Melvin and Howard

Melvin and Howard
Theatrical release poster by John Alvin
Directed byJonathan Demme
Written byBo Goldman
Produced byArt Linson
Don Phillips
StarringPaul Le Mat
Mary Steenburgen
Pamela Reed
Jason Robards
CinematographyTak Fujimoto
Edited byCraig McKay
Music byBruce Langhorne
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • September 19, 1980 (1980-09-19)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$7 million[1]
Box office$4.3 million[2]

Melvin and Howard (stylized as Melvin (and Howard)) is a 1980 American comedy-drama film directed by Jonathan Demme.[3] The screenplay by Bo Goldman was inspired by real-life Utah service station owner Melvin Dummar, who was listed as the beneficiary of $156 million in a will allegedly handwritten by Howard Hughes that was discovered in the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City. A novelization of Goldman's script, which itself won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen, later was written by George Gipe. The film stars Paul Le Mat, Jason Robards, and Mary Steenburgen, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The film was released on September 19, 1980, receiving positive reviews from critics.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference AFI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Box Office Mojo
  3. ^ "Melvin and Howard". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
  4. ^ "Site Map - September 19, 1980". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-16.