Icon Movies

The Carpetbaggers is a 1964 American film starring George Peppard as a character based largely on Howard Hughes and Alan Ladd as a former western gunslinger turned actor with the pseudonym Nevada Smith, played the following year in a prequel starring Steve McQueen in the part. Carroll Baker portrayed an actress inspired by Jean Harlow, who appeared in Hughes' film epic Hell's Angels. The Carpetbaggers was directed by Edward Dmytryk, filmed in 70mm, and was Alan Ladd's final film; Ladd died some months before its release.In the movie, George Peppard plays a hard-driven industrialist more than a little reminiscent of Howard Hughes. While he builds airplanes, directs movies and breaks hearts, his friends and lovers try to reach his human side, and find that it's an uphill battle. The film's title is a metaphor for self-promoting tycoons who perform quick financial takeovers, impose dictatorial controls for short-term profits, then move on to greener pastures.

Nevada Smith Collection

Genres: Drama

Starring: George Peppard, Alan Ladd, Carroll Baker

Released: April 8, 1964

Runtime: 150.0

Popularity Rating: 1.427

Embassy Pictures, Paramount Pictures

United States of America

Jonas Cord Junior George Peppard
Nevada Smith Alan Ladd
Rina Marlowe Cord Carroll Baker
Dan Pierce Robert Cummings
Jennie Denton Martha Hyer
Monica Winthrop Elizabeth Ashley
'Mac' McAllister Lew Ayres
Bernard B. Norman Martin Balsam
Buzz Dalton Ralph Taeger
Jedediah Archie Moore
Jonas Cord Senior Leif Erickson
Morrissey Arthur Franz
Amos Winthrop Tom Tully
Prostitute Audrey Totter
Moroni Anthony Warde
Denby Charles Lane
Wedding Guest Bess Flowers
Reporter Ann Doran
Doctor Vaughn Taylor

Art — Art Direction: Hal Pereira
Art — Art Direction: Walter H. Tyler
Camera — Director of Photography: Joseph MacDonald
Directing — Director: Edward Dmytryk
Editing — Editor: Frank Bracht
Production — Producer: Joseph E. Levine
Sound — Music: Elmer Bernstein
Writing — Novel: Harold Robbins
Writing — Writer: John Michael Hayes