An exploration of "Hollywood's glamorous golden age via the cinematic life of Howard Hughes and the women who encountered him--sometimes at the expense of their minds and souls"--Dust jacket flap. Howard Hughes was obsessed with sex, power and publicity, and he used his power to trap, abuse, and/or benefit women who dreamt of screen stardom. From promoting bombshells to his contentious battles with the censors, Hughes-- perhaps more than any other filmmaker of his era-- commoditized male desire as he objectified and sexualized women. Longworth examines women, sex, and male power in Hollywood during its golden age-- and shows that the recent scandals are, while nothing new, only a ripple in our culture in general. -- adapted from jacket
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