Melvin and Howard

source: Melvin and Howard

Melvin Dummer (Paul La Mat) drifts through his life, taking things as they come. At one moment he is milkman of the month, then he runs a gas station. He floats through marriages and divorces. He is married twice to Lynda (Mary Steenburgen). He lives in trailer parks, apartments, and new-build houses. Melvin just tries to make an honest buck. One day he picks up what he assumes is an old bum, at the side of a desert road. The man claims to be Howard Hughes (Jason Robards), the multi- millionaire business tycoon. After setting Hughes off on the strip, Melvin continues into his life. Some years later, Melvin receives a letter, dropped off at the gas station he works in, by a mystery man (Charles Napier), which purports to be the last will and testament of Howard Hughes, and which also leaves Melvyn $156,000,000. He leaves the will at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Mormon square, Salt Lake City. After the media frenzy placed upon Melvin, he is then dragged through court, as he is questioned about his story, and thought of as a liar, and opportunist. But Melvin doesn't really care. What he gets from this simple chance meeting, is that Howard Hughes sang one of his songs (Melvin writes songs, and they sing "Santa's Souped-Up Sleigh"), on their journey to Vegas. Jonathan Demme's stunning comedy-drama, which is based on a true story, written by screenwriter Bo Goldman (One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest (1975)), is a very well observed, and affectionate portrayal of an assortment of working class characters. The relationships are palpable, played with ease by a great cast (Steenburgen won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress). Whether the real Melvin Dummer was a fraudster or not, does not matter in this diegetic space. For just as simply as Melvin drifts through human drama, he drifts off with no allusions of grandeur about money. In reality the "Mormon Will" (as it had been named), was found to be a forgery in 1978. www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

The actual story the film is based on: In 1968, four years before reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes died, he was reported to have had an encounter with a good-natured blue collar worker, Howard Dummar. Dummar picked up Hughes when he was stranded on the side of a Las Vegas road and gave him a ride to Las Vegas. When Hughes died,he bequeathed money to Dummar as a reward for his good deed. Unfortunately, Hughes' estate and the Nevada courts found Hughes' story too unbelievable to be true and Dummar never got the money. The movie itself is well-intentioned and it truly has interesting characters. An actor I've never heard of before in my life, Paul Le Mat, plays Dummar with an innocent "aw shucks" attitude that endears him to the audience and strengthens our opinion of him as the rightful heir. He lets himself get easily seduced by an older female customer when he's delivering milk and when the woman who turns out to be his second wife makes suggestive innuendo at him, he says "Bonnie, aren't you a Mormon girl?" His first wife Linda, who was the focus of my attention on this film based on the fact that the only thing I knew about the film was that it was Mary Steenburgen's Academy-award winning role, was an interesting character: underneath the guise of her provocative clothing and desire to be a dancer (be it exotic or tap), she's equally innocent and oblivious to the world around her. Except for the one scene in which Bonnie seduces Howard, she's woefully underdeveloped and there's very little reason to be happy to see her and Howard at the end of the film together. The film wants us to feel that it's Bonnie's struggle as well that the press is hounding her and her husband is under national scrutiny because she's his wife, but because of the way marriages were coming and going in the subculture that Paul lived in and the initial chemistry between Linda and Howard, I was kind of hoping that Bonnie was just a temporary road stop en route back to Linda. Never mind that in REAL LIFE, Howard and Linda didn't get back together, if that was the case, the chemistry or story arc between the two needed to be strengthened up front. Another woefully underdeveloped relationship, which is the key to the story and its title, "Melvin and Howard." The story, or the most interesting part of it, was all about Melvin's inheritance of Howard's money, and that only came back in the last 20 minutes of the film as a sort of epilogue to the story of Melvin's unsuccessful marriage to Linda. In short, the film never really knew what it was about: A man's failed on-again off-again marriage, an almost complete portrait of a man who would go on to become a footnote in history, or the story of a man's controversial claim to inheritance.

A major wow for Mary Steenburgen. The rest of the film is rather boring. Ms. Steenburgen, however, lights up the screen. She won an Oscar for this role. I didn't see some of the other nominees for that year, so I can't say if it was the best. I can say, however, that she absolutely shone. (This film also contains her only * scene.) Brava, Mary!

"Melvin and Howard" is one of those maybe-true-maybe-not stories. Working class Melvin Dummar (Paul LeMat) finds along the road a scraggly old man (Jason Robards) who may or may not be Howard Hughes. When Hughes leaves Melvin a sum of money, Hughes' family fights it. Yes, it sounds like a rather plain story, but director Jonathan Demme knows how to make it interesting. Mary Steenburgen won an Oscar for her role as Melvin's wife Lynda; she adds an interesting dimension to the film, confused by her husband's unexpected fortune, but doing everything possible to keep her life together. Quirky, but something that you won't want to miss.

I saw this film only recently. I was sparked to see it because I was interested in seeing Paul LeMat in what I had heard to be was his most defining film role. From the first scene I was hooked. The scene in which the character of Melvin picks up Jason Robards, playing Howard Hughes, in the desert. The two singing Bye Bye Blackbird to each other and then remarking about the scent of sage and greasewood was both touching and humorous. Robards short performance in the film was underrated and one of the best I have seen him give. Paul Le Mat is wonderful, giving a performance that is oozing with comical sweetness and vulnerability. He is one of the only actors I have seen to truly embody the blue-collar man authentically. Mary Steenburgen in daffy and hilarious. There was not a lacking actor in the film in my opinion. It is a travesty that Paul LeMat never achieved the success that he could have with performances like this and in his many other seldom viewed films. This offbeat treat is one of the best written movies I have seen in a long time. If you get the chance to see it, please do.

This movie left me feeling like I had been taken advantage of. I was expecting a movie about how a chance interaction with an eccentric millionaire, Howard Hughes, can change a persons life or at least have some small effect on a person. This was not the case. ******** SPOILER ******** The movie starts out teasing the audience by showing us a small glimpse of the sad condition of this once great man had ascended to, but then it's over, poof. Nothing profound, or earth shaking takes place in the small time Melvin spends with Howard and then the rest of the movie was all about Melvin. I would not have minded this too much had Melvin's life been at least marginally interesting, but unless average and mundane are what you are into, don't bother watching this con job. I would not recommend this movie if you are a Howard Hughes fan, or even a little bit interested in him. You will be disappointed. I do recommend this movie if you are a fan of Melvin what's his name... Added Note: Howard Hughes left an estate estimated at $2 billion. Four hundred prospective heirs tried to inherit it but it eventually went to twenty-two cousins on both sides of his family.

I saw this film back in 1980/81 when it was first released and liked it a lot then. Now have seen it again recently, and it still holds up. There is a certain joy of life depicted in this film that is in some ways also bittersweet (and yet refreshing). What is sad in some regards now is the realization upon seeing it again that the era of life portrayed here is now gone from the collective American psyche to some extent. That isn't to say the film is dated per se. It's just that Melvin isn't cynical at all and he doesn't seem to have a hateful bone in his body. He's neither a wimp nor a man of intellect but someone whose basic humanity emanates. What helps the film, too, is the pairing of actors Paul LeMat as Melvin, and Mary Steenburgen as Melvin's wife, Linda -- they are an endearing couple. I attribute the film's memorable tone and spirit to not only the actors (including Jason Robards & some of the supporting cast) -- I like to believe that director, Jonathan Demme, put his stamp on this, too. Now in retrospect am learning that the writer (Bo Goldman) probably deserves some kudos.

The film's opening interaction between Dumar (the quintessential dreamer/loser) and Hughes (who found his dream but lost himself)is hauntingly brilliant. As they drive along in Melvin's truck, on the cusp of desert's dawn, Melvin manages to draw Hughes out of his crusty and maniacal shell by getting him to sing one of his self-written songs. As dawn opens, Hughes is still singing. It is probably his most uncomplicated - yet happiest moment in years. Melvin never does receive any money from the disputed and disregarded will. But he really does not care. He still has his dreams, and knows that validation can be found in impecunity as he reflects upon his encounter with Hughes: "No, I'm not going to see that money. That's all right. Because you know what happened? Howard Hughes sang Melvin Dumar's song. He sang it." Some moments are truly better than all the pain that money can buy.

I don't understand why this film won so many awards. It's supposed to be a "comedy" but seeing these main characters live this hard scrabble, trailer trash lifestyle isn't really "funny" to me. Watching Mary Steenburgen's character leave her husband "Melvin" to move into some horrible motel room where she's slapped around in front of her young daughter, and then become a * in an equally horrible burlesque establishment, isn't something I want to spend the time or mental energy watching. It's bad enough to be stuck in one of these places when you're on a road trip and you need gas, and it's too late to find a decent place to sleep, it's disturbing to see this on film. Then the whole 70s free-sex concept, random sex with this milk man "Melvin"...the director makes the viewer wait through the entire film for the whole point of the title. While waiting for Howard Hughes to die, all these really depressing things are happening to this character "Melvin" and none of it makes sense in the grand scheme of things. This film is built like "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" but it doesn't have the wonder of aliens from outer space to make it interesting. I just felt depressed after watching this entire film.