Watching 1964's THE CARPETBAGGERS now, it's hard to believe that the film was so controversial, pushing every film decency standard when it was released. Based on Harold Robbins best selling book, this big-budget Paramount film was a HUGE hit in 1964. George Peppard stars as the Howard Hughes like Jonas Cord, buying every company and seducing every beautiful woman he sees. The legendary Alan Ladd is terrific in his last screen role as Cord's sidekick, Nevada Smith. Martin Balsam, Carroll Baker, Bob Cummings and Elisabeth Ashley lead a big cast in this gaudy, trashy two and a half hour drama. Somehow, about 90 minutes in, i found myself getting really sucked in to the trash and having a good time. It's over the top and fun to watch when you think about how horribly ADULT this all was nearly 50 years ago. Then, it was the equivalent of a hard R. Now it would barely register a PG-13! The Carpetbaggers is like a big-screen version of "Dallas" with a little "The Aviator" thrown in the mix. Absolutely fun trash, a relic of its time and a B.
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