Hughes and his new wife moved to Hollywood in 1926. Flush with cash, he spent lavishly and lived the high life. He was determined to make it as a movie producer, but many people saw him as nothing more than a rich-kid dilettante.
When the actor and director Ralph Graves approached him to fund his comedy Swell Hogan, Hughes poured in money, eventually spending twice the $40,000 budget (the equivalent of $712k/£550k in today’s money). The film turned out to be an embarrassing disaster, and he reportedly ordered all the copies to be burnt.
Meanwhile, he found a pilot and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse to give him flying lessons. By 1928, Howard Hughes had his own pilot’s licence, and his movie career was also looking up. His second film, Everybody’s Acting, met with critical acclaim and his third, Two Arabian Knights, was a box office success, even winning an Academy Award for Best Picture.