Melvin and Howard
| Melvin and Howard | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Jonathan Demme |
| Produced by |
Art Linson Don Phillips |
| Written by | Bo Goldman |
| Starring |
Paul Le Mat Mary Steenburgen Pamela Reed Jason Robards |
| Music by | Bruce Langhorne |
| Cinematography | Tak Fujimoto |
| Edited by | Craig McKay |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $4,309,490 |
Melvin and Howard is a 1980 American comedy-drama film directed by Jonathan Demme. The screenplay by Bo Goldman was inspired by real-life Utah service station owner Melvin Dummar, who was listed as the beneficiary of USD156 million in a will allegedly handwritten by Howard Hughes that was discovered in the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City. A novelization of Goldman's script later was written by George Gipe.
The film starred Paul Le Mat, Jason Robards and, in an Academy Award-winning performance, Mary Steenburgen.
In the opening scene, Howard Hughes loses control of his motorcycle and crashes in the Nevada desert. That night, he is discovered lying on the side of a stretch of U.S. Highway 95 when Melvin Dummar stops his pickup truck so he can relieve himself. The disheveled stranger, refusing to allow Melvin to take him to the hospital, asks him to instead drive him to Las Vegas. En route, the two engage in stilted conversation until Dummar cajoles his passenger into joining him in singing a Christmas song he wrote. Hughes then suggests they sing his favorite song "Bye Bye Blackbird", and they do. The man warms up to his rescuer and before he is dropped off at the Desert Inn (which Hughes owns and therein resides), he identifies himself as the reclusive billionaire.
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