The real Melvin Dummar has a cameo appearance as a man behind a bus depot counter. Add the first question. Melvin is a nice guy, but he is a total loser: unlucky, impractical and can't keep a job. [5] Most oddly, the will left one "Melvin DuMar" of Gabbs, Nevada one-sixteenth of Hughes' estate. "[4], Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times described it as "wonderful" and added, "This is a slice of American life. 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Create lists, bibliographies and reviews: Your request to send this item has been completed. An innovative concert movie for the rock group The Talking Heads. A woman finds romance when she takes a job at an aircraft plant to help make ends meet after her husband goes off to war. This time, he was right. After being prodded, Howard hums 'Bye Bye Blackbird', and then sings the words. There, he sees Howard huddled and shivering on the ground. The Welsh fight back! Dummar's claims resulted in a series of court battles that all ended in rulings against Dummar. Melvin Earl Dummar (August 28, 1944 – December 9, 2018) was a Utah man who earned attention when he claimed to have saved reclusive business tycoon Howard Hughes in the Nevada desert in 1967, and to have been awarded part of Hughes' vast estate. The subject field is required. [8], Dennis Bingham's Whose Lives Are They Anyway? On January 9, 2007, U.S. District Judge Bruce Jenkins dismissed Dummar's lawsuit, stating that Dummar's claims had been “fully and fairly litigated” in Las Vegas in 1978 when a jury decided the purported will was invalid. Please choose whether or not you want other users to be able to see on your profile that this library is a favorite of yours. Melvin is a nice guy, but he is a total loser: unlucky, impractical and can't keep a job. He teaches Howard the words, and then wants Howard to sing a favorite song, but he refuses. Would you also like to submit a review for this item? Universal City, Calif. : MCA DiscoVision, ©1981. Title: A free-spirited woman "kidnaps" a yuppie for a weekend of adventure. Mutiny! It called Hughes' famous flying boat, the Hughes H-4 Hercules, the "spruce goose" — a derisive nickname that Hughes had always despised. This movie interlaces the stories of several characters in a small town united by their use of CB (citizen's band) radio. The screenplay by Bo Goldman was inspired by real-life Utah service station owner Melvin Dummar, who was listed as the beneficiary of $156 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. Howard says he might have helped Melvin get a job, and reveals that he is Howard Hughes, but Melvin does not believe him. Demme shows perhaps a finer understanding of lower-middle-class life than any other American director. The film starred Paul Le Mat, Jason Robards, and, in an Academy Award-winning performance, Mary Steenburgen. Jacqui Smith doesn't dance around as she reveals her... Britain's first man on the moon? And then when Howard Hughes died, there was a will that listed all these people – this is before the age of computers or personal computers where Melvin could have looked up … He sang it." A 2005 reinvestigation of the circumstances surrounding the so-called Dummar Will yielded new evidence not previously known. Paul Le Mat was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Comedy or Musical. Rapid Covid tests that deliver results in 15 minutes could be available for as little as £5, Cost of face masks could rise by a fifth after Government refusal to extend VAT freeze on medical PPE. [Paul Le Mat; Jason Robards; Mary Steenburgen; Bo Goldman; Bruce Langhorne; Art Linson; Don Phillips; Jonathan Demme;] -- Eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes encounters an unsuspecting ne'er-do-well in the Nevada desert. After Hughes' death in April 1976, a handwritten will was discovered in the Salt Lake City, Utah headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. [Paul Le Mat; Jason Robards; Mary Steenburgen; Bo Goldman; Bruce Langhorne; Art Linson; Don Phillips; Jonathan Demme;] -- Eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes encounters an unsuspecting ne'er-do-well in the Nevada desert. One night, however, he helps an old man who has had a motorcycle accident in the desert. Please enter the subject. Some features of WorldCat will not be available. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. 1 videodisc (MCA discoVision) (95 min.) Almost half of all councils in England saw their Covid-19 infection rate DROP last week, data shows. "Melvin and Howard: A true story after all? Don't have an account? Jonathan Demme Director: Purportedly true story of ner-do-well Melvin who meets up with Howard Hughes who has gone walkabout and ends up on the man's will: 19th September 1980 Cinema: Melvin And Howard (Anchor Bay/ Special Edition) 12th October 1999 DVD 1.85:1: Melvin And Howard (Universal) 2nd March 2004 DVD 1.85:1: Jason Robards Howard Hughes: Paul Le Mat Melvin … Melvin received this document as years earlier, he picked up who he thought was solely a drifter in need in the middle of the night in the desert, that drifter who claimed to be Hughes, which at the time Melvin thought was just the rambling of a crazy old man. Lot LD32 LASERDISC. Melvin and Howard (1980) Trivia on IMDb: Cameos, Mistakes, Spoilers ... Melvin Dummar sings a song that he has penned, "Santa's Souped Up Sleigh." Please enter your name. A novelization of Goldman's script later was written by George Gipe. It shows the flip side of Gary Gilmore's Utah. But when Howard Hughes dies, Melvin is mailed a will leaving him part of the estate! Which cosy coat REALLY keeps out the cold? Mary Steenburgen won several awards for her performance, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture, the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress, the Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress, and the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress. The man asked Dummar to take him to the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. Well, maybe it would have. At night, Melvin Dummar (Paul Le Mat), a magnesium plant worker, stops by the side of the highway to urinate. The document, which became known as the "Mormon Will", was ruled a forgery by a Nevada jury in June 1978. Looking for some great streaming picks? This movie tells the possibly true story of Melvin E. Dummar. Jason Robards's last feature film appearance was in Anderson's Magnolia. "[5], Variety said, "Jonathan Demme's tour-de-force direction, the imaginative screenplay and top-drawer performances from a huge cast fuse in an unusual, original creation. It is a world of mobile homes, Pop Tarts, dust, kids and dreams of glory. However, Bonnie denied forging the will.[7]. Taglines The name field is required. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. You may send this item to up to five recipients. Because you know what happened? Melvin (Rick Moranis), after picking up Howard Hughes (Joe Flaherty), also picks up Howard Cosell (Eugene Levy), Congressman Howard Baker (Dave Thomas), and Curly Howard (John Candy). As dawn opens, Hughes is still singing. View production, box office, & company info, This movie tells the possibly true story of, Jack Kehoe Dies: ‘The Sting’, ‘Serpico’, ‘Car Wash’ Actor Was 85, Jack Kehoe, ‘Serpico’ and ‘Midnight Run’ Actor, Dies at 85, Jack Kehoe, Actor in 'Serpico' and 'The Sting,' Dies at 85. Paul Thomas Anderson has cited the film as one of his favorites. You can easily create a free account. Best foot forward and boobs out! Yorkshire pensioner gives thoughts on Tier 3, Police tent spotted on Westbury Road following fatal stabbing. In early 2005, retired FBI agent Gary Magnesen claimed to have found new evidence supporting Dummar's story. Use the HTML below. Melvin and Howard (stylized as Melvin (and Howard)) is a 1980 American comedy-drama film directed by Jonathan Demme. These issues lead to an up and down marriage for the two, with Darcy often thrown between parents at a whim. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. http:\/\/www.worldcat.org\/oclc\/8742025> ; http:\/\/purl.oclc.org\/dataset\/WorldCat> ; http:\/\/www.worldcat.org\/title\/-\/oclc\/8742025#PublicationEvent\/universal_city_calif_mca_discovision_1981>. A novelization of Goldman's script later was written by George Gipe. In the opening scene, Howard Hughes loses control of his motorcycle and crashes in the Nevada desert. Parents Guide, Shannon Patrick Sullivan . Please enter recipient e-mail address(es). The text of the handwritten document, known as the "Mormon Will": Dummar (whose inheritance would have been $156 million) originally claimed that he knew nothing about the will and told his story of picking up Hughes by the side of the road. The film's opening interaction between Dumar (the quintessential dreamer/loser) and Hughes (who found his dream but lost himself)is hauntingly brilliant.