By LAWRENCE FRENCH
In conjunction with the arrival of Catherine Benamou’s long awaited and fascinating new book on Orson Welles’ It’s All True, I thought I’d post a series of memos and press articles I’ve been compiling related to the making of Welles unfinished masterpiece.
While I was reviewing Ms. Benamou’s book and re-reading these memos, some thoughts about this doomed project occurred to me. Firstly, how correct Welles was in saying “It’s All True would be “a new medium of entertainment when it’s completed.” Of course the key word here is “completed,” since Welles was never allowed to finish the movie. Yet it’s quite clear, looking at the script excerpts, notes and memos, that Welles would have created a film that was radically new and different in 1943. In fact, it might have easily become a forerunner of Neo-realism, beating Rossellini and DeSica’s movies out of the gate by over a year. Welles, was of course, a great fan of DeSica’s Shoeshine and the emphasis he placed on documenting the lives of Brazil’s poorer people and finding glory in their everyday existence, was straight out of Cesare Zavattini’s playbook.
Oddly enough, it seems likely that It’s All True could have also provided a glimpse towards Welles much later experiments in the Essay Film which he ended his career with. But even more tantalizing, is the fact that script excerpts for The Carnival segment (coming in part two of this post) offer us a glimpse of the style he would ultimately use in The Fountain of Youth, with his brilliant mixing of stills, film and himself as the on-screen narrator.
Further innovations for the time include making a film featuring mostly black entertainers. In 1942 this would be highly unusual, to say the least. It fact, if the film had come out in 1942, it would have even pre-dated such all black musical films as Stormy Weather and Cabin in the Sky. It was also a major reason RKO’s new regime wanted to get rid of the film, as can be seen in many of the memos.
Finally, there is the rather radical notion (again, for the time), of filming on location in several different foreign counties, in Technicolor. All of which makes it rather unbelievable that even though this precious footage – that was once thought to be lost and then was found – is now in danger of being lost again, but this time forever.
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I’m not trying to make a documentary film, nor am I interested in making a travelogue. I want to tell some of the stories of South America in an interesting manner and bring certain phases of Latin entertainment to the movie-going world. The picture will have music, color, romance, and will be of the land, the sea and the cities. It’s going to be a new medium of entertainment when it’s completed.
—Orson Welles
Mr. Welles is aware that he is facing tremendous difficulties. It’s a safe bet that out of Welles’s South American trek will come a new and novel production. It will be a great production if he gets an even break with fate.
—Tom Pettey, Unit Publicist on It’s All True
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1930 A Military junta overthrows the Brazilian republic; Getulio Vargas assumes dictatorship.
July, 1941 Duke Ellington’s Jump for Joy opens at Mayan Theatre, Los Angeles. Reports of Ellington in a deal with Orson Welles for The Story of Jazz project make news.July 29, 1941 It’s All True registered by Welles as title for omnibus film incorporating The Story of Jazz, My Friend Bonito, John Fante’s Love Story and Robert Flaherty’s The Captain’s Chair. September 4, 1941Welles joins Norman Foster in Mexico to scout locations for My Friend Bonito, which Foster is to direct from a Robert Flaherty story.September 14, 1941 The four Jangadeiros set off from Iracema Beach in Z-1 Colony of Fortaleza in the Brazilian state of Ceará en route to Rio to see President Vargas. September 25, 1941 First test shots done for the Tienta sequence of My Friend Bonito at La Punta hacienda in Aguascalienies, Mexico.October 15, 1941 Downbeat Magazine carries It’s All True as title of Duke Ellington’s project with Orson Welles.Welles visited the set of MY FRIEND BONITO after shooting had begun in early October and sent this cable to Norman Foster after viewing some of the rushes.
ORSON WELLES TO NORMAN FOSTER
October 18, 1941
YOU ASKED ME TO BE BRUTALLY FRANK. OKAY, THE FILM IS ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL. I WILL REPEAT THAT. THE FILM IS COMPLETELY MARVELOUS. VERY, VERY EXCITING AND AS BEAUTIFUL AS ANYTHING YOU EVER SAW IN YOUR LIFE. FROM NOW ON YOUR ARE OFFICAL CREDITED CO-DIRECTOR OF BONITO AND GOD BLESS YOU.
ORSON
October 28, 1941? Welles begins principal photography on The Magnificent Ambersons in Los Angeles.November 15, 1941 The Jangadeiros arrive in Rio de Janeiro after sailing 1,650 miles from Fortaleza; they are received as national heroes.November 17, 1941 President Vargas signs legislation extending Maritime Laws to include social benefits for all Brazilian fishermen and their families.December 1, 1941 Time Magazine carries the story of the Jangadeiros in its issue dated December 8.December 7, 1941 Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor; The U.S. enters World War II.Two weeks after the United States was drawn into World War II, RKO stockholder Nelson Rockefeller approached Orson Welles about going to Brazil on a good will mission. Shortly afterwards, John Hay Whitney, the director of the office for the coordination of Inter-American Affairs (OCIAA) sent this telegram to Orson Welles.
JOHN HAY WHITNEY TO ORSON WELLES:
December 20, 1941
DEAR ORSON:
WE UNDERSTAND YOU ARE WILLING AND MAY BE ABLE TO UNDER TAKE TRIP TO BRAZIL WHERE YOU WOULD PRODUCE MOTION PICTURES IN COOPERATION WITH BRAZILIAN GOVERNMENT. IF THIS CAN BE ARRANGED IT WILL BE ENORMOUSLY HELPFUL TO THE PROGRAM OF THIS OFFICE AND ENERGETICALLY SUPPORTED BY IT. WE HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED EXPRESSIONS ENTHUSIASTIC APPROVAL FROM RIO. PERSONALLY BELIEVE YOU WOULD MAKE GREAT CONTRIBUTION TO HEMISPHERIC SOLIDARITY WITH THIS PROJECT.
REGARDS,
JOHN HAY WHITNEY
January 6 1942 Journey Into Fear begins production ? Norman Foster directs, having been called back in mid-December from shooting My Friend Bonito in Mexico.January 22, 1942? Twelve “IAT” crew members of first unit with 4,500 Ibs. of Technicolor equipment fly to Rio via Pan American Clipper; arrive January 27.January 31, 1942 Orson Welles’ final shooting day on The Magnificent Ambersons.
February 1, 1942? Welles wraps role of Colonel Haki in Journey into Fear, bids farewell lo his radio show audience that night and heads for South America.February 2, 1942 Welles arrives in Washington for briefing by Nelson Rockefeller and John Hay Whitney, the heads of the Office of Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs (OCIAA).At the strong urging of the OCIAA, Welles agreed to go to Brazil to make a movie and act as a goodwill ambassador, which would help to strengthen relations between the Americas. Welles planned to leave almost immediately, in order to shoot the Mardi Gras celebrations in Rio that would take place from February 14 to 17. Unfortunately, this proved to be a serious mistake for two reasons: First, it left THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS in a unfinished state, which was to prove disastrous when the film was badly received by preview audiences, and secondly, it gave Welles very little time for any pre-production planning before he would start shooting IT’S ALL TRUE.
ORSON WELLES STATEMENTS:
January, 1942 We have pretty well in mind what we are going to do in Brazil. And we also know that we are going on from there to other Latin American countries. My definite plan is to attempt a movie for all the people of all the Americas. It will be a polyglot movie, by which I mean we are designing it to be completely understandable, no matter what the language of the audience. Some of it will be silent, part will be in color, but we intend to make it so that it can play in its original state in all of the Americas.
THE LADY ESTHER RADIO SHOW:
February, 1 1942 This is the last time for some while I’ll be speaking to you from the United States. Tomorrow night the Mercury Theater starts for South America. The reason, put more or less, officially, is that I’ve been asked by the office of the coordinator of Inter-American affairs to do a motion picture especially for Americans in all the Americas, a movie which, in its particular way, might strengthen the good relations now binding the continents of the Western Hemisphere. Put much less officially, the Mercury’s going down there to get acquainted. We the people of these United Nations of America now stand together: We’re going to have to know each other better than we do. My job–the Mercury’s job–is to help with the introductions.? And now it’s time for good byes. As always, we remain obediently yours.
February 4, 1942 Orson Welles leaves for Rio from Miami with Phil Reisman, RKO VP and foreign manager.
February 8, 1942 Welles and Reisman arrive in Rio for start of production on It’s All True.
On February 9, test shooting for the Carnival began on locations around Rio. The lighting equipment would not arrive from the U.S. until early March. That same day, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences bestowed 9 nominations on RKO’s production of CITIZEN KANE (including four nominations for Welles as best director, writer, actor and producer) RKO Pictures President George Schaefer was obviously pleased, and sent this telegram to Welles, expressing his enthusiasm on the partial footage he has seen from their next production, THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS.
GEORGE SCHAEFER TO ORSON WELLES:
February 9, 1941
PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR NOT HAVING WIRED YOU IMMEDIATELY ON MY RETURN FROM THE COAST TO TELL YOU OF MY HAPPINESS AS A RESULT OF WHAT I HAVE SEEN OF YOUR CURRENT PICTURE. EVEN THOUGH I HAVE SEEN ONLY A PART OF IT, THERE IS EVERY INDICATION THAT IT IS CHOCK FULL OF HEART THROBS, HEARTACHES AND HUMAN INTEREST. FROM A TECHNICAL STANDPOINT IT IS STARTLING AND I SHOULD NOT FORGET TO MENTION ESPECIALLY THAT AGNES MOOREHEAD DOES SOME OF THE FINEST PIECES OF WORK I HAVE EVER SEEN ON THE SCREEN. ALTHOUGH I SAW ONLY PART OF THE PICTURE HER WORK IN PARTICULAR MADE A TREMENDOUS IMPRESSION ON ME. AGAIN I AM VERY HAPPY AND PROUD OF OUR ASSOCIATION.CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST WISHES,
GEORGE SCHAEFER
Shortly after arriving in Brazil, Welles described his approach towards making IT’S ALL TRUE in a press release.
ORSON WELLES: STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
I am here to find out all that I can in the time that I have and to translate it to the public in two mediums at my command-movies and the radio.I have found too little of Brazilian lore translated into English and that which I have found in English, both historical and literary, has not always been authentic. To overcome this lack of written information, we have organized a research group, a half dozen or more of the most capable writers and research workers in Rio… Our picture must be authentic.
February 11, 1942 B&W equipment and negative arrives in Rio (but no lights); modified anti-aircraft searchlights lent by Brazilian Armed Forces.?Welles had only six days to prepare before the start of Carnival, which would last for four hectic days (February 14-17). It soon became apparent that RKO’s man in Rio, production manager Lynn Shores, was attempting to undermine Welles’s authority whenever possible. From the very start of filming, Shores expressed great doubts about the picture, and as shooting progressed, he began to send increasingly negative reports back to RKO’s executive Vice-President in Hollywood, Walter Daniels.
LYNN SHORES TO WALTER DANIELS
February 16, 1942: I am enclosing a sort of day-to-day report on this junket to date. We have been shooting a certain amount of film during carnival, but I am afraid the results on the screen are not going to be terribly impressive from what I have seen so far. What with the heat, the strange food, our inability to get anything moving in the speedy American way, and the fast shuffles that Welles cooks up, everyone is pretty much at each other’s throats in our organization down here. However, he can’t complain as we have given him everything we have. As to the plans of this set-up, I am entirely in the dark. Harry Wild is also trying to get something out of Mr. Welles. Each time Orson just shows him the cuff of his shirt.Dick Wilson sticks so close to Welles at the beach that we are entirely without any information here at any time. I get along swell with Orson and Reisman and in their saner moments we sometimes have a business-like conversation lasting at least a minute. Conduct throughout has been up to the high standard Mr. Breen hoped for.
February 26, 1942 Orson Welles wins an Oscar. Citizen Kane was nominated for nine Academy Awards, but wins only one, for best original screenplay. Welles shared the award with his co-author, Herman J. Mankiewicz. It would be the first and only time Welles would receive a competitive Oscar.
Tom Pettey, RKO’sunit publicist prepared this preliminary summary on IT’S ALL TRUE that he?sent to Herbert Drake, Welles Mercury publicist in Hollywood.
TOM PETTEY TO HERBERT DRAKE
March 2, 1942The glimpse into the future that follows may go through as outlined, may be changed, may be done altogether or in part. No one can tell as no one knows what difficulties may be encountered in a war-ridden world. Anyhow, here’s the story as it stands today.A big smiling man in a plum-colored suit easily the most stared-at man in the salon of the Copacabana Hotel in Rio de Janeiroleans across a coffee table and begins talking with a couple of newsmen… It is the much stared at Orson Welles who tells them, the picture will be a long one: We don’t know how much the picture will cost because we don’t know what difficulties we may have to face in the way of delays and transportation? Devices pictorial, musical and by sound will be utilized at the opening to establish a mood, to bring all sections of South and Latin America to the screen.
My Friend Bonito will lead into the Jangadeiros’s story. There will be sequences shot in countries other than Brazil, including, for example, a short account of the conquest of Peru, to be shot around Lima. More than half the picture will be shot in Brazil. I’m not trying to make a documentary film, Welles concludes, nor am I interested in making a travelogue. I want to tell some of the stories of South America in an interesting manner and bring certain phases of Latin entertainment to the movie-going world. The picture will have music, color, romance, and will be of the land, the sea and the cities.
Mr. Welles is aware that he is facing tremendous difficulties. It’s a safe bet that out of Welles’s South American trek will come a new and novel production. It will be a great production if he gets an even break with fate. In a few weeks Rio will have a first class movie studio. It may result in fine pictures being made right here in Brazil… The Welles? crew and the man will be remembered in Brazil for years to come. They brought something to the country and are taking nothing away except for pictures.
When Welles left to scout locations and meet the four Jangadeiros in Fortaleza on March 6, Lynn Shores absurdly imagined that Welles would leave him in charge there to direct FOUR MEN ON A RAFT.
LYNN SHORES TO WALTER DANIELS (excerpt):
March 3, 1942
I believe Welles’ intentions are to leave me at Fortaleza to finish the jangada picture and bring one complete unit back to Rio where he will start filming dips and dabs of the carnival cut-in. The trip is assuming all the proportions a typical Orson Welles production in that we are attempting to start three or four different things at once instead of sticking on one till it is accomplished. Welles has not seen a camera since the finish of carnival two weeks ago??
In this memo, Shores writes prophetically that the production could fill a book. In retrospect, Shores is right it would be amusing reading his account, since it is mostly delusional ravings, which clearly indicate his own growing isolaton and paranoia. Quite unbelievably, he even expresses to know what Welles’ own thoughts about the movie are.
LYNN SHORES TO WALTER DANIELS (excerpt):
March 9, 1942
I have a lot of things on my mind which may explode before you receive this letter. We have not made a shot worth while this week, and if we had been shooting continually all week, the shots would still not have been worth while. I do not like to be pessimistic on this trip, but the longer we are here the more involved we get and seem to be working toward no end… Welles is definitely throwing the shooting of this pictures onto my lap. Confidentially I believe there is nothing promising here. The shooting of the carnival was a big disappointment to all of us, and I know to him personally.
I am working under continuous pressure from both ends. Welles wants me all night for meaningless conferences, and the boys (on the crew) want me all day for shooting and general lending an ear to their beefs. Whatever they feel about Welles they are taking out on me.
(I hoped) the lights and equipment will keep the boys occupied to the extent of keeping them out of too much unoccupied mischief.
I am doing everything humanly possible to preserve law, order, morale and progress. I hate to continually bombard you with pessimistic letters, but someone has got to be a little truthful about this jaunt… the details of the daily maneuvers down here would fill a book and be most amusing. Someday I may write that book.