Ed Wood

[Terry]

Like Alan Young in drag.

[catbuglah]

It would have been cool:cool: if Burton had actually chosen Orson as the symbol for enthusiastic, non-conformist, creative independance:blues: - The qualities of his Wood film would methinks transpose quite well indeed to an equivalent slice of the Maestro's career - say his '40-48 Hollywood period - Frida - that Salma Hayek film is another artist biopic that I feel succeeds in integrating the artist's work into the story - along with those little fantasy computer animation bits that serve to incorporate some of the artist's own esthetic style into the fabric of the film...

[Terry]

Burton did the Ed Wood film because someone sent him a script that he liked. He was asked to produce it and wanted to direct as well.

Someone needs to write that 1940s Welles vs Hollywood script and pass it around.

[catbuglah]

Sounds like a plan ??? Ed Wood DVD + Heylin book + Family pack of M & M's + 5l bottle of Jack Daniels + weekend in hotel room :blues: = killer film script : The Wonder Years : Orson Welles vs. Hollywood (The madcap capers of a happy go lucky, fun, funny, charmingly innocent boy genius and his rollickin' colorful Mercury Theater bunch of excentrics as they take Hollywood by storm in that crazy golden age of the silver screen - that can be the advertising copy - it'll be more like enthusiastic, charismatic boy genius revolutionizes theater, radio and film and the fascinating, thought-provoking and entertaining political and financial power struggles that ensue - :;): :laugh:

[Clive Dale]

It was essentially impossible in those days to independently finance films.

Look what Orson has to go through and he'd already proven his genius.

How did Ed Wood get the money to make so many (yes very low budget) films?

[The Night Man]

It was essentially impossible in those days to independently finance films.

For directors this was very true, but Sam Spiegel, David O. Selznick, Walter Wanger, and Mark Hellinger managed as producers, in those days, to work (more or less) independently. Had Welles and Houseman not split, they might have been able to accomplish something similar as a team.

[jaime marzol]

i agree, if welles and houseman had stayed together, just like spiegle, they would have been working. welles' downfall was when the money men had to deal directly with him. schaffer replaced houseman, but after schaffer he never had another buffer.

oh, that's right, this is an ed wood thread.... ed was his own buffer, and fared better than welles in quantity.

ed had something. when i was 8 or 9 years old Plan 9 showed on tv. I didn't see it again till i was 30 or so, but when i saw it i knew this is that film i saw when i was a kid. it stayed with me all those years; the flying saucers over hollywood scene, and all the graveyard scenes, and especially Vampyra.

[Terry]

I think Ed Wood probably spent less money on all his films than Orson Welles spent on any of the lavish parties his gave with Desi Arnaz's money.

Ed was plugged into the Z-grade movie circuit and apparently handled those money men better than Orson ever did. Even had Welles been a better huckster, he couldn't have gotten enough money from a Baptist church to finance a picture. Maybe to finance a nice meal, though.

Even at that, Wood directed only a very few films, and found himself working in the porn industry. At least Welles didn't accept that Bob Guccione bread and appear in Caligula. I always wondered which part they wanted him for, Tiberius (which went to Peter O'Toole) or Nerva (which went to John Gielgud.)

Ha ha, Jaime. :p

[jaime marzol]

where did you read about desi and orson? i'd be interested in that. all i've read about that period is where an executive from desilu discussed the un-commercial product FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH was, welles went off on him for discussing crass commercialism with him. same book said welles left desilu with a big phone, and grocery bill. in hindsight, desilu was wrong. had they put out FOUNTAIN, welles would have been able to continue working there. so many things in welles' life are like that. by the time they figure out that the product he created is good, it's too late to do him any good.

[Eve]

regarding the "un-commercial product FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH"
although it's really only small trivia ...
on ebay there's currently an auction for a lot of documents, including a letter from Desi Arnaz to Welles (referring to FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH?, dated June 6, 1956), stating that " ... I think you have come up with the most original, interesting, entertaining and commercial television show in the last five years ..." ?

Artfact's eBay Liveauctions Support
and the item: 67: ORSON WELLES DOCUMENT ARCHIVE

[NoFake]

Omigosh! According to the description, this lot has "a large collection of original letters, correspondence, writing projects, documents, and related items to [Welles'] personal and professional career c. 1955 -1957. Included are over one dozen folders of material..." well, I won't continue, because Eve wonderfully provided the link. But who is this "julien entertainment," and where did he get a hold of this stuff (outside of robbing the Lilly..?)

[jaime marzol]

my god, that's incredible. i just zoomed in on that letter. i wonder what happened. the tide sure turned on the feelings expressed in that letter. also, some one here posted a link to bio from the male lead, not the old guy but the young guy that was in the COMBAT tv show. he told how orson would blow off desi every time desi came by the set.

that letter from desi is full of excitment at what orson made. you think desi was swayed by his underling to bury the project? what other explanation could there be? the hearst people?

[Le Chiffre]

According to a 1982 interview with Welles by Bill Krohn, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez were very happy with THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH, and wanted Welles to continue the series. But Welles had already gone back to Europe and had other commitments. Welles said Lucille Ball never forgave him for that.

Someone should alert the Lilly Library so they could buy those documents from ebay.

[Eve]

Someone should alert the Lilly Library so they could buy those documents from ebay.

I really hope someone will do it ... and there is even more on ebay from "julien entertainment":
documents from 1943-1957: 66: ORSON WELLES DOCUMENT ARCHIVE
... membership cards, a signed contract for Dinah!, an oil portrait of Welles and a lot of photographs owned by Welles, two incredible photos showing Welles and Marilyn Monroe(!) receiving an award, and also one other ... practically indescribable item ... it's worth checking out
(ranging from 57-68)!
It seems that at least a large portion of the items was owned by Greg Garrison ... there are four wonderful pieces of artwork by Welles ...
here's one: 61: ORSON WELLES ORIGINAL ARTWORK

[Jeff Wilson]

I find it amusing that in the piece of artwork done for Garrison, that the listing describes Welles as signing it with the nickname of of his wife, which reads from "Orson and Oja." Whoops!

Looking at the full list of items, why would anyone want Welles' x-rays from when he injured his foot during the KANE shoot? Beyond just morbid obsessiveness, I mean?



Edited By Jeff Wilson on 1129909164