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.
Review of The Carpetbaggers
