Austin Pendleton on Orson Welles

[Harvey Chartrand]

In Shock Cinema Number 33 [http://www.shockcinemamagazine.com/], actor/playwright Austin Pendleton recalls working with Orson Welles on Mike Nichols's Catch-22 (1970).

Here are a few quotes from that interview:

SC: How was Orson Welles to work with?
Pendleton: Impossible. (...) He was actually and literally trying to direct the film. We would rehearse the scene, and when we were about to shoot after it had been lit, Orson would say: "Now, Mike, this is all wrong." And he would tell all the actors what to do and he was invariably wrong. Those scenes are half as good as they had been with Mike.

SC: So Welles had that much impact on the set?
Pendleton: The scenes work because they're well cast and well written but the way Mike directed them was extraordinary and the way Orson directed them was conventional. He doesn't understand that kind of humor. He never did in any of his stuff.

SC: On the DVD commentary, Nichols says you're the only person who wasn't afraid of Orson Welles.
Pendleton: That's because everything I did was with him and I finally got so fed up with him. I thought, this guy is gonna kill my performance. He's making it impossible for me to do the work. (...) I got mad. I don't think anybody else felt their performance depended on him as mine did. Everything I did was in response to him and he would blow takes if he didn't like the way I was doing a moment. And I knew I was supported by Mike. You don't get afraid of someone when you think they're out to get you. (...) I don't care what Welles directed. I'd seen him in other people's films where he'd been plain awful. So I thought, okay, he made a good movie once. Big deal.

SC: Apparently, Welles had wanted to direct Catch-22 for years.
Pendleton: Yeah, well tough. We all have these things. When you agree to act in a movie you agree to act in it. It's just not fair. And to hear Orson Welles publicly give Mike Nichols a lecture about comedy is painful and degrading. Mike Nichols falls asleep thinking about comedy in a way that Orson Welles never dreamed of.
_____________

And then Welles left Mexico for Belgium to shoot MALPERTUIS.

[mido505]

And then Austin Pendleton left Mexico to go off and do...this:

Glass Houses (2007) (in production) .... Nelson Bennet
5-25-77 (2007) .... Herb Lightman
Raising Flagg (2006) .... Gus Falk
Dirty Work (2006) .... Julian
... aka Bad City (USA: DVD title)
Lovely by Surprise (2006) .... Jackson
The Notorious Bettie Page (2005) .... Teacher
The Civilization of Maxwell Bright (2005) .... Jaurice
"Joan of Arcadia" .... Dietrich Steinholz (1 episode, 2005)
- Secret Service (2005) TV Episode .... Dietrich Steinholz
Christmas with the Kranks (2004) .... Umbrella Santa/Marty
"Law & Order: Criminal Intent" .... John Manotti (1 episode, 2004)
... aka Law & Order: CI (USA: promotional abbreviation)
- Inert Dwarf (2004) TV Episode .... John Manotti
Strip Search (2004) (TV) .... James Perley
Piccadilly Jim (2004) .... Peter Pett
"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" .... Horace Gorman (1 episode, 2003)
... aka Law & Order: SVU (USA: promotional abbreviation)
... aka Special Victims Unit (New Zealand: English title)
- Control (2003) TV Episode .... Horace Gorman
Sick in the Head (2003) (TV)
Uptown Girls (2003) .... Mr. McConkey
Finding Nemo (2003) (voice) .... Gurgle
"Touched by an Angel" .... Mr. Piltdown (1 episode, 2002)
- The Christmas Watch (2002) TV Episode .... Mr. Piltdown
Manna from Heaven (2002) .... Two-Digit Doyle
Wishcraft (2002) .... Mr. Turner
"100 Centre Street" .... Al Cox (2 episodes, 2001-2002)
- Babies (2002) TV Episode .... Al Cox
- Let's Make a Night of It (2001) TV Episode
"Oz" .... William Giles (11 episodes, 1998-2002)
- Visitation (2002) TV Episode .... William Giles
- Even the Score (2001) TV Episode .... William Giles
- Orpheus Descending (2001) TV Episode .... William Giles
- Blizzard of '01 (2001) TV Episode .... William Giles
- Revenge Is Sweet (2001) TV Episode .... William Giles
(6 more)
A Beautiful Mind (2001) .... Thomas King
"The Education of Max Bickford" .... Harry (1 episode, 2001)
- It's Not the Wrapping, It's the Candy (2001) TV Episode .... Harry
Queenie in Love (2001) .... Alvin
... aka Queenie in Love (France)
Fast Food Fast Women (2000) .... George
... aka Fast Food, Fast Women (France)
"The West Wing" .... Barry Haskell (1 episode, 2000)
- Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics (2000) TV Episode .... Barry Haskell
The Acting Class (2000) .... Bobby Austin
Broke Even (2000) .... Archie
Homicide: The Movie (2000) (TV) .... Dr. George Griscom, C.M.E.
Angela (2000)
The Summer of My Deflowering (2000) .... (segment "Angela")
... aka Erotic Tales IV
... aka Tagebuch einer Verführung (Germany: TV title)
Clowns (2000) .... Dean
Men of Means (1999) .... Jerry Trask
"Homicide: Life on the Street" .... Dr. George Griscom (11 episodes, 1998-1999)
... aka Homicide (USA: informal short title)
- Identity Crisis (1999) TV Episode .... Dr. George Griscom
- Self Defense (1999) TV Episode .... Dr. George Griscom
- Zen and the Art of Murder (1999) TV Episode .... Dr. George Griscom
- Truth Will Out (1999) TV Episode .... Dr. George Griscom
- Homicide.com (1999) TV Episode .... Dr. George Griscom
(6 more)
Joe the King (1999) .... Winston
... aka Joe Henry (USA)
Skirty Winner (1999) .... Francois Truffaut
Brokendown Love Story (1999) .... Lucky
The 4th Floor (1999) .... Albert Collins
Charlie Hoboken (1998) .... Harry Cedars
"Tracey Takes On..." .... Professor Kenneth Hawkins (1 episode, 1998)
- Age (1998) TV Episode .... Professor Kenneth Hawkins
Amistad (1997) .... Prof. Gibbs
Sue (1997) .... Bob
... aka Sue Lost in Manhattan (Canada: English title: TV title)
Trial and Error (1997) .... Judge Paul Z. Graff
"Fired Up" .... Bobby H. (1 episode, 1997)
- The Next Day (1997) TV Episode .... Bobby H.
"The Practice" .... Sam Feldberg (1 episode, 1997)
- Part VI (1997) TV Episode .... Sam Feldberg
"Frasier" .... Dr. Dorfman (1 episode, 1997)
- Three Days of the Condo (1997) TV Episode .... Dr. Dorfman
"Liberty! The American Revolution" .... Dr. Benjamin Rush (6 episodes, 1997)
- Are We to Be a Nation? 1783-1788 (1997) TV Episode .... Dr. Benjamin Rush
- Blows Must Decide: 1774-1776 (1997) TV Episode .... Dr. Benjamin Rush
- Oh, Fatal Ambition: 1777-1778 (1997) TV Episode .... Dr. Benjamin Rush
- The Reluctant Revolutionaries: 1763-1774 (1997) TV Episode .... Dr. Benjamin Rush
- The Times That Try Men's Souls: 1776-1777 (1997) TV Episode .... Dr. Benjamin Rush
(1 more)
A River Made to Drown In (1997) .... Billy
The Fanatics (1997) .... Eugene Cleft
... aka Fumbleheads (USA: TV title)
The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996) .... Barry
The Associate (1996) .... Aesop
The Proprietor (1996) .... Willy Kunst
... aka Propriétaire, La (France)
... aka The Proprietor (UK)
2 Days in the Valley (1996) .... Ralph Crupi
Sgt. Bilko (1996) .... Major Ebersole
... aka Sergeant Bilko
Two Much (1995) .... Dr. Huffeyer
... aka Loco de amor (Spain)
... aka Two Much (Spain)
Home for the Holidays (1995) .... Peter Arnold
"New York News" (1 episode)
- Cost of Living (????) TV Episode
"Tales from the Crypt" .... Orloff (1 episode, 1995)
... aka HBO's Tales from the Crypt
- Doctor of Horror (1995) TV Episode .... Orloff
Long Island Fever (1995) (TV) .... Dr.Motts
The Fifteen Minute Hamlet (1995) .... Hamlet
Don't Drink the Water (1994) (TV) .... Chef Oscar
"The Cosby Mysteries" .... Maynard Caldwell (1 episode, 1994)
- One Day at a Time (1994) TV Episode .... Maynard Caldwell
Guarding Tess (1994) .... Earl Fowler
Greedy (1994) .... Hotel Clerk
Mr. Nanny (1993) .... Alex Mason, Sr.
Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) .... Asa Hoffman
... aka Innocent Moves
My Boyfriend's Back (1993) .... Dr. Bronson
Four Eyes and Six-Guns (1992) (TV)
Charlie's Ear (1992) .... Harold Blodgett
Rain Without Thunder (1992) .... Catholic Priest
"Murder, She Wrote" .... Barney Gunderson (1 episode, 1992)
- Angel of Death (1992) TV Episode .... Barney Gunderson
My Cousin Vinny (1992) .... John Gibbons
Do You Like Women? (1992)
Lethal Innocence (1991) (TV) .... Paul Kent
True Identity (1991) (uncredited) .... Dirctor of Othello
The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (1991) .... Lawyer Taylor
Mr. & Mrs. Bridge (1990) .... Mr. Gadbury
"Anything But Love" .... Max Templeton (1 episode, 1990)
- Mr. Mom (1990) TV Episode .... Max Templeton
"B.L. Stryker" (1 episode, 1989)
- Blind Chess (1989) TV Episode
"The Cosby Show" .... Mr. Kensington (1 episode, 1989)
- Mrs. Huxtable Goes to Kindergarten (1989) TV Episode .... Mr. Kensington
"The Equalizer" .... Jonah (3 episodes, 1986-1989)
- The Sins of Our Fathers (1989) TV Episode .... Jonah
- Solo (1987) TV Episode .... Jonah
- Nightscape (1986) TV Episode .... Jonah
"Spenser: For Hire" .... The Professor (1 episode, 1988)
- The Big Fight (1988) TV Episode .... The Professor
Hello Again (1987) .... Junior Lacey
"Leg Work" .... Harold Rodman (1 episode, 1987)
- The Best Couple I Know (1987) TV Episode .... Harold Rodman
Short Circuit (1986) .... Howard Marner
Off Beat (1986) .... Gun Shop Salesman
"Miami Vice" .... Max Rogo (1 episode, 1986)
- Yankee Dollar (1986) TV Episode .... Max Rogo
My Man Adam (1985) .... Mr. Greenhut
"St. Elsewhere" .... Mr. Entertainment / ... (2 episodes, 1983-1984)
- Vanity (1984) TV Episode .... Mr. Entertainment/Bob Moran
- Under Pressure (1983) TV Episode .... Mr. Entertainment
Talk to Me (1984) .... Richard Patterson
"Great Performances" .... White Rabbit (1 episode, 1983)
- Alice in Wonderland (1983) TV Episode .... White Rabbit
First Family (1980) .... Dr. Alexander Grade
Simon (1980) .... Dr. Carl Becker
Diary of the Dead (1980) .... Dr. Klein
Starting Over (1979) .... Paul
The Muppet Movie (1979) .... Max
The Last of the Cowboys (1977) .... Guido
... aka The Great Smokey Roadblock (USA: new title)
The Front Page (1974) .... Earl Williams
"Good Times" .... Donald Hargrove (1 episode, 1974)
- The I.Q. Test (1974) TV Episode .... Donald Hargrove
June Moon (1974) (TV) .... Bennie
"Love, American Style" .... (segment "Love and the Caller") / ... (2 episodes, 1972-1973)
- Love and the Bonded Separation/Love and the Fractured Fibula/Love and the Pretty Secretary (1973) TV Episode .... (segment "Love and the Pretty Secretary")
- Love and the Caller/Love and the Secret Life/Love and the Swinging Philosophy/Love and the Woman in White (1972) TV Episode .... (segment "Love and the Caller")
The Thief Who Came to Dinner (1973) .... Zukovsky
Every Little Crook and Nanny (1972) .... Luther
What's Up, Doc? (1972) .... Frederick Larrabee
George M! (1970) (TV) .... Stage Manager

Did Pendleton mention that Catch-22 was a notorious critical and box office disaster that nearly sank Mike Nichol's career? I remember reading a review by Stanley Kaufmann that was absolutely scabrous. I mean, Catch-22 really brought out the hate in people. Personally, I love that picture, and find Welles hilarious in it. I had to go to IMDB to remember what Pendleton's role was. Totally innocuous. I guess Welles really knocked him out of the 'moment'. Why is it always these pretentious Method types who enjoy badmouthing Welles? Yeah, I know that Pendleton has a reputation in the theater, and has written numerous well-regarded plays, including one in which Welles is a central character (Orson's Shadow), but in a post by Colwood on March 17, 2005 Pendleton is quoted as stating that he wrote that play because he felt guilty about bad mouthing Welles after Catch-22, having finally caught a number of Welles' later films in revival, which "blew me away."
So why is he starting up again in 2007?

[mido505]

To show Welles the director and actor as seen in a somewhat different light, I would like to post a quotation from page 491 of Barbara Leaming's ORSON WELLES. The actor reminiscing is Gordon Jackson, who played Ishmael in Welles' 1955 stage production of Moby Dick. Jackson is talking about his experience with Welles in that play: "I ad-libbed every night a great deal," Orson recalls, "and tried to take the mickey out of all the actors. They were all young and solemn." Instead of being put out by his nightly ad-libbing, as they well might have been, the others were exhilarated by it. Says Gordon Jackson, "He's a big man who thinks big! His idea of 'ham' acting is to do the same thing every night. According to Orson, you must search for something different, in interpretation, or effect. Some nights--because of this attitude--he'd go all out, and find himself at the end of a limb, with egg dripping down his face. Other nights, he absolutely soared, and was magnificent! That's what I consider great acting."

I suspect that Austin Pendleton, in 1970, was one of those "young and solemn" actors that Welles tried to take the mickey out of. Guess it didn't work.