WotW

[NoFake]

http://www.otrcat.com/war-of-the-worlds ... liens.html

[Terry]

Yes, we're getting towards the two nights when War of the Worlds is still annually broadcast by a smattering of radio stations across North America in AM and FM and still generating items in the news media and new TV documentaries (especially at 10 year intervals,) making it Welles' greatest popular success and only entrance into the ritual of American tradition, a feat equaled among other directors only by Frank Capra (with It's a Wonderful Life) and Bob Clark (with A Christmas Story) (Victor Fleming dropped off the list when CBS halted its annual showings of The Wizard of Oz for Thanksgiving.)

If Welles had been willing to compromise himself and make an RKO film version (with spooky theremin music by Bernard Herrmann,) perhaps it would have become a seasonal staple on TV exactly as the Christmas films have.

[Alan Brody]

I've always suspected that that may have been one of the reasons why RKO gave Welles such a fabulous, carte-blanche contract in the first place: they figured he would do a film of War of the Worlds. And that may also have been a major reason why the studio became quickly disillusioned with him, when he didn't deliver one. But it's actually fun to speculate on what that film might have been like, if Welles's heart had been in it. After all, Kane contains a lot of special effects work by many of the people who did King Kong, and the effects in The Wizard of Oz still hold up pretty well too, even after all these years. Interesting too, to speculate on what that radio interview between Welles and HG Wells down in Texas might have been if Welles's upcoming first film had been WOTW instead. Not that I'd want to trade Kane for anything, but yes, Welles's career might have been radically different.

[Glenn Anders]

Not much doubt of it, Alan:

RKO was in bankruptcy. Nelson Rockefeller, Welles' New York friend, was in the background. The executives saw signing Welles as great publicity, especially if he made a film version of his famous radio play. Welles appears to have encouraged them, but he wanted to do a film of his own choosing first. That film finally turned out to be CITIZEN KANE, and he never got back to "The War of the Worlds," whether he intended to or not.

There is a rather thorough discussion of the whole subject here:

http://www.war-ofthe-worlds.co.uk/filmandtv.htm

Glenn

[Magentarose67]

Seems that this Halloween, many are getting into the War of the Worlds spirit ...

http://www.waroftheworldstribute.com/

[Glenn Anders]

All Hail to the ORSON & ME Public Relations Gang for sponsoring this memorial airing!

Glenn

[ToddBaesen]

While I certainly would have loved to see Orson Welles direct a film version of WAR OF THE WORLDS, I think it was never even considered by either RKO or Orson Welles.

Firstly, the book was owned by Paramount and it would have taken a deal like what Selznick had offered MGM to get Clark Gable for GONE WITH THE WIND. RKO, at the time was in no position to offer such a generous offer to Paramount. But even if they were, it's hardly likely that Welles wanted to make it as his first project for RKO. It's alreadly well documented he wanted to do Conrad's HEART OF DARKNESS.

Welles scholars who have visited the Lilly Library can probably provide more insight into this, but I've never heard one word about a possible version of WAR OF THE WORLDS as a Welles project at RKO.

[Glenn Anders]

I'm not sure if anyone has ever posted a reference to this monument commemorating Orson Welles' "The War of the Worlds." On the chance no one has, here is a URL you might want to look at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Landi ... statue.JPG

[Magentarose67]

Orson and WOTW mentioned today in AOL:

http://www.popeater.com/2009/11/21/what ... sted-when/

I doubt Orson would use Twitter if it existed in his time ...

[Roger Ryan]

Orson and WOTW mentioned today in AOL:

http://www.popeater.com/2009/11/21/what ... sted-when/

I doubt Orson would use Twitter if it existed in his time ...

I guarantee you Orson would have been Twittering his recommendations for re-editing AMBERSONS on a daily basis while in Brazil!

[Magentarose67]

Orson and WOTW mentioned today in AOL:

http://www.popeater.com/2009/11/21/what ... sted-when/

I doubt Orson would use Twitter if it existed in his time ...

I guarantee you Orson would have been Twittering his recommendations for re-editing AMBERSONS on a daily basis while in Brazil!

Oh yes! There's a situation where he think he would ...I wonder if Robert Wise would've listened to him though...