Transcript
Lindsey Graham (0:00)
There are more ways than ever to listen to History Daily ad free. Listen with Wondry plus in the Wondery app as a member of Noiser plus at noiser.com or in Apple Podcasts. Or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts@intohristory.com Lights, Camera, Action Even in an age of streaming media and abundant influencers, the glamour of Hollywood is undeniable and for many, irresistible. But imagine for a moment that it's not 2025 but 1925. Hollywood is brimming with stars and starlets with more to come. Los Angeles is a shimmering beacon drawing ambitious and talented hopefuls from around the country. No one knows it yet, but the motion picture industry is about to enter its golden age when the talkies replace silent movies in 1927, and some of the most foundational films of all time are going to be made in the next decade. So yes, it's 1925 and you've just inherited a fortune vast enough to make you one of the most wealthy people in America. And you're just 18 years old. You very well might do exactly what Howard Hughes did in this situation. Pack up and move to la determined to break it into the movie business or just buy into it. You've got money to burn, right? But do you have the vision, the ambition, the cunning to make it in Hollywood? On today's Saturday matinee, we're bringing you the first episode of a four part series on Howard Hughes and Hollywood from one of my other podcasts, Business Movers. I hope you enjoy. While you're listening, be sure to search for and follow Business Movers. We put a link in the show notes to make it easy for you avoiding your unfinished home projects because you're not sure where to start. Thumbtack knows homes, so you don't have to. Don't know the difference between matte paint, finish and satin or what that clunking sound from your dryer is. With Thumbtack, you don't have to be a home pro, you just have to hire one. You can hire top rated pros, see price estimates and read reviews all on the app. Download Thumbtack today.
Unknown (2:17)
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Lindsey Graham (3:19)
It's spring, 1928. On an airfield in Inglewood, California. Under the midday sun, 22 year old millionaire film producer Howard Hughes stands at the edge of a dusty Runway and shakes his head as a pilot stalls a biplane. It's a few months into the shooting of Howard's most ambitious movie to date. A World War I epic with real dogfights in the sky. But there's a problem holding back today's filming. His pilot can't even take off. Howard calls out, what on earth are you doing? Sorry, Mr. Hughes. She's a little cranky today. Might need a minute to cool off. Howard marches toward the plane, irritation written all over his face. You're being too cautious on the throttle. You need to show these old kites who's boss. Give it some gas, she'll fire right up. But sir, if I push too hard, the engine might overheat. Could cut out in midair. And if you baby it, we sit here all day burning time and money. I'm not paying for you to twiddle your thumbs. I'm paying for results. I understand, sir, but this isn't the throttle. It's. It's about feel know when I feel frustrated. Just. Just get out. Excuse me? Get out of the cockpit if you can't fly. A simple stunt, I'll do it myself. Sir, with. With all due respect, these. These old planes are temperamental. Howard steps closer. You ever heard of the Wright brothers? Of course I have, sir. Yeah, they're my fifth cousins. I've been flying since I was 14. So unless you're telling me I can't handle a trainer plane, get your ass out of the seat. All right. Yes, sir. The pilot exits the cockpit and drops to the ground. Howard hoists himself onto the wing, swings into the cockpit and buckles in. He glances down at the pale faced pilot. All right, crank her up. The pilot takes hold of the propeller and heaves the engine fires right up. Now go sit with the crew and maybe you'll learn something. Sure thing, Mr. Hughes. Just remember, if she stole. I already told you, I know what I'm doing. Howard guns the throttle and the plane lurches forward. Watch and learn. In 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright made history with the first powered flight. 25 years on, airplanes were still a rudimentary technology. And flying was a dangerous business. So even though Howard had logged hunting hundreds of hours in the air, his choice to take the controls of an aircraft he'd never flown before was risky. But Howard was as stubbornly confident in his ability in the cockpit as he was at making movies. He'd soon learn a harsh lesson though. Piloting an airplane was the same as the movie business. Some movies took off and others would crash and burn. From wondery. I'm Lindsey Graham and this is business members. Movies are big business. In 2024, Hollywood produced films made $30 billion at the global box office. Most of it pocketed by five major Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Brothers. But the dominance of just a handful of filmmakers is not a recent phenomenon. For as long as Hollywood has been making movies, the industry has been ruled by a select few. But that has not stopped a handful of independent producers breaking into the big time. And one of the first did it before he was old enough to vote. In 1924, Texas toolmaker Howard Hughes Sr. Died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 54. That left his successful business in the hands of his son Howard Jr. Who after grieving his father, found himself to be an 18 year old millionaire. But Howard wasn't interested in running the family business. He had other dreams. He wanted to qualify as an expert pilot. He wanted to be the world's best golfer. And he wanted to get into the movie business. Becoming a pilot was relatively easy. Howard had money and nerve. Improving his golf game would take a little more patience and practice. But Howard's third ambition was the trickiest of all. In Hollywood, he was an outsider. A Texan in Tinseltown with no production experience but determined to make his mark. And over the next three decades, Howard would become one of Hollywood's most infamous and influential figures. He'd revolutionized the way filmmakers financed, produced and promoted their movies, battling the studio system only to eventually join it. But no matter how powerful he became, Howard would always remain an outsider. And from the very beginning, he learned a hard In Hollywood, success is never guaranteed. This is our first episode in a four part series on Howard Hughes and Hollywood calling the shots. It's 1925 at the Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles, California. One year after the death of Howard Hughes Sr. The now 19 year old Howard Jr. Places a golf ball on the first tee and takes a few practice Swings. His game has come on nicely since he moved to LA A few weeks ago. Howard moved west to get into the movie business. But he's waiting for the right project to come along. Until then, he's happy to work on his swing. Howard lines up his club with the ball and takes one last look at the distant flag. Then he drives the ball down the middle of the fairway. Hey, nice shot. Howard turns and smiles when he spots a family friend. 25 year old actor Ralph Graves. Oh, Ralph. Good to see you. I figured I'd bump into you eventually. Should have realized I'd be on the golf course. Yeah, I heard you moved out here. Ah, you know, I can't live in dad's shadow forever. I want to find success on my own terms. In Hollywood. Yeah, something electric about the movie business, right? It's boom time in Hollywood and I want in. You sure it's got nothing to do with the actresses? Howard puts his club back in his bag. Nah, not. Well, I mean, maybe a little, but. But when I'm done, I'll be the top producer in town. Man, I love your confidence, Howard. What's your first movie? But I'm still figuring that out. But. But I know the right script will come along. Well, what do you know? Because I just finished up a script. Maybe bumping into you today was meant to be. It's about a guy who's down on his luck. But that doesn't stop him from looking out for others. Really plucks on the heartstrings, I think. And you wrote it? I sure did. I've had this idea rolling around in my head for years. Just had to let it out. And I guess you'd be the star too. That's right. What about the director? You got one lined up? Well, you're looking at him. So you'd write, star and direct. Ralph flashes a smile, revealing his pristine white teeth. Well, what can I say? I really believe in the story. How many movies have you directed before? Ralph briefly breaks eye contact. This would be my first. But I've acted in more than 40. I've been watching and learning the whole time. I think I know what I'm doing. Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to start with someone I know. Give me a chance to learn the ropes. And I'd be happy to teach you everything I've picked up over the years. Definitely. So what do you say? How much can I put you down for? How much do you need? Not much. 40 grand tops. We can make it work for that. That's not exactly pocket change. You can't skimp if you want to make it in Hollywood, Howard. Let that be the first lesson of many. Alright, what the hell. I mean, I'm in Hollywood to make movies, so let's make a movie. That afternoon, Howard Hughes agreed to fund Ralph Graves passion project, Swell Hogan. But for all his ambition to take over Hollywood, Howard had never been on a movie set before. And he was about to learn that filmmaking was a lot harder than it looked. A few months after this chance encounter on the golf course, filming began on Swell Hogan. Howard Hughes was a regular visitor to the set, but he was little more more than an observer. Control of the production rested firmly with Ralph Graves. As the lead actor, scriptwriter and director, Ralph was in a position to influence every aspect of the movie's production. But unfortunately for Howard, Ralph was not the expert he claimed to be. Although he'd been credited in more than 40 movies, Ralph only had experience as an actor in front of the camera. His screenwriting was untested and it showed. Swell Hogan focused on its titular character, a down on his luck bum who ignores his own problems to help New York orphans. Ten years earlier, that kind of sentimental story might have resonated with audiences. But in the mid-1920s, overly saccharine plots had fallen out of favor. Swell Hogan could have survived its weak script had it come under the wing of a capable director. But Ralph was a novice there too, and his inexperienced only compounded the film's problems. He underestimated the difficulty of shooting a feature film and misjudged its costs. Shooting stretched well beyond Ralph's initial schedule and budget. Props, costumes and makeup were all more expensive than he realized. And it all added up so that weeks before filming wrapped, Ralph ran out of money. He had to approach Howard hat in hand to ask for more. And since Howard had never made a movie before either, he deferred entirely to Ralph and wrote whatever checks he needed. Only after shooting finished did Howard discover that the film was over budget by 100%. And the end product didn't justify the cost. Distributors rejected it outright. Hollywood insiders panned it. And Howard had no option but to shelve his first feature film. Ralph Graves had offered to teach Howard the ways of Hollywood. But Swell Hogan was a lesson in the harshest realities of the movie movie business. Howard had assumed that his passion for cinema would be enough to make a hit. Instead, he'd been humbled. But still he didn't give up. Determined to do better, Howard redoubled his efforts. He restructured part of his father's tool firm into the Caddo Company, a dedicated business to finance and produce films. Then he teamed up with another family acquaintance, Marshall Nealon, an actor, writer and director who'd penned a feel good script. So at first, it seemed like Howard was about to repeat the same mistakes as he did in Swell Hogan. But this time, Howard had chosen his partner more wisely. Marshall had more than a decade's experience in writing and directing. His script was far stronger, featuring a love story between a woman and a wealthy heir masquerading as a cab driver. And Marshall knew when to step back out of the spotlight and allow the talented cast to shine rather than hunting hogging screen time for himself. In all, Howard poured $125,000 into Neyland's film Everybody's Acting, the equivalent of 2.3 million today. But it was money well spent. Everybody's Acting was well received by critics and turned a small profit. So now Howard had two movies under his belt, although only one had made it to theaters. In both, Howard had put his complete faith in his collaborators. But now he was ready to take the training wheels off. His next project was not with a family friend, but a notorious hothead who'd become a Hollywood pariah. Louis Milestone had worked his way up through the ranks of the major studios, but he butted heads all along the way. He broke his contract with Warner Brothers over a string of subpar assignments. Then he walked off the set of a Paramount movie after arguing with its leading lady. To Manny Lewis, impetuous reputation made him a liability. But to Howard, it signaled vision, a rare talent who simply needed careful management. So he proposed that the two work together on a World War I romance. The war wasn't a natural setting for a love story, but Howard and Lewis both saw the potential in a script that featured two American soldiers escaping a prisoner of war camp and embarking on a long journey home, during which they rescue an Arabian king's daughter. And after shooting began, Howard decided to keep his distance, allowing Lewis Milestone to settle into a groove. But after reviewing early footage, Howard decided to step in. He was convinced that the romantic elements of the movie were falling flat. He raised his concerns gently, worried that he'd upset his tempestuous director. But to his surprise, Lewis agreed. So they reimagined the script as a comedy better suited to the material and the cast's strengths. But production was delayed while the script of Two Arabian Nights was rewritten. And even when filming resumed, Lewis had to reshoot many of the scenes that were already in the can. These delays caused the movie's budget to soar. By the time two Arabian nights wrapped, Howard had plunged close to $500,000 into it, around five times the cost of the average feature, making it the most expensive independent movie ever made at the time. But spending the equivalent of $9 million today was a wise investment. When two Arabian Nights was released, it was met with universal acclaim. Critics described it as containing 1001 laughs, a vindication of the switch from romance to comedy. Enough tickets were sold that the movie made a small profit despite the high production costs. And when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scientists gathered for its first ever awards ceremony, Louis Milestone won the prize for best comedy director for his work on the film. Buoyed by this success, Howard reunited with Lewis for his next movie. The Racket was a crime drama which told the story of an honest cop fighting both police corruption and the Chicago mob. The plot drew parallels with the real life exploits of Al Capone in gangland Chicago, and it struck a nerve with that city's authorities, who banned the movie from local theaters. But elsewhere across the country, the Racket was a hit. Critics praised the film's suspenseful narrative, and it was one of three movies nominated for the Academy Award for Best picture. Emboldened, Howard turned to an even riskier the Ku Klux Klan. This white supremacist organization had undergone a resurgence in the American south over the previous decade, and Howard's new film, the Mating Call, followed one white supremacist who tried to frame a war veteran for murder. But to avoid too much controversy, the movie substituted the real life clan with a fictional group named the Order. But the parallels between the two were obvious. The results pleased no one. Southerners protested what they saw as a smear. Northerners criticized the film for pulling its punches, and critics were unimpressed by the muddled plot. In the end, the Mating Call was a flop and a timely reminder that in Hollywood you're only as good as your last film. But Howard wouldn't let the mating call be his last word. Instead, he would set out to erase its memory by making a film so bold, so vast in scale, that even the sky was no limit. History Daily is sponsored by Indeed, we've all done it. Try to take in all the grocery bags in one trip, we. But what happens when you can't manage it? A bruised banana, some squished bread. It's often at the worst moment when you find out you need an extra pair of hands. And if you're running a business, the stakes are higher than well, Dropping stakes on the ground when it comes to hiring fast, Indeed is all you need Stop struggling to get your job posts seen on other job sites with Indeed sponsored jobs. 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