Howard Hughes Hell's Angels Souvenir Book signed by Ginger Rogers and Ben Lyon among others. Hells Angels (Los Angeles: Western Lithograph Co., 1930). Quoting from the first page of the book, "'Hell's Angels' is unquestionably the most unusual and sensational picture in the history of the film industry. It was produced and directed by a boy who was only 23 years old when he started shooting the picture and who had only one thought in mind -- to make the greatest picture of all time." Of course, this "boy" was the young millionaire filmmaker Howard Hughes. His uncle, Rupert Hughes, had been a screenwriter for Samuel Goldwyn and Howard went to Hollywood in 1926 with a desire to make movies. He hired top-notch talent and signed a distribution deal with United Artists. Hell's Angels started out to be a silent film but, after Hughes put a young Jean Harlow under contract, he re-worked many of the scenes and turned it into a talkie. One of the most famous movie quotes ever is from Jean Harlow, as Helen, saying Would you be shocked if I put on something more comfortable? Although the film was well-accepted and very successful, Hughes lost money on it; having spent over $3.8 million to make it! Offered here is an original souvenir book from the film with full cast and crew lists, photographs, plot summary, and production information. It is approximately 5.5" x 6.5" in size and in fine condition save for mounting traces on the back board and some loose pages inside. An excellent item from this early epic film.

Obtained from Heritage auctions.