Orson Welles’ candid lunchtime conversations with director Henry Jaglom will be the basis of the upcoming book “My Lunches with Orson: Conversations between Henry Jaglom and Orson Welles.”
Peter Biskind (“Easy Riders, Raging Bulls”) is editing the book using transcripts of conversations taped by Jaglom. “I’m excited about it. I’m reliving these wonderful, amazing lunches,” Jaglom recently told Slant.
The 240-page hardcover, to be published by Macmillan/ Metropolitan Books on July 9, is described by the publisher as “Welles as he has never been seen before: talking intimately, disclosing personal secrets, reflecting on the highs and lows of his astonishing career, the people he knew — FDR, Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin, Marlene Dietrich, Laurence Olivier, David Selznick, Rita Hayworth, and more — and the many disappointments of his last years. This is the great director unplugged, free to be irreverent and worse — sexist, homophobic, racist — or none of the above, because he was nothing if not a fabulator and provocateur. Ranging from politics to literature to the shortcomings of his friends and the many films he was still eager to launch, Welles is at once cynical and romantic, sentimental and raunchy, but never boring and always wickedly funny.”
Jaglom has stated he recorded their frequent lunchtime chats at Ma Maison with Welles’ knowledge. However, some Welles associates have maintained he was unaware he was being taped until shortly before his death.
The late Gary Graver, Welles’ longtime cameraman, told Wellesnet’s Larry French in 2004 that Welles was upset when he learned he had been recorded. “After Orson found out about it, he told me, ‘I always wondered why Henry would always be leaning over to look into his bag when we were having lunch. I thought he might be getting some money out to pay the check,’ but afterwards, Orson realized, no he was merely turning the tapes over. Orson was very mad about that. Anyone would be.”
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