Melvin E. Dummar | 80's Movie Guide

Melvin and Howard tells the possibly true story of Melvin E. Dummar. Melvin is a nice guy, but he is a total loser: unlucky, impractical and can't keep a job. One night, however, he helps an old man who has had a motorcycle accident in the desert. Melvin laughs when the old man says he is Howard Hughes, the eccentric multimillionaire. But when Howard Hughes dies, Melvin is mailed a will leaving him part of the estate. 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 USD 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. 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. Melvin and Howard (1980) Directed by: Jonathan Demme Starring: Paul Le Mat, Jason Robards, Elizabeth Cheshire, Mary Steenburgen, Chip Taylor, Melvin E. Dummar, Denise Galik Screenplay by: Bo Goldman Production Design by: Toby Carr Rafelson Cinematography by: Tak Fujimoto Film Editing by: Craig McKay Set Decoration by: Robert Gould Art Direction by: Richard Sawyer Music by: Bruce Langhorne Distributed by: Universal Pictures Release Date: September 19, 1980