It was originally broadcast in two parts on CBS on April 13 and 14, 1977.Howard Hughes (Tommy Lee Jones), from early life, is portrayed as an eccentric perfectionist and later, a hypochondriac.

As a Hollywood producer, he was able to create some of the most memorable films of the era, including Hell's Angels (1930), Scarface (1932) and The Outlaw (1943, 1946).

As well as pouring money into films and projects such as the huge H-4 Hercules aircraft, Hughes is also seen with many of the women in his life, including Jean Harlow, Ginger Rogers, Katharine Hepburn (Tovah Feldshuh), and Jane Russell (Marla Carlis).

The test flight culminated in a horrific crash, resulting in a concussion that left Hughes with brain damage and mental dysfunction going into his old age and eventual death.

He picked Tommy Lee Jones who had appeared in films such as Jackson County Jail and who Gimbel said "matches the image the public has of Hughes".

[6] The incident in 1972 where Howard Hughes made a rare public "appearance" by conference call in order to denounce Clifford Irving's book to a group of trusted journalists Hughes had known personally, was recreated with four of the actual participants instead of actors: James Bacon from Hearst, Marvin G. Miles of the LA Times, Gene Handsaker from AP and Wayne Thomas of the Chicago Tribune.

Film historian Simon D. Beck in The Aircraft-Spotter's Film and Television Companion (2016) described The Amazing Howard Hughes as a "... fascinating account of the life and times of eccentric millionaire, aviation pioneer and filmmaker ..."[6] Other reviews of The Amazing Howard Hughes were, likewise, mainly positive.