Business Movers Howard Hughes Blows Up Hollywood | Author Jeffrey Richardson explores Howard Hughes’s impact on Hollywood and the American film industry | 5
Aug 28, 2025
Jeffrey Richardson, author of 'Howard Hughes and the Creation of Modern Hollywood', delves into the enigmatic life of Howard Hughes, exploring his dual legacy as both a brilliant filmmaker and a tortured soul. He reveals how Hughes's obsession with perfection led to increased isolation and mental health struggles. The discussion highlights Hughes's audacious marketing strategies that transformed the portrayal of actresses and examines his impact on RKO's decline. Richardson also posits how Hughes would maneuver the modern film industry, grappling with fame and fortune.
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Screening Room Rituals
- Howard Hughes isolated himself in a screening room, controlled staff interactions, and demanded ritualized deliveries like halved pecans and Kleenex.
- This behavior foreshadowed his later mental-health decline and obsessive routines in private life.
Spectacle Over Convention
- Jeffrey Richardson argues Hughes reshaped Hollywood by championing spectacle, controversy, and lavish spending.
- His approach pushed movies toward sex, violence, and blockbuster spectacle that audiences craved.
Hollywood As An Oligarchy
- Hollywood in the 1920s was an oligarchy dominated by the Big Five and Little Three studios that tightly controlled production and exhibition.
- That closed system made it very difficult for independent outsiders like Hughes to enter and change the industry.
