Welles' Business Manager

[Great Zucchini]

Could someone please tell me the name of the business manager who did not do well by Mr. Welles and later became a director and producer. It's my understanding that, prior to this, he had been a professional magician. How was he thought of in that endeavor and did he perform under a different name? Many thanks.

[Jeff Wilson]

His name was Jack Moss. I'm not aware of any assessments of his career as magician, but Welles thought enough of his talents to hire Moss to teach him (Welles) some tricks.

[Glenn Anders]

Jack Moss seems to have been a kind of "Raymond the Butler." He served also as a court jestier to at least one other prominent star before he became a producer. After his employment with Welles apparently came to an end, he produced and/or directed two films, MR. WINKLE GOES TO WAR (1944) and SNAFU (1945) for Columbia Pictures, each film about innocents, one middle aged and the other juvenile, who who go to war and find themselves fighting the Japanese in the South Pacific, against regulations. The former movie has both Ruth Warrick and Edward G. Robinson in the cast, which suggests, by a wild stretch, some sort of bridge to Welles for Moss.

John Berry, who worked with Welles in New York (Too Much Johnson, 1938; others Mercury Productions)), played in his original staging of Native Son later (1941, which was probably the last theatrical reunion of the old gang), and directed the National Company show; came out to Hollywood, a little late in the days of the Mercury Players there. I remember that Berry, when he was honored at the San Francisco Film Society (TOMANGO, 1958) a few years ago, said that he got his real start in directing movies when he used to go Jack Moss's house, whom he identified with Welles. They talked potential scripts and movies after dinner, he said. Nothing much appears to have come of it, but Berry did go on to direct a couple of significant movies (THE HOLLYWOOD TEN, 1950); HE RAN ALL THE WAY, 1951), and directed Arthur Miller's The Crucible on Broadway, before he was black listed and went to Europe.

Later, he returned to direct a Lincoln Center Production of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, as well as many movies in Europe.

His last memorable acting job was as the bar owner in 'ROUND MIDNIGHT (Tavernier, 1986).

So, by indirection, Moss may have done some good.

He did an awful lot of bad to Welles, which Jeff recounts in a fine article he may be too modest to cite:

http://www.wellesnet.com/OWA_12_04.htm

Glenn