Melvin and Howard 1980
Directed by
Jonathan Demme
Made by
Universal Pictures
Melvin and Howard Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Melvin and Howard (1980). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
In the opening scene, Howard Hughes Jason Robards loses control of his motorcycle and crashes in the Nevada desert. That night, the disheveled stranger is found by Melvin Dummar Paul Le Mat when the trucker stops to relieve himself on U.S. Highway 95. The man refuses a hospital ride and instead asks to be driven to Las Vegas. Along the way, the two share awkward conversation until Dummar persuades his passenger to join him in singing a Christmas song he wrote. Hughes then suggests they sing his favorite tune, Bye Bye Blackbird, and they do. The stranger grows warmer toward his rescuer and is eventually dropped off at the Desert Inn, the hotel Hughes owns and calls home.
What follows is a broader portrait of Melvin’s life, marked by a mixture of luck, hustling, and a loose hold on the American dream. He navigates a tumultuous marriage to Lynda Dummar Mary Steenburden while juggling the responsibilities of a growing family, and later forms a more stable bond with Bonnie Dummar Pamela Reed. Lynda leaves him and their daughter to dance in a sleazy strip club, but she eventually returns, though she remains frustrated by Melvin’s impulsive bets on luck rather than steady progress. In a bid to seize a brighter moment, Melvin encourages Lynda to appear on Easy Street, a game-show hybrid of The Gong Show and Let’s Make a Deal. Her initial tap routine is booed, but she wins the crowd over and secures a prize package that includes living room furniture, a piano, and $10,000 in cash.
As the family fights to stabilize its finances, Melvin’s fortunes wobble further. He buys a modest home in a new development and, in a burst of impulse, purchases a Cadillac Eldorado and a boat. Lynda reacts by taking their daughter and toddler son and filing for divorce, seeking a more practical path for the family. Into this fragile balance steps Bonnie, the dairy payroll clerk who becomes Melvin’s confidant, and the two eventually marry and move to Utah, where they take over a service station once owned by relatives of Bonnie, anchoring their new life in a different kind of hard work.
Everything shifts when a limousine stops at the station one day, and after the visitor leaves, Melvin discovers an envelope labeled “Last Will and Testament of Howard Hughes” on his desk. Fearful of what it might imply, he hides the document at Mormon headquarters and tries to keep a low profile as reporters descend on his life. The media frenzy intensifies, drawing him into a courtroom confrontation in which he acknowledges meeting Hughes but staunchly denies forging the will. The sensational story—whether the will is genuine or not—becomes the backdrop against which Melvin’s dreams, doubts, and the weathering of his family’s life play out, leaving him forever tied to a legend of luck, celebrity, and the elusive American dream.
Melvin and Howard Timeline
Follow the complete movie timeline of Melvin and Howard (1980) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.
Hughes' desert crash and Melvin's roadside encounter
Howard Hughes crashes his motorcycle in the Nevada desert. Melvin Dummar stops and offers to drive him to Las Vegas rather than to a hospital. They chat and sing together, with Hughes coaxing Melvin to join in a Christmas song he wrote, before Hughes is dropped off at the Desert Inn.
Melvin's unsettled life and marital struggles
Most of the film centers on Melvin's scattered, up-and-down life and his spendthrift, luck-driven approach to money. His rocky marriage to his first wife Lynda drives much of the early turmoil, while a later bond with Bonnie offers a semblance of stability.
Lynda leaves Melvin and their daughter
Lynda leaves Melvin and their daughter to dance in a sleazy strip club. The move deepens Melvin's financial and emotional strain and foreshadows the couple's rough road ahead.
Lynda returns, but frustration remains
Lynda eventually returns to Melvin, but she remains frustrated by his futile efforts to achieve the American dream. Her impatience highlights the ongoing strain in their relationship and finances.
Lynda shines on Easy Street and wins a prize
Lynda appears on Easy Street, a game-show hybrid. Her tap-dancing number is booed at first, but she wins the audience over and takes the top prize: living room furniture, a piano, and $10,000 cash.
Impulsive purchases and divorce fallout
Melvin agrees to invest in an affordable house but rashly buys a Cadillac Eldorado and a boat. His wife Lynda takes their children and sues for divorce, escalating the couple's collapse.
Bonnie becomes his partner and they move to Utah
Bonnie, the payroll clerk at the dairy, becomes Melvin's confidante and later his wife. The couple moves to Utah, where they take over the operation of a service station her relatives had owned.
The envelope arrives: Last Will and Testament of Howard Hughes
A mysterious limousine passenger stops at the service station to buy cigarettes, then drives off leaving an envelope marked 'Last Will and Testament of Howard Hughes' on Melvin's desk. Afraid to open it, Melvin takes the envelope to Mormon headquarters and hides it in a pile of incoming mail.
Media attention swarms Melvin and his family
News crews descend on Melvin and his family amid the Will envelope mystery. The sudden media spotlight complicates their everyday life and makes the family anxious.
Melvin goes to court over the will
Melvin is drawn into a courtroom confrontation surrounding the will. He admits he once met Hughes but vigorously denies forging the will.
The will becomes the focal point of the drama
The last will and testament becomes the central concern of legal and media attention, highlighting the tension between truth, fame, and money. The proceedings emphasize how a single document can reshape a life in the public eye.
Dreams tied to the will endure
The case closes with the will as a symbol of Melvin's long-sought dreams, even as the outcome remains entangled with legal and media scrutiny. The film suggests the will could finally fulfill his aspirations, underscoring the enduring allure of wealth and fame.
Melvin and Howard Characters
Explore all characters from Melvin and Howard (1980). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.
Melvin Dummar (Paul Le Mat)
A simple, hopeful truck driver whose luck-driven lifestyle fuels his ambitions for a better life. He is stubborn, generous, and prone to impulsive decisions that ripple through his family. His pursuit of the American dream often clashes with practical constraints and marital strain.
Howard Hughes (Jason Robards)
A powerful, enigmatic billionaire whose last will catalyzes the central conflict. He embodies wealth, influence, and a mysterious aura that drives the media frenzy and Melvin's fortune-seeking arc. He appears as a pivotal figure whose actions indirectly steer the plot.
Lynda Dummar (Mary Steenburgen)
Melvin's wife whose hopes for a stable life are repeatedly strained by financial pressures and marital turmoil. She leaves with their children at one point, returns, but remains frustrated by Melvin's ongoing pursuit of a dream beyond reach.
Bonnie Dummar (Pamela Reed)
Melvin's second wife who provides comfort and stability during his fortunes' fluctuations. They move to Utah to run a service station, and her support helps shape the new chapter in their lives.
Melvin and Howard Settings
Learn where and when Melvin and Howard (1980) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.
Location
Nevada desert, Las Vegas, Desert Inn, Utah
The story unfolds across the Nevada desert and Las Vegas, centered around Howard Hughes's Desert Inn. A stretch of U.S. Highway 95 serves as the initial meeting point between Melvin Dummar and the enigmatic billionaire. Later, the narrative follows the family’s move to Utah after other life changes.
Melvin and Howard Themes
Discover the main themes in Melvin and Howard (1980). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.
🎯
Dreams
Melvin's belief in luck and the pursuit of the American dream drive the plot. He chases a bigger life—material comforts, security, and social ascent—through impulsive decisions and stubborn optimism. The film contrasts aspiration with the limits of fortune, showing how luck and choice shape a modest man's world. The result is a character study of ambition, risk, and the costs of chasing a dream.
⚖️
Public Scrutiny
Howard Hughes' last will becomes the spark that catapults Melvin into the national spotlight. The envelope and the ensuing media circus reveal how celebrity power can manipulate ordinary lives. The legal battle tests truth, loyalty, and the price of fame. The film uses this public scrutiny to examine the collision between wealth and ordinary dignity.
💑
Relationships
Melvin's marriage to Lynda is repeatedly tested by money troubles and incompatible goals. Bonnie offers stability and a different kind of loyalty, guiding the couple toward a new life in Utah. The relationship threads—marital strain, reconciliation, and new partnerships—are depicted as essential to the American dream's durability or fragility.
Melvin and Howard Spoiler-Free Summary
Discover the spoiler-free summary of Melvin and Howard (1980). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.
In the waning glow of a desert sunset, Melvin Dummar drifts through a life that has slipped far from the modest pride of a former milkman yearning for a “Milkman of the Month” ribbon. The film opens on his quiet desperation, a man whose job, truck, and marriage have all slipped through his fingers, leaving him to wrestle with a restless mixture of bad luck and stubborn hope. The tone is a bittersweet blend of melancholy and off‑kilter humor, inviting the audience to feel both sympathy for his slump and amusement at his tenacious, if uneven, optimism.
A chance encounter on a lonely stretch of U.S. Highway 95 draws Howard Hughes—the reclusive, larger‑than‑life billionaire—into Melmel’s orbit. After a motorcycle crash in the Nevada desert, Hughes is found by the down‑on‑his‑luck driver who offers a ride instead of a hospital bed. Their brief, awkward conversation and an impromptu holiday song set a quirky, almost mythic stage where a lone stranger’s fate brushes against the legend of an eccentric tycoon. The desert landscape, punctuated by the neon promise of Las Vegas, becomes a backdrop for an unlikely meeting that feels both absurd and oddly fated.
Against this canvas, Melvin’s personal world is tangled with his relationships. His marriage to Lynda Dummar is a volatile mix of love, frustration, and fleeting glamour, as she pursues a precarious path that swings between strip‑club stages and televised game‑show hopes. When that partnership falters, a steadier presence emerges in Bonnie Dummar, a dairy payroll clerk whose practical kindness offers a different kind of promise. Their bond hints at the possibility of a quieter, more grounded future, contrasting sharply with the chaotic dreamscape that surrounds Melvin.
When Melvin publicly declares that Howard Hughes left him a $156 million inheritance, his claim catapults him from the margins of his small‑town existence into a whirlwind of media scrutiny and legal curiosity. The film follows his uneasy navigation of fame, family, and the American myth of luck, painting a portrait of a man caught between ordinary hardship and an extraordinary promise that may redefine his understanding of success.
Movies with Similar Twists and Themes
Uncover films that echo the narrative beats, emotional arcs, or dramatic twists of the one you're exploring. These recommendations are handpicked based on story depth, thematic resonance, and spoiler-worthy moments — perfect for fans who crave more of the same intrigue.
Featured on this page
What's After the Movie?
Not sure whether to stay after the credits? Find out!
Explore Our Movie Platform
New Movie Releases (2026)
Famous Movie Actors
Top Film Production Studios
Movie Plot Summaries & Endings
Major Movie Awards & Winners
Best Concert Films & Music Documentaries
Movie Collections and Curated Lists
© 2026 What's After the Movie. All rights reserved.