Mercedes McCambridge RIP

[Jeff Wilson]

One of Welles' associates in film and radio, Mercedes McCambridge died March 2, according to the linked story below...

McCambridge obit

[mteal]

What a great actress. I loved her in JOHNNY GUITAR, one of my all-time favorite films, which BTW is celebrating it's 50th anniversary this year. I thought I read somewhere that a brand new print struck for the anniversary was stolen. Hopefully that's not true. She also did some fine work with Welles on the Mercury Summer Theatre series.

[Glenn Anders]

I notice that McCambridge was married to Fletcher Markle, the Canadian Radio and TV director, who for a brief time was thought to be Orson Welles' successor. In fact, with Welles' encouragement, he played a parody of Welles in one ot the Campbell Playhouse radio shows. He later turned out a not very good series of Wellsian type films, most notably and strangely being JIGSAW (1949)

Glenn

[Jeff Wilson]

On National Public Radio's Fresh Air program, today's show included a vintage interview with McCambridge; her descriptions and demonstrations of vocal technique (her work on THE EXORCIST in particular) are quite interesting. You can listen to the segment on NPR's web site, at freshair.npr.org.

[ToddBaesen]

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Too bad that there weren't more actors like Mercedes McCambridge, who'd go to work for Welles in a movie just because he was directing it...


From A QUALITY OF MERCY
The autobiography of Mercedes McCambridge:


Only a certain breed of actor should ever even try to work for Orson Welles. I'm glad I'm one of that breed. Orson was one of the highest peaks in my life.

One day in Hollywood, when I was minding whatever was my own business, of the moment, the phone rang, and it was Orson Welles. He was filming Touch of Evil, in the late fifties, and he wanted to know if I could come out to the set in time for lunch. Sure I could. Did I have a pair of black slacks and a black sweater? Sure I had. Did I have a black leather jacket? I said I wouldn't be caught dead in a black leather jacket. He said never mind, come anyhow. I went.
At four o'clock that afternoon I was back in my house minding again whatever was my own business. I had been in a movie in the time between Orson's phone call and the stroke of four.

That's what it is like to work for Orson Welles. A phone call or a cryptic telegram giving no information whatsoever serves as the summons, and if you are like me, you drop everything and go to wherever Orson is… no script, no talk of money, billing, nothing… go!

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