Product Description: Flicker Alley and the University of Nevada Las Vegas proudly announce Howard Hughes in Hollywood, the first volume of a planned two-volume series that spotlights, for the first time ever, two early works by the mogul turned Hollywood hitmaker. This set includes Two Arabian Knights (1927) and The Racket (1928), both debuting with new restorations and newly produced bonus features.
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. Featuring new restoration work from materials conserved at the Academy Film Archive, from the elements provided by the UNLV College of Fine Arts’ Department of Film, both films are now available in a new, dual Blu-ray Disc edition from Flicker Alley. Additional materials have been made available by Special Collections and Archives at the UNLV University Libraries. Generous underwriting has been provided by a grant from the Sunrise Foundation for Education & the Arts, with the Villa Aurora / Thomas Mann House, Inc. serving as an administrative partner.
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 Comedy Direction" for Milestone at the first Academy Awards, features an 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 Guido photographing the action. With a nomination for “Best Picture” at the very first Academy Awards ceremony, and largely unseen for nearly a century, The Racket is available with a choice of two brilliant orchestral scores, one by Neil Brand and one by Robert Israel.
Find out more about this DVD/Blu-ray release after the jump.