The Styrous® Viewfinder: The Outlaw (1943)

April 6, 2019

April 4, 2017

Howard Hughes inherited his family's successful oil tool business and began investing in and producing films. He gained prominence in Hollywood beginning in the late 1920s, when he made big-budget and often controversial films like The Racket (1928), Hell's Angels (1930), Scarface (1932), and The Outlaw (1943) (link below). He entered the entertainment industry after dropping out of Rice University and moving to Los Angeles. His first two films, Everybody's Acting (1927) and Two Arabian Knights (1928), were financial successes, the latter winning the first Academy Award for Best Director of a comedy picture. The Racket (1928) and The Front Page (1931) were also nominated for Academy Awards.

The Racket (1928) movie poster

Hell's Angels (1930) movie poster

Scarface (1932) movie poster

The Outlaw (1943) movie poster

Hughes was well known in his early filmmaking days for romancing famous actresses. Aside from his extended relationship with Katherine Hepburn, Hughes was linked to Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Ginger Rogers, Ava Gardner and Faith Domergue.