Melvin and Howard (released in theaters on October 24, 1980) rolls onto the screen as a wonderfully eccentric, deeply humane comedy-drama that captures the resilient optimism and whimsical absurdity of the American dream. Directed by Jonathan Demme from Bo Goldman’s Oscar-winning screenplay, the narrative tells the real-life tale of Melvin Dummar (Paul Le Mat), a perpetually working-class dreamer residing in the Nevada desert.
Late one night, while driving along a deserted highway, Melvin discovers a disheveled, injured elderly man lying in the dirt. After giving him a lift to Las Vegas, the eccentric hitchhiker reveals himself as reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes (Jason Robards).
Though initially skeptical, Melvin treats the old man with genuine kindness, singing his homemade songs to cheer him up before dropping him off at a casino hotel.
Life carries on for Melvin, characterized by financial instability, impulsive career changes, and tumultuous marital shifts.
He repeatedly marries and reconciles with his quirky, free-spirited wife, Lynda (Mary Steenburgen), before eventually moving on to a second marriage with Bonnie (Pamela Reed).
Along the way, Melvin cycles through odd jobs, working as a milkman and managing a gas station with his quirky friend Little Red (Michael J. Pollard).
His routine is upended when his bureaucratic superior, Judge Keith Hayes (Dabney Coleman), becomes part of the ensuing chaos following Howard Hughes’s death.
A mysterious handwritten will surfaces naming Melvin as a beneficiary to a $156 million fortune, throwing Melvin’s simple life into a whirlwind of national media scrutiny, legal skepticism, and public circus, leaving him to defend the quiet truth of his midnight encounter.
John Glover, Charles Napier and Robert Ridgely round out the supporting cast.
Jason Robards and Paul Le Mat in Melvin and Howard (Photo/Universal Pictures)
Reception for Melvin and Howard
Melvin and Howard grossed $4.3 million in its theatrical run.
Roger Ebert gave Melvin and Howard three and a half out of four stars in his review.
Legacy
Melvin and Howard‘s legacy endures as a masterpiece of 1980s American cinema, widely celebrated for Jonathan Demme’s affectionate directorial style and its stellar ensemble cast.
Steenburgen earned an Academy Award for her effervescent, touching performance as Lynda, while Robards garnered an Oscar nomination for his brief yet haunting portrayal of Howard Hughes.
Le Mat delivered a career-defining lead turn full of naive vulnerability, perfectly complemented by rich supporting work from Reed, Pollard, and Coleman.
Melvin and Howard is remembered as a poignant, deeply empathetic slice of Americana.
