Happy Birthday Howard Hughes Dec. 24, 1905

reply to post by Liquesence

Maybe I'm not seeing correctly, but I see mustache vs no mustache. :/

We have a winner!

It's a shame what happened to him later in life, when, due to his addiction, he was kept pretty much sedated and taken advantage of by those "handlers" and "advisers" around him while he withered away and died. :/

Are you really sure that the 95-lb skeleton man was really Howard Hughes? What if the entire episode of the Hughes seclusion from 1957-1976 was a hoax, perpetrated by the Mormon Mafia, as a cover operation, to cover up what Hughes was really doing in those years? Hughes was known to use body doubles. Hughes keen interest in cutting edge technologies, medical experimentation, etc, would it be possible that Hughes had himself frozen at some point?

What areas of Hughes history do you like the most? Interested in posting your thoughts here? Feel free to add stuff to the thread! I wanna eventually look at the serious injuries he received in the 1946 plane crash... because he was flying again within 60 days, not just touch and go, but he was flying planes from CA to NY, trans-continental flights. It seems like a miraculous recovery.

reply to post by SayonaraJupiter


On the topic of his recovery from serious injuries, I don't know how injured he was but we can assume that he had a steel will at that age, and that if his injuries weren't the type which would have grounded him - and I think Hughes would have flown if he still had the use of his arms and hands - it's not surprising he was up and flying again in short order.

I didn't know until now that Howard Hughes had the same birthday as me!
Thanks for sharing this, it is an interesting read.

Aleister
reply to post by SayonaraJupiter

 

On the topic of his recovery from serious injuries, I don't know how injured he was but we can assume that he had a steel will at that age, and that if his injuries weren't the type which would have grounded him - and I think Hughes would have flown if he still had the use of his arms and hands - it's not surprising he was up and flying again in short order.

Let's proceed to review the XF-11 crash from July 7, 1946. I have saved a bunch of old articles to share.


July 8th, Hughes crashed the XF-11.






Let's review some of these injuries, paper by paper.

Montreal Gazette - left hand was badly burned, possible broken back, fractured skull, broken leg, punctured lung.

Prescott Evening Courier - broken collar bone, seven ribs broken, fractured nose, lacerations of the scalp, small fracture of the skull, and puncture wound in the left knee.

Waycross Journal-Herald - broken collar bone, seven ribs broken, broken nose, third degree burns on his hands, possible skull and leg fractures.

Barlett & Steele "Empire" p.142, 143,

chest was crushed, fractures of seven ribs on the left side, two on the right, a fracture of the left clavicle, possible fracture of the nose, large laceration of the scalp, extensive second- and third degree burns on the left hand, second degree burn on the lower part of the left chest, second degree burn on the left buttock, cuts, bruises, abrasions on his arms and legs, and many small cuts on his face. Left lung collapsed, right lung injured. Heart had been pushed to one side of his chest cavity. Severe shock. They inserted a tube into his chest to drain fluid. Released from hospital on August 12.

September 10th, Hughes flies again, attends boxing match with Ava Gardner.



Barlett & Steele "Empire" p.144

Hughes not only had recovered, but had also miraculously suffered no permanent disability. Two fingers on his left hand - the hand that had been burned so badly - did not move as freely as before. Other than that, he complained of no aches, pains, or discomfort.

The XF-11 was Howard Hughes' 3rd serious air crash. Hughes spent only 35 days in hospital and had a total 64 days to recover from these injuries.. even Barlett & Steele said it was a miracle.

Bluesma
I didn't know until now that Howard Hughes had the same birthday as me!
Thanks for sharing this, it is an interesting read.

I must have forgotten to mention this part:

December 24th was Howard Hughes' official 'corporate' birthday; it's the birthday you will see in all the encyclopedias and news articles, however,

Hughes claimed his birthday was Christmas Eve, but according to his baptismal records he was actually born on the more mundane date of September 24. Source www.nndb.com...

SayonaraJupiter

I must have forgotten to mention this part:

December 24th was Howard Hughes' official 'corporate' birthday; it's the birthday you will see in all the encyclopedias and news articles, however,

Hughes claimed his birthday was Christmas Eve, but according to his baptismal records he was actually born on the more mundane date of September 24. Source www.nndb.com...

Damn, I went and mentioned to someone last night that I had the same birthday as Hughes, and a conversation followed about Capricorns, which he was not then. No big deal, but I don't like spreading false info.

Bluesma

SayonaraJupiter

I must have forgotten to mention this part:

December 24th was Howard Hughes' official 'corporate' birthday; it's the birthday you will see in all the encyclopedias and news articles, however,

Hughes claimed his birthday was Christmas Eve, but according to his baptismal records he was actually born on the more mundane date of September 24. Source www.nndb.com...

Damn, I went and mentioned to someone last night that I had the same birthday as Hughes, and a conversation followed about Capricorns, which he was not then. No big deal, but I don't like spreading false info.

And now you have a story to tell about how Howard Hughes hoaxed you!

So, After reading the various newspaper reports of injuries sustained by Howard Hughes on July 7, 1946, as the result of his experimental XF-11 crack up in Beverly Hills...

After reading the newspaper account of his ability to pilot a converted B-23 bomber on a trans-continental journey a mere 65 days later (a stop over in Kansas City was documented, not sure how long it was)...

And, after seeing the image of the man seated ringside at a boxing match with his then-current girlfriend Ava Gardner... (for reference, see the Corbis images posted previously in this thread.) I'll just refer to it as the "ring-side boxing match picture with Ava".

Has anyone been paying attention to the condition of his left hand? It was Hughes' 'left hand' that was described as having 2nd AND 3rd degree burns.

Can anyone really believe that Howard Hughes was sat ring-side at a big boxing match in New York City, the biggest most important city in the USA.... with one of the hottest gals in Hollywood on his arm, Ava Gardner.... yet there seems to be only one single image of it ever taking place.

Hughes was a master of manipulation when it comes to publicity stunts (see the "Hell's Angels" premier at Grauman's Chinese Theater, for example, or the censorship battle over "The Outlaw") Howard Hughes always has publicity on his mind. His appearance at the high-profile boxing match with Ava Gardner is not out of the ordinary. He came to New York City specifically to argue for his movie "The Outlaw".

This is a Howard Hughes thread.

Howard Hughes had a long and prestigious career in the film business it is actually kind of intimidating when you look at it across the decades. Here is a basic, working list of Hollywood studio films that Howard Hughes was somehow involved with as director, producer or interloper. Hughes was often involved behind the scenes in many films. Many of these movies are "Howard Hughes presents..." only. The film titles could be the chapters of his life. This list is not all inclusive.


1926 - Swell Hogan - Directed by and starring Ralph Graves
1926- Everybody's Acting - Written and directed by Marshal Neilan
1927- Two Arabian Knights- Director Lewis Milestone received an Academy Award as best director of a comedy.
1928 - The Racket - Underworld drama directed by Lewis Milestone. Remade by hughes at RKO in the fifties.
1928 - The Mating Call - Based on a popular novel of the day
1930- Hell's Angels (produced and directed by Hughes.)- (James Hall and Ben Lyon) Jean Harlow, a Hughes discovery.
1931- The Age of Love- Billie Dove, the former Ziegfeld showgirl
1931- Cock of the Air - Billie Dove
1931- The Front Page - Pat O'Brien , Adolph Menjou, adapted from the hit play by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur.
1931- Sky Devils - Leftover Hell's Angels footage
1932- Scarface - Paul Muni, George Raft, Directed by Howard Hawks, written by Ben Hecht, Hughes battled censors for 2 years to get the picture released.
11 FILMS


1943 - The Outlaw (produced and directed by Hughes). Jane Russel, and Jack Beutel.
1947- Sins of Harold Diddlebock-Silent comedian Harold Lloyd, Written and directed by Preston Sturges. Reissued during Hughes's RKO epoch as Mad Wednesday.

Hughes acquired control of RKO Pictures in May, 1948.During his reign, he became the only man to solely own a film studio, which he finally sold in July, 1955. Among the RKO titles that bear Hughes's signature are as follows:

1949- I Married A Communist- en.wikipedia.org...(film)
1949- The Big Steal- Robert Mitchum (just after his marijuana bust), Hughes's favorite actor and good friend,Jane Greer
1949- Holiday Affair- Romantic comedy with Janet Leigh,another Hughes obsession, and Robert Mitchum.
1950-Outrage - Ida Lupino
1950- Stromboli - this Italian-made Ingrid Bergman movie
1950- Vendetta cost more than $ 3 million. Produced by Hughes, Faith Domergue and contract actor George Dolenz
1950- Where Danger Lives - Faith Domergue , Robert Mitchum.
1951- Best of the Bad Men- After 10 years under contract, Jack Beutel (The Outlaw) gets a second film.(A year later he starred in RKO's The half-Breed).
1951- Double Dymamite- Jane Russel, Frank Sinatra, ....Groucho Marx
1951- Flying Leathernecks- The first of 3 RKO Hughes titles starring friend and fellow patriot John Wayne,
1951- Gambling House - Hughes ordered the filmmakers to case "the beautifully stacked" Terry Moore his girlfriend, as social worker who reforms touch guy Victor Mature.
1951- Hard, Fast and Beautiful- Ida Lupino directs Sally Forrest
1951- His Kind of Woman- "Howard Hughes Presents" Jane Russel and Robert Mitchum
1951- My Forbidden Past- Ava Gardner opposite Robert Mitchum
1951- Road Block- Joan Dixon
1951- Two Tickets to Broadway- Musical starring Janet Leigh and Tony Martin;
1951- The Whip Hand Carla Balenda a story of communists and germ warfare
1952- The Las Vegas Story- Jane Russel, this time teamed with Victor Mature.
1952- Macao- Jane Russel, reunited with Robert Mitchum
1952- One Minute to Zero- Robert Mitchum Ann Blyth
1952- Androcles and the Lion- Jean Simmons Victor Mature.
1953- Angel Face- Psychological drama starring Jean Simmons Costarring Robert Mitch; directed by Otto Preminger
1954- The French Line Jane Russel- in 3-D- as Texas oil gal
1954- Susan Slept Here- Comedy with Dick Powell Debbie Reynolds
1955- Son of Sindbad - Arabian Nights tale starring bemused-looking Dale Robertson and Vincent Price, and 40 gorgeous, well-endowed women as the 40 thieves. To promote the movie, the Sinbadettes toured the country.
1955- Underwater- Another Jane Russel
1955 - The Conqueror- A miscast John Wayne as Genghis Khan, and former Hughes lover Susan Hayward as the Tartar beauty. Richard Nixon screened August 8, 1971, Minot Island
1957- The Jet Pilot. Hughes's biggest RKO failure with Soviet pilot Janet Leigh

Ellensberg Daily Record July 8 1946:

"Despite his critical condition and against his doctor's orders, Howard Hughes held a hurried conference with business associates today in Good Samaritan hospital where he was taken after the crash and explosion of his FX-11 plane yesterday in Beverly Hills."

How is it even possible to hold a business conference when Howard Hughes was alternately, in an oxygen tent (Montreal Gazette) or "resting easily" (Waycross Herald-Journal) or with a tube inserted in his chest (Barlett & Steele "Empire")

I'm starting to smell a rat... because the Beverly Hills home Hughes famously crashed into was owned by a US Army officer Lt. Col. Charles A. Meyer, 808 North Whittier, who was at that time stationed overseas... at the Nuremberg trials... as an interpreter.

SJ: Well Mr. Hughes, it looks like you and me are pretty much all alone in this thread. What do you say to that?
HRH: I think it's just fine. Could you hand me that legal pad I have to write a memo to Bob.
SJ: Oh sure, here you go...
HRH: NO NO NO use the three layers of tissue paper like I said!
SJ: Ooops!
HRH: Don't give me the one you touched. Pick a new one from the middle of the stack (of yellow legal pads) and pass it to me.
SJ: Okay, here you go.
HRH: (writing) Bob, I know our relationship has been difficult lately and with you being under so much stress with the HALO and Apollo accounts. But Bob, this is the most important imperative order I have ever given to anybody and it pains me to burden you with another huge problem of this magnitude. Bob, I need you to shut down this Howard Hughes thread on ATS and shut it down immediately. H.
SJ: Is there anything else I can do for you Mr. Hughes?
HRH: Yes, take this memo. Hand it to the man at the door who let's you out.
SJ: Right!

What's in a tombstone?

Howard Hughes wasn't born on Christmas Eve. Did he really die on April 5, 1976?

reply to post by SayonaraJupiter


Hello, and you have kept HH's name alive on ATS.

I looked at Wikipedia, and they still list December 24 as his birthdate. Some good explanation is on the talk page, Archive 1, where a wikkan goes into the baptismal certificate and birth certificate information, saying the baptismal recorder seemed to have shaky handwriting, surmising the recorder was elderly and hard of hearing (surmise is always a game of ants), and misheard "December 24" as "September 24th" (doesn't everyone?).

Talk page links on Wikipedia don't link-copy, they should fix that, but just check out the HH article talk page, archive one, to see what they're talking about. It's not really that big a deal, but in biography minutia is fun. And again, good thread. Do you have any Hughes artifacts yourself?

reply to post by Aleister


That HH wiki-talk sure seems like a battle ground. The HH wiki article itself is pretty awful, imho. Anyone reading that article would have a very mixed up understanding of the man's influence in America culture from 1927-1976(?).

It's not really that big a deal, but in biography minutia is fun. And again, good thread. Do you have any Hughes artifacts yourself?

The minutia for Howard Hughes is beyond outstanding, it's borderline mythological. If you read all the regular source books, watch the popular biographies, search hard for the old magazine articles you will find that there is a darker, film noir Hughes biography that has not yet been written; sadly, that character is overlooked, and vastly overshadowed, by the comic book versions of Howard Hughes.

No, I do not own any HH artifacts or relics. Just books, magazines and dvd's.

reply to post by SayonaraJupiter


Reading your thread, and I've yet to get into the Nixon-Hughes thread and will get to that one day when I have time for a long and expected very good read, has brought my appreciation of Hughes up a few notches. A giant figure in the 20th century, that's for sure, and his legacy is marred by those last years when people can only "guess" at where his head (and body) were at. He's one of those people who, if he had died younger, would be the stuff of legend now.

Speaking of books and movies to be made, and the Hughes take that you suggest as a book does seem interesting and doable by someone, there is yet to be a great movie made of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, who both have/had interesting lives converging at one point for their place in history and then going two very different separate ways. And who was that poor third guy up in the capsule? Where'd he go (rhetorical question, but I'm going to have to look him up to see if he's even still living).

EDIT: Michael Collins, and he is still alive at 84. en.wikipedia.org...(astronaut)

reply to post by Aleister


Thanks for the bump. Here are some HH research aides, one I found and one I made.

If you like audio, this podcast biography of Howard Hughes I would suggest this one called 'tank riot episode #125'. fast forward to 37 minutes The hosts do a decent job of constructing a modern and fairly well informed popular narrative for Howard Hughes.

hwcdn.libsyn.com...

If you like conspiracy time-lines, this one has 1,000 entries, on this website which covers the Hughes era, Nixon rise to power and other conspiracy trivia.
www.tiki-toki.com...#

Conrad and Bean (Apollo 12, November 19, 1969) are going down the grocery store to pick up The Hughes tv camera that was landed on the moon at the location of Surveyor 3. Surveyor 3 landed on April 20, 1967. The whole mission was designed around that.
ares.jsc.nasa.gov...

Happy Birthday Surveyor 3 built by Howard Hughes!

Here is an interesting piece of Hughes/Sinatra mythology: The Takeover of the Britannia Beach Hotel on Paradise Island.

I have to wonder sometimes, are these just cover stories?

Why would Frank Sinatra want to occupy the same Bahama suites as Howard Hughes did?

Are Frank Sinatra and Howard Hughes players in a CIA mind control program?

The Britannia Beach Hotel on Paradise Island. Could that be some kind of CIA operational headquarters?

Was it real? Or was it Memorex?


Howard Robard "Sonny" Hughes Jr. Could it be a reference to the same "Sonny" as from the Godfather films?

All seven of the press reporters at the teleconference were selected by Hughes associates and the interview with seven press reporters was mediated by Hughes man Dick Hannah. The whole production was broadcasted on Tv on a Sunday evening in January 1972. It was Richard Nixon's birthday.

Watergate would come about six months later... June 17. Amazingly enough, the Watergate scandal didn't have any effect on the Nixon 1972 campaign. He won by a landslide.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that there was a serious power play from Nixon's vice-presidency (1952) up until the Howard Hughes fake teleconference January 1972.

It is also during the early 1972 calendar that Clifford Irving's "Hoax" takes place. If you know the story, he was allegedly a hoaxer of a Howard Hughes biography.

We are all expected to echo the conclusion that "Nixon hired some bumbling crooks to break into Watergate". That is the wrong conclusion. The real conclusion should be that the event known as the Watergate breakin was a link in a chain of events.