Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Fantastic!

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

I remember watching this film back in 1964 and ignoring every film with George Peppard and Caroll Baker after that. Now, watching it again in 2014, it's not as bad as I thought for 1964, but it seems outdated now. What this film tried to do was cash in on the sexual revolution taking place in the mid-1960s. And it did, turning a tremendous profit for the time. But I'm not sure the film works as well 50 years later. After the first half hour, I was going to call it tawdry potboiler, but I stuck with it, and it got better.First off, George Peppard's character comes on way too strong and way too fast at the beginning of the picture. Totally unrealistic to go from a playboy one minute to a wise businessman the next (and when I say in minutes, I literally mean that).Similarly, Caroll Baker's character (a gold digger) is too slutty too much of the time. It begins to wear like an adult cartoon character.But, once we get a bit beyond the opening scenes, the director's testosterone seems to have calmed down and the script evens out. I think they made a mistake not playing up the angle of what happened to Peppard's brother during their childhood. It becomes paramount at the end of the picture, yet it was passed over fairly quickly early in the film.George Peppard was very good here. The problems I mentioned about the beginning of the film seem like a directorial issue, not so much an acting issue. I may need to reexamine my previous feelings about Peppard as an actor.Alan Ladd probably has the best role in the picture. He died before the film was released, but, at age 50, he was maturing well as an actor.This film did not convince me about Carroll Baker as an actress. I was much more impressed with her in "Bridge To The Sun".Earlier in his career, Robert Cummings turned in some wonderful performances...particularly in films such as the comedy "The Devil And Miss Jones" and the drama "Saboteur" (directed by Hitchcock). Here I was disappointed in his role as an agent. He seemed a bit too flip for the part.Martha Hyer was, in my view, an underrated actress, although I was not particularly impressed here. Much better in "Some Came Running".I've seen Elizabeth Ashley in films and on stage, and this is not her best role, although she does better with it later in the film.Lew Ayres is very good here as a lawyer. Martin Balsam good, as always, as a studio head. Ralph Taeger awful as a pilot. Interesting to see boxer Archie Moore as a man servant. Leif Erickson's role was minor, and in my view not very impressive.And so, I give this a rather mixed review. I'm glad I saw it again, as opposed to when I was a kid, but I wouldn't want to watch it a third time.

This thinly veiled account of Howard Hughes' life comes off as pulp trash. Daring for 1964 meant back nudity, allusions to abortions and pornography. You get all that here, plus the dubious benefit of innumerable historical anachronisms: cars that don't match the era (a nagging peeve of mine I'll admit) and the ubiquitous 1960's hairdos (which insidiously infected even the most prestigious productions like Doctor Zhivago). George Peppard's career was riding high at this point (and would continue through The Blue Max before personal demons and TV consumed him)--- he does here what he does best: being a good looking cold calculating bastard. Oddly, arguably the best thing about the film is the presence of Alan Ladd--- only 50 here--- who plays a cowboy star whose career is on the wane. Sadly, he looks as terrible as the way his life, liver and mental condition were going at the time. Bob Cummings does fine work as a conniving slimeball agent and Carol Lynley looks appropriately fetching. Icy Martha Hyer looks stiffly beautiful as always. Still, it just doesn't work, despite the moderately upbeat ending. This is what passed as "Adult Entertainment" in the early 60's folks. I still wonder why the then-very much alive (even though wearing Kleenex boxes for shoes) Mr. Hughes didn't sue. Hearst arguably came off better in Citizen Kane... at least that was a classic.

Highest rating for this Harold Robbins epic film loosely based on the life of Howard Hughes.You can't keep up with Jonas Cord, played brilliantly by George Peppard. He is a 1920s jet-setting, ambitious and impossible person reaching for the top in memorable time with a variety of businesses and broads to keep him going.As Rena Marlowe, Carroll Baker gets the role of a lifetime that she was born to play. As the sultry sex-pot, Marlowe, Baker is absolutely brilliant as the woman who was destined for tragedy despite the men in her life, her carefree swinging from a Paris chandelier, and her ultimate road accident. Just when you thought you saw that character die with Marlowe's car crash, along comes Martha Hyer, another brassy blond on the way to replace her as a screen icon. Hyer sheds her usual high class lady as was the case with her Miss French in "Some Came Running," and gives a marvelous performance as the tramp who loves Cord but must leave him when she realizes that all he wants her for is for him to pursue his wayward life.The film has everything. Greed is adeptly shown by Martin Balsam and Robert Cummings as 2 Hollywood moguls out for the all-mighty dollar.Elizabeth Ashley, as the wife of Jonas, is vulnerable, and what she has to put up with!Alan Ladd shines as Cord's friend and eventual enemy who finally makes him come to terms with his reasons for his brutal behavior.The film even has insanity as its subject matter and even that is handled beautifully

This is the most successful of all the Harold Robbins adaptations (Though for my money "The Adventurers" is the most fun). Made at at a time when the movie industry was trying to shake off the strictures of the production code, "The Carpetbaggers" has an odd feel to it as director Demytryk and screenwriter Hayes struggle to bring some of Robbins sexed-up material to the screen. Thus we are subject to scenes where the lead characters walk off screen while we get to stare at an empty set as they cavort verbally.What makes this film work is the casting and the performances. Carol Baker drawls out her Jean Harlow-like lines spilling out of Edith Head gowns and looking great. Elizabeth Ashley is a standout as the one "good" character in the piece - the long suffering wife of the Howard Hughes surrogate Jonas Cord.As Jonas Cord, George Peppard starts out a little weakly, but as the film goes on and he becomes more and more soulless the performance starts to work - with his malevolent yet dead stare making an impact. Martha Hyer, Bob Cummings and a very tired-looking Alan Ladd are also fine in their roles.This is a great example of a 1960's best-seller adaptation. The direction, though stolid moves the story along and the great set design,photography and costumes are evocative of the period of the story (pre WWII). The one element that I found unforgivable was the rather abrupt happy ending which is true to neither the spirit of the Harold Robbins novel nor the 149 minutes of film which came before it.