Howard Hughes: Power, Paranoia and Palace Intrigue

by Geoff Schumacher

One of the most famous and enigmatic Americans of the twentieth century, Howard Hughes challenged Hollywood's conventions and packed theaters with his blockbuster films Hell's Angels, Scarface and The Outlaw. He thrilled the world with his aviation exploits, shattering air speed records, flying around the world in record time and building the world's largest aircraft. Hughes was linked with almost every major film beauty of the 1930s and '40s, making him a favorite subject of the nation's gossip columns. One of the world's first billionaires, Hughes transformed his father's small fortune into a vast business empire.But for all his celebrated achievements, Hughes' later years in Las Vegas - when drug addiction, bizarre behavior and a casino buying spree dominated his days - continue to draw the public's fascination. Geoff Schumacher, a veteran journalist and the author of Sun, Sin & Suburbia: An Essential History of Modern Las Vegas, delves into the Las Vegas years of Howard Hughes in this engrossing portrait of a man whose impact on the city is still being felt today.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

296 pages, Hardcover

First published February 15, 2007

About the author

Geoff Schumacher grew up in Souther Nevada and has beena reporter, columnist and editor in Las Vegas for 16 years.
Currently, Schumacher is the director of community publications and a weekly columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal"

Reviews

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was intrigued about this book as it is an inside look into Howard Hughes Las Vegas endeavors. Sadly with a man so reclusive it's very hard to find any facts. The author does a good job or pulling from lots of Las Vegas newspaper pieces during the time and speaking to some who lived it but still, not a lot of 'inside information' needed to make this book truly great. Yet the author compiles many legends and goes in depth to either debunk or prove them but some are still left as legend. Howard Hughes was truly an interesting individual and his time in Las Vegas seemed to be the end of his mental stability. He truly changed Las Vegas by buying out the mob and turning Gangster's Paradise into a Corporate Wonderland. This book is an easy read and I would recommend it to people like me, but ain't nobody like me so this is gonna sit on my shelf for a long time.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was passed on to me from a friend. I would not have read it otherwise. Nonetheless, it was an interesting book. There is a lot to be learned about Howard Hughes that is not often told. I think that Shumacher did a good job of condensing the things that are well known about Hughes and bringing out the lesser known details. The book focuses on his life after he moved to Las Vegas and the effects which he had on the city. I'm not sure how the man made so much money when his "investments" seemed to lose him more money than to gain any. At times, Shumacher is redundant, but overall the book is well organized. It is good for just flipping through or to read cover to cover.

[Jeff Russo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enough new material to make it worth my time, even given that it's the 10th Hughes book I've read. Parts of it were rehashes of stuff I know inside out, but some stuff was original (like the interview with Paul Winn and the newer Melvin Dummar stuff.)

The book has no chronology, and does slant somewhat (though not overwhelmingly) to Vegas material. It's sober, straightforward, and light on salacious material.

See all my Howard Hughes book reviews.

[Darrell Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great biography and history of Las Vegas and the influence Hughes had while he was there. I understand the book is out of print; I got my copy from the author who is currently the curator of the Mob Museum in Vegas.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of Howard Hughes. It filled in the questions I had after watching "The Aviator"