An Exercise In Nonsense

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

I love this film! The frenetic pace of ambition told with explanation captivated my attention and made me obsessive about watching this story many times. The perverted nature of the love interest is fascinating as the story unfolds quickly and unrelentingly. The script in this movie is the winner and the lines are worth every minute of expression. George Peppard plays a Howard Hughes like character whose callous charm rivets the audience into submission as he hammers home one successful business into another. His personal life is haunted by never having had a mother growing up and a secret about an insane brother that motivates his obsessive perfectionism in business. Alan Ladd plays the "Max Sand" character who has helped raise Jonas Cord from childhood. Ladd's final movie leaves an indelible imprint here as his quiet masculinity pervades the storyline making the audience beg for more. The love story takes on several angles but is woven interestingly into a tangled web of intrigue and lust that meanders into a crowd pleasing conclusion. I highly recommend this movie not only for its script and depth of perspective into human character but also for its portrayal of early Hollywood and the machinations of a self made businessman who is hell bent on being first in several related businesses using capitalism as his tool for progress.

As with "The Blue Max" and other movies starring George Peppard, this is him playing himself as the pompous and arrogant man he was.There's no doubt that Peppard was a great actor at one time; but, the characters he played make you want to like him 'almost' as much as you want to hate him. This movie is no exception.Peppard plays a 'rich-kid' who revels in the fact that his dad suddenly dies and leaves everything to him.He immediately takes charge of all of his dad's business affairs (and, other affairs), and...there are many unexpected and monumental things that take place by an overly ambitious and arrogant inherited son who always thought that his dad was never the businessman whom he believed himself to be.This is a good movie.

The lives of famous people is often seen from the perspective of those whom he trampled on the way to success. Thus one can easily see the legendary figure of the late Howard Hughes in the film, "The Carpetbaggers." For many who lived through the era of the infamous tycoon, it is not difficult to envision the phobic billionaire in the ambitious character Jonas Cord (George Peppard). The film is a tribute to his youth which unexpectedly cuts short his carefree lifestyle by the death of his father. Hiding a deep dark family secret which Jonas believes is hereditary, he plunges recklessly into the world of business, finance, aviation and film making. Along the way, he secures friends and foes alike including life-time friend Nevada Smith (Alan Ladd) and film agent Dan Pierce (Robert Cummings). Furthermore, he seeks and abandons a bevy of beautiful women, like bouquets of flowers. Once he wins those delicate cuts of nature, he discards them at will. All things Cord touches either makes him richer or more despotic. The film's pace is as fast as Hughes' life and in the end, one wonders if it offers a moral lesson or a warning to those seek fame and fortune at the cost of one's humanity? ****

Why anyone would bother to tell the Howard Hughes story and change all the names is anyone's guess, but here it is. THE CARPETBAGGERS is way over the top entertainment that somehow manages to skirt campiness despite casting George Peppard in the lead role. Never the most imaginative actor, Peppard is in virtually every scene and your tolerance for him will dictate how much fun you have watching this potboiler. The A-list supporting cast includes Lew Ayres, Alan Ladd, Martha Hyer, Elizabeth Ashley, and Martin Balsam. Carroll Baker appears briefly as Peppard's insanely too young stepmother and Bob Cummings is great as a shifty PR man. B-movie legend Audrey Totter has a great bit as a hooker who sets Peppard on the right road after a booze soaked binge. THE CARPETBAGGERS is directed by the hack Edward Dmytryk from the novel by Harold Robbins --- a match made in schlock heaven if ever there was one!