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Seduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes's Hollywood
In this riveting popular history, the creator of You Must Remember This probes the inner workings of Hollywood’s glamorous golden age through the stories of some of the dozens of actresses pursued by Howard Hughes, to reveal how the millionaire mogul’s obsessions with sex, power and publicity trapped, abused, or benefitted women who dreamt of screen stardom.
In recent months, the media has reported on scores of entertainment figures who used their power and money in Hollywood to sexually harass and coerce some of the most talented women in cinema and television. But as Karina Longworth reminds us, long before the Harvey Weinsteins there was Howard Hughes—the Texas millionaire, pilot, and filmmaker whose reputation as a cinematic provocateur was matched only by that as a prolific womanizer.
His supposed conquests between his first divorce in the late 1920s and his marriage to actress Jean Peters in 1957 included many of Hollywood’s most famous actresses, among them Billie Dove, Katharine Hepburn, Ava Gardner, and Lana Turner. From promoting bombshells like Jean Harlow and Jane Russell to his contentious battles with the censors, Hughes—perhaps more than any other filmmaker of his era—commoditized male desire as he objectified and sexualized women. Yet there were also numerous women pulled into Hughes’s grasp who never made it to the screen, sometimes virtually imprisoned by an increasingly paranoid and disturbed Hughes, who retained multitudes of private investigators, security personnel, and informers to make certain these actresses would not escape his clutches.
Vivid, perceptive, timely, and ridiculously entertaining, Seduction is a landmark work that examines women, sex, and male power in Hollywood during its golden age—a legacy that endures nearly a century later.
In recent months, the media has reported on scores of entertainment figures who used their power and money in Hollywood to sexually harass and coerce some of the most talented women in cinema and television. But as Karina Longworth reminds us, long before the Harvey Weinsteins there was Howard Hughes—the Texas millionaire, pilot, and filmmaker whose reputation as a cinematic provocateur was matched only by that as a prolific womanizer.
His supposed conquests between his first divorce in the late 1920s and his marriage to actress Jean Peters in 1957 included many of Hollywood’s most famous actresses, among them Billie Dove, Katharine Hepburn, Ava Gardner, and Lana Turner. From promoting bombshells like Jean Harlow and Jane Russell to his contentious battles with the censors, Hughes—perhaps more than any other filmmaker of his era—commoditized male desire as he objectified and sexualized women. Yet there were also numerous women pulled into Hughes’s grasp who never made it to the screen, sometimes virtually imprisoned by an increasingly paranoid and disturbed Hughes, who retained multitudes of private investigators, security personnel, and informers to make certain these actresses would not escape his clutches.
Vivid, perceptive, timely, and ridiculously entertaining, Seduction is a landmark work that examines women, sex, and male power in Hollywood during its golden age—a legacy that endures nearly a century later.
560 pages, Hardcover
First published November 13, 2018
408 people are currently reading
5417 people want to read
About the author
Karina Longworth
7 books303 followersKarina Longworth is an American film critic, film blogger, radio personality, author,and journalist based in Los Angeles. She is one of the founders of the film culture blog Cinematical and formerly edited both Cinematical and the film blog SpoutBlog and, while living in New York, was heard regularly on the Public Radio International show The Takeaway.[6] She is currently Film Editor and critic at LA Weekly.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 291 reviews
January 4, 2019
No one does Hollywood history better than Karina Longworth.
August 2, 2019
I had the audio book of this so it definitely felt like an extended episode or when you listen to a whole season at once.
I had been a bit concerned that what she put out on her podcast would make a lot of things redundant but thankfully that wasn’t the case. I appreciate that she had to walk the line between knowing her audience was reading this and wanted new information and not losing the people that hadn’t heard of her podcast before.
I really appreciated that Karina Longworth has deep empathy for what the women in 20th century Hollywood had to go through without excusing their bad behavior. Likewise she shows a humanity to Howard Hughes that I’m not entirely sure I could ascribe to him myself.
She really did justice to her premise- that by looking at Howard Hughes and Hollywood you were able to see a microcosm of Hollywood as a whole. Definitely an enjoyable read for anyone interested in this era of Hollywood.
I had been a bit concerned that what she put out on her podcast would make a lot of things redundant but thankfully that wasn’t the case. I appreciate that she had to walk the line between knowing her audience was reading this and wanted new information and not losing the people that hadn’t heard of her podcast before.
I really appreciated that Karina Longworth has deep empathy for what the women in 20th century Hollywood had to go through without excusing their bad behavior. Likewise she shows a humanity to Howard Hughes that I’m not entirely sure I could ascribe to him myself.
She really did justice to her premise- that by looking at Howard Hughes and Hollywood you were able to see a microcosm of Hollywood as a whole. Definitely an enjoyable read for anyone interested in this era of Hollywood.
September 29, 2025
3.5
One of the most comprehensive books (can’t exactly call it a biography although it was that too) on the earlier days of Hollywood (1930s-40s), as seen through the reprehensible Howard Hughes, aviator, boy wonder millionaire, director, and producer. Before I read (listed on audio) this book, I would have described him as handsome, dashing, eccentric, misunderstood and tragic in his later years.
However, this book delves into who he was as seen through other people— family, friends, colleagues, journalists, and the many young hopeful starlets who dreamed of stardom (some stayed for a few months, others were there for years— all waiting for Hughes to deliver them stardom as he had for a few in the 1930s). This was more than just philandering with a bunch of pretty girls as a divorced bachelor… this was grooming and using very, very young girls (you can hardly call 16 and 17-year-olds women). There’s no romantic tragic character in my head anymore.
A few draw backs, despite the amazing amount of material, first-hand accounts, and related threads about other names (directors, actors, producers, gossip sheets, and more), I can’t say I understood him any better but I sure know a heck of a lot more of his impact on Hollywood (how did I miss that he owned RKO) and the system. But emotionally, he’s as enigmatic a character as the aged version who holed up in a Vegas room for years.
He was so reckless— and clearly had as many lives as a cat when you hear about all the near misses of his life. It’s easy to see how all the head injuries and other medical issues played a role in the mental breakdown that came to be synonymous with his name.
It’s rare that by the end of a book, I can’t decide whether I’m glad I read it or not. To say this was an overwhelmingly ugly look at Hughes wouldn’t be an overstatement! That said, this is the kind of book that might be of interest to old Hollywood enthusiasts!
One of the most comprehensive books (can’t exactly call it a biography although it was that too) on the earlier days of Hollywood (1930s-40s), as seen through the reprehensible Howard Hughes, aviator, boy wonder millionaire, director, and producer. Before I read (listed on audio) this book, I would have described him as handsome, dashing, eccentric, misunderstood and tragic in his later years.
However, this book delves into who he was as seen through other people— family, friends, colleagues, journalists, and the many young hopeful starlets who dreamed of stardom (some stayed for a few months, others were there for years— all waiting for Hughes to deliver them stardom as he had for a few in the 1930s). This was more than just philandering with a bunch of pretty girls as a divorced bachelor… this was grooming and using very, very young girls (you can hardly call 16 and 17-year-olds women). There’s no romantic tragic character in my head anymore.
A few draw backs, despite the amazing amount of material, first-hand accounts, and related threads about other names (directors, actors, producers, gossip sheets, and more), I can’t say I understood him any better but I sure know a heck of a lot more of his impact on Hollywood (how did I miss that he owned RKO) and the system. But emotionally, he’s as enigmatic a character as the aged version who holed up in a Vegas room for years.
He was so reckless— and clearly had as many lives as a cat when you hear about all the near misses of his life. It’s easy to see how all the head injuries and other medical issues played a role in the mental breakdown that came to be synonymous with his name.
It’s rare that by the end of a book, I can’t decide whether I’m glad I read it or not. To say this was an overwhelmingly ugly look at Hughes wouldn’t be an overstatement! That said, this is the kind of book that might be of interest to old Hollywood enthusiasts!
December 1, 2018
Well, Howard Hughes was a bigger piece of work than most of us might have thought. In this exhaustively researched book, the author (the creator and host of the podcast You Must Remember This) tells what it was like to be a woman in Hollywood during the time of Howard Hughes. Such stellar luminaries, including Katharine Hepburn, Jean Harlow, Ava Gardner, Jane Russell and Ginger Rogers are intermingled with young starlets to tell a tale of exploitation, misogyny and manipulation.
Looking back at these times through the lens of the recent #MeToo movement, we can see the movie business with our current perspective and understand a bit more how it led to Harvey Weinstein and others. Howard Hughes was clearly wounded himself, and was an expert liar. "Howard Hughes would move from pursuing top female stars to pursuing young (sometimes very young) women whose careers had not yet gotten very far off the ground. More than ever, he would become obsessed with controlling these women, seeking to tie them up via marriage proposals or long-term contracts-or both-and taking ownership over their bodies and how they were presented to the public-or weren't."
For anyone with an interest in this detailed, sometimes gossipy book, it is worth the time. It is a long book, but it held my interest as the research was good, the writing was good, and, of course, the subject was very compelling and disturbing at the same time.
Looking back at these times through the lens of the recent #MeToo movement, we can see the movie business with our current perspective and understand a bit more how it led to Harvey Weinstein and others. Howard Hughes was clearly wounded himself, and was an expert liar. "Howard Hughes would move from pursuing top female stars to pursuing young (sometimes very young) women whose careers had not yet gotten very far off the ground. More than ever, he would become obsessed with controlling these women, seeking to tie them up via marriage proposals or long-term contracts-or both-and taking ownership over their bodies and how they were presented to the public-or weren't."
For anyone with an interest in this detailed, sometimes gossipy book, it is worth the time. It is a long book, but it held my interest as the research was good, the writing was good, and, of course, the subject was very compelling and disturbing at the same time.
December 18, 2018
Interesting in parts, but I got bored in others. It's no wonder that Weinstein et al thought they had a right to act the way they did- that's the culture that has been around Hollywood since the very beginning. It's pretty disgusting that it has been allowed to go on for such a long time.
Howard Hughes is an interesting guy. Horrible, but interesting.
Reading this book led me to the author's podcast, and I've listened to several episodes even though I really don't like the way she talks, so I'm glad I didn't listen to the audio of this book (she places weird emphasis on some parts of words, but not consistently- she really emphasizes the "t" in words like "daughter" or "rotten", but then pronounces "important" as "impordand". Not a big deal, I just thought it was strange).
Howard Hughes is an interesting guy. Horrible, but interesting.
Reading this book led me to the author's podcast, and I've listened to several episodes even though I really don't like the way she talks, so I'm glad I didn't listen to the audio of this book (she places weird emphasis on some parts of words, but not consistently- she really emphasizes the "t" in words like "daughter" or "rotten", but then pronounces "important" as "impordand". Not a big deal, I just thought it was strange).
January 10, 2020
A fascinating Hollywood history that attempts to cover a little bit too much, but you can imagine it was hard to resist doing so with a subject as fascinating as Hughes. The last quarter grows increasingly scattered and unfocused as Longworth races through the final decades of Hughes' post-Hollywood life and gets lost in the tangle of the reclusive weirdo's many affairs and marriages, but the first two-thirds are engrossing—and, like the podcast You Must Remember This, will have you adding dozens of old movies to your to-watch list.
November 11, 2018
In her new book, Seduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes's Hollywood, Karina Longworth uses the story of movie mogul and industrialist Hughes to examine the lives of myriad young women in the early days of Hollywood. Given that Longworth, host of the inimitable and interesting You Must Remember This podcast, has a knack for interweaving detailed stories of forgotten Hollywood, it should comes as no surprise that Seduction is a fascinating read.
Better than that, though, is the way in which Longworth is able to take the concept of her podcast and expand it widely. As she states in the press interview which came with our review copy, "[a]approaching this as a book gave me a longer timeline to do the research, which allowed me to travel and write about many primary sources, such as telegrams, memos, depositions, unpublished notes and memoirs, etc."
As a result, the reader gets a view of not only Hughes, but the mechanisms he set in place to control the women upon whom he fixated. To explain the cope of the book in a few short sentences is nigh-impossible, but the TL;DR of Seduction is this: Howard Hughes was obsessed with a certain kind of woman, and he relentlessly pursued them in a way which was as controlling as any fictional Svengali.
Longworth created a mini-series of episodes tied to the release of Seduction, and after a couple of weeks of listening, my co-worker pointed out that all of the stories seemed to follow a particular pattern: "A girl comes to town, meets Howard Hughes, he treats her awfully and fools around on her, she fools around, she turns to alcohol, and everything ends poorly."
It's essentially the pattern of the book, distilled to its essence. Hughes had a type, to be sure. He liked his girls -- both adult women and in some cases, literal girls not much past their sixteenth birthday -- bosomy, brunette, and new to town. He'd have one of his flunkies meet them straight off the train and set them up to be one of his many, many "potential starlets." Many would never be in a single film.
It would all be sad as hell, were it not for the stories of the women who broke free of Hughes' machinations and became successes in their own right. Sadly, there weren't many, and Longworth makes a pretty valid point that many of these women could have been icons, were it not for Hughes' interference. For all of Hughes' controlling, deeply disturbing habits, and emotional malfeasance, it appears that he did have an eye for talent, but no ability to let it flourish.
It's astonishing to see how many actresses waited years for their big films to come out, and the fact that someone like Jane Russell was able to outlast the madness and tinkering which was the process of making The Outlaw is astonishing in light of how many young women never saw anything. The strength and power Hughes wielded is only matched for the rapidity and sadness of his decline, which has been well-documented over the years. Thanks to Longworth's dedicated research, she's able to bring into the light the stories of so many women who were kept in the darkness of Hughes' shadow.
Longworth's Seduction does an excellent job of demonstrating what a cad Howard Hughes was, as well as using him to tell the stories of these women. The most appealing aspect of Seduction is that it's not "Howard Hughes was a god among men" for the hundredth time, but instead the untold stories of women who were repeatedly tossed aside as the tycoon's interest waxed and waned. It's almost as if he's finally the one being used.
As recommended listening, check out the You Must Remember This episode on Linda Darnell, whose story isn't explored much in the book. The expanded version of the prologue is also essential background.
Better than that, though, is the way in which Longworth is able to take the concept of her podcast and expand it widely. As she states in the press interview which came with our review copy, "[a]approaching this as a book gave me a longer timeline to do the research, which allowed me to travel and write about many primary sources, such as telegrams, memos, depositions, unpublished notes and memoirs, etc."
As a result, the reader gets a view of not only Hughes, but the mechanisms he set in place to control the women upon whom he fixated. To explain the cope of the book in a few short sentences is nigh-impossible, but the TL;DR of Seduction is this: Howard Hughes was obsessed with a certain kind of woman, and he relentlessly pursued them in a way which was as controlling as any fictional Svengali.
Longworth created a mini-series of episodes tied to the release of Seduction, and after a couple of weeks of listening, my co-worker pointed out that all of the stories seemed to follow a particular pattern: "A girl comes to town, meets Howard Hughes, he treats her awfully and fools around on her, she fools around, she turns to alcohol, and everything ends poorly."
It's essentially the pattern of the book, distilled to its essence. Hughes had a type, to be sure. He liked his girls -- both adult women and in some cases, literal girls not much past their sixteenth birthday -- bosomy, brunette, and new to town. He'd have one of his flunkies meet them straight off the train and set them up to be one of his many, many "potential starlets." Many would never be in a single film.
It would all be sad as hell, were it not for the stories of the women who broke free of Hughes' machinations and became successes in their own right. Sadly, there weren't many, and Longworth makes a pretty valid point that many of these women could have been icons, were it not for Hughes' interference. For all of Hughes' controlling, deeply disturbing habits, and emotional malfeasance, it appears that he did have an eye for talent, but no ability to let it flourish.
It's astonishing to see how many actresses waited years for their big films to come out, and the fact that someone like Jane Russell was able to outlast the madness and tinkering which was the process of making The Outlaw is astonishing in light of how many young women never saw anything. The strength and power Hughes wielded is only matched for the rapidity and sadness of his decline, which has been well-documented over the years. Thanks to Longworth's dedicated research, she's able to bring into the light the stories of so many women who were kept in the darkness of Hughes' shadow.
Longworth's Seduction does an excellent job of demonstrating what a cad Howard Hughes was, as well as using him to tell the stories of these women. The most appealing aspect of Seduction is that it's not "Howard Hughes was a god among men" for the hundredth time, but instead the untold stories of women who were repeatedly tossed aside as the tycoon's interest waxed and waned. It's almost as if he's finally the one being used.
As recommended listening, check out the You Must Remember This episode on Linda Darnell, whose story isn't explored much in the book. The expanded version of the prologue is also essential background.
March 6, 2019
If you are anything like me and love watching old movies and love reading about classic Hollywood, then this book will be right up your alley. Exhaustively researched and endlessly engaging, Longworth gives us a detailed look at Howard Hughes and the ways in which he used his power, money and influence to seduce and entrap women into his orbit. Some were well known, others less so. But they all shared a level of affection for Hughes that often led to their own detriment.
The Aviator is one of my favorite movies of all time. I consider this a supplement to that as it gave us a broader and different picture of Hughes than that movie did. Doesn't take away anything from the movie nor do I believe that it was meant to. It serves as a complement to the movie and gives us a more well rounded picture of Hughes and the various women in his life.
I found myself completely captivated by this book. Longworth kept my interest with her tales of Classic Hollywood and all the famous and not so famous women who crossed paths with Hughes. She also doesn't demonize Hughes, which I really appreciated. The picture she paints of him is less than flattering but she never goes so far as to make him out to be a monster. You are free to draw your own conclusions about him. Personally, I pitied him and empathized with him in equal measure. That's a testament to how solid her writing is. I am unfamiliar with her podcast but after reading this book, I'll have to check it out sometime. This is a real gem. A tough read but also timely, provocative and intriguing. Recommended to any fans of classic Hollywood, old movies or Howard Hughes obsessives.
The Aviator is one of my favorite movies of all time. I consider this a supplement to that as it gave us a broader and different picture of Hughes than that movie did. Doesn't take away anything from the movie nor do I believe that it was meant to. It serves as a complement to the movie and gives us a more well rounded picture of Hughes and the various women in his life.
I found myself completely captivated by this book. Longworth kept my interest with her tales of Classic Hollywood and all the famous and not so famous women who crossed paths with Hughes. She also doesn't demonize Hughes, which I really appreciated. The picture she paints of him is less than flattering but she never goes so far as to make him out to be a monster. You are free to draw your own conclusions about him. Personally, I pitied him and empathized with him in equal measure. That's a testament to how solid her writing is. I am unfamiliar with her podcast but after reading this book, I'll have to check it out sometime. This is a real gem. A tough read but also timely, provocative and intriguing. Recommended to any fans of classic Hollywood, old movies or Howard Hughes obsessives.
October 31, 2019
I am a Longworth devotee because of the impeccable craft of her podcast episodes and other writings: she is incredibly adept at contextualizing what you are listening to. Longworth is relentless in her research and is always looking at her subjects from various angles and interrogating those angles to get as close to truth as is possible when chronicling the history of a professional sphere which specializes in hiding truth. I was not disappointed at all in the book – Longworth accomplishes exactly what I expected her to and my voracious consumption of You Must Remember This didn’t usurp the reading experience.
full review: https://faintingviolet.wordpress.com/...
full review: https://faintingviolet.wordpress.com/...
February 10, 2019
In the author's opinion, Howard Hughes believed the purpose of popular movies was to literally expose as much of the lead actress on screen as permissible. She also demonstrates that Hughes was serially smitten with and constantly seeking beautiful women, with which being in the movie business fit perfectly. After all, he romanced Billie Dove, Faith Domergue, Bette Davis, Ava Gardner, Olivia de Havilland, Katharine Hepburn, Hedy Lamarr, Ginger Rogers, Janet Leigh, Rita Hayworth, Mamie Van Doren, Gene Tierney and many others. An exhaustive biography of Hughes' love life.
January 18, 2019
Sadly disappointed with this - a 2.5 really. What works so well in You Must Remember This - where Longworth illuminates connections and spins narrative, delivering delight in a witty and knowing drawl - does not translate well to the page. This reads as a hurried litany of second source anecdotes with no additional analysis or conjecture. Towards the end I was bored which is a feat considering the fantastical, fascinating source material. Back to the podcast.
August 6, 2021
fuckin’ capricorn.
February 15, 2019
There's a lot to go over and think about in this book but seriously if anyone was surprised by the depth of the charges against Harvey Weinstein (and so much other stuff that's come out recently) "Hollywood" has been enabling hell even celebrating this stuff pretty much since the beginning.
And if you aren't overly interested in Hughes (I'm not) there's some interesting stuff about films, the early publicity machine, selling women's bodies, how the studio system and the press worked to create this, censorship in classic Hollywood, etc.
It was nice to for information on the women Howard Hughes messed with that didn't become icons as before this I'd only really read about him in biographies of Katherine Hepburn, Jane Russell and Ava Gardiner.
And if you aren't overly interested in Hughes (I'm not) there's some interesting stuff about films, the early publicity machine, selling women's bodies, how the studio system and the press worked to create this, censorship in classic Hollywood, etc.
It was nice to for information on the women Howard Hughes messed with that didn't become icons as before this I'd only really read about him in biographies of Katherine Hepburn, Jane Russell and Ava Gardiner.
December 27, 2018
A fascinating, slightly snarky in the right places and sad in many others look at a real grade-A asshole, the women he terrorized and the industry who enabled it.
Read
September 7, 2019this was so facsinating i hardly put it down except to occasionally puke
March 4, 2024
The list of actresses covered: Bille Dove, Jean Harlow, Ida Lupino, Ginger Rogers, Katharine Hepburn, Jane Russell, Ava Gardner, Faith Domergue, Jean Peters, Terry Moore, Bette Davis, Yvonne De Carlo, Lana Turner, Linda Darnell, Gina Lollobrigida, Ann Dvorak.
The writing style could be better. I notice from the book jacket that the author started as a podcaster and this is likely the reason. A podcaster has a number of tools a book does not, such as the use of music, tone for emphasis, and other tricks. So it's not enough to just move some podcast text to a book. One needs to adapt to the medium. But at least it seems to get better after the first couple hundred pages.
In particular, introducing characters is consistently handled poorly. A character's name will be dropped casually in the middle of a long sentence. Many of these names we will never see again so they're not worth paying attention to, but then again, some others will get referenced, this time only by their last names, and the reader is mystified. "Who is this all of a sudden?" Then one has to go back and scan to find where the name was introduced.
Then too, there are occasional run-on sentences that really should have been broken up, but probably, since they supposedly worked in the podcast, any editor who tried to do so was probably overruled.
The book doesn't know how to handle a long quote, which is to put it into its own indented text block at a slightly smaller text size.
The story is more Dionysian than Apollonian. The advertised feminist slant isn't particularly evident. It's really more a collection of gossip and anecdotage.
On the plus side, there is a lot of detailed research, probably entirely second source, meaning you might well have read parts of it before. Of course, it's always difficult with research to discern its quality - if something is missing it's easy not to know - but at least there is a lot of it.
If you're looking for a biography of Hughes, or of his studio, RKO, this is not really it. It touches on a lot of the aspects, but a lot is omitted.
The writing style could be better. I notice from the book jacket that the author started as a podcaster and this is likely the reason. A podcaster has a number of tools a book does not, such as the use of music, tone for emphasis, and other tricks. So it's not enough to just move some podcast text to a book. One needs to adapt to the medium. But at least it seems to get better after the first couple hundred pages.
In particular, introducing characters is consistently handled poorly. A character's name will be dropped casually in the middle of a long sentence. Many of these names we will never see again so they're not worth paying attention to, but then again, some others will get referenced, this time only by their last names, and the reader is mystified. "Who is this all of a sudden?" Then one has to go back and scan to find where the name was introduced.
Then too, there are occasional run-on sentences that really should have been broken up, but probably, since they supposedly worked in the podcast, any editor who tried to do so was probably overruled.
The book doesn't know how to handle a long quote, which is to put it into its own indented text block at a slightly smaller text size.
The story is more Dionysian than Apollonian. The advertised feminist slant isn't particularly evident. It's really more a collection of gossip and anecdotage.
On the plus side, there is a lot of detailed research, probably entirely second source, meaning you might well have read parts of it before. Of course, it's always difficult with research to discern its quality - if something is missing it's easy not to know - but at least there is a lot of it.
If you're looking for a biography of Hughes, or of his studio, RKO, this is not really it. It touches on a lot of the aspects, but a lot is omitted.
did-not-finish
October 12, 2021I made it halfway in and I should probably just finish it, but I'm fundamentally not as interested in Howard Hughes as the author is. The book also just feels really disjointed to me, like Hughes is the connecting thread between all of these stories, but it just strays so far and wide and covers none of them with the depth that I might want, and it just feels shallow. I give up.
June 3, 2019
Comes as no surprise that Howard Hughes was a terrible man--in practically every way. This book focuses on just mainly one facet of his all around shitty self--the sexual predator and controller of women part, and tangentially how he ran RKO into the ground like a spoiled child in order to manipulate women and obsess over Jane Russell's breasts.
If you're looking for a companion piece, I recommend Zanucks of Hollywood, The: The Dark Legacy of an American Dynasty, which I read recently. (And yes, Zanuck and Hughes were good buddies--had the same attitude about women, underlings, secret viewing rooms, with a racist and anti-Semitic bonding as a bonus).
I like the author's approach from the start: "As we move into an era in which there is frank public discussion of the exploitation, subjugation, manipulation and abuse of women by men in positions of power, it's time to rethink stories that lionize playboys, that celebrate the idea that women of the twentieth century were lands to be conquered, or collateral damage to a great man's rise and fall. One way to begin that rethink is by exploring a playboy's relationship with some of the women in his life from the perspective of those women." And with Howard, since he was a serial cheater and abuser with dozens of women stashed in apartments, unaware of each other, there was a lot of women.
There were the women who NOPED the hell out the first chance they got--and they were of course my favorites in the book. Jean Harlow, who thankfully wiggled out of Howard's clutches and fled for MGM. Ava Gardner the MVP of the book. After being sucker punched by Hughes while asleep in a chair and beaten "on my face until it was a mess," Hughes made the fatal mistake of turning his back on her and walking away.
"Knowing that partially deaf Hughes, wouldn't be able to hear her coming, she followed him, and just as she caught up, she shouted his name. He turned, and she struck him down the front of his face, splitting his forehead open and knocking loose two teeth. Livid at what he'd down to her, Ava couldn't help but continue the beating while Howard was down. She grabbed a chair and started hitting him some more. Finally her maid walked in and put a stop to it."
Ginger Rogers, a person whose movies I generally like, pleasantly surprised me in this book--since generally the real life reports of her are less complimentary (the whole Christian Science thing with her, the drift into hard right politics, pro-Red Scare, etc). She eventually wised up to Hughes and was grossed out by the whole charade.
There were the women who went along with it for whatever reason. Publicity (Kate Hepburn), getting over a failed marriage (Bette Davis), or obvious career reasons (Jane Russell).
Katherine Hepburn, Ginger's arch-nemesis, was disgustingly in tune with Hughes. Talk about another person who I find so cringy with every appearance in biographies, memoirs, and her own autobiographies. For whatever reason, she was one of the women he didn't beat or spy on or try to control unduly--maybe because she was still married or it was there mutual love of planes and skinny dipping, who knows.
As Hughes got crazier, more reclusive and more invested with his anti-germ lifestyle, there were less direct encounters, though still found time for his weird marriage with Jean Peters and then there was the Terry Moore thing. Who knows what the deal was with Moore and both sides come off as exploitative (well more on Hughes since she was a teenager when they first met) and creepy.
Book is well sourced and the author who has that great You Must Remember This podcast does an authoritatively engrossing account that should be how Hughes is remembered (and less Scorsese soft lighting).
If you're looking for a companion piece, I recommend Zanucks of Hollywood, The: The Dark Legacy of an American Dynasty, which I read recently. (And yes, Zanuck and Hughes were good buddies--had the same attitude about women, underlings, secret viewing rooms, with a racist and anti-Semitic bonding as a bonus).
I like the author's approach from the start: "As we move into an era in which there is frank public discussion of the exploitation, subjugation, manipulation and abuse of women by men in positions of power, it's time to rethink stories that lionize playboys, that celebrate the idea that women of the twentieth century were lands to be conquered, or collateral damage to a great man's rise and fall. One way to begin that rethink is by exploring a playboy's relationship with some of the women in his life from the perspective of those women." And with Howard, since he was a serial cheater and abuser with dozens of women stashed in apartments, unaware of each other, there was a lot of women.
There were the women who NOPED the hell out the first chance they got--and they were of course my favorites in the book. Jean Harlow, who thankfully wiggled out of Howard's clutches and fled for MGM. Ava Gardner the MVP of the book. After being sucker punched by Hughes while asleep in a chair and beaten "on my face until it was a mess," Hughes made the fatal mistake of turning his back on her and walking away.
"Knowing that partially deaf Hughes, wouldn't be able to hear her coming, she followed him, and just as she caught up, she shouted his name. He turned, and she struck him down the front of his face, splitting his forehead open and knocking loose two teeth. Livid at what he'd down to her, Ava couldn't help but continue the beating while Howard was down. She grabbed a chair and started hitting him some more. Finally her maid walked in and put a stop to it."
Ginger Rogers, a person whose movies I generally like, pleasantly surprised me in this book--since generally the real life reports of her are less complimentary (the whole Christian Science thing with her, the drift into hard right politics, pro-Red Scare, etc). She eventually wised up to Hughes and was grossed out by the whole charade.
There were the women who went along with it for whatever reason. Publicity (Kate Hepburn), getting over a failed marriage (Bette Davis), or obvious career reasons (Jane Russell).
Katherine Hepburn, Ginger's arch-nemesis, was disgustingly in tune with Hughes. Talk about another person who I find so cringy with every appearance in biographies, memoirs, and her own autobiographies. For whatever reason, she was one of the women he didn't beat or spy on or try to control unduly--maybe because she was still married or it was there mutual love of planes and skinny dipping, who knows.
As Hughes got crazier, more reclusive and more invested with his anti-germ lifestyle, there were less direct encounters, though still found time for his weird marriage with Jean Peters and then there was the Terry Moore thing. Who knows what the deal was with Moore and both sides come off as exploitative (well more on Hughes since she was a teenager when they first met) and creepy.
Book is well sourced and the author who has that great You Must Remember This podcast does an authoritatively engrossing account that should be how Hughes is remembered (and less Scorsese soft lighting).
October 9, 2019
The podcast that first hooked me into the whole world of podcasts wasn’t SERIAL, I was too late to the party for that, it was Karina Longworth’s YOU MUST REMEMBER THIS. A look behind the stories of old Hollywood which was sympathetic, empathetic and offered a 21st century perspective on these old black and white tales. I’d never really listened to any podcasts before it, but it hooked me in completely.
(Interestingly, at the end of this book, she says she got this book contract in 2015 when the podcast still only had a small cult following. I am very pleased to have been part of that cult.)
It’s on hiatus now, but to salve my cravings I made sure to download her audiobook of her Howard Hughes biography SEDUCTION – read by Karina herself. For twenty glorious hours it was like having the podcast back.
Whilst writing this book, she did do a short podcast series on Hughes, but here we get the proper depth. The lawsuits, the money, the planes, the glamorous actresses, the stalking, the downright creepy behaviour and the sink into something like madness.
Longworth tells the tale beautifully. Focusing on him through the women in his life, be they wives or girlfriends, or the women he worked with, like Jane Russell. (Fascinatingly, busty, brown haired Russell is the template of the type of woman he pursued from them on, but he never seems to have tried to have a romance with her.) Also, the women – and there seem to be dozens if not hundreds – that he stalked and then kept under his control.
Even though Hughes is frequently seen through other’s eyes, Longworth never loses her focus on him. Even as he does his best to obscure himself from prying eyes, she still finds a way through his defences and probably does as well as anyone can in working out what made him tick.
Absolutely he remains a fascinating man. It’s hard to imagine a public figure today – with all that money and looks – being allowed to behave quite this badly (although maybe I’m just being naive), or to hurt so many people (although for Hughes other people didn’t have much importance). And that’s what makes his slide into the kind of madness we now associate with Hughes (even if tissue box shoes and bottles of urine are never mentioned in this narrative) never come across as truly tragic. Yes, it’s sad for anyone that brilliant to lose their bearings in such a way, but Hughes behaved so badly throughout his life it’s hard to be truly sympathetic.
Much like the podcast this is a brilliant, sympathetic, empathetic book which is perfectly timely in this post #MeToo age, and is well worth a read/listen.
(Interestingly, at the end of this book, she says she got this book contract in 2015 when the podcast still only had a small cult following. I am very pleased to have been part of that cult.)
It’s on hiatus now, but to salve my cravings I made sure to download her audiobook of her Howard Hughes biography SEDUCTION – read by Karina herself. For twenty glorious hours it was like having the podcast back.
Whilst writing this book, she did do a short podcast series on Hughes, but here we get the proper depth. The lawsuits, the money, the planes, the glamorous actresses, the stalking, the downright creepy behaviour and the sink into something like madness.
Longworth tells the tale beautifully. Focusing on him through the women in his life, be they wives or girlfriends, or the women he worked with, like Jane Russell. (Fascinatingly, busty, brown haired Russell is the template of the type of woman he pursued from them on, but he never seems to have tried to have a romance with her.) Also, the women – and there seem to be dozens if not hundreds – that he stalked and then kept under his control.
Even though Hughes is frequently seen through other’s eyes, Longworth never loses her focus on him. Even as he does his best to obscure himself from prying eyes, she still finds a way through his defences and probably does as well as anyone can in working out what made him tick.
Absolutely he remains a fascinating man. It’s hard to imagine a public figure today – with all that money and looks – being allowed to behave quite this badly (although maybe I’m just being naive), or to hurt so many people (although for Hughes other people didn’t have much importance). And that’s what makes his slide into the kind of madness we now associate with Hughes (even if tissue box shoes and bottles of urine are never mentioned in this narrative) never come across as truly tragic. Yes, it’s sad for anyone that brilliant to lose their bearings in such a way, but Hughes behaved so badly throughout his life it’s hard to be truly sympathetic.
Much like the podcast this is a brilliant, sympathetic, empathetic book which is perfectly timely in this post #MeToo age, and is well worth a read/listen.
May 31, 2019
From the 1920s to the 1950s, movie mogul Howard Hughes astounded the world by making movies many never thought would be made, flying around the world in his own private plane, and launching legendary publicity campaigns for the films he would produce. He also had many, many romances with famous women in Hollywood—from established stars like Bette Davis and Katharine Hepburn to lesser known names such as Faith Doumergue and Jean Peters. Karina Longworth, host of the popular podcast “You Must Remember This,” crafts a compulsively readable biography of Hughes that also explores the lives of the many women he was involved with.
Like Longworth’s podcast, SEDUCTION strikes a perfect balance between factual biography and human narrative. It is a deeply informative book, but also a very entertaining one. With a clean, crisp writing style and an eye for character in real-life figures, Longworth paints Howard Hughes as a screen-struck man obsessed with power. From his career as a Hollywood producer to his personal romantic relationships, Hughes wanted dominant control over everything and everyone, which resulted in him victimizing many aspiring actresses.
But Longworth doesn’t portray all of the women simply as victims. Many of these women, such as Katharine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers, became stars in their own right. Others, like his alleged wife Terry Moore, tried to exploit Hughes’s fame even after his death. Longworth manages to make these lionized legends both human and sympathetic, even when they don’t always act in the most sympathetic ways. Even Howard Hughes, whose manipulative and controlling behavior is very disturbing, elicits sympathy as he reaches his sad, reclusive end.
By turns hilarious and devastating, SEDUCTION is perfect for readers who love old Hollywood and its impact on today’s cultural landscape.
Like Longworth’s podcast, SEDUCTION strikes a perfect balance between factual biography and human narrative. It is a deeply informative book, but also a very entertaining one. With a clean, crisp writing style and an eye for character in real-life figures, Longworth paints Howard Hughes as a screen-struck man obsessed with power. From his career as a Hollywood producer to his personal romantic relationships, Hughes wanted dominant control over everything and everyone, which resulted in him victimizing many aspiring actresses.
But Longworth doesn’t portray all of the women simply as victims. Many of these women, such as Katharine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers, became stars in their own right. Others, like his alleged wife Terry Moore, tried to exploit Hughes’s fame even after his death. Longworth manages to make these lionized legends both human and sympathetic, even when they don’t always act in the most sympathetic ways. Even Howard Hughes, whose manipulative and controlling behavior is very disturbing, elicits sympathy as he reaches his sad, reclusive end.
By turns hilarious and devastating, SEDUCTION is perfect for readers who love old Hollywood and its impact on today’s cultural landscape.
February 13, 2020
Karina Longworth's thesis—that no one represents or reflects the values of Hollywood better than Howard Hughes—is fascinating. Billionaire, producer, anti-Communist, playboy/predator, war profiteer: there are a lot of angles necessary to take here, and they're all interesting, but sometimes the book feels almost excessively, exhaustively researched. Longworth's writing, as in her podcast, is strong, and at its best when it's analyzing how the stars of Old Hollywood, particularly the women, were commodified and fetishized and how this fetishization is reflected in their public personas and their onscreen appearances. But there's just so much else going on, sometimes distractingly so (names fade in and out of the text so frequently I often had to flip back to remember who was who, and sometimes these names fade out with little closure or explanation) that I ended up feeling a little bogged down, a little bored. And I think that declaring that you're not interested in "who these long-deceased people really had sex with" because you don't think it matters (149) when said long-deceased people were rumoured to have not been straight is a funny stance to take when you're writing a book about, among other things, Howard Hughes's sex life. But there's still a lot here that I enjoyed and I do always appreciate Longworth's perspective on Hollywood, even if I don't necessarily care about all the business deals involved.
January 9, 2019
I'm a huge fan of You Must Remember This, and this book feels like what my friend Greg called "an extra-long episode of the podcast." Longworth has such a distinctive voice, even when you're reading and not listening. I found Seduction to be both illuminating and disturbing. My only other Howard Hughes knowledge seems to come from The Aviator (during which I fell asleep), which is decidedly Howard-centric. I loved reading the story from the perspective of the women who were involved with him, personally, professionally, or both, especially because Longworth's research is so extensive and impeccable. Also, what an INCREDIBLY strange and unpleasant human being Howard Hughes was. I'm kind of grossed out by how much The Aviator glamorized him. He was a creeper.
May 29, 2019
"...the consummate tit-man" is the phrase that stands out to me after reading this book a few weeks ago and having forgotten half the number of women that Howard Hughes tried to seduce or seduced. More often than not he failed at it, because he was such a charmer of a person. My only introduction to HH before this book was through Aviator that I saw way back when, which painted him as an eccentric genius. But this book was a real insight into the dirtbag that he was. The book is extensively researched. However, the writing in some places is a little sloppy and the language works better in her podcast “You must remember this” than in a book format. Moreover, the book is more of an extended and unpacked version of the podcast.
September 13, 2019
I didn't really know that much about Howard Hughes' actual path through Hollywood, so much of this information was new to me. I hadn't realized he had quite so many famous girlfriends, for one thing. I also hadn't realized how bad he was at being a film mogul. He was just so creepy in so many ways, it's hard to imagine that he must have been at least a little charming at some point. I did bog down a bit toward the last quarter or so as Howard got weirder and the Hollywood connection faded, but for the most part I was quite entertained.
November 21, 2018
I looked up so many movies and actresses while reading this that it was kind of absurd. And so fun! This is probably the best nonfiction book I read this year.
July 3, 2022
solid 4, or maybe 3.5. at times it was convoluted and backtracking. because longworth focused mainly on the women hughes was involved with, at some points i completely forgot howard hughes was in the picture at all. that was fine with me because i preferred reading about actresses in the golden age of hollywood to a manipulative, eccentric man. but there were so many women hughes was involved with it felt at times like you didn’t really get to know one actress well enough; and, indeed, longworth would bring up one woman only to mention her several chapters later as she became relevant again. i guess this is asking for the impossible since there are so many women to talk about that it’s not feasible to get the full picture on any one of them, and also they came in and out of hughes life and overlapped with one another. the chronology was just confusing at times. but overall i enjoyed it, and i learned a lot more about actresses whose names i have heard my whole life but never really knew anything about. and of course i learned about howard hughes, who i previously knew nothing about. it’s a very interesting read and a good nonfiction book for those who, like me, solely read fiction and hated anything otherwise.
June 10, 2021
As a long-time listener and fan of You Must Remember This, I wanted more of Longworth's storytelling, and this audiobook is exactly what I wanted. The length gives her the ability to tie together stories over a long period of time and go into so many fun details. I was happy to learn more about the people I've been hearing about on her podcast, and will hopefully continue to learn about from her.
April 5, 2025
I really enjoyed Longworth’s podcast, so was keen to read this and it didn’t disappoint. Hughes is a really strange character and this book tries to unravel the fact from fiction. It’s well researched and provides a vivid picture of old Hollywood’s glamorous actors and juicy scandals.
January 27, 2019
Karina Longworth writes, narrates and produces a podcast titled YOU MUST REMEMBER THIS, and if you're a classic film buff, then her podcast is a "must listen." Longworth consistently proves herself knowledgeable on Hollywood history, does her homework (A list of sources for each episode appears on the podcast website.) and is a great story teller.
She brings all of those qualities to this book, and fans of her podcast (among which I count myself) won't be disappointed. It's true that a number of her podcast episodes focus on Howard Hughes and the women in his life, so listeners will find familiar ground. Longworth does deliver new details, however, and this longer, broader narrative puts the individual episode tales into wider context, giving us a "bigger picture."
Hughes' story is indeed fascinating, and Longworth covers his life, but she also uses it as "connective tissue" through which to examine aspects of Hollywood history and experiences of major Hollywood figures - especially a number of women - who had personal and/or professional relationships with Hughes. Through Hughes, then, we also learn important details about the lives of Billie Dove, Jean Harlow, Jane Russell, Katherine Hepburn, Ava Gardner, Ginger Rogers, Bette Davis, Jean Peters (Hughes' only legally married wife, as far as we can positively determine) and Terry Moore (who insisted that she had married Hughes at sea and sued to claim part of his estate). Longworth also touches upon significant Hollywood events such as the beginning of the sound era, the adoption of the Hayes Code, the anti-communist black list and the end of the studio system.
As always, Longworth is an enthralling story teller. You could probably turn to any random page in this book and become absorbed in the narrative...and there are no shortage of fascinating stories. To name just a few, we have Hughes' battles with Hollywood's censors, his decision to emphasize Jane Russell's ample bosom as a promotional tool, the tragic life and death of Jean Harlow, the close but brief relationship of Howard Hughes and Katherine Hepburn, Hepburn's rivalry with Ginger Rogers, Hughes' engagement to the teenage Faith Domergue, his purchase of RKO and of course, the sad, gradual decline of his mental health.
Many of these tales relate horrible ways in which men in power (Howard Hughes among them) have treated women, and as such, SEDUCTION arguably has special resonance now, in the "#metoo era." Of course, such experiences are certainly nothing new, and Longworth's book only affirms this. Women's stories have often received less attention in Hollywood histories (and, of course, in general), and given this, Longworth brings us a much-needed point of view.
Longworth conducted a great deal of research, which she details, for the writing of the book, and she includes an extensive bibliograpy and end notes. I do wish that she had also included an index, but that's my only real criticism of SEDUCTION. I would happily recommend this to anyone with an interest in film and general pop culture history.
She brings all of those qualities to this book, and fans of her podcast (among which I count myself) won't be disappointed. It's true that a number of her podcast episodes focus on Howard Hughes and the women in his life, so listeners will find familiar ground. Longworth does deliver new details, however, and this longer, broader narrative puts the individual episode tales into wider context, giving us a "bigger picture."
Hughes' story is indeed fascinating, and Longworth covers his life, but she also uses it as "connective tissue" through which to examine aspects of Hollywood history and experiences of major Hollywood figures - especially a number of women - who had personal and/or professional relationships with Hughes. Through Hughes, then, we also learn important details about the lives of Billie Dove, Jean Harlow, Jane Russell, Katherine Hepburn, Ava Gardner, Ginger Rogers, Bette Davis, Jean Peters (Hughes' only legally married wife, as far as we can positively determine) and Terry Moore (who insisted that she had married Hughes at sea and sued to claim part of his estate). Longworth also touches upon significant Hollywood events such as the beginning of the sound era, the adoption of the Hayes Code, the anti-communist black list and the end of the studio system.
As always, Longworth is an enthralling story teller. You could probably turn to any random page in this book and become absorbed in the narrative...and there are no shortage of fascinating stories. To name just a few, we have Hughes' battles with Hollywood's censors, his decision to emphasize Jane Russell's ample bosom as a promotional tool, the tragic life and death of Jean Harlow, the close but brief relationship of Howard Hughes and Katherine Hepburn, Hepburn's rivalry with Ginger Rogers, Hughes' engagement to the teenage Faith Domergue, his purchase of RKO and of course, the sad, gradual decline of his mental health.
Many of these tales relate horrible ways in which men in power (Howard Hughes among them) have treated women, and as such, SEDUCTION arguably has special resonance now, in the "#metoo era." Of course, such experiences are certainly nothing new, and Longworth's book only affirms this. Women's stories have often received less attention in Hollywood histories (and, of course, in general), and given this, Longworth brings us a much-needed point of view.
Longworth conducted a great deal of research, which she details, for the writing of the book, and she includes an extensive bibliograpy and end notes. I do wish that she had also included an index, but that's my only real criticism of SEDUCTION. I would happily recommend this to anyone with an interest in film and general pop culture history.
December 1, 2018
Anyone thinking the Harold Robbins book The Carpetbaggers was sensational, clearly had no idea of the realities of the life of Howard Hughes. Clearly he continues to fascinate, first as a daring aviator and then as ground breaking film producer, but finally as a creepy old guy. It is a paradox that Hughes probably died because he was too powerful to receive the care he needed. Hereditary deafness and his need to compensate only made his isolation worse. A 1946 air crash probably was never really treated properly and in the end one of the world’s richest men suffered from malnutrition.
Along the way there were films, none really great, but groundbreaking, and there were the women, a list that reads like a who’s who (at least at first), Billie Dove, Jean Harlow, Katherine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Bette Davis, Ava Gardner, Jane Russell, Jane Greer, Ida Lupino, Yvonne de Carlo, Jean Peters, and Terry Moore. There were also countless others who Hughes kept under contract and who never achieved fame or notoriety. Hughes compulsively sought women and the lucky ones were the ones who managed their own careers and moved on at the first sign of trouble. Ava Gardner actually tormented Hughes for 15 years, but was smart enough to avoid him as best she could. Terry Moore and Jean Peters weren’t so lucky.
Katrina Longworth, who presides over one of the best podcasts available (I always look forward to Tuesday mornings when I can hear her take on a different aspect of the first 100 years of Hollywood history, it makes my week), is also the author of this book. If you are a fan of the podcast, this will be sheer bliss, if you’re not, you soon will be. She brings her practiced sensibility to the task of trying to explain the Hollywood career of the amazing and bizarre Howard Hughes.
Along the way there were films, none really great, but groundbreaking, and there were the women, a list that reads like a who’s who (at least at first), Billie Dove, Jean Harlow, Katherine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Bette Davis, Ava Gardner, Jane Russell, Jane Greer, Ida Lupino, Yvonne de Carlo, Jean Peters, and Terry Moore. There were also countless others who Hughes kept under contract and who never achieved fame or notoriety. Hughes compulsively sought women and the lucky ones were the ones who managed their own careers and moved on at the first sign of trouble. Ava Gardner actually tormented Hughes for 15 years, but was smart enough to avoid him as best she could. Terry Moore and Jean Peters weren’t so lucky.
Katrina Longworth, who presides over one of the best podcasts available (I always look forward to Tuesday mornings when I can hear her take on a different aspect of the first 100 years of Hollywood history, it makes my week), is also the author of this book. If you are a fan of the podcast, this will be sheer bliss, if you’re not, you soon will be. She brings her practiced sensibility to the task of trying to explain the Hollywood career of the amazing and bizarre Howard Hughes.
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