New release - Orson Welles' The Hitchhiker

[dmolson]

I have never heard of this but I'm sure its been mentioned elsewhere on the this forum, I just couldn't find it. Coming Oct. 1st is the release of this 2004 film, billed as 'Orson Welles' The Hitchhiker', which appears to be an animated version of his radio play. Sounds fairly interesting... Could it lead to more? A puppet version of 'Orson Welles' angry commercial take 2'?

http://www.amazon.com/exec....ch-info

[Wilson]

The company doing this claims to be making an entire series of these based on Mercury Theater of the Air episodes. What's the point, though? I mean, these were made as radio plays, they don't really need to be animated, do they? I'm curious to see if it's anything more than a literal animation of the show (what else could it be, after all?), but I don't really understand the reasoning, aside from milking the property.

[dmolson]

I agree completely that adapting the radio broadcasts to a visual element is really unnecessary, as I'm certain most fans here would agree. But for the couple of generations that never got to hear radio and its mystical powers (there are some who believe that since TV's widespread acceptance, a portion of the 'audience' has lost the ability or in interior 'aerial' that is necessary to fully embrace mere spoken word and radio dramas) , or who just did not enjoy the storytelling format that is radio, this is one more venue which to spread the gospel of Orson. Yes, it may be akin to Ted Turner's color-vision movies, but if it can keep the stories alive and convert over a few more fans who may turn to the actual original artistry and format, then it is not a bad thing. After all, while the board may be well-represented by fans from a variety of ages, we will get older. For a new audience to appreciate something that is old, often it takes a new technology or interpretation to reel in the younger generation. Put it this way, while an animated version of 'The Shadow' may sell or reach 10,000 people across the english speaking world, maybe 1,000 of them are compelled to check out more 'Orson' stuff; maybe half of those buy something; perhaps the companies and people who hold the fate of TOSOTW in their pocketbooks take notice of a growing, instead of shrinking, demographic. Then there's the odd chance that something may be done that all of us would agree with.
But then again, it could just lead to an animated version of TOSOTW, thus cancelling any need to finish what could be...

[TheMcGuffin]

This is almost as bad as when they started colorizing classics...

[The Night Man]

This is almost as bad as when they started colorizing classics...

No, this is worse. Applying visuals to radio dramas is as wrong-headed as dubbing voices into silent films ("Fractured Flickers" notwithstanding).

It alters the very essence of the art form. And for what - to try to attract people who simply can't appreciate it in the first place.

Corrupting something so utterly in order to appeal to people who "don't get it" is an undertaking bound to fail. It will offend those who like radio drama for what it is, and will not attract those who do not.

[dmolson]

I don't mean to play the attorney defending taxes, but let me say one last thing in mediocre defence of this newest format. The radio programs will always be available in their original and amazing state. That someone feels they could give new or a different life to these is, certainly in my view, the equal to putting Picasso on t-shirts. Diehard art fans may have been livid, but in the end more people discovered just what 'abstract art' was. Mass appeal involves getting out to the masses, watering down something so that more people drink its fruit. Is it so bad that the Mercury Theater's great stories are incorporated into cartoons? Is it the most ideal presentation - no. But can it hurt? I doubt it.
2 cents worth of blather.

[GM]

Well, it may be an interesting and well-intentioned experiment, but I would compare it to Beatrice's Othello restoration; as Night Man said, it changes the very nature of the original with high technology just to make it more accessible to modern audiences.

I would also compare it in a way to Disney's "Fantasia", which enlisted symphonic masterworks to serve as the soundtracks for animation. I understand what you're saying about the original radio programs still being there for those that want to hear them, but will people still want to hear them by themselves and, if they do, will they still be able to use their subjective imaginations after "seeing" them with another artist's animation? It reminds me of those classical music fans that have lamented, for example, that Ponchielli's "Dance of the Hours" is now ruined for them as pure abstract music because it conjures up images of rediculous dancing hippoes and crocodiles.

Still, I have to confess that I do like Fantasia on it's own terms, and will be curious to see how a Welles radio program "looks" animated. Let's hope the animation does it some kind of justice. I suppose it is inevitable that someone would try this.

And concerning the attempt to animate Orson's radio commercial tirade- someone has actually already done that (in that Clutch Cargo "moving lip" style which you also see sometimes on Conan O'Brien's show), and it was pretty funny. I stumbled across it on the web a few years ago, but didn't jot down the address, unfortunately. Now I can't find it.

[Glenn Anders]

I agree with Jeff that the "picturization" of the Mercury Theater on the Air shows is unnecessary. That does not mean, however, given the growing popularity of animation, that it won't be done. And the process may be commercially fairly successful.

It is hard to imagine now that in the 1930's and 1940's, tens of millions of people sat down after Sunday lunch or dinner (depending what time zone they were in) and LISTENED to radio. And they usually were not playing games or having loud conversations. They were gathered around that hypnotic RCA or Philco eye, enraptured.

Hard, too, to imagine that most people can recapture the immediacy today. [I recall that Jeff launched an exploration of Welles' radio shows, beginning with "Dracula," but it petered out after a few episodes because only a few of us contributed our impressions and insights] Perhaps, as dmolson observes, a modest million or so children (and a few adults) will buy the animated shows, and watch them while eating pizza, or bouncing on a trampoline. But, as he says, possibly a few of them will turn the picture to black and just listen to sound, the way creative kids put materials to odd uses. It might actually develop a CD or DVD Dual market for the programs.

[Whoops, I see GM has entered onto the field while I've been composing. Let me just say, that unless she is behind the franchise, we can't hang this one on Beatrice. And tweaking OTHELLO in a misguided and unsuccessful attempt to realize Welles' imagined intentions [or for that matter, the quite engrossing realization of TOUCH OF EVIL] is not the same as moving an entire art form from one stage to another.]

In any case, it obviously is going to happen. We'll just have to wait and see how it happens.

Radio, sadly, was raped and pillaged long ago.

Glenn

[GM]

we can't hang this one on Beatrice. And tweaking OTHELLO in a misguided and unsuccessful attempt to realize Welles' imagined intentions is not the same as moving an entire art form from one stage to another.]

No, although I would say Beatrice's overhauling of the Othello soundtrack went way beyond "tweaking". But I agree with you that few people nowadays (especially kids) would be able to listen to old-time radio shows with any sense of the same immediacy that they had when they were first broadcast. Still, I did read an article not long ago that told how some kids actually are fascinated by the old defunct medium and do collect old radio programs. Good for them. As Welles said, "Any art form is enhanced by that dimension which it doesn't have". Too bad radio dramas can't make some kind of comeback in the age of digital stereo.

One Welles program that might be interesting to see animation for is "Heart of Darkness", if they used the sketches prepared for the film as a starting point for the animation. That way the visuals would at least have a Wellesian source and flavor.

[Glenn Anders]

Yes, indeed, GM.

Perhaps an artist, or team of artisans, could work in Welles' rather distinctive style. It might fit, I agree.

Glenn

[Jeff Wilson]

Added a review of this to the Newsblog. As expected it's pretty pointless, and generally a waste of time. And it does include an animated version of the fish fingers commercial, believe it or not.

[Store Hadji]

Oh, this thing is Computer Animated, okay. There are some screen shots on Amazon. Ronald Adams looks like Charles Rankin, which is suitable enough for a radio broadcast from 1946. I'm not opposed on principle to a CG videotrack to accompany an OTR broadcast, but I am skeptical. Still, I think it would be worth the 12 bucks for a laugh or a groan and the sheer novelty of it.

If there has been a copyright violation in including Mercury Company Remembers, then grab it fast.

[Store Hadji]