When OW died - actual circumstances of his passing

[Jaime N. Christley]

If I'm reading the career chronology in TIOW correct, it says that Welles was working on stage directions for The Magic Show when he had his heart attack. Is that right?

[jaime marzol]

................

why would you doubt what it says in TIOW?

[Jaime N. Christley]

A simple 'yes' or 'no' would be splendid, JM, thanks.

[Jeff Wilson]

Presumably, whatever he was working on was still in the typewriter, or very near by, and that's why we know of it. Frank Brady's book says the same thing as TiOW.

[Jaime N. Christley]

I'm not doubting the information in the book - but since it's not absolutely clear to me, since you have to cross-reference other entries in the chronology to get information, I just need somebody to tell me whether or not I'm reading it correctly.

On October 10, the chronology says:

"OW dies of a heart attack early in the morning at his house in Hollywood while typing stage directions for the material he plans to shoot with GG at UCLA later today."

My assumption is, the "stage directions" are for The Magic Show, mentioned in the October 7 entry, and not for Orson Welles Solo, another collaboration with GG at UCLA. Forgive me if this is elementary, but I beg of you (anyone), humor me.

[Jeff Wilson]

I was under the impression that Orson Welles Solo was to be part of The Magic Show, and not a separate entity. But I think your reading of the entry is correct.

[jaime marzol]

...................

i'm not capable of a simple yes or no.

i read he was working on screenplay for a college funded KING LEAR. i think that was in a pretty good article called the last days of orson welles. they talk to the owner of ma maison, who blasted jaglom, kodar, graver as the nobodies welles surrounded himself with in his later years.

[Jaime N. Christley]

Thanks Jeff!

[ToddBaesen]

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Like most things about Orson Welles, the truth seems to be based on who is telling the story.

Most of the obituaries at the time, said Welles' died in his sleep, alone, during the middle of the night, and was found the next morning by his driver (One wonders, where was Oja Kodar?). But according to Gary Graver, Welles was working on material for a version of JULIUS CAESAR.

Gary Graver's full comments are as follows:

Graver: The odd thing was, when Orson died in the middle of the night, the next morning we were supposed to shoot on a stage at UCLA. Orson was going to do a version of JULIUS CAESAR, playing every part himself, so he wasn't in bad heath, he just had a heart attack. It was bizarre, because Paul Stewart, who played the butler, Raymond in CITIZEN KANE, was the first person to go into Orson's house and find him dead. In CITIZEN KANE Paul was the character who heard Kane's famous last words, "Rosebud". Well, Paul was at the Director's Guild, which was close to Orson's house, so he was going to pick-up Orson and bring him down to UCLA on the morning that he died.

Orson was cremated and Orson's daughter spread some of his ashes in the mountains outside of Seville, in Spain, and some were buried in an old well (in Ronda, Malaga, Spain) owned by Antonio Ordonez, a bullfighter, who was a friend of Orson's. It's also where Orson had lived when he first visited Morocco and Spain in the summer of 1933.

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[Jeff Wilson]

What Graver said sounds like the Orson Welles Solo segment of The Magic Show, which was to be solo (obviously) dramatic material by Welles. The awful thing is Paul Stewart finding him, because then you get these idiots who just have a little more poetic ammo for their Welles=Kane routines.

[jaime marzol]

very cool where beatrice spread the ashes. i've ofter read welles quoted a saying his stay in spain and morocco in 1933 were the best times of his life.

[Obssessed_with_Orson]

Todd does have the answer there.

it depends on who's telling the story

i've read that he was found by his driver.

no mention about paul stewart finding him.

what was the final work he was doing.

and where was anyone else.

kind of takes us to the character "Charles Foster Kane"

no one was there; everyone wondered what his last words meant; died alone; but found by the nurse.

oh well!

bye now!

p.s. jaime m., i agree. why would one doubt an only orson welles book by orson welles?

[Jaime N. Christley]

p.s. jaime m., i agree. why would one doubt an only orson welles book by orson welles?

Oh, for Christ's sake. Yeah, he knew better than anybody what he was writing when he died, right?

I'm going to stop posting on this board - I'm sick of people either A) misreading or selectively reading my posts, B) not giving me straight answers to my questions, or C) giving me advice that I didn't ask for. If I need information, I'll email Jeff with a request. He's seems to be one of the few people here without his head up his ass.

[Welles Fan]

Bye!

[jaime marzol]

..............

jaime c., relax. drink a cream soda. before you go off in a huff, please read what i'm going to say.

you remember when i asked you if you were feeling pointy?

i wrote that after several pointed replies from you to what i posted. i know jeff doesn't want childish crap here, though i felt like coming back at you with the same tact you used on me, i didn't. i skirted your pointy posts and turned a possible unpleasant situation back into a discussion. go back to that thread and see for yourself. sometimes you come off 'pointy'.

now a tiny bit of dust gets blown on your shoes, and not in a pointy manner either i might add, and you huff and puff, act injured, and want to blow out of here. that's not being quite fair.

what was typed at you was miniscule. you had an emotional moment, now it's past. relax, have a sandwich, i'll turn on the ceiling fan and we'll get a nice breeze going throug here.