Level of Description
Identifier
Scope and Contents
The Swell Hogan sub-series (1925-1929) contains black-and-white photographic prints and negatives of direction and production stills for the film Swell Hogan (1926). The direction stills portray sets, principal and supporting cast members, and production members, while the production stills depict scenes from the film from beginning to end. Also included are correspondence, production costs, and a fire insurance policy pertaining to the film.
Date
Extent
Collection Name: Howard Hughes Film Production Records
Box/Folder: N/A
Additional Description
Biographical / Historical Note
Swell Hogan (1926) is a lost silent film as of 2022 and is the earliest known film produced and financed by Howard Hughes. Based on available materials, the film tells of a well-dressed young man - a "swell" - in the Bowery neighborhood of New York, New York. The young man falling in love with a woman and somehow ends up caring for an infant.
After Hughes filed for emancipation and acquired ownership of his family’s business, silent film actor Ralph Graves convinced him to fund Swell Hogan’s production. Graves, as the film’s director, screenwriter, and lead actor, finished the film’s production in 1926 at twice the original budget. The film was deemed a failure and Hughes never publicly released it. As of 2022, the only verifiable actor in the film is Graves himself; information available in the collection suggests that other actors may include Rose Doner and Mabel Normand.
Sources:
The Daily Times. "Rose Doner." Death notice. Mamaroneck, New York, 20 Aug 1926. pg. 2.
Jones, F. Richard, director. The Extra Girl. Mack Sennett Comedies, 1923. 1 hr., 8 min.
Los Angeles Evening Express. "Rose Doner in Lady Be Good". Los Angeles, California, July 18, 1925. pg. 9.
The Philadelphia Inquirer. "Her Unusual Talent Asserted Itself". Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 9, 1926. pg. 68.
Porter, Darwin. Howard Hughes: Hell’s Angel. New York: Blood Moon Productions, Ltd., 2005.
Richardson, Jeffrey. Howard Hughes and the Creation of Modern Hollywood. South Carolina: Fonthill Media, 2019.
Arrangement
Materials remain in original order.