Hughes Productions

Developed as a film production company in 1939, Howard Hughes created Hughes Productions as a division of Hughes Tool Company. The company is best known for its production of The Outlaw. Completed in February 1941, censorship issues delayed the initial release of the film until February 1943. Following this first release, despite complaints from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) forcing Hughes to pull the film, he used the censorship debate for advertising and publicity. After a second attempt to release the film in 1946 resulted in additional bans, Hughes pushed back until The Outlaw officially debuted on September 11, 1947 in New York, New York.

Although Hughes Productions continued to operate as a company until the 1980s, it is credited with only one other film, Vendetta. This project, like several of Hughes productions, suffered frequent delays between inception and release, starting life under California Pictures before that company's dissolution. Hughes then shifted the film rights to Hughes Productions and distribution rights to his newly acquired company RKO Radio Pictures, Incorporated, hired new cast and crew, and completed the film in 1950.

Sources:

Aberdeen, J. A. “California Pictures: Howard Hughes & Preston Sturges.” Hollywood Renegade Archives. 2005. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://www.cobbles.com/simpp_archive/howard_hughes.htm

American Film Institute Catalog. "The OutLaw." AFI Catalog. 2019. Accessed April 6, 2022. https://catalog.afi.com/Film/603-THE-OUTLAW?sid=4d18838e-c897-425a-a8f1-9c9b4084c542&sr=6.0600576&cp=1&pos=2.