Howard Hughes: The Great Aviator

As a young man, Howard Hughes was unstoppable. His wealth, power and ambition attracted business associates. His achievements as a movie producer propelled him into Hollywood’s inner circle. His dark good looks, Texan charm and vulnerability seduced countless actresses and socialites, marking him as a playboy with a decidedly possessive streak. Hughes was a passionate and prolific filmmaker who pushed boundaries, enraged censors, and did whatever it took to get his films made his way. Whether performing a death-defying stunt in “Hell’s Angels”, designing a special bra for Jane Russell in “The Outlaw”, or facing the wrath of mobster Al Capone and the United States government to ensure the release of “Scarface”, Hughes was a force to be reckoned with. As an aviation pioneer, Hughes broke numerous flight records to become a national hero. His contributions to aeronautic design gained him multi-million dollar government contracts. In later years, he expanded his empire to Las Vegas with the purchase of several hotels and mining interests, becoming America’s first billionaire. And his greatest dream, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute flourishes today. But a dark undercurrent of eccentricities and germ phobia eventually drove Hughes into a self-imposed exile for the last 20 years of his life. He died at age 70, a shell of his former self, surrounded by an army of aides and doctors. The legacy of Howard Hughes is both inspirational and tragic. Gain insight into the motivations of this complex man through a rare interview with Dr. Raymond D. Fowler, the psychologist who performed the psychological autopsy for the Hughes Estate in 1986. Explore the public and private life of one of the 20th Century’s most important Americans.