Despite the System reviewed in Sunday Times - Orson Welles Versus Hollywood Studios

[Tony]

Fantastic , Glenn;
Everybody must be on their best behaviour, or else we'll scare her away, and she'd quite probably the world's greatest living expert on Welles in Brazil.

This is a coup for the board! Congratulations Glenn!!

We should probably think up some good questions for her....

[Knowles Noel Shane]

I've got one - what was Welles doing down there for NINE MONTHS? Kind of long for a location shoot. No wonder the studio wound up unsympathetic.

[jaime marzol]

there was a ban on civilian travel because of the war. welles could not get back home and wise could not get to welles.

by the time the hatchet man from rko was able to reach brazil, jacare had already died, and welles was already commited to following through till this film was made.

i have a letter from veiller to welles that i found fascinating, veiller tells welles how much he loved his incredible film, and what a shame that they now had to monkey with it and add a plot to it. this was in late 1944, or 45. so in between writing the OW almanac, doing radio shows, speaking at rallys, writing the stranger, struggling with hayworth, drinking, womanizing, he was also editing the brazilian footage. they were all using speed. dexedrine.

welles was sued by RKO in 45 because he defaulted on a payment for the south american footage. rko took it back and eventually dumped a bunch of it in the ocean. he also gave then his percentage of kane as partial payment. what a shame he was such a lousy business man

i have footage footage welles shot in south america that has not been seen in any documentary, and all welles filmed whites and blacks ambracing and dancing.

there is this very interesting letter in the fanto collection where they took a small plane and flew along the coast of brazil for about 9 hours, looking for locations.

i find this whole part of his life real interesting. can't imagine what it must have been for the impetuous welles to be stuck in south america, not able to get to his film, everything here unraveling.

[Knowles Noel Shane]

I knew the travel restriction prevented Bob Wise from getting down to Rio, but I hadn't realized that it also prevented Welles from getting back to America again. That casts an entirely different light on matters.

[jaime marzol]

i don't know that for a fact, i assumed that he could not fly to the US. but if he did fly to the US then he would not be able to get back, so one way or another, he's stuck.

[Tony]

Jaime:
Here's 2 letters from George Schaeffer and Herbert Drake (Mercury Press rep) to Welles in Brazil ( pasted from the Ambersons site: http://www.ambersons.com/Memos.htm ) which would seem to indicate that not only could Welles return earlier than he did, bit that Schaeffer and Drake wanted and expected him to:

With THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS now undergoing drastic revisions in Hollywood, Welles was facing a whole new set of problems in Rio. With much of the allocated budget for IT'S ALL TRUE already spent, Schaefer sensed that costs might continue to escalate, and became alarmed at Welles' proposal to film a spectacular finale at Rio's Urca Casino.

GEORGE SCHAEFER TO ORSON WELLES:

April 16, 1942

DEAR ORSON:

HAVE BEEN TRYING, ALL DAY YESTERDAY AND AGAIN TODAY BUT UNSUCCESSFUL. YOUR CABLE WAS RECEIVED AND I HAVE FULL APPRECIATION OF YOUR PRODUCTION DIFFICULTIES SO FAR AWAY FROM HOME. BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, I MUST TAKE FIRM POSITION AND CANNOT PERMIT MONEY TO BE EXPENDED AT RATE YOU ARE PLANNING - AND I MUST KNOW WHEN YOU EXPECT TO FINISH. YOU HAVE BEEN AWAY FOR THREE MONTHS NOW AND SURELY WE EXPECTED YOU BACK LONG BEFORE THIS. ON TOP OF THIS, RECORDS INDICATE YOU SPENT $33,000 IN MARCH. THIS IS ALL OUT OF PROPORTION TO WHAT WE EVER ESTIMATED. WE CANNOT GO ALONG ON THAT BASIS EVEN IF WE HAVE TO CLOSE DOWN SHOW AND ASK YOU TO RETURN. THIS IS HOW SERIOUS SITUATION IS. WITH RESPECT TO MY OWN APPREHENSION, I MUST CONTACT YOU BY PHONE WITHIN 24 HOURS AS THERE ARE SOME DEVELOPMENTS THAT LOOK VERY UNPLEASANT IN MANY DIRECTIONS.

As George Schaefer's position as head of RKO (as well as the Mercury's chief supporter) becomes extremely precarious, Herbert Drake, the press representative for Mercury productions, sent Welles this plan to help with his public relations efforts regarding IT'S ALL TRUE and the increasingly hostile RKO regime, which will soon be headed by RKO vice-president, Charles Koerner.

HERBERT DRAKE TO ORSON WELLES (excerpt):

June 1, 1942

You have got to come home right away - hugely - and not sneak in on a plane. You must return with trumpets and banners because the campaign really needs a good hot fillip of the old Welles personality. I have been planting pretty solid stuff locally and nationally and I think we have made par for the course. There have been two other Welles pictures to keep alive, and the RKO anti-Welles battle to fight. It has never been so virulent. The juggling act done by your press office here has been nothing short of extraordinary. I'm as nervous as a cat, and being without information all the time has made things really tough. But a real bang-up arrival can take the newspapers' attention off Kirkoff and Ann Sheridan and focus the limelight on you.

There is a widespread, nurtured campaign to prove you have been spending too much time and wasting too much money in Brazil; that "Ambersons" is no good, and "Fear", ditto. This has gone so far as a personal visit by Koerner to the Hollywood Reporter. As I wrote Wilson, Billy Wilkerson informed his staff that he was quoting Schaefer when he said "Koerner told Wilkerson that RKO would on no condition ever allow you to work in the studio again".

I have shown Ambersons on two occasions to the picture papers, once when it was two hours twenty minutes long and once at one hour thirty three minutes - the final version. They liked it both times, from "Beautiful" (Life) to "Better then Kane" (UP). So, you need a splash arrival.

It will be tough to get Nelson Rockefeller's cooperation, since the whole intent of the Coordinator's office is to avoid anything that looks like publicity. Nothing you can say and nothing I can say can impress anyone with the importance of the expedition, as opposed to the film itself. I can always sell them the idea that your pictures will be magnificent, but they have been hearing about neighborly expeditions for some years now, and Disney's Saludos Amigos took the cream off the idea. However, if someone in Washington will come out with a Thank You statement to you, you will return a conquering hero.

[Tony]

Jaime:
Are you referring to Anthony Veillor who co-wrote the stranger?

[Glenn Anders]

I should think it is Anthony Veiller, Tony. He was associated with Huston much of his career, and hence occasionally with Welles.

The last memo you quote raises the question which must have rankled Welles: Why WAS there never a big official welcome, and at least, a "many thanks for your efforts"?

Welles stirred up too many hornets nests, of all kinds, I suppose.

Glenn

[jaime marzol]

yes, tony, that veiller. because of the dates on the papers, it seems to me that when welles came on board THE STRANGER, he became associated with veiller, and probably screened the film for him, thus the letter.

[Jaime N. Christley]

JONATHAN ROSENBAUM: My friend Catherine Benamou {...} has a problem of not being able to complete things.

Wow, with friends like that...

That's the sort of thing that can screw with someone's reputation. If a prospective employer or publisher saw that, it's fair to say they wouldn't interpret it as a friendly gesture.

"Hi folks, meet my dear, dear friend, Bob Smith. He's an alcoholic with huge gambling debts and to top it off, he's a convicted sex offender."