... Little Red
Denise Galik ... Lucy
Gene Borkan ... Go-Go Club Owner #1
Lesley Margret Burton ... Go-Go Dancer
Wendy Lee Couch ... Go-Go Dancer
Marguerite Baierski ... Go-Go Dancer
Janice King ... Go-Go Dancer
Deborah Ann Klein ... Go-Go Dancer
Theodora Thomas ... Go-Go Dancer
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
95 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Stereo
Filming Locations:
Gabbs, Nevada, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Herbie Faye's final movie. more
Goofs:
Continuity: While the men are in the truck talking, a sandwich being eaten has the bite area alternately changing from one side of the bread between shots. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Glenn Close/Black Crowes (#18.9)" (1992) more
Soundtrack:
Shake the Ground more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
13 out of 14 people found the following comment useful:-
One of the most neglected, 6 December 1999
9/10
Author: KennyF from New York

I just noticed that "Melvin and Howard" registered a mere 6.6 on the IMDb rating scale. Don't you believe it! This is a great American movie. Director Demme and writer Goldman take a footnote to history -- a contested Howard Hughes will that named Melvin Dummar, a milkman who once loaned him a quarter, as one of his heirs -- and turn that slight material into a wry meditation on the American Dream. Or more specifically, the thin line that separates the American Dream from pure hell. Demme has a great eye for people like Dummar, a dreamer whose clock for realizing his dreams is winding down. The performances are terrific, especially Paul Le Mat as Dummar (whatever happened to Le Mat?) and Mary Steenburgen who won an Oscar for playing his wife. Jason Robards does one of his patented cameos playing a real life character (his Howard Hughes makes a neat hat trick with his Oscar winning performances as Dashiell Hammett and Ben Bradley.) Watch for the real-life Melvin Dummar as the counterman in the bus station where Steenburgen makes a sandwich for her daughter. This is a small but knowing and winning movie. It definitely gets my vote for "Milkman of the Month"!

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Melvin and Howard (1980)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Was Melvin telling the truth? joanbrazas
Gloria Graham olblueeyes40
Bate Brothers scene??! enicolau1
This story is in the news djhunnicut
P.T. Anderson sites this movie as influencing Hard Eight lvis74
Why R? And3ww
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