Who Killed the Federal Theater? - Public TV documentary this fall

[Glenn Anders]

Thanks, Jeff, I'll do it.

Glenn

[allegra]

An intriguing footnote in the “Voices” book (to the Jeff Corey interview) that may shed some light on the reason Welles readily agreed to George Schaefer’s suggestion that the Victorville “American” be rechristened “Citizen Kane.” According to the note, the 1939 play “Life and Death of an American” (which played – of all places – at the Maxine Elliott Theatre, or “Maxine Elliott’s Theatre,” as a photo in the book has it) was one of the Federal Theatre’s most successful and critically acclaimed plays – “called ‘the most superb stage production in America.’” Its theme? “It centered around Jerry Dorgan, ‘first kid of the 20th century, born at twelve seconds past midnight, born to grow with America, with the century.” In the words of its main character, ‘Everybody counts.’” An image I doubt -- to put it mildly! -- Orson would have wanted associated with Kane...

[Glenn Anders]

Dear Allegra: Thank you for this interesting discovery. I'm not sure there is a real connection. In the late 1930's, because of the trauma of the First World War and the Great Depression, there were a great number of pieces, throughout the Arts, on the subject of what was the role of America in the World, and who was "An American."

Still, the origins of the title has always been a puzzle. Perhaps, as Welles had his main characater suggest himself, Kane was just "An American," both blessed and damned by the name. There is perhaps a connection to Danton's Death, a Mercury Production, which dealt with the question of who is the loyal and best citizen of a republic. And there was the suggestion of Cain and Abe. And there are the later references in many Kane's films to "canes," sometimes seen as a reference to Welles' often sprained and broken ankles, from early in his youth.

But your reference has a crazy logic, brought forth by Jeff Corey, who as a young actor, at the time, was soon to make his 1941 movie debut on the RKO Lot in THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER, just after the Mercury went into production of CITIZEN KANE there. He would certainly have known, and been interested in, many of the Mercury connections from New York to Hollywood.

The music for The Life and Death of an American was by Alex North, soon related to Elia Kazan stage projects, such as those other great images of "An American": Death of a Salesman and A Streetcar Named Desire" [also, for the Movie].

Also assisting with the music for The Life and Death of an American was Earl Robinson, who wrote "Ballad for Americans," that electrifying song introduced by Paul Robeson to a National Radio Audience in 1939, sung at Carnagie Hall, and at the Republican Convention of 1940.

Finally, George Sklar, author of The Life and Death of an American, eight years later, helped turn Vera Caspary's novel Laura into a 1947 Broadway play, following its success as Otto Preminger's Movie (1944), which has a . . . KANE influenced development.

It's a kind of round robin!

Really interesting stuff, Allegra.

Does anyone else have other connections?

Glenn

[mteal]

Jeff,
The factors you cite from the Federal Theatre show, including anti-communism, as well as the reaction against radical agendas and New Deal policies, were certainly all very potent propoganda forces that worked against the Federal Theatre. But Robbins argues that these forces were partly just smokescreens for plain old-fashioned racism. Makes me wonder about the underlying motivation, not only of the commitees of Martin Dies, but also the later political witchhunts of the McCarthy era.

Glenn,
You're right about the reference to canes that runs throughout Welles' films. There's a brilliant article from the early 80s by Beverle Huston, "Power and Dis-integration in the Films of Orson Welles", which points out that maiming of the legs is also a common element in Welles movies, from George Minafer getting both legs broken, to the limp of Arthur Bannister and Hank Quinlan, whose legs apparently feel strong enough after murdering Uncle Joe Grandi to accidently leave his cane behind. What it all means I don't know, but it's interesting.

[Jeff Wilson]

Without having read Robbins' allegations, I can't really comment on them, but Dies was certainly a staunch anti-communist, being the founder of the HUAC. While racism no doubt played some part in the eventual death of the Federal Theater, I find it difficult to believe it was the primary motivating factor, without seeing further evidence of it.

[Glenn Anders]

Dear Gang: Thank you for the kind responses to my remarks.

Here is something else. I came across it, completely by accident, while looking up something else, a couple of days ago. No doubt some of you will already have discussed it, perhaps dismissed the reference, but I found the information intriguing, and I think it fits into the turn our the discussion has taken.

Peter Farley has evidently published, online, a book on the connections of Mormonism with Masonic, ancient Mediterranean and pagan mythology: shared symbols, metaphors, architecture, building decorations, etc. I have no idea what his real purposes are, but I looked him up for references to pagan decorations on a tabernacle in Tempe, Arizona.

----------------

Farley writes, in Chapter 22:

In Egyptian Magic, at the moment of birth the “Ego” joins the body; the double forms of the Celestially and Terrestrially generated bodies are recognizable. This is to say the circling ‘Hammemit’ (or primal entity) throws off an emanation which is called the Ka or double of the new-born child, and this form is linked with the earthly body by means of another principle, the AB. Between the two a veil is drawn that blocks the new-born child from remembering his true self and the higher worlds. This is the veil which must be lifted to enter the ‘heavenly’ kingdoms.


It is this process which gave rise to the theory of cosmic twins – a theory which can be seen occurring again and again throughout our history. It is very apparent in the legend of the Dioscuri, or the ‘sons of Zeus’ who became the constellation Gemini, or The Twins. It is also the same idea brought down from the original brothers Cain and Abel, one rumored to be immortal through birth from a god-like parent, the other mortal.

The AB (will) referred to here is one of the highest interpretations of the Holy Grail itself for it was also known as the Red Vessel of the Heart (the ‘rosebud’ of Citizen Kane fame, that which the very wealthy, very powerful Mr. Kane had lost along the way, represented by the sled –seen also as being imprisoned in the glass ball). This association of the Grail with the Red Vessel of the Heart makes sense of the name Rosicrucian (or rosy-dew cup), and also of the Grail’s association with a cup (vessel). It is represented in the Book of the Dead as containing an egg, and a concave germ: when this concave germ is developed by cultivation the real life and full development of the Ego could begin (by use of the ancient mysteries and through the initiations of various secret societies): that is to say the KA (ego) could progress in its celestial evolution, just as the body could progress in its terrestrial evolution. This is where we get such words as Kabbalah, Kaaba, and many others related to ancient Egyptian philosophy.

----------------

Thinking of Orson Welles' early works, from his early plays, such as Bright Lucifer, on, we can see the presentation of brothers, fraternal, demonic or friendly, and of a form of mutual betrayal which often occurs. In the instance, Welles' disturbed brother, whom he alternately tried to hide, and to take care of, comes to mind; his bond with his mother, and her premature death, over which he was guilt stricken and remembered all his life; his repeated allusions to having caused his father's death. His lifelong interest in magic performance fits in here, as does his fascination with theater, radio and film itself. It was the wonderful and terrible magic of it all.

And then, there are the "twins" in his works and life: Black (and white) Macbeth and Banquo; Faust and the Devil; Brutus and Cassius (or Caesar); Danton and Robbiespierre; Kane and Leland (or his mother?); George and Eugene (or Fanny?); Welles and Jacare, the Nazi and his old kameraden, Arkadin and Zouk . . . .

I could go on -- and so may you -- but certainly the references and images in KANE, to the globe at the start, Kane looking at it, and being within it; Coleridge's Pleasure Dome "which Kubla Khan did decree"; the globe of memoirs and memory found in the Thatcher Library; little Charlie's mother closing the window, leaving her boy in the snow; the dome (skylight) in the roof of Susan's Jersey nightclub; the bridge over old Leland's hospital; the picture of "the best reporters in the World" behind the plate glass of the newspaper; the rain-streaming windows of Bernstein's skyscraper offices; Leland looking at the ceiling of the new Chicago Opera House as he listens to Susan sing; the whisky glass beside the drunken Leland, the (cut out) scene of the Kane Tomb, with its mordant inscription, etc, etc . . . .

It is certainly a provocative reference. If correct, "Rosebud" goes back a long way for Welles and his Art.

Regards.

Glenn

[Oscar Christie]

Re: "Who Killed the Federal Theater?"

The Congressional hearings on WPA - 891 foreshadowed Mcarthyism and the culture wars of the 1990's.

Now, ironically, the Bush Administration is proposing a significant increase in the budget for the National Endowment for the Arts, with the additional funds to go for a revival of the Federal Theater's "Living Theater" program to bring theater to outlying areas.

[Glenn Anders]

True, Oscar. Ironic. Very ironic.

But of course, the new Federal Theater and Arts project will only present accepted and assimulated masterpieces, not new and revolutionary pieces.

Yet, someone seeing Death of a Salesman for the first time may get the idea.

Unless, there are hoards of explicators to tell audiences that Willy Loman is not a symbol for what our system does to a majority of our citizens, but simply a jerk who got off on the wrong foot, but eventually saw the life and found a tragic method to save the family homestead. [Though it's obvious that a good insurance examiner would raise questions.]

It really does double back to Tim Robbins' thesis in CRADLE WILL ROCK that, in the late '30s, Wall Street and Madison Avenue colluded in the idea of commodifying Art.

Glenn

[blunted by community]

i thought the end of the depression killed the federal theater

[Glenn Anders]

For close to 40,000,000 Americans, the depression is still with them, Blunted, or with them anew.

Glenn

[blunted by community]

that is why we have zoloft and prozac

[blunted by community]

i think we call it recession today.

[Glenn Anders]

Ah, Blunted, but without a really timely Federal Theater, and with Art sold like fish, perhaps zoloft and prozac are the present Establishment's answer. But if the real estate market goes down, those sedatives will not be enough, and we shall have to give up the euphemism "recession" and face the old fashioned term.

Time will tell.

Glenn

[blunted by community]

ah, the subject of art and commerce has always been a catch22. this is why it's best for an artist to adopt a form of expression that permits him to illiminate the man with the money from the creative process. if your art is putting your hand in your armpit and flaping your arm up and down furiously to make farting noises, you don't need need a benefactor. you would have a form of expression that bypasses the funding-kings, much like rap music did.

i would be opposed to a federal theater. it sounds too.... iron curtan-ish to me. the federal theater sounds like a place where the audience in attendance wears identical brown wool uniforms. very depressing. oops! there is that word again.

perhaps a federal theater that did not butt-in once it forked over the dough?