Akim Tamiroff - 30 Years since his passing

[Harvey Chartrand]

Tomorrow (September 17) marks the 30th anniversary of the death of Akim Tamiroff, Welles' friend and frequent co-star. Welles directed the colourful Tamiroff in Mr. Arkadin, Touch of Evil, The Trial and Don Quixote. The two also co-starred in Black Magic/Cagliostro (1949) and Marco the Magnificent (1965). They were fast friends for many years, able to keep tabs on each other as they relocated from Hollywood to Europe in the 50s and 60s to appear in Euro-Trash but also in a few gems (besides his work with Welles, Tamiroff had good roles in Jean-Luc Godard's Alphaville, Claude Chabrol's Marie-Chantal contre Docteur Kha and Richard Brooks' Lord Jim, another project Welles wanted to direct). I once heard an interview with Welles where he spoke at great length about his special friendship with Tamiroff, and how much he missed him.

[jaime marzol]

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what interview was that where welles talks about tamiroff?

i read a few things about their friendship also. it's like tamiroff was powerless to say 'no' to welles. no matter where he was, or what welles wanted of him, tamiroff was there for him. and tamiroff had a long, healthy career as a character actor, he didn't NEED work from welles. it was not unusual for him to work on 10 to 12 films in between his stints for welles.

did he ever give interviews about his times with welles? i have a good amount from heston, from maccliammoir, and from houseman. great stuff. can any one think of any other welles associate that has lenghty quotes in books or interviews about his experiences with welles?

also have stuff from toland, zugsmith, and graver naturally.

[Harvey Chartrand]

Jaime, The interview with Welles ran on CBC Radio (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) in the early eighties. Perhaps you could track it down through www.cbc.ca.
Years earlier, while filming Is Paris Burning?, Welles was also interviewed by journalist Patrick Watson for CBC TV's This Hour Has Seven Days. This lengthy interview aired earlier this year, as part of the corporation's 50th anniversary celebrations, during which many old programs were rebroadcast.

[jaime marzol]

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have not heard about this. the best one i have is the thing from british tv that aired as stories from a life in film, with OW. what a tremendous documentary that is, because it's all welles, and welles clips, how much better can it get?

did you see the interview from when paris is burning?

[Harvey Chartrand]

I'll see if I can't find out about the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Radio interview of Orson Welles from the early 80s. Perhaps it's in the CBC archives and they'd be willing to sell it.
Yes, I saw the Welles/Is Paris Burning? interview on CBC TV earlier this year, rebroadcast as part of CBC TV's 50th anniversary celebrations. The interview aired in 1964 on a show called This Hour Has Seven Days, which has achieved near mythic status up here in the frozen wastes, akin to the reputation enjoyed by Edward R. Murrow's You Are There in the U.S. Journalist Patrick Watson interviewed Welles while he was shooting scenes at a railway station in Paris. A strange atmosphere indeed, as extras were costumed as Nazi SS and Jews being herded onto trains bound for the camps. Welles and Watson seemed to get along quite well, despite a few 'gotcha!'-type questions. Welles discussed how he had come to terms with his exile from Hollywood and about future directorial projects, most of which failed to materialize, although I recall that he did mention The Sacred Monsters — the first version of The Other Side of the Wind, set in the world of bullfighting. Someday, Beatrice might step aside and let us all see TOSOTW. They say you can't stop an idea whose time has come. Perhaps that concept applies here as well.

This last part has nothing to do with Welles. I'd just like to apologize to my American message board correspondents for the deeply shameful and hurtful remarks of Canada's Prime Minister Jean Chrétien on the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks. That such an anti-American statement would come from Chrétien on that day of mourning is bad enough. But those dreadful sentiments were uttered by a politician who has starved our military forces of cash for almost 10 years, and who would be perfectly agreeable to having the U.S. intervene to defend Canada if we were under attack. Indeed, one can argue that Chrétien and his government are unilaterally disarming Canada at this critical time.

[jaime marzol]

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would be great if a copy of that interview with welles during is paris burning were available.

cut to - politics:
i wasn't aware of any anti-american statements made by the canadian politician, but speaking for myself, i am completely used to being bashed, and have come to regard american bashing as a sort of compliment. if i'm not bashed, i begin to think there is something underhanded going on.

cut back to - welles
harvey, have you seen stories from a life in films?

[Harvey Chartrand]

Jaime,
I'll see what I can find out about tracking down Welles' 2 interviews for the CBC. Is A Life in Films a PBS documentary?

The following has nothing to do with Welles or Tamiroff, but is by way of explaining my comments on the anti-American outburst by the Prime Minister of Canada on the first anniversary of the Sept 11/01 attacks.

On Sept. 11/02, Chrétien said in a nationally televised interview that it was America’s arrogance and wealth that brought on the terrorist attacks.

It’s called blaming the victim.

Just as well that Chrétien’s heinous remarks went almost unnoticed in most of the USA.

And that'll be my last word on the subject.

[jaime marzol]

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life in films is a bbc show that was hacked down in size because i guess some one at turner felt it's original lenght would not survive the average american attention span. i recently aquired it in it's original lenght, and i'm quite thankful to one of our people here for it. i think it's the best welles documentary ever made. leslie megahey conducted the interview, and did a superb job. it's obvious he knew welles' work well. i hate those interviews where the interviwer has no clue what to ask the person. i just heard an interview on public radio with gordon willys, and it was incredible how unprepared the intervier was.

[Store Hadji]

Prior to one of the ancient Mercury Theatre radio shows, there's a CBS announcement for an upcoming show featuring Akim Tamiroff. Maybe Welles and Akim met in NY in 1938.

If you want to find great Welles items, like the complete BBC Orson Welles Story, check ebay. I found the 1938 issue of Time with Orson on the cover and two of his Everybody's Shakespeare volumes with Roger Hill. Please don't bid against friedgrasshoppers, but that's up to you. There's autographed pictures and old 78s and 16mm Ambersons and Lord it's a bonanza.

What'd the PM say about 9-11? He should see Michael Moore's movie Canadian Bacon.

[mteal]

It's interesting that Welles chose Tamiroff to play Sancho Panza in his Don Quixote film. Welles, that impossible dreamer, was himself like Quixote in some ways, and Tamiroff, aside from being a superb actor, was one of many Panza-like figures who assisted Welles throughout his career. Wasn't Tamiroff also part of Frank Sinatra's "Rat Pack"? Welles described himself as an auxillery member.

As for the Canadian Prime Minister's anti-American remarks, yes that's strange coming from such a high ranking official. But then, in terms of vituperation, it's fairly small change compared to something like, say, Noam Chomsky's "9/11", in which Chomsky basically accuses the U.S. of being the world's leading terrorist state. There's a good article in last week's New Yorker about the wide spectrum of response to the attacks.

[jaime marzol]

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Welles saw Konstantin Shayne in a film called MISSION TO MOSCOW, wrote him a letter to tell him how much he enjoyed his performance, and later hired him to play Konrad Meinike, in The Stranger. Shayne is Tamiroff's brother in law. Welles probably met Tamiroff through Shayne