Les Jones

A&E > Howard Hughes and "Ice Station Zebra"

I just popped in the DVD of Ice Station Zebra. The DVD included a trailer for the Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator. Turns out there's a connection between the two movies.

Prior to today, Zebra, if it is remembered at all, is recalled as Howard Hughes’ favorite film. In the Billionaire’s latter years, when he’d moved into the Desert Inn’s penthouse, he’d watch it repeatedly at night, tired after putting in a long, hard day of ‘crazy.’

Did he screen a private print? No. Some sort of proto VHS/Beta thing? Nope. He’d just call up the local TV station he owned and order it to play Zebra, then kick back and watch on his set at home. Along with the rest of Vegas. Again. And Again. And... (I do much the same thing, calling local stations late at night, ordering them to play Krull. But for some reason, I just get hung up on.)

Oh, to be an insane billionaire.

LATER: I liked the movie. It's from a very different era of movie production and politics, but makes for a good Saturday afternoon action pic.