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The Aviator |
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and Jack and Helen Frye |
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Sedona Legend Helen Frye Profile |
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| This new movie about Howard Hughes' life is not the first such saga to be produced. We have all seen stories of the late-great-Howard-Hughes on the screen. Some were inspiring some were dismal. However, this new aviation film is of great interest to the people of Sedona Arizona and the aviation world. What is the sensation about this particular film? Well, not only is it a new angle on Howard Hughes but as well, it will feature the roles of Jack and Helen Frye. Jack and Helen were good friends of Hughes, and of course Jack and Howard were tight business partners for many years. Howard was a frequent guest at Helen and Jack's Virginia estate. So much so, that he was on intimate terms with the servants and told everyone their coveted cook was his personal chef! And of course, it's no secret Jack Frye gave Howard the opportunity to invest in TWA, a company Jack Frye built from the ground up! This film explores this particular segment of Howard's life |
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| This is perhaps the very first time Jack and Helen Frye will be portrayed on the silver screen. Jack though has appeared as an aerial stuntman in early Hollywood movies. Jack and Helen certainly knew many celebrities and lived on the fringes of the movie industry but this is the first time, to my knowledge, that they have been portrayed in the roles they lived day to day. Jack was charismatic, larger than life, and everyone loved his jovial nature. He was a phenomenal success in the business world. Helen Frye was a knockout, men fell at her feet. Beautiful glamorous and voluptuous, she always caused a sensation with the men to include Howard Hughes. I am reasonably sure that she was not one of his many conquests even though it has been rumored. Helen was only interested in one man, Jack Frye. All in all, I am just thrilled that Helen and Jack are finally getting the recognition they deserve. Both were stellar personalities in their time. Even though the film is about Howard Hughes, the fact that Jack and Helen are part of the supporting cast, helps cement their places permanently in the world of which they lived. Not only was Jack an aviation hero, but a war hero, as well. It is said, he rescued endangered dignitaries from behind enemy lines in secret aerial missions. Jack earned his position in the corporate world and society, he didn't buy it. How many men of that era had the United States presidency offered to them? Unfortunately for Howard Hughes, without the enormous amount of money he inherited and made, he would be just another 1930's playboy of which there were many. I hope someday soon we will see a movie about the real deal- Jack Frye! He and Helen were one of the original "power couples" long before that phrase became popular! |
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Aviator Movie Premiers in Sedona............
The movie has premiered in Sedona, I viewed it with many other locals on Christmas Day. Unfortunately for Jack and Helen, this film did not give an accurate portrayal of either person. The actors portraying Jack and Helen looked nothing like them. Emma Campbell's hair style and manner was out of character for Helen. Jack was portrayed as a Howard Hughes "yes-man" which could not be farther from the truth. It is thoroughly documented that Jack ran TWA and took orders from no one. He was the vision behind TWA from 1930 on. The airline was well placed before Howard Hughes tried to gain control. Jack was a powerful presence, much like the way the film portrayed Juan Tripp. Howard was shy, and many say, a social misfit. Jack and Helen, among others, helped Howard meet all the right people and open society's many door. Many of Howard's contemporaries helped him circulate in his social circle.
Helen, on the other hand, too, was an amazing presence, in this film all her lines were cut. But she was not a demure, quiet wife as intimated in the movie. She was a partner along with her husband for the good of TWA. She was not only a well documented presence in TWA, but with Jack and Howard socially, as well. Let alone other political and celebrity connections she helped TWA cultivate. Helen was instrumental in helping Jack secure his oversea route dream for TWA, through her radiant personality, glamorous presence, social connections, and negotiating abilities. (this in regard to her Stackelberg connection, among others) Jack was always grateful for Helen's input and participation with this issue and readily credited her. Of the four wives Jack had, Helen was his soulmate-life partner and the only one that had input in his business decisions. Unfortunately when Howard in his greed and ungratefulness forced Jack out of TWA, he unsuccessfully tried to claim "Jack's dream" of making TWA a Worldwide Airline. The movie does feature some amazing airplane footage, notably of the Northrop H-1 Racer. TWA and Jack Frye also flew a very similar model extensively for high altitude weather testing, (NX 13158). Several difference with Jack and Howard was that Jack never endangered the lives of his passengers, and even with all his flight hours, and having flown over 60 types of planes in his lifetime, Jack Frye never left a trail of wrecked planes in his wake. Proving that not all aviators are the same. See this page. |
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| Thank you for your interest in |
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| Sedona Legend Helen Frye |
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| "The Jack and Helen Frye Story" |
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