January 3, 1941 preview of Citizen Kane

[duhaussie]

I just read that Hedda Hopper attended a sneak preview of "Citizen Kane" on January 3, 1941 during which it dawned on her the trouble that lay ahead. But I can't find out where exactly that preview took place. Does anyone know?

[Dan]

A tough question. I hunted around and found this, which doesn't answer your question 100% but implies that her screening was at an RKO facility itself:

"One person who was utterly convinced that Citizen Kane was a scabrous attack on Hearst was powerful gossip columnist and Hearst employee Louella Parsons. Her column ran in all the Hearst papers, and she was so influential that a bad word from her could undermine any film's box office success. Hearst himself supposedly received the script of Citizen Kane in advance, read it, and said nothing. Parsons, on the other hand, demanded that Welles allow her to see the film before its release. As a result she viewed Citizen Kane with its creator in a special RKO screening, accompanied by two Hearst lawyers. After it ended, she walked out without saying a word to Welles and went to Hearst to report that the film sullied his good name. Davies called the film "grotesque", after viewing a print shown at San Simeon, but the 79-year-old Hearst reportedly enjoyed it."

Source- http://course1.winona.edu/pjohnson/h140/kane.htm

[cirogiorgini]

If I remember well, there is something about the CK prewiew inside the documentary THE BATTLE OVER CITIZEN KANE. I don’t have it near me, but give a look there if you can!

[MartynH]

I have seen an interview on video of soundman James G Stewart recalling that he ran the picture for Parsons and her chauffeur after she demanded a screening: "She left before the end in high dodgem, the chauffeur stayed until the end and said 'good picture' is how Stewart recalled it.

So I would say it was at RKO

[Roger Ryan]

"duhaussie" was actually referring to Hedda Hopper seeing a preview of KANE, not Parsons. There were some press screenings for the film and some private showings, but no public previews if I remember correctly. So, more than likely, the Hopper screening was probably at the studio as was the Parsons screening.

[Tony]

I've never believed that story about the chauffeur staying until the end: how could he without being fired? I doubt that a chauffeur would even be invited in: he would normally just wait outside.

[MartynH]

I can only say what I have seen on tape. If you guys want to disagree with what Stewart said then. Wow!

[mido505]

Barbara Leaming, Frank Brady, and Charles Higham all report that RKO held a private rough cut screening of Kane on January 3, 1941, on the RKO lot, for the editors of Life, Look, and Redbook, three of the most important magazines in America at the time. These three magazines were chosen because they had looming deadlines for February - other magazines had later deadlines, and could wait until the film was finished. The print of Kane shown at this screening had no music. The only people originally allowed at this screening were Welles, his press agent Herbert Drake, the three magazine editors, the West Coast entertainment editor of The New York Times, who was under a gag order until Kane's official release, and the projectionist. No RKO brass or press people were admitted.

Word of the screening was leaked to the Hollywood Reporter, and Hedda Hopper got wind of it. Hedda called RKO and invited herself to the screening. Not wanting to offend one of the most powerful columnists in Hollywood, Welles and the RKO brass acquiesced. Hedda's rival, Louella Parsons, who worked for Hearst (Hopper did not), did not hear about this first screening.

The editors of Life, Look, and Redbook loved Citizen Kane; Ms. Hopper did not. "Not only is it a vicious and irresponsible attack on a great man", she stated, "but the photography is old fashioned and the writing very corny." She then went on to attack Welles, Kane, and RKO in her columns. She also called Hearst's people, tipping them off.

On January 8, Welles wrote a note to Louella Parsons, warning her that an upcoming article in Friday magazine on Kane contained a "vicious lie". The offending quotation in Friday was as follows:

"Louella Parsons, Hollywood correspondent for the Hearst newspaper chain, has been praising Welles lavishly, giving Citizen Kane a terrific advance build-up. When informed of these outbursts of praise, Welles said: 'This is something I cannot understand. Wait until the woman finds out that the picture's about her boss.'"

Welles was rightfully incensed, as the quotation had been made up out of whole cloth, and he demanded a retraction, but his attempt to preempt Louella's anger failed. Hearst had read an advance copy of the article, and had called Parsons, asking her to set up a screening of Kane to see if the rumours were true. Hearst did not tell Parsons of the report from Hopper.

Parsons was livid. She had been a Welles partisan, and felt betrayed by him. She called RKO the next day, and insisted on a private screening, which she attended with two Hearst attorneys and her chauffeur, Louis Collins. Reports differ as to whether Parsons stayed for the entire screening, or stormed out early, but both Brady and Higham report that the chauffeur, Collins, murmured politely to Welles as he left the projection room, "That was a fine picture, Mr. Welles."

[Tony]

Martyn: you don't think people embroider stories as time goes on? Look at Orson Welles! I have no idea as to the authenticity of what James G. Stewart said: I'm just saying it's highly unlikely a boss would sit in the car waiting for her driver to finish watching a movie she walked out on in a huff, hurrying to report it to her boss. Does that sound likely to you? (Or, as I said, that a driver would even be invited in.)

James G. Stewart was a sound guy for RKO, not the actor. And Mido has just reported above that the quote is from 'Friday' Magazine, a Hollywood rag. Maybe that's where Stewart read it, or maybe he was there: who knows?

[Alan Brody]

it's highly unlikely a boss would sit in the car waiting for her driver to finish watching a movie she walked out on in a huff, hurrying to report it to her boss. Does that sound likely to you?

Maybe she secretly ordered the driver to stay and watch the rest of the film so he could report if there was anything even worse.

[MartynH]

It does seem odd but we are judging things many years later when protocols were different. Perhaps Parsons left the screening room to deliver a threat to an high ranking RKO exec? She was so angry and left the room without giving instructions to her driver. So he just sat there

Using your argument, for example, how did Welles and Harry Cohn still have a working releationship when the latter was bugging the former's office? If you were to suggest that scenario, if it had never happened, you might have said 'that sounds unlikely' that you could work under those circumstances.

In fact, I can think of scores more of incidents in life that happened but sounds unlikely judging them today.

[Tony]

You're absolutely right, which proves my point: who knows?

We never will. So much of history is apocryphal, exagerrated, outright fabriction...

Unless that chauffeur is still alive, or there were an eyewitness... but could even they be trusted? Have you ever read Barbara Leaming's book on Welles? She interviewed him so often it was almost an "authorized" bio; but the B.S. quotient is extraordinarily high in that book, and it's all coming from Welles. He even changes his own stories in that book. My personal favourite is his eating lunch as a boy with Hitler, sitting beside him, years before he was a famous dictator. What he remembered was that Hitler had no personality.

Maybe it happened...and maybe it's just a good story.

You know, people like telling good stories.

PS: Welles told that bugging story many times over the years, and it was always the Mercury theatre offices being bugged by RKO from 40-42; I believe your reference is from the 80s Leslie Maghavey interview from BBC, and I think Welles may have just mis-remembered, because it's the only time I can recall that he mentioned Columbia bugging him; of course, my memory could be faulty!

[MartynH]

I think with regard to the stories about Welles, or anybody else for that matter, it's a pretty subjective thing with regard to the batch of stories we want to believe or not.

[alan smithee]

According to Robert Carringer, was Welles himself - after the Hollywood Reporter leak - to invite Miss Hopper at RKO for the screening of Kane's rough cut.
The text of the telegram, dated january 3 and now in Hopper Collection at Margaret Herrick library, is reported by Simon Callow:
"Dearest Hedda, I owe you the biggest apology of my life and there it comes" - W. says after that Herb Drake insists on showing to the magazine people the movie in a incomplete form - "I fully realise I have broken a solemn promise that you'd be the first to see Kane. Please understand and forgive. Come tonight if you must but it still stinks. Many shots are missing or only tests are cut in and we need music like Britains needs planes. Love, Orson."

[mido505]

Alan:

That Welles telegram to Hopper was sent after she raised a stink and invited herself to the January 3 screening. Welles was not inviting her per se; he was trying to cover his *ss. See Brady, Leaming, Higham.