"Jaded," the 1989 cinematic effort by Orson Welles' partner Oja Kodar has never been released on home video and has remained unseen by most Welles fans.
Now, the trailer for the film, which was included in a Gary Graver documentary, is available online.
The preview trailer heavily promotes her connection to Welles and utilizes scenes from his unreleased "The Merchant of Venice.
(more...)
The seldom seen British Arena special "The Complete Citizen Kane" has made its way to YouTube.com, courtesy of online video poster Citizen Welles.
The 91-minute documentary opens with a faux, but effective, "Heart of Darkness" and includes BBC interviews with Orson Welles filmed in 1960 and 1982. Also interviewed are Peter Bogdanovich and Pauline Kael.
"The Complete Citizen Kane," first shown in 1991, is also the only place where you can see the "colorized" test footage created by Ted Turner.
We have embedded the complete YouTube video below. (No guarantee how long it will be available).
A very special thanks to Alan Nowogrodzki for alerting us to this. (more...)
William Friedkin, who is making the rounds publicizing his memoir "The Friedkin Connection," gave his picks for the five best books on directors to The Wall Street Journal.
Among his picks was "This Is Orson Welles" by Peter Bogdanovich and Welles. Friedkin says of the book, "Peter Bogdanovich is a respected film historian and critic as well as a fine director ... His lively conversations with Welles in various parts of the world took place over a nine-year period in the late 1970s and early '80s."
Also on Friedkin's list was "Searching for John Ford" by Joseph McBride. "McBride has written the definitive work on Ford's inner life – a respectful but critical study of a complex man, the most "American" of filmmakers."
As Welles fans know, McBride has written three books about Welles, most recently "What Ever Happened to Orson Welles?: A Portrait of an Independent Career." He also had a role in the still unfinished "The Other Side of the Wind." (more...)
Today marks the 98th anniversary of the birth of the late Orson Welles.
Please make today the day you support efforts to throw a fitting 100th birthday bash in Welles' "hometown" of Woodstock, Illinois.
The non-profit Woodstock Celebrates Inc. will mark the 80th anniversary next year of the 1934 Todd Theatre Festival at the historic Woodstock Opera House, as well as the 100th anniversary in May 2015 of Welles' birth. You can read more about both events on our Welles in Woodstock Celebrations page.
All of this takes money. Wellesnet readers can start to help by becoming members of Woodstock Celebrates Inc. for just $15 a year.
Membership dues may be mailed to: Woodstock Celebrates Inc., P.O. Box 342, Woodstock, IL 60098. (more...)
May 6, 1943: Orson Welles leaves his U.S. Army physical after being rejected for military service and given a 4-F draft status. (Los Angeles Times photo)
By RAY KELLY
Throughout World War II, Orson Welles unreservedly supported U.S. involvement overseas, both on the airwaves and printed page. His work with the Mercury Wonder Show in entertaining servicemen is also well-documented.
What has been forgotten with the passage of time is the intense heat Welles took for not serving in the military. His foes at the Hearst newspapers and critics at the American Legion openly questioned Welles' patriotism over a two-year period.
The pressure placed on Welles and how it impacted his cinematic work – notably his decision to shoot the ill-fated "It's All True" – is well-documented in Joseph McBride's book "Whatever Happened to Orson Welles?"
Pressure began in 1941 with Hearst columnist Louella Parsons making calls to the local draft board demanding to know why Welles had not been called into service. Similarly, the American Legion publicly questioned Welles' military status in light of his left wing political views. (The former was angered by "Citizen Kane" and the latter by the radio production of "His Honor the Mayor.")
Welles initially received 1-B status, meaning he was unfit for active duty but available for limited duty. That status was altered to 1-A (available for unrestricted military service) in February 1943.
Welles was targeted for enjoying the Hollywood life, while other men his age were fighting the Axis powers on the battlefields of Europe or the Pacific. (more...)
Wellesnet.com set a record for unique monthly visitors to the website in April 2013.
Last month, 20,125 users visited Wellesnet.com from their PCs, smartphones and tablets. This was a nearly 40 percent gain over the audience size a year earlier. It easily surpassed the record 17,230 unique monthly visitors set in December 2012.
This growth comes just as Wellesnet.com establishes a new home on Facebook, located at www.facebook.com/wellesnet, as well as Twitter. You can follow us at twitter.com/wellesnetcom
Interest in Orson Welles' career is expected to climb as we near the centenary of his birth in May 2015. We urge all Welles fans to support anniversary events planned next year and in 2015 in Woodstock, Illinois. You can learn more about the events and how to support Woodstock Celebrates Inc. at our Welles in Woodstock celebrations page. (more...)
By RAY KELLY
The remake of Orson Welles' 1946 thriller "The Stranger" is moving forward and the identity of the actors who will step into the roles played by Orson Welles, Loretta Young and Edward G. Robinson may soon be revealed.
Scriptwriter Alanna Belak has indicated on Twitter that casting decisions may have already been made.
The 21-year-old writer tweeted a month ago, "They're starting the process (whatever that may be), could make an offer to somebody as soon as next week!"
In a tweet three weeks ago, Belak stated, "I am so excited for The Stranger to get cast! (Even though I won't be able to say anything about it for months, probably.)"
In Belak's script, the Nazi war criminal has been replaced with a reformed serial killer assuming the identity of a college professor in a small town.
Jack and Joseph Nasser of NGN Releasing ("For a Good Time, Call …") will (more...)
Jess Franco
Franco made his feature directing debut with "We Are 18 Years Old" in 1959. His final film, "Al Pereira Vs The Alligator Women," opened last month in Spain.
His other films include “Necronomicon,” (1967), “Count Dracula” (1969), “Vampyros Lesbos” (1970), “Dracula vs. Frankenstein” (1971), and “Oasis of the Zombies” (1983).
Franco was the second unit director on Orson Welles’ "Chimes at Midnight" and worked on an aborted "Treasure Island" film with Welles in 1964. He oversaw the poorly received assembly of Welles’ unfinished “Don Quixote" footage in 1992.
In an interview with HorrorGarage.com, Franco offered an unflattering summary of "Chimes." He said, "The production of 'Chimes at Midnight' was a total mess, not because the film was too expensive, but because Orson lied with the budget and the film was 10 times more expensive. You can imagine...what a disaster." (more...)
Inspired by the groundbreaking Federal Theatre Project's production, The American Century Theater in Arlington, Virginia, is currently offering up its own take of "Voodoo Macbeth."
While the production is set in an era and location removed from Orson Welles' landmark 1936 version, it is getting high marks for pushing the boundaries of theater – something that would have no doubt pleased Welles.
Here is a sampling of what Washington, D.C. area critics are saying about The American Century Theater production, which runs through April 13.
"'Voodoo Macbeth' was Orson Welles’s pot-stirring, 1936 adaptation of Shakespeare’s captivating Scottish thriller – pot-stirring because Welles set it not in Scotland, but in Haiti with an all-black cast. NoVa’s American Century Theater takes an altogether new (more...)
Rich Phoenix, president of the New Jersey Radio Museum, will discuss "The War of the Worlds" radio broadcast at the Wyckoff Free Public Library in New Jersey next week.
"The Radio Broadcast That Terrorized America," Orson Welles’ radio dramatization of H. G. Wells’ science fiction novel "War of the Worlds," will be the subject of his March 27 evening presentation. The October 1938 broadcast converted Wells’ book into a series of breaking news bulletins, leading many listeners throughout the Northeast to believe aliens had landed.
"At the beginning of the broadcast it was announced that it was a work of fiction but the many people tuned into the program after the announcement and just panicked," (more...)
By RAY KELLY
Wellesnet.com is now home to more than 30 radio shows featuring Orson Welles.
The new radio pages span his career from "Les Misérables" in 1937 for the Mutual Network to "The Adventures of Harry Lime" in 1952 on BBC. The programs selected for inclusion are a mix of dramatic presentations, variety shows, wartime broadcasts, and political commentaries.
Co-stars include longtime friends (Joseph Cotten, Mercedes McCambridge), wives (Virginia Welles, Rita Hayworth) and celebrities (Groucho Mark, Carmen Miranda). Titles include "The War of the Worlds," "The Magnificent Ambersons" and "Moby Dick." (more...)
Universal Studios is readying "Touch of Evil" for domestic release on Blu-ray.
Wellesnet veteran Roger Ryan alerted us to a remark made by Michael Daruty, head of Universal’s Technical Operations, in TIME. While the article focused on the restoration and home video release of "Schindler's List," Daruty revealed that Welles' 1958 thriller is undergoing its own restoration.
"We have a commitment to restore 3 to 5 new prints a year. Right now, we’re working on ... Touch of Evil, High Plains Drifter, Double Indemnity – and we’ll probably add another title or two at the end of the year," Daruty said.
Daruty details Universal's restoration program in the (more...)
