The McFaddin-Ward House Museum will kick off its fall 2025 Lecture Series, Sept. 18, with “Howard Hughes and the Creation of Modern Hollywood,” a free public presentation by Jeffrey Richardson at 6:30 p.m. in the museum’s Visitor Center Lecture Hall.
Howard Hughes was an aviator, industrialist and eccentric, but he was also the most important movie producer during the golden age of Hollywood. Richardson, executive director of the McFaddin-Ward House Museum and author on the subject, will show how Hughes used his enormous wealth to revolutionize the industry, onscreen and off. From starlets to scandals, it is a story of sex, violence, movies and money told through one of the most colorful characters in American history.
“Howard Hughes was a native Texan and true Renaissance man,” Richardson said. “Yet his tenure as a motion picture producer is the least known and least understood aspect of his remarkable life. With Hughes, the truth is always stranger–and far more fascinating–than anything Hollywood could have created.”
With an extensive background in museum management and historic preservation, Richardson assumed the role of executive director at the McFaddin-Ward House Museum in March, where he looks to build upon the organization’s remarkable history and legacy.
“I am honored to be the executive director of the McFaddin-Ward House,” Richardson said, “and I am excited to be the first lecturer for the fall 2025 season.”
In 2019, Richardson wrote “Howard Hughes and the Creation of Modern Hollywood,” the first in-depth profile of Hughes and his impact on the film industry. He is also the author of “Colt: The Revolver of the American West” and has appeared as an expert commentator on over a dozen television programs, including “Mysteries at the Museum,” “Pawn Stars,” “Storage Wars” and “History Detectives.”
McFaddin-Ward House Museum lectures are admission-free and open to the public, but space is limited. Doors open at 6 p.m.
The museum is ocated at 1906 Calder Ave. in Beaumont. For more information, call 409-832-2134.