CINEMA CYCLE
(Cardio Workout And Reviewing Movies At The Same Time)
DATE: 09/11/2014
TITLE: Melvin and Howard
FORMAT: LaserDisc
TIME RIDDEN / FILM LENGTH: 1 hour 35 minutes
DISTANCE RIDDEN WHILE VIEWING: 22.6 miles
TOTAL CINEMA MILES LOGGED: 464.5 miles
SYNOPSIS: An easy-going, honest, working class guy picks up a stranger on a lonely Nevada highway that turns out to be Howard Hughes. He is named in Hughes will 10 years later
CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: No good deed goes unrewarded, although sometimes the reward is not what we expected.
PROS AND CONS: Based on the true story of Melvin Dummar, who allegedly picked up Howard Hughes in the middle of Nevada and drove him back to Las Vegas.
I found this film very entertaining on several levels. Since I just returned from a trip through Nevada, it was interesting to see all the locations that I had recently passed through. While not intended to be one, this is now a period piece. The cars, the style of dress and the views of Nevada and Las Vegas are dated and make the viewer long for the good old simpler days.
Melvin, played by Paul LeMat, is an engaging, honest, lovable, every-man, that aspires to greatness, but lacks the knack and ambition to get there. He represents the majority of Americans that struggle from paycheck to paycheck, with relationships and with his own frustrations.
Hughes, played by Jason Robards, has little screen time, maybe 10 minutes, but makes a lasting impression. In the end, Melvin is left with nothing more than he started out with but is philosophical about his life and his momentary brush with fame. After viewing this film, I realized that the world needs more Melvin Dummars.
This film is a part of my LaserDisc Collection.
Clicking on the title will take you to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) entry for this film.
This film was viewed while exercising on my recumbent cycle. A summary of my time spent working out on my journey through movie-land can be found on Strava.com.
The summary of the project and a glimpse of what is coming up next can be found on my public LaserDisc spreadsheet.
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