Octopus - IT'S ALL TRUE: Memos of Intrigue.

[ToddBaesen]

Glenn:

Now I know what may be at the root of our problem... you are trying to write these posts like Orson Welles when he was doing his infamous champange commercial. Only instead of too much champange you've been imbibing too much Gin and Scotch. I'm sure are distingushed moderator, Mr. French will chastise you for being drunk online. But it's alright. As OW as Winston Churchill says, "tomorrow morning I'll be sober..."

Seriously, though, you say that I "do not recognize the incontrovertible principle that, no matter what were the facts, RKO had reason, by the haphazard way the Mercury Unit was being run from February to August 1942, to have fears that their bankruptcy position was going to be much worse as a result of its association with Orson Welles."

I'm afraid you've not been paying attention, because that, once again is a point we agree on. This is why I think Schaefer changed his mind about AMBERSONS. He was initially quite impressed by AMBERSONS (see my post about his first response to the film). I suggest that it was only after the bad previews of AMBERSONS that Schaefer realized RKO was in serious trouble with AMBERSONS and IT'S ALL TRUE.

Since Welles was in Rio and IT'S ALL TRUE might easily spiral out of control, that was certainly another red flag for Schaefer, since as we agree, Welles HAD gone over budget on both KANE and AMBERSONS and Schaefer realized IT'S ALL TRUE was certainly the most non-commercial film of the trio.

So Schaefer naturally wanted to pull the plug on IT'S ALL TRUE. But my main point is the simple fact which you cannot or will not accept: When Schaefer pulled the plug on IT'S ALL TRUE Welles was NOT over budget. So if you want to say Welles was throwing away money in Rio, or was drunk, or was sending back unusable footage, fine. But based on my reading of the facts, Welles was NOT over budget.

However, RKO spent quite a bit of time and energy promoting that story, and it's a story that essential haunted Welles the rest of his life. That is why, in my opinion, it is quite important to discredit this story. We know and agree that Welles went over budget on both KANE and AMBERSONS. But RKO didn't cancel either of those pictures and put out press stories that they were over budget. But they did do that about IT'S ALL TRUE, since it wouldn't make sense for RKO to not complete a film that was under budget. But it would make make sense to cancel it if it was a film that was over budget. Sadly Welles own escapades in Rio allowed RKO to make this story seem like it was true. But by this time, when Schaefer was gone, RKO's ultimate goal was simply to "get rid of Orson Welles" and this non-commercial film, whatever the cost.

[Glenn Anders]

You see, Todd? You ARE much more amenable after receiving that quart of Ha-Ra Club Deluxe English Dry Gin I sent you!

We have now ginned this argument down to damp sawdust, or that rasp which comes occasionally from the "Voice of Cornstarch." [He must have read McBride's book, huh?] Anyway, I do NOT say that Welles was throwing away money down in Rio. I do say that if he had continued to film IT'S ALL TRUE as he eventually conceptualized it, dealing with at least half a dozen countries in South America, he would have spent a sum considerably over any budget projected when his film armada flew and sailed off for points south.

I do NOT say that Welles was always drunk in Rio, although he was some of the time. I do say that his filming methods appear to have been something like the colonizing of the Conquistadores. He rented, leased, borrowed or commandeered sites, set part of his crew in one, two to three of them, and then marched away to conquer new worlds, leaving the technicians, assistant directors, and minor execs to deal with the details, and many of them bitterly complaining about how little was being accomplished, the time it was taking, the lousy weather, and that they did not understand what they were in Brazil for.

I do NOT say he was sending back unusable footage. But I do say, since there does not seem to have been a coherent scenario until near the end the six months, and much of the shot footage was with Welles in Rio, what he had sent back may not have SEEMED usable.

And so, if we may add the $150,000 that JOURNEY INTO FEAR was over budget to your accounting, plus an estimate of what costs were encurred by the the other Mercury Unit Personnel back in Hollywood during Welles' unexpectedly long absence, we shall have come into almost perfect agreement.

Ole! [or whatever they say in Brazil.]

Glenn

[ToddBaesen]

Wonderful...

I'll drink a glass of that terrible Paul Masson wine to that!!

[Roger Ryan]

First off - I have no additional info on Robert Meltzer (sorry Glenn).

As to "Ambersons", I've revised my prior post to clarify that I don't think Koerner directly altered the film during its initial previews; Koerner's influence on Schaefer may definitely have played a role. Looking at the existing documents, however, I have to think that Callow or his sources have the information wrong regarding the initial cutting and previewing of the film. Wise had already completed a finished 131 min. version of "Ambersons" prior to Thursday, March 12th. He wires Welles on Monday, March 16th to say that Schaefer had requested a surprise screening for Koerner and other executives. Why does Callow claim the running time for the private screening is 148 min. when the 131 min. version had already been completed? Did Wise screen an earlier rough cut for some reason? If Schaefer then asked about cutting the film down, wouldn't Wise's response be that he and Welles had already cut the film down by 17 minutes? I think Callow must be mistaken about the 148 min. running time in the same way he mistakenly claims that the Ponoma preview version was 131 minutes. According to Callow, Wise claims that Schaefer asked him to prepare an edit of "Ambersons" for Tuesday, March 17th (the Ponoma preview date) removing both porch scenes and the factory scene. But according to Jack Moss' telegram to Welles on Monday, March 23rd, that's the version that played in Pasedena on Thursday, March 19th (this version was also missing the scene between George and Jack in the bathroom, had its final third resequenced and had part of the closing boarding house scene removed). The same telegram reports that the Tuesday night Ponoma version contained the factory scene, but removed the first porch scene and all of the scenes between Isabel receiving Eugene's letter and the night of her death according to Welles' wishes, making the running time around 110 minutes. By comparison, the Pasedena version running time is estimated to be around 117 minutes, so Schaefer was actually requesting Wise to put more footage back into the film than Welles was requesting earlier that week! Supposedly the preview comments report lists the Ponoma version running time to be 131 min. (which is probably where Callow got this statistic), but this information had already been declared erroneous by Robert Carringer back in 1993.

As to the climax on the hotel ledge in "Journey Into Fear", Welles may have had a hand in directing it, but he did not edit or re-edit the scene as is evidenced by the existing early version of the film released in August, 1942. The scene is cut the same in both the early version and in the Welles-reworked version which saw release in February, 1943. Personally, I feel the climax is poorly cut and does little justice to the way the scene is described in the shooting script.

Ultimately, I guess these posts are more about the unreliability of Welles' biographers than anything. It would be nice if a book like Callow's could build on what has been uncovered before instead of repeating old errors or creating new ones. At the same time, perhaps only fanatics like myself are troubled by these kind of lapses; I'm sure Callow's book is a good read overall and I look forward to actually purchasing it!

[Tony]

Roger: I remember reading before, probably in either Carrington or This is Orson welles, that after Welles's big cut preview, Schaeffer had requested some footage to be restored for the next preview (which went better- Pasadena, wasn't it?) Sometimes I wonder if only at the beginning of the process, Scaheffer was on top of it, and personally supervising a really good edit of Ambersons (which possibly needed it), and later, when everything was coming apart for him personally, he was in such a panic that Jack Moss was shooting scenes- Jack Moss!!! It seems the poor film just got savaged as more and more people kept cutting, re-ordering, re-filming and re-scoring. And Schaeffer was out before Welles came back from Brazil, correct? So many factors doomed Ambersons: the war, Schaeffer's fall, Koerner's rise, the plight of RKO and it all tied in in a poisonous way with It's All True to doom Welles's career in Hollywood. And I think, as Todd says, this is important, as it became the image Welles had for the rest of his life: the wastrel. As Welles said: "I've had to drag this myth around with me my whole life, and just when it was finally dying, Higham, Kael, Houseman and others have revived it, hurting my possibilities to finance pictures." (my paraphrase). Welles said this around 1971, and he never finished another dramatic feature. So it is crucial to get it right, to be accurate, and if Callow has got it wrong, I believe it should be pointed out, Roger, as Callow's work, if only by it's sheer length, will be seen as the standard in years to come.

Todd: Your point that Welles was never over budget on It's All True is crucial to the story, and in my opinion you have argued it convicingly and irrefutably. Why Glenn cannot simply concede this point, I do not know, other than he's got an investment in believing Callow, Thomson, et. al., (I thought you guys were going to settle this in the pub!). However, as Roger has just shown, Callow's "scholarship" on crucial points is shoddy, therefore we cannot trust him on any point: we have to double-check with reliable sources.

Correction: Glenn and Todd: you are both under the misapprehension that Lawrence French and I are "moderators"; may I correct you: we are not moderators, we are "News posters" to the blog page, and that is all. Jeff is the only moderator on this site. As far as I know, Lawrence no longer posts on the message board, but limits himself to the amazing job he is doing on the News/blog page: he posts 99% of the material there. I post very occasionally on the News/blog, and focus on stirring up trouble here in the threads. :p

[Glenn Anders]

Tony: I congratulate you, Todd Baesen, and Larry French for fulfilling the duties that Jeff has given you. You, in particular, never fail to come through. On the matter at hand, I am about ready to let Todd and Larry argue it out among themselves. I have proposed that we all get together this Tuesday night at Booksmith, in San Francisco's Upper Haight, where David Thomson is giving a reading from his new biography of Nicole Kidman. I am about to contact Thomson, to ask him to be a mediator in the endgame of our dispute. Thomson, I'm sure you would agree, is particulary good at dealing with fabulous, if difficult to pin down, personalities like Todd and Larry -- and yourself.

[He may be out of his depth with Welles, something you will all agree, I'm sure -- though I think I could bring Todd Baesen, if not Larry French, around.]

You will not be able to make such a long trip, I understand, but I shall represent your point of view. I shall assume a dual role, participant and moderator. Thomson may not know what hit him.

Actually, Todd, Larry, Roger and I have pretty well agreed that Welles was going to lose money for RKO's bottom line, something which their corporate charter would forbid them, doubly so, the Studio being bankrupt aforehand. According to Callow, RKO's budget exec in Hollywood (head of their Overseas Sales, and evidently a most cautious and prudent man with a calculator), Reg Armour, had already determined by March, with (as it turned out) the IT'S ALL TRUE PROJECT another four months to go before "completion," that its total costs "would be $1.3m -- as much as CITIZEN KANE." [p 96.] That would mean four losing films in row, by RKO's projections, and they were right. All we are arguing now is who clipped what, when, out of THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS. The answer is that everybody, as Roger suggests, hacked and slashed at Welles' second masterpiece (including Welles, by long distance) for a couple of months.

We really no longer have an argument on the money matter, Tony -- unless you fulfill your function here, with some actual facts and sources.

Roger: As I said when you entered the discussion, I admire your work on THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS, and I would tend to accept your conclusions. I can only say that Callow spends 133 out of 444 pages of text on THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS, JOURNEY INTO FEAR, and IT'S ALL TRUE, which were being shot and processed simultaneously. [pp 18-151.] He leaves no doubt (in his mind, at least) that Koerner was calling the shots from mid march until Schaefer's resignation in June, when Koerner formally took command. All the Company's figures, as Callow presents them, were on the Koerner's faction side and against Schaefer and Welles.

Whether or not this scene or that scene was removed before another one, I cannot say. You will know better than I. All I have done is quote primary souces, such as Robert Wise in the matter. Callow's main thrust is that Welles' spent six months (admirably, for the most part) in South America, improvising an epic along the lines of QUE VIVA, MEXICO! -- which all involved had thought in the beginning was to be a little wartime propaganda film, a minor contribution to "The War Effort," a travelogue for FDR's "Good Neighbor Policy" -- while his Hollywood career, everything that he had built up to that point, went down the tubes. Callow believes that if Welles had come back when he was expected, even when he was requested, if not when he was ordered, and spent six months giving THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS and JOURNEY INTO FEAR the post production lavished on CITIZEN KANE, his career would have been assured.

For all my love and belief in Welles' work, I can't disagree.

[The last chapter of Hello Americans, as Welles departs for Europe in 1947, is fatefully entitled (as Welles would have the message for us, in MACBETH), "The Charm's Wound Up."]

All I can say about the final edit of JOURNEY INTO FEAR is that, well after his August return from South America at the end of the IT'S ALL TRUE episode, in October 1942, Welles was given two weeks, as he had requested, but under the express supervision of Koerner, to re-edit the picture. "In a sense," Callow writes, "it was better than nothing: had he had even that amount of time and those meagre facilities with which to work on THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS, it might have been a very different film. [New paragraph.] Welles devoted his alloted fortnight to cleaning up the final reels of JOURNEY INTO FEAR; this cliff-hanging sequence, as Banat pursues his quarry across the rain-spattered facade of the hotel, remains the most successful in the film." [p. 161.] He goes on to lament Welles' handicapp, "one hand behind his back," without his Mercury tech team and Bernard Herrmann's music.

But I'm inclined to agree with you Roger. JOURNEY INTO FEAR needs a proper denoument, a rosebud-sled-in-fire tag, such as Welles wanted to shoot long distance in South America. I think the best sequence is the opening, which Welles also conceived.

You will be able to sort it all out when you read the book, which is (whatever one might think here) surprisingly sypmpathetic to Welles -- as if, Callow had finally figured out what Welles was about. The book is much more thorough about the period we are discussing than McBride, who gives maybe 30 pages to THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS, fifteen pages or so to IT'S ALL TRUE, and two pages and a note to JOURNEY INTO FEAR.

[But a wealth of wonderful personal and primary stuff on THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND!]

I'm sorry you don't know anything about Bob Meltzer. I see him as another idealistic and tragic figure in our saga. His life might be the basis of a good novel or a splendid film.

Glenn

[Tony]

Glenn: just an aside: I have no function here!

[Glenn Anders]

Tony: What are we paying you for, then?

Please wrap up your Blog assignments, and return at once.

I miss you as you once were.

Glenn

[Roger Ryan]

As I mentioned earlier, this really amounts to quibbling, but I feel my posts are warranted to try and clear up the errors or misinterpretations on Callow's part. I don't have anything against the man, mind you, and am happy he has devoted a considerable amount of time writing about Welles.

Koerner may have been a silent player in the shape of "Ambersons", but Schaefer, Wise, Moss, Cotten and Welles are the ones whose fingerprints are on the finished film. I tend to think that everyone but Welles thought it was a bad idea to cut out all the scenes covering Isabel and George leaving and returning from Europe in the movie's second half. For this reason, Schaefer ordered the footage reinstated for the Pasedena showing. Interestingly, by the Monday after the Ponoma and Pasedena previews a detailed plan was already put in place by Wise, Moss and Cotten to rearrange and shorten the film; that plan parallels the released version quite closely with just a few editing alterations. Subsequent previews only determined that the ending was to be reshot as well as a couple of the existing scenes. Pretty much the whole re-edit plan was hatched over a weekend. A few of Welles' suggestions made it in, too, but nothing consequential. As has been pointed out, one of Schaefer's last acts before his departure was to approve "Ambersons" for release; before doing so, he personally requested the first kitchen scene between George, Fanny and Jack be reinstated along with the short drugstore scene. This seems to suggest that he retained some kind of interest in the film until the end.

One last comment on "Journey Into Fear": what Callow should have said was that Welles spent his two weeks in Oct. '42 cleaning up the opening reels of the film which were revised considerably; apart from the new last scene in the hotel bar, Welles hardly changed anything in the film's closing reels

[Jeff Wilson]

I think I made some notes on Robert Meltzer from my last trip to the Lilly years ago, but I'll have to dig them up. In addition to the aforementioned tasks, he also wrote for the Lady Esther-sponsored radio series, contributing at least two scripts, "Something's Going to Happen to Henry," and the unused but wonderfully titled "Hidalgo, or, Put Down That God Damned Blackjack, Sweetheart." His story would make for an interesting research project.

[Glenn Anders]

Roger: Thank you for your always erudite information. I hope that I did not imply that Koerner was directly involved in the editing of THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS. His attitude seems to have been that the film was an obligation, and he wished that RKO had never made the commitment to Welles for its production.

I also bow to your knowledge of the editing of JOURNEY INTO FEAR. Callow makes a number of mistakes, which are like the many lapses in The Road to Xanadu. He just does not seem entirely au courant with things American, though he gives evidence of having learned a lot in the years since he wrote his first book on Welles.

For instance, I've just come across this example:

"At the beginning of 1944, the great comedian Will Rogers had written Welles asking him to be a narrator for WE WILL NEVER DIE, a concert protesting against Nazi slaughter of the Jews, assuring him: YOUR APPEARANCE WILL MAKE A PROFOUND IMPRESSION." [P.253.]

Such a request would have been another example of Welles' mystical powers because, as most of us know, Rogers died in a plane crash at Point Barrow, Alaska, in 1935. Callow is referring to sometime actor and politician, Representative Will Rogers, Jr., the humorist's son. He gives no indication of Welles' response, but the concert was held and many distinguished people of the time took part, including Edward G. Robinson. Perhaps, there might be a connection with Robinson appearing two years later in THE STRANGER, which deals, using footage from the Nazi Death Camps, with Welles' anger that American policy was so indifferent to the mass extermination of tens of millions of people in the final years of the War.

[This passage comes from the British Edition, and may have been corrected in the American publication.]

And so, despite his considerable documentation, it is possible that Callow got it wrong in his understanding of the final edit for JOURNEY INTO FEAR.

Glenn

[Glenn Anders]

Jeff: Thank you. Anything you have would be useful.

Callow does say that Meltzer was a "dedicated Marxist," and that he had been an assistant to Charlie Chaplin in the making of THE GREAT DICTATOR. If so, his death on June 6, 1944, may be doubly ironic and poignant.

Glenn

[tonyw]

:( The error about Will Rogers is also in the American version of the Callow biography I am currently reading. Despite having finally understood the historical circumstances motivating Welles in this period, errors do occur in this book as Roger has astutely pointed out. Also Callow can not resist a few personal swipes at Welles which marred THE ROAD TO XANADU.

McBride's project is different: a development of Jonathan Rosenbaum's thsis of Welles as independent director based on archive evidence and the writer's own personal involvement in OSTW. Despite his admiration for Welles, McBride's biography is not 100% reverential since he does record the difficult aspects of Welles's personality. He documents in detail the later phase of Welles's career, hence the brief number of pages given to AMBERSONS as opposed to the huge number Callow gives in his continuing magnum opus. However, McBride has proved one indispiutable fact: IT'S ALL TRUE was NOT over budget.

[Glenn Anders]

Tony: I am enjoying McBride. I think he does deal with Welles' thorny side, but he finds that failing as part of the full dimension of the man.

As for your continued assertion that Welles was not over budget on IT'S NOT TRUE, I take it you are pulling my leg.

Otherwise, consider this fact: Aside from being able to use some of the Rio shoot as stock footage, RKO had to take an almost total loss on whatever they epended because nothing integral was produced from it all until Richard Wilson turned out his documentary, fifty years later.

Glenn

[Tony]

Glenn: what is it about Todd's quotes that doesn't convince you that IAT never reached it's $1.3 million budget? When production was suspended, they had spent nowhere near that, and if they had finished, would have also gotten the $300,000 government money to defray the final costs.. Please don't add Journey or Ambersons into the mix: those are separate contracts and deals. Purely on it's own It's All True was simply never over budget. Todd has spent days explaining this simplest of facts to you, but for some reason you resist admitting this. Pray tell, why? Honestly, I can't understand your truculence on this issue: it's a simple statement of mathematical fact.