Normally miscast in romantic roles, the icy George Peppard is perfect here as a cynical empire building cad, loosely based on the late Howard Hughes. Every Harold Robbins bad-behavior-amidst-superficial-luxury touch comes through intact here, as we track Peppard's scandalous rise to riches. The characters are the usual stereotypes. Carroll Baker, never much of an actress but well cast here, looks good as a sexpot actress Rena Marlowe (Jean Harlowe) and Elisabeth Ashley shines as the inevitable Good Girl Wronged. The result is fairly entertaining, but now somewhat dated trashy fun. It's no classic, but it's good looking, expensively produced and filled with old-time movie greats like Alan Ladd, Lew Ayers and Robert Cummings.

This is an impressive movie that scores big in every way. The direction, cinematography and acting are superb, making this sprawling epic a true Hollywood classic.The all-star cast makes the most of complex, well-defined characters and sharp, witty dialog. The sets are lavish, colorful, and decadent. The cinematography delivers gorgeous eye-candy with an abundance of vivid, beautifully composed shots. Edward Dmytryk's direction is exemplary and the storyline of power, corruption, and redemption is an engrossing saga with some nice plot twists and a happy ending.George Peppard gives a scintillating performance as a ruthless tycoon (inspired by Howard Hughes), fully inhabiting the role and expertly navigating the complex motivations of a powerful young man relentlessly driven by his inner demons. The rest of the cast weaves a rich tapestry of supporting relationships with convincing performances all round. This is a terrific movie reminiscent of Citizen Kane and not to be missed.

Adaptation of Harold Robbins' bestseller, about an egomaniacal Howard Hughes-like tycoon into airplanes, making movies and womanizing, comes to the screen without too much timidity; however, this "adult entertainment" is full of grown-ups acting like spoiled children (it isn't so much a Tinsel Town wallow as it is a bubbling cauldron of reckless immaturity), resulting in a camp melodrama that you can't tear yourself away from. George Peppard is the stony-faced tyrant who runs (and sometimes ruins) the lives of everyone in his path, and his plastic-formula panic is nearly funny; Elizabeth Ashley is the good girl he marries; Alan Ladd (in his final bow) is a faded cowboy star; Carroll Baker and Martha Hyer are lookalike starlets; Robert Cummings is a smarmy agent; Martin Balsam is a studio mogul on his way out. The whole tatty enterprise smacks of artificiality, with ugly sets and ridiculous character brawls, and yet one watches nearly hypnotized by the scandal sheet-styled, B-movie glamor. **1/2 from ****

This has got to be one of the finest fictionalized biographies ever presented. Obviously names and places may change, but the image of Howard Hughes shines through in the presentation of Jonas Cord, and the other characters included, or created for the development of this character. Obviously this speaks well of the writing of Harold Robbins, but it took the talents of George Peppard & co. to breathe into it the vibrant life that jumps off the screen into the consciousness of the viewer.Definitely not a movie to be missed by anyone who is a fan of Harold Robbins!