'What Ever Happened to Orson Welles?' by Joseph McBride

Fat Annie · Post by **Fat Annie** » Tue Jan 28, 2003 12:49 am

My favorite author on Orson Welles is Joe McBride.
i got 17 hits on his name in amazon.

Here are some of Joe McBride's books of interest:

1.
"Orson Welles" ISBN: 0306806746 McBride's excellent essays from the early '70's on each film Welles directed. includes TOSOTW, which McBride was in.
Re-issued in 1996

2.
Amazon lists:
"Orson Welles Actor & Director" ASIN: 0156701707
My copy's title is "Orson WELLES An Illustrated History of the Movies"
ISBN 0-15-670170-7
PN2287.W456M3 791.43'028'0924 (b) 77-76450

This little paperback gem is the only book if its kind.
It has a photo and description of each film that Welles appeared in through the mid '70's when the book came out.
It covers Welles acting career from from "The Hearts of Age" to "F for Fake" & "The Voyage of the Damned". (It even manages to include Ambersons)
There he is as Mr. Rochester, Orson Welles (Follow the Boys) Harry Lime, Michael O'Hara, Lord Mountdrago, Father Mapple, Hank Quinlan, Jonathan (Darrow) Wilk, and of course, Capt. Hart. The book also includes pictures and articles about Welles as Emile Hagolin, The Advocate, Max Buda, Falstaff, Cardinal Wolsey, LeChiffre, Mr. Clay and Gen. Dreedle.
This is the one book of mine that I will never lend to anyone.

3.
"John Ford" ISBN: 0306800160
This wonderful little book of essays from the mid- '70's is similar to the book McBride wrote at that time on Welles.
It looks in depth at certain of Ford's greatest films.
Included are essays on the Searchers and Liberty Valence.

4.
"Searching for John Ford" published in 2001 ISBN: 0312242328
This is the finest biography I have ever read. I'm reading it for the fourth time.
Buy the hardcover for $28 through the Wellesnet link to amazon. Here is a link to 37 sample pages:

http://www.amazon.com/exec....er-link

McBride teaches Irish Culture and History and covers this important aspect of Ford's life and films.
I can't wait to read his treatment of Welles experiences in Ireland at age 16, and the events portrayed in "Orson's Shadow"
If McBride's biography of Welles is comparable to his bio of Ford, we're in for a treat!

Fat Annie · Post by **Fat Annie** » Tue Jan 28, 2003 1:15 am

More on McBride, Ford & Welles:

McBride's essays on Ford and Welles's films are personal. He began his book of essays on some of Ford's greatest films with Ford's funeral, which McBride attended, at which he notes touching "Fordian" moments. His reporting of his interview with Ford reads like a film too.
There is no other place to get this insight on Ford's films. That's why he is a unique biographer of Ford. He starts with a love for Ford, cinema and Ireland and it shines through this wonderful book.

There have, I think, been around the same number of biographies of Welles as films directed by Welles. It has been remarked around this board, that none of them is really satisfying. McBride is in a position to write the same insightful and well intentioned, bio of Welles as he did for Ford. In his book of essays on Welles, he writes of being a young film buff suddenly cast as a character, somewhat like himself, in TOSOTW. We may never see TOSOTW, but by now the stories written about the film are more interesting than most fiolms I've seen in the last 25 years. I'm especially interested in reading more of McBride's insights on the making of TOSOTW.

Finally, to repeat on McBride and Ireland. Ireland was central to Ford's personal life and body of film work. McBride captures this wonderfully in both of his Ford books. Ireland made a very deep impression on the adolescent Welles. This aspect of Welles's personality and work has never been adequately handled by biographers. Finally, we know that Welles said the "old master" that was most influential to him was Ford.
I'm interested in the intersection of their lives and careers. McBride writes that Ford intended to cast Welles in the role that went to Spencer Tracy in "The Last Hurrah". The misconduct of Welles manager (once again) blew it for him.

On Welles and Ford:
Their life stories would each make facinating films.
One made more films than any other great director, one less than any other.
Welles watched 'Stagecoach' over and over again with Toland as depicted in RKO 281.

Fat Annie · Post by **Fat Annie** » Tue Jan 28, 2003 7:58 am

McBride regards Chimes at Midnight as Welles's greatest film

Jeff Wilson · Post by **Jeff Wilson** » Tue Feb 24, 2004 12:00 am

Pub date for What Ever Happened to Orson Welles?: A Portrait of an Independent Filmmaker is given as December 2004, which may or may not be correct. I haven't found any further information on the web. Link below.

Wellesnet link here

Johnny Dale · Post by **Johnny Dale** » Wed Feb 25, 2004 7:57 pm

Can't wait for this book.
I love his essays on Welles films and his essays on Ford's films.
His biography of Ford, "Searching for John Ford" is outstanding.

OT
another Walter Murch book coming out:
Murch, who received an Academy Award nomination (his fourth) for Best Film Editing for his work on "Cold Mountain," will publish the story of editing it: "Behind the Seen: Walter Murch on Feature Film Editing, Final Cut Pro, and the Future of Cinema" ISBN: 0735714266.

Johnny Dale · Post by **Johnny Dale** » Sat Jan 08, 2005 10:45 am

What Ever Happened to Orson Welles?:
A Portrait of an Independent Career-
by Joseph McBride
ISBN: 0060012714
Publisher: Ecco

...Also, if possible, Jeff,
could you reprint the link to order this bio from Amazon through Wellesnet?

If we want to order more than one book aftet clicking the link,
does each purchase in that transaction help support Wellesnet,
or does Wellesnet only benefit from our purchase of the designated book from the Wellesnet link?

In other words, can we help Wellesnet
if we make all our amazon purchases
by first linking through this site.

Wilson · Post by **Wilson** » Sat Jan 08, 2005 11:16 am

Sure, this is the link: McBride book I don't think it has been released yet, though. And as far as Amazon, anything you order gets credit for the site as long as whatever you order is ordered from your clickthrough from Wellesnet. In other words, you can't visit later on your own and order and have them count.

Gordon · Post by **Gordon** » Sat Jan 08, 2005 11:28 am

Can't wait for McBride's new book.

His essays on John Ford (written with Michael Wilmington) and his recent Ford bio are worth reading again.

Also his little picture book on Welles as an actor is a gem, and his book of essays on Welles' films as a director is great.

I bet the new Welles book will be the definitive bio. To get an idea of McBride's great ability as a biographer, compare his wonderful book, "Searching for John Ford", with another Ford bio, "Print the Legend" that appeared the same year.

Wilson · Post by **Wilson** » Sat Jan 08, 2005 11:52 am

From what I've gathered, this isn't a full bio, but focuses more on Welles' final period, thus the title. But very little info has been forthcoming about the book, so I can't say for sure.

Johnny Dale · Post by **Johnny Dale** » Sat Jan 08, 2005 12:55 pm

Jeff,

could you also please (re?)print the links for:

Medium And The Magician: Orson Welles, The Radio Years, 1934-1952 (Critical Media Studies)
by Paul Heyer
ISBN: 0742537978
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (January 30, 2005)

Despite The System: Orson Welles Versus The Hollywood Studios
by Clinton Heylin
ISBN: 1556525478
Publisher: Chicago Review Press (February 28, 2005)

Walking Shadows: Orson Welles, William Randolph Hearst, and Citizen Kane
by John Evangelist Walsh
ISBN: 0299205002
Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press (December 22, 2004)

Here's a list of orson Welles titles from amazon:

amazon welles list

Wilson · Post by **Wilson** » Sat Jan 08, 2005 2:20 pm

I can post them here a little later when I have time, but all the links are still on the News page; just scroll down and look for the appropriate title or cover image.

Wilson · Post by **Wilson** » Sun Jan 09, 2005 10:54 pm

In the interests of keeping all the comments about the recent and upcoming books on Welles in one place, here are my thoughts on the John Evangelist Walsh Kane and Hearst book. I have a copy of the Heylin book, which I will post some thoughts on once I get through it. Bogdanovich fairly raves about it on the back cover. Let's hope it lives up to that.

Walking Shadows: OW, WR Hearst and Citizen Kane, is a book that I can’t recommend to anyone who already has a reasonable knowledge of Welles. The book purports to prove that it was Hearst himself who was personally behind the attacks on Welles in the time leading up to and immediately after the release of Kane. Which, let’s face it, is not something I would imagine many of us have a hard time believing. But what author John Evangelist Walsh fails to do is provide any real “smoking gun” type evidence. Everything is circumstantial at best, and simple assumptions of guilt at worst.

He does make some interesting points on occasion; for example, the story commonly bandied about in descriptions of Kane’s reception at the 1942 Oscars is one of outright hostility by the gathered audience, but Walsh notes that no source is given for this story, and no description of it exists in the contemporary stories about the ceremony. But by the same token, his assumption that Hearst was behind Welles and Kane being denied Oscar glory is only that, as he himself admits: “Full proof of Hearst’s part in the ultimate defeat of Orson Welles is likely beyond retrieving. But where a man of Hearst’s savage reputation is concerned…in some things for some minds it isn’t needed.” It isn’t? Okay then!

In the final section, Walsh discusses Dorothy Comingore’s sad fall from starring in Kane to her eventual arrest for solicitation in 1953 and subsequent disappearance from public life until her death in 1971. Walsh posits that it was Hearst’s hand behind her downfall, but again only has suppositions and Hearst’s vengeful nature as evidence. “Whether Hearst had any link to the sad chronicle of Dorothy Commingore’s [sic] fall cannot at the moment be said. Given his known ruthlessness in his journalistic pursuits, however, and his savage way of exacting revenge, that possibility cannot be brushed aside.” But Walsh fails to follow up on at least two leads that might have helped his case in this regard. He mentions Ruth Warrick’s autobiography, which makes brief mention of Comingore’s claims of “injustice” done to her, but apparently didn’t contact Warrick to ask if she knew any further information about it. Walsh also mentions that Comingore had two children, and they might have been a good source to look into as well.

Walsh summarizes with this, in describing Welles’ difficulties in Hollywood after Kane and before Hearst’s death: “During the ten years that Hearst lived after the Citizen Kane affair, no evidence shows him as continuing to harass or target Welles. Nor has anyone yet thought to suggest, even offhandedly, any such sustained vendetta…Whether those ten troublesome, less than triumphant years [for Welles] were solely a result of Welles’ own shortcomings or of bad luck, or might have been to some extent a result of Hearst’s secret manipulation, must for now remain an open question.” I’m still trying to decide which is crazier – this, or the “Welles as Black Dahlia murderer” theory. Walsh suggests at one point that hard proof might come to light when sealed papers of Hearst’s are eventually opened, but he gives no indication as to what these papers are or why they would contain evidence proving Hearst’s involvement.

In the end, it comes to this: I’ve always assumed that Hearst had some role in what went down in the battle over the release of Kane. Does anyone think he didn’t? But the extent and nature of that involvement is going to remain unknown until we get some kind of real proof, and saying that “it would be just like Hearst to have done this” doesn’t count.

Harvey Chartrand · Post by **Harvey Chartrand** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:56 am

From Turner Classic Movies Essentials:

The cast of Citizen Kane enjoyed a close camaraderie with director Orson Welles and with each other, with the exception of Dorothy Comingore (Susan Alexander Kane). Welles treated her with contempt on the set, while showing only courtesy to Ruth Warrick, who played the first Mrs. Kane. Warrick objected to the shabby treatment that was obvious to everyone on the set. But Welles explained, "I treat her that way because she's got to hate my guts when we get to the later scenes. When she yells and screams and finally walks out on me, I want her to feel every bit of it in her bones." Warrick argued that an actress does not have to suffer real abuse in order to show those emotions. But Welles said, "That's just the point. She is not an actress. She is Susan Alexander, and she'll probably end up just like the woman she's playing. I'm not mistreating her. I treat her exactly as she expects to be treated. She wouldn't respect anything else." Comingore's subsequent life played out like a bad melodrama. Her film career after Citizen Kane came to a grinding halt when she was blacklisted in 1951 for her affiliation with known Communist Party members. Her final film was The Big Night (1951), directed by Joseph Losey (also blacklisted). Her personal life was also rocky. A few years after the release of Citizen Kane, her marriage failed. Once her ex-husband won custody of their children, Comingore became an alcoholic and frequented nightspots, telling willing patrons her tales of woe. It was later reported that she was arrested for solicitation on Hollywood Boulevard. Her sad life came to an end in 1971.

Poor Dorothy Comingore ended up just like Susan Alexander Kane – broke, lonely and a self-pitying drunkard, although she "sang for her supper" in a different way. She was only 58 years old when she passed on.

And yes, John Evangelist Walsh lacks a fundamental virtue of a good writer – curiosity. I would have made every effort to contact Ruth Warrick and Dorothy Comingore's children to find out why her life turned in on itself. It's a subject of intense fascination to me.

If I may boast, I once interviewed actor Christopher Jones, whose own downfall was equally mystifying, for a story that appeared in Outré Magazine in 2001. Jones went from A-list star in 1970 (Ryan's Daughter) to homeless person and (some say) male prostitute by 1973. I just had to find out why Jones allowed himself to go downhill like that. So I tracked him down (which wasn't easy) and he agreed to an e-mail interview. By 1999, Jones had bounced back and was working as a professional artist. (He even did a cameo in TRIGGER HAPPY.) The complete truth about Jones's downward spiral in the 70s and 80s was never revealed, but at least I went straight to the source and got some great quotes from him. Too bad Walsh didn't avail himself of the opportunity to get the lowdown on what really happened to Dorothy Comingore.

Wilson · Post by **Wilson** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 7:02 pm

The upcoming book on Welles' radio career, The Medium and the Magician, has some sample pages online, for those who want to take a look. It is only the frontmatter and introduction, but some may wish to check them out. Looks promising, based on the intro, at least. Just click on the Sample Pages link.

Radio Book Sample

Wilson · Post by **Wilson** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 11:01 am

A fairly scathing review of David Thomson's latest book, which is a history of Hollywood:

The Whole Equation