Albert Benjamin Gerber

Howard Hughes' life is intriguing, to say the least. This 'unauthorized' bio was copyrighted in 1967, while Hughes was still alive. A feat in itself. Hughes was know to not want anything written about him or his life. He would pretty much pay anything to suppress publication of anything about him, to the point of buying off authors, editors and publishers.

The book bounces back and forth between his early years and later. Each chapter gives a thumbnail of the news, theatre and movie events and social items, to help set the scene. It then goes on to tell of what Hughes accomplished during that period.

His father invented a drilling bit for oil drilling and then kept control of the use of it, which created the wealth that Hughes inherited. Hughes had enough smarts to buy out the other investors and take control of Hughes Tool Company. The income from that company was what kept his dreams, inventions and financial activities going.

His contribution to aviation in the design and streamlining of planes, giving them the capability to fly faster and further, proving that around the world flight is possible, developed equipment for military use in planes and much more, is well known.

Prior to that he produced an epic movie that was one of the most expensive to be made, "Hell's Angels". He was such a perfectionist that to be sure to get the reality he wanted he used actual planes and pilots to fly the majority of the scenes, rather than do them in set-ups on a sound stage. To this day they are considered some of the best.

His interest in women is a combination of myth and truth. Interesting to learn that he was married very early, divorced and then didn't marry till his 50s. He seemed to have no inclination for it until he had achieved certain goals and age.

The author seems to have really done his research. There is a lot of information, sometimes a bit dry, but interesting none-the-less. I took my time reading it due to the ton of information that is presented.

If someone is interested in the mysterious Howard Hughes, this should be on their reading list.… (more)