Warning - Long post!
Whilst I was looking up pictures of my new babies, I happened across the story of Howard Hughes.
I'd heard of Howard Hughes before, but other than the fact he was a famous American I couldnt quite remember his background.
A little digging and I find a really fascinating persons life. In case you havent heard it here's a potted history (which Ive stolen from internet articles)....
Howard Hughes was a movie actor, and in 1930 produced the most expensive film ever made of its time ''Hells Angel''. 'Scarface' and 'The Outlaw caused great controversy because of their violence, and sexual content with busty Jane Russell.
Bizarely,Mr Hughes then invented the 'half cup bra' (?) so gentleman of the world have something to thank him for as well as the ladies!
Next he became a famous pilot and owned his own plane manufacturing company 'Hughes Aircraft Company'. During his time there they made flying boats for the USA in world war II and had a speed record in avionics in 1935.
After the 50's the company manufactured spy satellites for the US.
His company made the Lunar landing module and launched the first satellite to ever reach into space.
At his peak Howard Hughes was said to be worth more than France, Germany and England.
With the growth of his company, the CIA (in paranoid post war America) and organised crime many lines became blurred. Hughes head of staff was implicated in a plot to assassinate Fidel Castro.
In the late 60's he opened a hospital. By putting his billion-dollar-a-year arms plants profits through the hospital he was able to gain tax exempt charitable status.
In the early 70's some articles link Hughes to the Watergate scandal that involved nixon and of course the kennedy brothers discrediting and assassination.
In the late 70's Hughes sold much of his billion dollar empire and became a recluse.
The billion dollar recluse became interested in movies again from the other side of the silver screen. He had a price no object home cinema setup. He was renowned for playing it so loudly that the whole ninth floor of the building shook.
He let his hair grow long and dishevelled, and his clothes became tattered and worn as he became a cinema watching tramp in his own home.
Based on first hand experiences of the time, here is an artists impression of Hughes sitting watching his movies:
So at last we turn to the reason for this potted history.
You see, Mr Hughes equiped his cinema equipment in the late 60's. The speakers that he chose to use were ... ALTEC VALENCIA's !
They were in fact an earlier version of the speaker that I use with similar components, but a more '60's' cabinet:
So there we have it, we will see if I become a beardy music and cinema loving tramp of a recluse...
Who knows..
A list of his films:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0400652/
Other sources:
http://www.bugsweeps.com/info/howard_hughes.html
http://www.smh.com.au/news/Review/Hot-Docs-Howard-Hughes/2005/02/28/1109546795219.html?oneclick=true
http://www.famoustexans.com/howardhughes.htm