Howard Hughes In Hollywood: Vol. 1 (BLU-RAY)

Just 20 years old when he arrived in Los Angeles, Hughes left a mark on the filmmaking industry through sheer determination. Although his two earliest forays into producing remain lost, his first two hits, Two Arabian Knights and The Racket survive, thanks to the efforts of Dr. Hart Wegner, founding faculty of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Film Studies program, who was instrumental in acquiring the extensive Howard Hughes motion picture papers and film materials for UNLV. Based on a then-recent pulpy adventure serial, Two Arabian Knights was reimagined as a comedy of male bonding. With director Lewis Milestone at the helm and William Boyd and Louis Wolheim headlining as the title pair, the story follows two American soldiers, captured by German forces and sent to a prison camp, escaping to Arabia where they meet and compete for the affections of the lovely Mirza (Mary Astor), who has her own reasons for wanting to go on the run. Two Arabian Knights, which went on to win Best Directing (Comedy Picture) for Milestone at the first Academy Awards®, is presented in a stunning restoration by the Academy Film Archive and features a triumphant orchestral score performed by the Robert Israel Orchestra. Hughes followed that hit with The Racket, a ripped-from-the-headlines proto-noir showcasing a new type of cinema gangster, Italian Americans, and the big city political corruption that empowered them. Thomas Meighan stars as James McQuigg, an honest cop trapped in a barrel of bad apples. He’s pitted against Louis Wolheim as Nick Scasi, modeled on famed Chicago gangster Al Capone. Lewis Milestone once again helms the directing, with veteran cinematographer Tony Gaudio photographing the action. With a nomination for Outstanding Picture at the very first Academy Awards®ceremony, and largely unseen for nearly a century, The Racket offers a choice of two brilliant orchestral scores, one by Neil Brand and one by Robert Israel. Two Arabian Knights (1927) Restored by the Academy Film Archive. Elements for this restoration provided by The Howard Hughes Corporation and by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, College of Fine Arts, Department of Film and its Howard Hughes Collection at the Academy Film Archive. The Racket (1928) New digital edition presented by Flicker Alley from a 2K scan of a surviving 35mm safety fine grain provided by the Academy Film Archive, in collaboration with The Howard Hughes Corporation and by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' College of Fine Arts Department of Film and its Howard Hughes Collection at the Academy Film Archive.