The Killing of RFK - A Welles-related book review

[PT Caffey]

Thank you Glenn and Mteal for your comments.

I think Welles’ interest in political assassinations was likely as much epistemological as political.

Jorge Luis Borges once famously praised “Citizen Kane” as “a labyrinth without a center.” Just as easily, Borges could have been describing the Report of the Warren Commission. Indeed, the shocking convolutions of modern American political history routinely spawn Byzantine narratives replete with minute detail and ever-increasing nuance. Yet such painstaking elaboration usually leads us away from true meaning. The center remains a mystery. Yet it’s this mystery that attracts the artist, again and again—and this seems especially true of Welles.

Secret Honor

The aforementioned “Secret Honor” is a very entertaining film, highlighted by a terrific performance of Philip Baker Hall as Nixon. It’s due out on a Criterion Collection DVD in October. It offers a truly alternative history of Watergate and Nixon’s resignation. In this version, Nixon resigns as an act of self-sacrifice to prevent a coup orchestrated by even “darker forces.”

Of course, Nixon had a longstanding Howard Hughes connection, and Hughes figures in Welles’ “F for Fake.” But there’s another intriguing synchronicity. In 1941, Welles premiered “Citizen Kane” in what had been a live theater venue, the El Capitan (later known as the Paramount) on Hollywood Boulevard. On September 23, 1952, in a bid to quell a scandal that threatened his spot on the Eisenhower ticket, Nixon went on NBC television to deliver his infamous “Checkers speech.” The venue was the El Capitan Theater. Imagine the ghosts rubbing shoulders there.

[Le Chiffre]

That is an interesting coincidence.

I remember hearing THE BEGATTING OF THE PRESIDENT lp about 15 years ago at a Welles film fest in Woodstock, IL (where Welles had his 1934 summer theatre fest with Macliamior and Edwards). After the showing of CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT, someone put the lp on in the now-darkened theatre. While most of the people milled around in the reception area, a handful of us stayed and listened to Welles' voice projecting eerily out of the blackness of the Woodstock stage. It was a strange and memorable experience and I'd like to hear that lp again to find out why it (reportedly) got Welles in some trouble from the government.

Kane's "Labyrinth without a center" applies not only to the Warren commission but also probably to the later years of Howard Hughes as well. On a LAUGH-IN rerun recently there was (circa-late-60's) joke about J. Paul Getty giving Nelson Rockefeller a birthday present: Howard Hughes.

Glenn,
The talk between Ohara and Grisby (who was based on Rockefeller) about atomic annihilation reminds me of one of the OW radio commentaries from 1945 where Welles protests the impending obliteration of Bikini island, a "south seas paradise straight out of a romantic novel", which was about to be sacrificed for A-bomb research. Welles does indeed complain about the "idiot complacency" of the American public, and hoped the blast would create a tidal wave that would wipe out all national governments and mapmaker's pencils. The bomb to be used was named after Welles' then-wife Rita Hayworth, who demanded that her name be taken off it. Don't know if her request was granted or not. I doubt it.

[Glenn Anders]

The richness of these anecdotes continue to expand our understanding of the scope of Welles' reach.

Excellent.

Glenn

[PT Caffey]

The defunct Ambassador Hotel, known as the site of RFK's assassination, now sits empty and gated like Xandu. Now and then, it's used as a movie location. One such movie filmed there (in part) was George Hickenloper's version of Welles' The Big Brass Ring.

[Le Chiffre]

Interesting. Do you know which parts? After seeing the film and reading Welles' screenplay I find myself wondering if Welles didn't loosely base Blake Pelleran in part on yet another Kennedy, Ted Kennedy. But that's just a wild guess.

[R Kadin]

mteal You were wondering about Rita Hayworth's success in having the Bikini Island/Atoll A-Bomb renamed. I believe the device that was set off was actually dubbed "Gilda" (not "Rita"), after her bombshell character, and had her picture pasted to it. I'm unaware of any earlier intention to name it after her, proper. So, if she did, indeed, attempt to distance herself from it, she was, sadly and at best, only partly successful at doing so.

[Glenn Anders]

You may have something, mteal. The symbolic comparison of Ted Kennedy and his older brothers makes sense. The deeper, less topical inspiration, I think, may lie in Orson Welles' relationship with his older brother. You might want to look at a review I did of THE BIG BRASS RING for further details:

THE BIG BRASS RING --

http://www.epinions.com/content_28860059268

Glenn

[Le Chiffre]

Thanks for the info, R. Kadin.

That's a very good article, Glenn. Unfortunately I don't have the time or energy right now to comment on it as fully as it deserves, but here are some casual observations:

You say Welles was inspired by Gore Vidal's THE BEST MAN? Would you happen to have a source on this? Vidal's wonderful essay REMEMBERING ORSON WELLES also has a nice synopsis of Welles' original BBR screenplay, and asserts that the Cela Brandini character was probably based on Oriana Fallaci, a famous writer in Europe. I've only skimmed one of her books at Borders one time, but she seemed pretty far right. I think you're right that Nigel Hawthorne's portrayal seems closer to Vidal then to Welles.

It's been at least three years since I've seen it, but one of the things I didn't like about Hickenlooper's film was the parochialization of the story's setting. The original screenplay had an enormous, globe-trotting scope, like Mr. Arkadin, and as you mention, winds up in Tangier, like the old Lives of Harry Lime episode, A TICKET TO TANGIER (which Welles wrote). The film, on the other hand, takes place mostly in Missouri (perhaps for budgetary reasons). The Missouri location does allow Hickenlooper to make one very interesting comparism between Conrad's HEART OF DARKNESS and Twain's HUCKLEBERRY FINN, but there didn't seem to be many other advantages to it.

I agree that the film seems to stress Welles' personal life in cryptic ways, particularly his mysterious upbringing. Your observations about BRIGHT LUCIFER are fascinating. I saw the Madison production of it a few years ago and found the whole thing to be pretty way out and baffling, but your contention that it may have been a parable about Welles' relationship to his own brother Richard puts the story in a much clearer light. Certainly the teen-age Orson Welles was making a groping attempt to exorcize some kind of inner demons with this play. Welles like to refer to The Mercury Theatre as his "family", perhaps to disguise the fact that the only real family he had was a stammering schizophrenic.

[Glenn Anders]

Dear mteal: Yes, Oriana Falacci would be a good match for the reporter, possibly early in her career. She was very influential in the time Welles was writing and trying to produce THE BIG BRASS RING. She interviewed many celebrities of all sorts and had an uncanny ability to get out of them little known facts about them, and corners of their character.

When I was working fairly recently on a review of Kubrick's SHINING, I found an interview she did with Shelly Duvall which cleared up a great mystery about the ending of the film. (And sent me off on an interesting odyssey):

http://www.epinions.com/content_107498016388

Afraid, I'm doubly chagrined that I keep losing this reply, and that I can't cite you a reference to the inspiration Gore Vidal gave to Welles in writing THE BIG BRASS RING. I'm not in the habit of indulging in fantasy here, and the detail in my review seems so sure and positive, there has to be a source. Unfortunately, the notes from which I wrote those reviews were lost long ago in a couple of "sick computer" incidents. The Intenet resources, which I spent much time revisiting, were no help, but you know how the passing of a couple of months can turn a google pages upside down. My book references don't have it either, and the only thing I can suggest is that, although it seems awfully late, the attribution occurs in This Is Orson Welles, either in the book or on the tapes, which I no longer have. Perhaps, The Magic World of Orson Welles might have it, which I've lent to someone.

I too wish that George Hickenlooper, who once seemed so promising, had shown some of Welles' expansiveness in his version of THE BIG BRASS RING. As I note at the end of my review, the film as it stands has taken on an uncanny relevance to the present political situation. Think what it might have been, had he projected the protagonist onto a National and World stage, as Welles would have done! The re-make of THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE pales to insignificance.

[Note what I turned up in my research, that Hickenlooper, as I might have guessed, is the grand nephew of the long-time conservative U.S. Senator Bourke Hickenlooper, and that his collaborator Feeny was a speech writer for Jerry Brown in his Presidential bid. They have earned their political chops from both sides of the aisle.]

We are on the money, I'm sure, about the primal origins of Hickenlooper's . . . BRASS RING in the difficult, dysfunctional relationship that Welles had with his brother. Perhaps, Oja Kodar may have added some details of that relationship. She seems to have been the closest woman confidant Welles ever had. She would have appreciated his most private angst.

I wonder why she has never written a book on their longtime relationship?

Anyway, I hope this helped.

Glenn

[R Kadin]

If it's of any help, in his article, "Remembering Orson Welles" (1989), Vidal recalls many a political conversation with Welles (including Welles' memories of his own short-lived dalliance with potential candidacy) around the time of Vidal's primary run at the Senate and he provides a lengthy synopsis of the plot of The Big Brass Ring. Apparently the two figured prominently enough in Vidal's memory to make sure they're included in what amounts to less than a 6,000-word piece.

[Glenn Anders]

It helps, Rkadin, perhaps not enough to make the link to Vidal's THE BEST MAN, but it does help. "Remembering Welles," as you suggest, includes a wealth of anecdote in a short space about Orson Welles. Vidal tells us that one of his initial personal experiences with celebrity was, at the age of eighteen, seeing Welles with Rita Hayworth on his arm. Vidal ends "Remembering Welles" by praising the script of THE BIG BRASS RING, saying it represents Welles "at the top of his glittering form."

For a personality and writer with something of a raging but diffident ego, there may be a clue there that Vidal had given Welles advice on the script. He obviously suggests that he has read it.

Your observation on Vidal's conversations with Welles on political matters also fits. As you no doubt are aware, Vidal is related to the Gore family. His maternal grandfather was distinguished populist Senator Thomas P. Gore (D-Ok), who used to bring Vidal as youngster into the Well of the Senate. Vidal is thus related to Senator, Vice President, recent Presidential Nominee Al Gore, and his step-father was Hugh Auchinclos of a powerful Eastern familly, with Washington connections, which gained him some intimacy with Jackie Kennedy.

All of this connects to Welles, too, in that Welles fancied himself related to all sorts of political figures, such as Civil War Cabinet Officer, Gideon Wells and New Deal Diplomat Sumner Welles. And like, Vidal, Welles had made overtures to a political career, after being of help to FDR in radio presentations and campaign speeches.

Incidentally, John Huston was related to Gores of the Middle Border States, and that would seem to be one more of the coincidences, which linked the careers of these talented men.

Thank you, Rkadin.

Glenn

[Le Chiffre]

Glenn,
Thanks for the link to another interesting article, although I didn't see any mention of Oriana Fallaci in it. And just an FYI, THE EXORCIST was directed by William Friedkin, not Polanski.

I've never really thought that much of Kubrick's THE SHINING, but that's very interesting that he showed Lynch's ERASERHEAD (one of my favorite movies) to his crew before production began; I'd never heard that before. Too bad he didn't make as good of a film. Those metaphors about the American Indian don't come across very effectively at all in the film.

Have you ever considered writing a book? Looks like you've already written practically a book's worth at Epinions. I have no idea which would be more lucrative, but your writing style reminds me of Peter Conrad, and your range of knowledge is almost as impressive as his. His book also describes the ancient Labyrinth story of Theseus and the Minotaur and how it pertains to Welles. It seems to have a kinship with the modern bullfight, and MOBY DICK is described as a kind of bullfight on the sea. Speaking of MOBY DICK (Huston's film, that is), here's one more tidbit from Conrad's book: when Ahab looks over a globe and points to the place where he plans to intercept the white whale's routine swimming path, the place he points to is Bikini Island Atoll.

[Anton]

Thanks to everyone who responded to this thread. A very interesting discussion. I now realize I was in error when I said that Freed's book was based on the screenplay "The Assassin". According to the interview with Oja Kodar, the screenplay, written by Kodar, Freed and Orson Welles, was based on Freed's book "Sirhan...Sirhan". I don't know whether this book is an earlier version of "The Killing of RFK", or whether it was simply retitled, which is more likely.