Saturday, December 29, 2007

Howard Hughes' penthouse in the air

hughes-allen  In 1940, Boeing built the first high-altitude commercial transport and the first four-engine airliner in scheduled service within the United States, the Model 307 Stratoliner. Used by Pan American Airways and Trans World Airlines, its pressurized cabin allowed it to fly above the weather, and its wide fuselage had space for sleeping berths. Howard Hughes bought one and converted it into a flying penthouse. The Stratoliner was the first plane to have a flight engineer as a crewmember. 

A total of 10 Stratoliners were built. The first flight was on December 31, 1938. By 1940 it was flying routes between Los Angeles and New York, as well as to locations in Latin America. Multi-millionaire Howard Hughes purchased a model for his personal use, and had it transformed into a luxurious "flying penthouse". This plane was later sold to oil tycoon Glenn McCarthy in 1949.[1]

Haiti and the United States have used the 307 in military operations.cutaway

The only surviving Boeing Model 307 (NC19903), operated by Pan Am, is preserved in flying condition at the Smithsonian Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. On March 29, 2002 this particular aircraft was subject to a dramatic crash in which it ditched into Elliott Bay in Seattle, Wash., on what was to be its last flight before heading to the Smithsonian.[2] Despite the incident, it has again been restored and is now on display.

The fuselage of Howard Hughes' personal 307 survives, although it has been converted into a boat.[3]. Below are pictures of the luxurious "flying penthouse".

hughes-allen

seats2berths-2 

 flyingpenthouse interior-01Hopper-Jessel interior-03 tail-1949-02

 

 

A restored Boeing 307 ex-Pan Am on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Watergate Scandal

Shortly before the 1960 Presidential election, Richard Nixon was harmed by revelations of a $205,000 loan from Hughes to Nixon's brother Donald. It has long been speculated that Nixon's drive to learn what the Democrats were planning in 1972 was based in part on his belief that the Democrats knew about a bribe that his friend Bebe Rebozo had received from Hughes. Nixon's desire to cover up this event may have led to the Watergate break-in.[16]

 

Charles Gregory "Bebe" Rebozo (November 17, 1912-May 8, 1998) was a Florida banker who gained fame for being a close friend and confidant of President Richard Nixon. He was also allegedly an associate of the Genovese Family, one of the most powerful New York mafia factions.

The youngest child (hence, the nickname "Bebe" meaning "Baby" in Spanish) of Cuban immigrants to Tampa, Florida, Rebozo owned several businesses in Florida, including a chain of coin laundry outlets, before starting his own bank, the Key Biscayne Bank & Trust, in Key Biscayne in 1964.

Rebozo first met then U.S. Representative Richard Nixon in 1950 through Florida Representative George Smathers. Smathers had recommended Key Biscayne as a vacation destination to Nixon, who eventually set up the Florida White House in the area. While Nixon was vacationing in Key Biscayne, Smathers had Rebozo take Nixon deep sea fishing. Rebozo and Nixon then started a friendship that lasted 44 years.

Always a staunch supporter of Nixon, Rebozo became involved in the Watergate crisis when he was investigated by a congressional committee for accepting a $100,000 cash contribution on behalf of the Nixon campaign from industrialist Howard Hughes.

 

Francis Donald Nixon (23 November 191427 June 1987) was a brother of United States President Richard Nixon.

He was the third of five children:

He married Clara Jane Lemke and had a son named Donald A. Nixon.

In January 1957 Howard Hughes lent Donald Nixon $205,000 to bail out his "Nixon's" drive-in restaurant in Whittier, California. [1] The restaurant went bankrupt less than a year later. Questions about whether this was a political favor dogged Richard Nixon during his campaign for president and later when he sought the governorship of California. [2]

He never lived it down, and one of the many speculated motives for the 1972 Watergate burglary that ultimately led to Richard Nixon's resignation was a desire to find proof that the then-Democratic National Committee chairman Larry O'Brien was also secretly working for Hughes. [3]

In 1973, financier Robert Vesco fled the United States hoping to avoid prosecution on charges of embezelement. Shortly before his departure, in hopes of shutting off the United States Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into his activities, Vesco routed substantial political contributions to President Richard Nixon through Donald Nixon, Jr., Donald Nixon's son.

In 1974 the staff of the Senate Watergate committee disclosed additional information to support the charge that Charles Rebozo gave or lent part of a $100,000 campaign contribution to President Nixon's personal secretary Rose Mary Woods, and to Nixon's brothers Donald and Edward Nixon. [4]

Donald Nixon, Jr. was held in Cuba in 1995 after obtaining assistance from Vesco in working with the Cuban government on clinical trials for an immunity-boosting drug. The clinical trials yielded positive results, however the operation was shut down by Cuban authorities subsequent to Vesco's attempt to defraud Nixon and Raul Castro, President Fidel Castro's younger brother.

Donald Nixon was portrayed by Sean Stone in the 1995 Oliver Stone film Nixon.

Monday, December 24, 2007

The best Hughes movie

Quite possibly the best movie about Mr Hughes is the Aviator. The Aviator (released in 2004)  was done by Martin Scorsese

 


The Aviator (2004)

See photos from the Aviator (see all 80 photos)
Read the Aviator message board 
View the trailer 
Read the movie details


Overview
Director:
Martin Scorsese
Writer (WGA):
John Logan (written by)
Release Date:
25 December 2004 (USA) more view trailer
Genre:
Biography / Drama more
Tagline:
For some men, the sky was the limit. For him, it was just the beginning. more
Plot Outline:
A biopic depicting the early years of legendary director and aviator Howard Hughes' career, from the late 1920s to the mid-1940s. more
Plot Synopsis:
This plot synopsis is empty. Add a synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Flying Boat / Based On History / Billionaire / Historical / Compassion more
Awards:
Won 5 Oscars. Another 45 wins & 63 nominations more
User Comments:
The Katharine Hepburn Show. more
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)


Leonardo DiCaprio
...
Howard Hughes


Cate Blanchett
...
Katharine Hepburn


Kate Beckinsale
...
Ava Gardner


John C. Reilly
...
Noah Dietrich


Alec Baldwin
...
Juan Trippe


Alan Alda
...
Senator Ralph Owen Brewster


Ian Holm
...
Professor Fitz


Danny Huston
...
Jack Frye


Gwen Stefani
...
Jean Harlow


Jude Law
...
Errol Flynn


Adam Scott
...
Johnny Meyer


Matt Ross
...
Glenn Odekirk


Kelli Garner
...
Faith Domergue


Frances Conroy
...
Katharine Martha Houghton Hepburn


Brent Spiner
...
Robert Gross

more

Create a character page for: Faith DomergueKatharine Martha Houghton HepburnRobert Gross-----------more... ?


Additional Details
Also Known As:
Aviator (Germany)
more
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, sexual content, nudity, language and a crash sequence.
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
170 min
Country:
USA / Germany
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White / Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS / Dolby Digital / SDDS
Certification:
Portugal:M/12 / Malaysia:U / Taiwan:PG-12 / Canada:14A (Ontario) / Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) / France:U / Argentina:13 / Australia:M / Brazil:12 / Canada:G (Quebec) / Chile:TE / Czech Republic:15 / Finland:K-11 / Germany:12 / Hong Kong:IIA / Iceland:12 / Ireland:12 (video rating) / Ireland:15 (original rating) / Netherlands:12 / Norway:11 / Philippines:PG-13 / Singapore:PG / Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) / Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) / Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) / UK:12A (original rating) / UK:12 (video rating) (2005) / USA:PG-13 (certificate #41156) / Indonesia:Dewasa / Sweden:11 / South Korea:15 / Denmark:11
Filming Locations:
Los Angeles, California, USA more
MOVIEmeter: ?
V 8% since last week why?
Company:
Forward Pass more
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Received the most Academy Award nominations for the year 2005, with 11 total. more
Goofs:
Continuity: In the first test flight speed test, the cockpit of the aircraft is open, except for the windshield. As the aircraft flies by, there is a glass enclosure over the cockpit. In the next shot, the cockpit glass is gone. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Allene Hughes: Q-u-a-r-a-n-t-i-n-e.
Young Howard Hughes: Quarantine. Q-u-a-r-a-n-t-i-n-e. Quarantine.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The DiCaprio Code (2006) more
Soundtrack:
Milenberg Joys more
FAQ
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User Comments

(Comment on this title)

160 out of 261 people found the following comment useful:-

The Katharine Hepburn Show., 26 December 2004
9/10

Author: Admiral_Forrest from Charlottetown, Canada

Before Howard Hughes was a recluse so reclusive as to out-Salinger J.D. Salinger, he was a big time stud, who made big movies, flew fast planes, and courted gorgeous ladies; so say Martin Scorsese and John Logan, architects of this latest Hollywood biopic.' Leonardo DiCaprio continues his trend of turning in great performances with great directors, playing Howard Hughes between 1927 and 1947, the years where Hughes conquered the worlds of film and aviation, making room for romance with Katharine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett) and Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale). In later years, Hughes's mental problems would become legendary; at this stage in the game, he suffers only from pronounced germ phobia and mild obsessive-compulsive disorder. This is all expertly depicted by Scorsese, Logan, and DiCaprio. Stealing all her scenes is Cate Blanchett, who should start making room on her mantle for her Best Supporting Actress Oscar. It couldn't have been easy to play an iconic movie star like Katharine Hepburn, but Blanchett aces it. Kate Beckinsale, Kelli Garner (Faith Demorgue), and Gwen Stefani (Jean Harlow) are the other women in Howard's life, although none are as clearly defined as Blanchett/Hepburn. The villains of the piece are Alec Baldwin and Alan Alda, playing, respectively, Pan-American Airways CEO Juan Trippe and Trippe's bought-and-paid-for politician, Senator Ralph Owen Brewster. Both excel, with Alda coming off as both slimy and goofy at the same time. Alec Baldwin, like Cate Blanchett, steals every scene he has, playing Trippe as a delightfully suave villain. In his final scene he delivers a wonderful monologue on the future of Hughes's Trans-World Airline, and caps it off with the most hysterical use of the F word in many years. Also appearing: the dependable John C. Reilly as Hughes's business manager Noah Dietrich; Jude Law, who apparently can't go two weeks without seeing himself in a different movie, as movie legend Errol Flynn; Brent Spiner (yay!) as airplane executive Robert Gross; and Willem Dafoe as a photographer. "The Aviator" is overlong, and drags in places, but it is a great movie. I rate it a 9/10.

The Aviator (2004)


Visits

Howard Hughes Pictures

Was Howard Hughes a visionary or an eccentric

Where is Mr Hughes buried?