Melvin and Howard (1980)

Director:

Jonathan Demme

Writer:

Bo Goldman (written by)

Release Date:

19 September 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

A true story?

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.

Plot Keywords:

Motorcycle | Desert | Las Vegas Nevada | Child Custody | Utah

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 14 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

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

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Australia:M | Singapore:NC-16 | Finland:K-12 | USA:R | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Gabbs, Nevada, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Herbie Faye's final movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the end of the truck ride to Vegas, Hughes doesn't know how to open the passenger door from the inside, but in Dummar's flashback at the end of the movie (when Hughes gets to drive the truck), Hughes has no trouble opening the door.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Bad Boys of Saturday Night Live (1998) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Gone Dead Train

Wistful film is so lovely it is almost a fluke...

Winning combination of scattershot comedy and wry, wistful drama tells the (alleged) true story of a milkman with big dreams and no money who is curiously named a recipient in the will of multi-millionaire Howard Hughes. Melvin Dummar (played by Paul LeMat, in a terrific performance) had been saying all along he once helped out an old guy in the desert near Las Vegas who claimed he was Hughes, but Dummar didn't really believe him (they had a nice chat anyway, and Melvin got Howard to sing one of his self-written novelty songs as well as "Bye Bye Blackbird"). Good-natured film directed by Jonathan Demme rarely loses its way, and features an endearing collection of screwballs who make the loopy craziness of the situations and dialogue immediate and real--their eccentricities are the roots of the story. Mary Steenburgen won a Supporting Oscar as Dummar's first wife, a dreamer like Melvin who is far less satisfied with struggling and who just wants to amount to something (but to Melvin, the struggles are the best part). Jason Robards is perfect as Hughes; the normally bombastic actor takes a small role and lets it bloom subtly and beautifully for us, giving the movie a misty hue and making all of Melvin's hopes sweetly credible. ***1/2 from ****