The newspapers hailed him as a Texas giant even as they tried to explain to younger readers who he had been. It turned out to be a small producer. He was a man, and he took a good deal of pride in the fact. He would beat the oil importers at their own game. Its like you were somewhere elsenot in Houston at all.. When Anderson introduced us, Glenn merely grunted. No surprise there. Lifes greatest fortunes are the ones closest to you. Dinah Shore and Mel Torm sang in the Cork Club; Frank Sinatra was booked. Columns were rose and pink. An oilman going bankrupt in Texas? Girls squealed when Dorothy Lamour emerged and kissed McCarthy on the cheek. For a long time the only indication he was even alive came in the odd stories that floated up from South America every few months, none of which, as with the case of an Ecuadoran doctor he attacked in a drunken rage on a flight to La Paz, suggested Glenn McCarthy was going gentle into that night. For wash-and-grease jobs, he would drive customers to their offices in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon with a greased and washed automobile. There were too many people. Though Ferber was always vague about details, her decision to actually tackle a Texas novel coincided with the 194849 boom in stories about its new millionaires. In their cumulative 231 years of life, despite Hunts historic purchase of the heart of the great East Texas oil field, Cullens groundbreaking philanthropy, and Richardsons private dinners with the Roosevelts, the so-called Big Four had earned precisely three references in the nations newspaper of record, The New York Times. But when the old tycoon dies and leaves behind an unorthodox will, Jason embarks on a journey that will yield an inheritance cash alone could never match. McCarthy had met her once or twice and forgotten about it. speakers hail shamrock as symbol of new era, blared a headline in the Chronicle, which termed the project perhaps the greatest ever undertaken by an individual in Texas. The Post coverage swallowed the entire front page. For now, however, the only oil McCarthy saw on a daily basis came in cans. He is the author of the best selling book, The Ultimate Gift, which is a major motion picture starring James Garner and Abigail Breslin. Up and down Fifth Avenue, scores of New York lenders, keenly aware of the massive loans Sid Richardson and Clint Murchison had taken, were flocking to find oilmen of their own to fund. Wealth Nugget:She opened theCrystal Bridges Museum of American Artin Bentonville, Arkansas, where she was born. Still, everyone knew it was over. It should have been welcome news. McCarthys legend, in fact, continued to grow. Then they kiss, as a butterfly, representing Emily, flies around them. It was losing money. After World War II he finds his calling as an oilman but ignores his wife and children; after hitting it big, he sees how spoiled and smug his kids have become. Alarm bells were already ringing at Equitables headquarters when McCarthy stunned the company by announcing he had found a new oil field, at New Ulm, 80 miles west of Houston. All this activity, and all the expense, had the Equitable on edge. Source of wealth: Information technology,CEO of SHI Technology. Finally I was able to piece together what had taken place, an incident he kept referring to as a miracle. Only moments before, a platform some fifty feet above the ground had collapsed as Glenn, his brother Bill and another worker were standing on it. Another of his tasks requires him to travel to Ecuador and study in a library his father and grandfather built to help the people there. The stereotype of the raw, hard-living, bourbon-swilling, fistfighting, cash-tossing, damn-the-torpedoes Texas oil millionaire did not exist before Glenn McCarthy rocketed into the national imagination in the late 1940s. He would be King of Texas. His father, an itinerant oil-field worker and plumber, shuttled the family between Beaumont and Houstons rough Third Ward; at one point, young Glenn was the Howard Hughes familys paperboy. Finally, the day arrived. The aging lawyer suggests that perhaps a clue about how to respond could be found in his grandfathers journal. There he emerged as a nightclub impresario, hosting glittering floor shows packed with dancing girls and Las Vegasstyle entertainers such as Soupy Sales and Mel Torm. The next days press coverage was breathless, even by Texas standards. Watched this as well as The Ultimate Legacy and definitely preferred the latter. But, Red has planned for his death carefully. From Everett Collection; digital colorization by Lorna Clark. How differently things would have turned out had he stuck to oil. After serving as an associate editor at NavPress Discipleship Journal and consulting editor for Current Thoughts and Trends, Adam now oversees the editing and publishing of Plugged Ins reviews as the sites director. When a Chicago technician phoned the ballroom in exasperation, listeners heard his Houston counterparts voice: I cant hear you! All rights reserved. McCarthy had finally found oil of his own. [13] Other songs include "Gotta Serve Somebody" by Bob Dylan, "The Thrill is Gone" by B.B. He was known as a man who could drill a well in half the time it would take a major oil company, a geologist named Michel Halbouty recalled, a man inclined to raise his fists at every affront whether large, small or imaginary but he could charm Lady Godiva off her horse.. But lately John P. Stevens has been making news as an incubator for blue-chip business leaders. Far worse, he told Equitable executives he would need to delay his next two debt payments to them as well. By 7:30 the public areas were so jam-packed people couldnt move. Wealth Nugget:He was one of the first people to pledge $1 million in aid after Hurricane Harvey.Texans owner Bob McNair is getting his own giant statue. Many people on Wall Street think that Bobby is based on billionaire Bill Ackman of Pershing Square Capital Management, a hedge fund management company, due to the same initials, but Damian has said that's not the case . They ultimately decided against it, fearing the public-relations nightmare of crippling a Texas legend and realizing that the Shamrock, if run properly, might yet turn a profit. He looked a little like Barrymores Hamlet. She had been famous since the mid-1920s, when one of her early novels, So Big, won the Pulitzer Prize. Up in the penthouse a bagpiper serenaded the last visitors as they took the elevators down after midnight. Workers lowered the giant portrait of McCarthy in the lobby and replaced it with one of Conrad Hilton. ABC began broadcasting a weekly radio show from the Emerald Room, Saturday at the Shamrock. Net Worth: $75 B. In the years after World War II, the first great Texas oilmenH. And judging byThe Definitive Ranking of the Wealthiest Americans, the Lone Star State has scoredbig. Gifts of work, money, friends and learning are among the dozen that Jason must perform before he is eligible for the mysterious "Ultimate Gift" his grandfather's will has for him. Your fortune is your wife, your kids and all the little Stevens who might come along. He dropped out of high school, but later leveraged his gridiron prowess into brief stays at Rice Institute (now Rice University) and Texas A&M, where he was expelled for hazing. Kissing, mainly, and most of it linked to matrimony. The Ultimate Gift is a 2006 American drama film directed by Michael O. Sajbel from a screenplay written by Cheryl McKay, which is based on the best selling novel by Jim Stovall, who cameos in the film. He went on to hit a string of strong producers outside Beaumont, earning him nearly $2 million, enough to build his dream home, a 7,000-square-foot columned southern mansion just south of downtown Houston. The sale is rumoured to have cost the billionaire over $100 million, but in an interview with Esquire magazine, the mogul claims that he is a custodian these Russian treasures rather than a mere private collector - of course! Wealth Nugget:He is the wealthiest of famous wildcatter H.L. He was laying out $3,000 a year for a golf pronever mind that he didnt have a courseplus a half-million a year for a promotional magazine named Preview, which McCarthy labeled a cowpuncher alternative to The New Yorker. Meanwhile, someone stole Mayor Oscar Holcombes chair, forcing him and his wife to sit in a hallway for two solid hours. From that point, he tries his best to help Emily have a great life while it lasts, and Emily encourages a romance between Jason and her mother. Net Worth: $67 B . Drew Waters as Red Stevens; James Garner as Old Red Stevens; Austin James as Young Red Stevens; Bill Cobbs as Ted Hamilton; Bechir Sylvain as Young Ted Hamilton; Logan Bartholomew as Jason Stevens; Ali Hillis as Alexia Drummond; Elizabeth Ann Bennett as Hanna Roberts; Abigail Mavity as Young Hanna; Peter Fonda as Jacob Early; Jack DePew as Gus Caldwell; Brett Rice as Bill Stevens. McCarthy optioned 562 parcels in and around the town, then borrowed heavily to buy five new drilling rigs, which cost $1 million. Trying to find guidance dealing with his family and a strained relationship, Jason starts reading his grandfather's journal. McCarthy spared no expense. In time he purchased the Queen Mary entertainment complex, in Long Beach, built the Disneyland Hotel, in Anaheim, and became a founding member of Ronald Reagans Kitchen Cabinet of political advisers. Had McCarthy stopped there, he might have been recognized as a fifth member of the Big Four, lazing away his days playing cards like Sid Richardson, or sniping at politicians like Hugh Roy Cullen. McCarthy signed. I cant promise to be perfect, but I promise Ill try as hard as I can. Reserves were down a third. He worked 20 hours a day, and kept the store open the other 4 by hiring his father. His deeds, McCarthy knew, had to match the look. The answer came when a wire-service reporter spotted him in Cairo, and McCarthy admitted he was there to look at the prospect of obtaining an oil concession in the Middle East, though he wouldnt say where. War and hospital scenes and bad manners. New revelations about how one Trump staffer helped preserve the transfer of powerfrom the forthcoming book on the Biden White House, The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes. But McCarthy knew more was coming, and in short order began to put his plans into motion. He tried to sell the New Ulm field to Howard Hughes but couldnt. Out of cash and determined not to borrow from Faustines father, he decided to try his luck as a contractor, drilling wells for others. As for Red, we see him work hard to help make money for his family in the Depression, and he shows a great deal of grit and determination to better his prospects as he grows older. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Wealth Nugget:She was born in Bangkok, grew up in South Korea and moved to the United States for high school. He offered to drill wells for next to nothing, and a few wildcatters, no doubt mindful who his father-in-law was, gave him a chance. Undaunted, McCarthy invested his last thousand dollars in a friends well. Houston shrugged. City: Austin. The ultimate recipient? 383 (tie). To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. [Spoiler Warning] Reds big turning point comes when Hamilton is involved in a car accident. This was Glenn McCarthys dream. The porn trilogy for Nintendos. Jason Brassard Spent His Lifetime Collecting the Rarest Video Games. But dont forget, theres a big crowd listening on the air, she begged. Lender and borrower arrived at a face-off: Equitable insisted it wouldnt lend McCarthy another dime until he paid what he owed; he was already giving Equitable half his income. The film is revolved around two main characters Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) who has been sent to Shawshank prison for the murder of his wife and her lover and Red (Morgan Freeman) who also was sent to Shawshank for murder has been in Shawshank a lot longer than Andy he is referred to as "the man who can get things." 752 Words 4 Pages Good Essays It was released on March 9, 2007 in the United States and Canada. He envisioned a Hollywood-style gala, complete with spotlights and movie stars. His only problem, McCarthy claimed, was new competition from low-priced Middle Eastern oil, which was imported at $1 a barrel at a time when Texas oil cost $2.65. The distilled essence of swaggering Texas id, McCarthy rubbed elbows with Howard Hughes and Hollywood stars, drank and brawled his way from Buffalo Bayou to Sunset Boulevard, and, at the peak of his fame, made the cover of Time. When McCarthy couldnt pay his rigs rental fee, the owner secured an injunction preventing its use. In October speculation about McCarthys future spread to Washington when he was seen sliding into a side door at the White House for what officials told reporters was a private meeting with President Truman. McCarthy sold for an $8,000 profit. He strongly resents his grandfather because his father had died while working for him. Ferber had been mulling a novel about Texas since at least 1939, when she first toured the state. Red ink was to be expected in any new venture, but McCarthys spending was simply out of control. Through it all, McCarthys finances continued to deteriorate. Stunned by Alexias departure, Jason turns to Hamilton. She remained the wealthiest person in Fort Worth and the entire state, and ranks as the 12th richest person in the entire country. The McCarthy Center, as he called it, would consist of the hotel, apartment buildings, a theater, and a shopping center. The Joe Millionaire season finale is finally here, and as bachelor Steven McBee tries to choose between Annie and Calah, he admits the latter is still a wild card. And so, in March 1948, one year before the opening, McCarthy flew to Los Angeles and announced the formation of Glenn McCarthy Productions, telling reporters he was embarking on a series of major film projects. Cameron, however, was a serial philanderer, and Miller left him several months later upon finding him engaged in an impromptu pool party with 17 young ladies in bikinis. Amancio Ortega. McCarthy, dressed in a white dinner jacket, did his best to navigate the throng, which was growing louder as the champagne began to dwindle. McCarthy told him not to worry. [1][2], The film's DVD sales were quite high in relation to its theatrical receipts and it continues to be a success in DVD sales and on television. When tragedy jolts Red into seeing hes spent too many years investing in the wrong legacy, it proves to be a lesson Jason needs to hear too if hes hopes to win Alexias heart back once more. The dinner service was a comedy as waiters weaved through the crowd. McCarthy dragged himself back from Bolivia in 1957, bruised, battered, and, if not exactly penniless, no longer a rich man; unable to build a pipeline to transport the natural gas he had discovered, he sold his Bolivian interests to a group of American companies for $1.5 million, much of which he used to repay debts. To do that, however, it would be necessary to make an actual movie. Wealth Nugget:His foundation has committed more than $1.5 billion for charities, with an emphasis on child poverty. For McCarthy, the only good news was that the national publications that celebrated his rise generally failed to notice his fall. Source of wealth: Microsoft. (United States). Wealth Nugget:He is the majority shareholder of Mechanics Bank in California. There were a few common denominators among the wealthiest of the wealthiest. 354 (tie). One after another, all five wells blew out. Still, to the chagrin of those in the state who prized discretion and taste, many writers found exactly the kind of Texan they were looking for. Unfortunately, Houston had no movie stars. 2023 Cond Nast. He and Hughes ate a pancake breakfast by the Shamrocks pool. Equitables board arm-twisted McCarthy into downsizing the Shamrock project, eliminating the apartment buildings, the shopping center, the grocery, the drugstore, and the theater, leaving only the hotel, which was fine by McCarthy. The Ultimate Life opens three years later, with Jason (Logan Bartholomew) trying to manage his grandfathers foundation, beat back a lawsuit by greedy relatives and save his relationship with Alexia, the nurse he met in the first film. By January 1949, with the hotels opening only three months away, construction on the Shamrock was almost finished; it had cost $21 million. Around Houston he had become a human tornado of postwar progress, donating land for a new airport, holding press conferences to announce charitable gifts, riding a horse in the rodeo parade, lobbying to bring the city a professional baseball or football team. In its day the hotel had hosted six American presidents, from Eisenhower to Reagan. shamrock puts eyes of nation on houston, read the Chronicle headline. King, and "Crazy" by Patsy Cline. His journal relates, decade by decade, how he achieved his dream as well as his realization of the toll such a compulsive ambition takes on his wife, Hanna, and their four children. McCarthy eventually hit oil for Anderson at Conroe, and he soon had a car, a larger apartment, and a reputation. The ensuing discussion ended when Rummans called McCarthy a liar, at which point the new King of Texas leapt onto his desktop and, as Rummans stood before him, kicked his guest in the chest, then launched himself onto Rummans and began pounding him with his fists. Youre my fortune, Alexia. McCarthy got still more headlines when the races winner, the celebrated flier Paul Mantz, scrambled through the finish-line crowds in Cleveland to claim a $10,000 bet McCarthy had made him. The movie centers on Red Stevens, a billionaire who has passed away and has Given all his family and relatives their inheritance, each of them receives a huge Amount of money but no one was grateful instead they were disappointed and Feels that it wasn't fair. Equitables board met and decided gradual control would no longer do. Wealth Nugget:He grossed $7 billion in seven years on seven deals. However, Jason accidentally discovers that Emily is suffering from leukemia, and sees a chance to develop a strong bond with someone. In Gift, the dead billionaire Red Stevens (played on tape by James Garner) posthumously instructs, via video, his playboy grandson Jason on how to live a good, meaningful life. When a dumbfounded NBC producer told one matron she was interrupting the broadcast, the woman snatched the microphone from Lamour. By 1935 he had enough money to try, and his father-in-law introduced him to the talented Halbouty, who had proved to have an uncanny nose for finding oil. In fact, he swore to Lee he too would become an oilman. He first goes to Texas where he works on his grandfather's friend Gus Caldwell's ranch for a month, learning what hard work is. City: Houston, Source of wealth: Walmart, logistics, former owner of Houston Astros. All told, McCarthy had tried three wells and had precisely nothing to show for itexcept a painful education in oil. Tourists from all over the world poured through the front doors, ogling McCarthys opulent Texas Riviera, as the gossip columnists quickly christened it. By what name was The Ultimate Life (2013) officially released in India in English? A billionaire with questionable priorities re-examines his life after discovering his grandfather's journal.A billionaire with questionable priorities re-examines his life after discovering his grandfather's journal.A billionaire with questionable priorities re-examines his life after discovering his grandfather's journal. It's a rough road to get to that point, and I'm not sure it was executed as well as it could have been, but the point still gets across. It was no use. Jason does get around to at least trying to pop the question, but at the very moment of emotional impact, hes served legal notice that his role as the head of the Stevens Foundation is being challenged by one of Reds sons, Billy, whom the old oilman didnt deem a fit heir. Wealth Nugget:Daughter of the late Dan Duncan, she sits on the board of the University of Texas Health Science Center. When Alexia steps out of the limousine, the limo driver that is holding the door open for her is the author, Jim Stovall, who wrote "The Ultimate Gift" and helped write "The Ultimate Life.".