Magic Lantern Video & Book Store
Orson Welles
[1915-1985]
 |
short profile
links books by Orson Welles
other films of Orson Welles
|
“Nobody gets justice. People only get good luck or bad luck.”
“Gluttony is not a secret vice.”
“A film is never really good unless the camera is an eye in the head of a poet.”
“It is not my intention to repeat myself, but in my work there should certainly be references to what I have done in the past.
Say what you will, but 'The Trial' is the best film I ever made . . . I have never been so happy as when I made this film.”
— Orson Welles
Orson Welles entry at Wikipedia
Orson Welles credits [1934-87] at Internet Movie Database
Wellesnet: The Orson Welles Web Resource
browse Orson Welles on DVD at Amazon
  |
Orson Welles won a shared Oscar® for Best Original Screenplay for "Citizen Kane" [1941] and an Honorary Oscar® in 1971 |
four awards (1952-66) at the Cannes Film Festival
a Peabody Award for "The Fountain of Youth" [1958]
the Venice Film Festival Career Golden Lion Award (1970)
the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award (1975)
the Donatello/Visconti Award (1983)
the D.G.A. Lifetime Achievement Award (1984)
and has a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
and was listed by The Atlantic Monthly among America's Most Influential Filmmakers [Dec 2006]
Orson Welles credits [1934-87] at Internet Movie Database
Orson Welles entry at Wikipedia
Orson Welles Broadway credits [1934-62] at IBdB
browse Orson Welles on DVD at Amazon
browse Orson Welles books catalog at Amazon
browse Orson Welles incomplete audio catalog at Amazon
Wellesnet: The Orson Welles Web Resource
Books by Orson Welles
Orson Welles books catalog at Amazon
 |
"Orson Welles On Shakespeare: The W.P.A. & Mercury Theatre Playscripts" [1990] Edited by Richard France, Foreword by Simon Callow Routledge 9x6 pb [9/2001] for $29.95 Greenwood Press 9¾x6½ hardcover [12/90] for $68.95 |
 |
"This Is Orson Welles" [1992 autobiography] by Orson Welles & Peter Bogdanovich Da Capo Press 8¼x5¼ pb [4/98] for $16.32 HarperCollins 9½x6½ hardcover [9/92] out of print/used |
 |
"Orson Welles: Interviews" [2002] Edited by Mark W. Estrin Univ Press of MS 9x6 pb [3/2002] for $14.00 Univ Press of MS 9x6¼ hardcover [4/2002] for $46.36 |
Books About Orson Welles
 | "The War of The Worlds Murder" mystery novel[2005] by Max Allan Collins As Orson Welles and his Mercury Theater team are preparing for the big Hallowe'en 1938 radio broadcast of H.G. Wells's "War of The Worlds", one of Orson's former mistresses is found murdered; Orson is a prime suspect, and the 'broadcast must go on', while Walter Gibson, creator of "The Shadow", works behind the scenes to find out whether Orson did or did not kill the girl. Kindle Edition from Thomas & Mercer [12/2012] for $3.99 Thomas & Mercer 8¼x5½ pb [12/2012] for $11.90 Berkley mass pb [7/2005] out of print/used Thorndike Press hardcover [7/2005] out of print/used |
 | "Despite The System: Orson Welles Versus The Hollywood Studios" [2005] by Clinton Heylin Chicago Review Press 8¾x5¾ pb [6/2006] for $11.02 Chicago Review Press 9½x6¼ hardcover [2/2005] for $16.97 |
 | "The Medium and the Magician: Orson Welles, The Radio Years, 1934-1952" [2005] by Paul Heyer Rowman & Littlefield 9x6½ pb [2/2005] for $29.95 Rowman & Littlefield 9¼x6¼ hardcover [2/2005] for $87.00 |
 | "Le Film Noir: L'Áge d'Or du Film Criminel Américain" [2004] by Patrick Brion Subjects include Howard Hawks, Alfred Hitchcock, Fritz Lang, Stanley Kubrick, Nicholas Ray & Orson Welles Editions de la Martinière French-language hardcover [9/2004] for €42,75 at Amazon France Patrick Brion's weblog (in French) |
 | "Encyclopedia of Orson Welles: From Citizen Kane To Othello" [2003] by Chuck Berg & Tom Erskine Checkmark Books 9¼x7¾ pb [1/2003] for $19.95 Facts On File 9½x7¼ hardcover [1/2003] for $60.00 |
 | "King of Harlem" [1930 mystery; 2001] by Steven Philip Jones The W.P.A. hires young Orson Welles to direct an all-Negro Macbeth at the Lafayette Theater in New York City's Harlem. Orson receives death threats, an actor is arrested for murder, and the case is handed to brand-new detective Sassafras Winters and his sidekick, The Chinaman. Mundania Press 9x6 pb [8/2005] for $12.00 Lightning Source 9x6 pb [3/2001] for $14.95 author's booksite |
 | "Orson Welles, Shakespeare, and Popular Culture" [1999] by Michael Anderegg Columbia Univ Press 9x6 pb [1/99] for $25.00 Columbia Univ Press 9½x6½ hardcover [1/99] for $77.50 |
 |
"Rosebud: The Story of Orson Welles" [1996] by David Thomson Vintage 8x5¼ pb [9/97] for $11.20 Knopf 9¾x6¾ hardcover [5/96] out of print/used |
 | "Orson Welles: Volume 1 - The Road to Xanadu" [1995] by Simon Callow Penguin 8½x5½ pb [2/97] for $12.24 Viking 9¾x6½ hardcover [12/95] out of print/used "Orson Welles: Volume 2 - Hello Americans" [2006] by Simon Callow Viking 9x6¼ hardcover [8/2006] for $20.76 |
 |
"Filming Shakespeare's Plays: The Adaptations of Laurence Olivier, Orson Welles, Peter Brook & Akira Kurosawa" [1988] by Anthony Davies Cambridge Univ Press 9x6 pb [6/90] out of print/used Cambridge Univ Press hardcover [9/88] out of print/used Magic Lantern's Akira Kurosawa [1910-88] Page Magic Lantern's 'Shakespeare On Film' Festival Page |
 | "Orson Welles: The Rise & Fall of An American Genius" [1985] by Charles Higham St. Martin's Press 9¼x6 pb [6/2002] for $18.95 St. Martin's Press hardcover [9/85] out of print/many used "The Films of Orson Welles" [1970] by Charles Higham Univ CA Press hardcover [6/70] out of print/used |
 | "Orson Welles: A Biography" [1985] by Barbara Leaming Limelight Editions 9x6 pb [7/2004] for $20.00 Penguin 7¾x5 pb [10/89] out of print/used Penguin mass pb [1986] out of print/used Tusquets Spanish-language pb [1985] for $19.09 |
Movies About Orson Welles
 | "A.F.I. Lifetime Achievement Award: Orson Welles" [1975] Republic color VHS [2/98] out of stock/used show credits from IMDb |
 |
American Experience "The Battle Over Citizen Kane" [PBS/WGBH 2-hour tv documentary special Jan 1996] Co-directed by Michael Epstein & Thomas Lennon; interviewees include William Alland, Peter Bogdanovich, Frank Mankiewicz, Thomas Anderson & Ruth Warrick; Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature WGBH color DVD [11/2000] for $17.99 WGBH color VHS [9/2000] for $18.95 full credits from IMDb P.B.S. official movie site |
"R.K.O. 281" TV movie
[H.B.O./WGBH airdate Nov 1999]
 | The title is the production number for the filming of "Citizen Kane". After Wm. Randolph Hearst learned that Orson Welles was making a feature film that was a thinly-disguised and unflattering look at Hearst's life, the publishing tycoon and presidential hopeful used his power and influence to bury the picture. Directed by Benjamin Ross; starring Liev Schreiber {as Welles}, James Cromwell, Melanie Griffith, John Malkovich & Roy Scheider; nominated for 13 Emmy Awards, including Best TV Movie, Best Direction & Best Script, won 3 minor Emmies; won WGA Award for Best TV Script (tied)
H.B.O. Home Video color DVD [4/2000] for $12.99 H.B.O. Home Video color VHS [3/2001] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
"Fade To Black"
[Ealing/U.K. Europe 2006, not yet USA]
 | After the breakup of his marriage to Rita Hayworth, Orson Welles is hired for a film in post-World War II Italy. When a member of the crew is murdered, Orson and his driver are then drawn into a dangerous web of intrigue, murder & politics. Written & directed by Oliver Parker, based on a 1994 book by Davide Ferrario; starring Danny Huston (as Orson), Diego Luna, Paz Vega, Christopher Walken, Anna Galiena & Violante Placido
video/DVD not available; full credits at IMDb Ealing Studios film site • official moviw site on MySpace Film |
"Me and Orson Welles"
[Freestyle/Warner Nov 2009]
 | New York City in 1937: A teenager bluffs his way into the role of Lucius in a production of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" at the off-Broadway Mercury Theater, directed by the dynamic young genius Orson Welles • Co-produced & directed by Richard Linklater; co-produced & adapted by Holly Gent Palmo & Vincent Palmo Jr., based on the novel by Robert Kaplow {below}; starring Zac Efron, Claire Danes, Christian McKay {as Orson Welles}, Eddie Marsan, Kelly Reilly & James Tupper
DVD/Blu-ray not yet available; full credits at IMDb • official movie site |
 | based on the New York Times bestselling 2003 novel by Robert Kaplow
Penguin movie tie-in mass pb [8/2009] for $11.20 Penguin 7x5 pb [6/2005] for $11.20 MacAdam/Cage 7¼x5½ hardcover [10/2003] for $18.50 |
"Citizen Kane" [Mercury/R.K.O. May 1941]
Generally considered the 'Best Film of All Time'
A multimillionaire newspaper tycoon dies and his last utterance is the single word 'rosebud'; a curious reporter attempts to unlock the riddle
of its meaning by interviewing the tycoon's friends and business partners, revealing the tycoon's life events through flashbacks.
full credits from IMDb •
movie entry at Wikipedia
more details (synopsis, books, links, merchandise) on Magic Lantern's "Citizen Kane" 1941 Movie Page
The film premiered at the R.K.O. Palace Theatre in New York City on 1 May 1941, but was unsuccesful in its first run. Due to threats to industry members by [purported] subject Wm. Randolph Hearst [1863-1951], each mention of the film at the 1942 Academy Awards ceremony was roundly booed by the audience. Nonetheless, the film won an Oscar for Best Original Script, having been also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor [Welles], Best B&W Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Sound & Best Music Score.
Release in Europe in 1946 brought much acclaim, followed by re-release in the U.S.A. in the 1950s; the film was restored by Turner Entertainment in 1991. "Citizen Kane" is number one
on the Top 100 List of the American Film Institute, listed on the National Film Registry (1989), and listed on Time Magazine's All-TIME 100 Movies (5/2005).
 | Produced, co-written & directed by Orson Welles; co-written by Herman J. Mankiewicz; cinema-tography by Gregg Toland; music by Bernard Herrmann; co-starring Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead, Ruth Warrick, Ray Collins, Erskine Sanford, Everett Sloane, William Alland, Thomas Anderson, Paul Stewart & George Coulouris
Warner Bros. 75th Anniv b&w Blu-ray [11/2016] for $11.97 Warner Bros. 75th Anniv b&w DVD [11/2016] for $9.99 Turner b&w DVD [9/2001] 2 disks - out of prodn/used Warner Home Video 50th Anniv b&w VHS [8/91] for $4.97 Turner b&w VHS [8/99] for $12.99 Varese Sarabande soundtrack CD [11/99] 40 tracks - out of prodn/used |
 | "Citizen Kane" screenplay [2002] by Orson Welles & Herman J. Mankiewicz includes the essay "Raising Kane" by Pauline Kael Methuen Drama pb [5/2002] for $15.54 |
Other Films of Orson Welles
Orson Welles credits [1934-87] at Internet Movie Database
"Hearts of Age" [student film 1934]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hearts_of_Age
"Too Much Johnson" [filmed in 1938, restored 2013]
 | Long thought to be a lost film, Welles believed that the last print was destroyed in a fire at his villa in Spain; but a near-complete nitrate work print was discovered in a warehouse in Italy, George Eastman House managed to restore 96% of the partially-edited film. The 40-minute b&w silent film was Welles's first attempt at motion pictures, and he fell in love with the art of cinema. Welles was planning for his Mercury Theater Company to produce a revival of the 1894 stageplay farce "Too Much Johnson" on Broadway, and decided to make a silent slapstick comedy film to include in the play. Filming in New York City and Yonkers quickly used up his funds, and he was told that Paramount's ownership of the film rights to the play prevented him from showing the film as part of a stageplay • Adapted & directed by and featuring Orson Welles; starring Joseph Cotten, Virginia Nicholson, Edgar Barrier, Arlene Francis, Ruth Ford, Mary Wickes, Eustace Wyatt, Guy Kingsley, George Duthie, John Berry, Marc Blitzstein, Herbert Drake, John Houseman, Erskine Sanford, Howard Smith {as Joseph Johnson} & Augusta Weissberger DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia 10/2013 CBS-TV news story [3:38] at YouTube |
"The Smiler With A Knife" [in development in 1939]
A mystery/thriller about a fascist plot to take over the United States (Britain in the book); Welles began casting for this project at the end of 1939, as soon as R.K.O. pulled the plug
on "Heart of Darkness"; he brought in often-used actor Everett Sloane, as well as Ray Collins, John Emery, and George Coulouris; because Welles had no money with which
to pay them, he dropped the project and proceeded with "Citizen Kane".
 | "The Smiler With the Knife: A Nigel Strangeways Mystery" [1939] by Nicholas Blake A pre-war diversion from the usual Nigel Strangeways detective novel: the British government recruits wife Georgia into infiltrating a rural network of fascist plotters, making this book more of a spy thriller Vintage 7¾x5 pb [2007] for $26.79 HarperCollins pb [7/88] out of print/used Berkley mass pb [1964] out of print/used |
"Citizen Kane"
opened in May 1941; it was a box-office failure
"Jane Eyre" [Fox Feb 1944]
"The Stranger" [R.K.O. May 1946]
 | An investigator for the War Crimes Commission releases one suspect in hope of following him to a mastermind of the Holocaust; the suspect is killed in a small town in Connecticut, and the investigator's only clue is the mastermind's fascination with antique clocks • Directed by & starring Orson Welles; also starring Edward G. Robinson, Loretta Young, Philip Merivale, Richard Long, Konstantin Shayne, Byron Keith & Martha Wentworth
Triad Prodns Enhanced Edition b&w DVD [3/2009] for $19.95 M.G.M. Video b&w DVD [7/2007] for $7.99 Delta b&w DVD [6/2002] out of prodn/used Timeless Multimedia b&w VHS [2/94] for $12.34 full credits from IMDb |
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zU7MoRuGDw
"The Lady From Shanghai" [Columbia Pictures June 1948]
Adapted & directed by and starring Orson Welles; also starring Rita Hayworth /tt0040525/
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004W229
"Macbeth" [Mercury/Republic Oct 1948]
 | An 11th-century Scottish nobleman, under pressure by his ruthless wife, murders his soveriegn, is proclaimed king in his stead, then is undone by his own character flaws.
Produced, adapted & directed by & starring Orson Welles; based on the 1606 play by Wm. Shakespeare [1564-1616]; co-starring Jeanette Nolan, Dan O'Herlihy, Roddy McDowall, Edgar Barrier & Erskine Sanford Republic b&w DVD [1/98] out of prodn/used Republic b&w VHS [1/98] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
"The Third Man" [British Lion U.K. Sept 1949; USA Feb 1950]
 | Offered a job in post-war Vienna, an American novelist arrives to find that his employer has been killed in a peculiar traffic accident; further investigation leads to conflicting stories, so he sets out to uncover the truth. Directed by Carol Reed; script by Graham Greene from his novella; starring Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, Alida Valli, Trevor Howard, Bernard Lee & Wilfrid Hyde-White; zither music by Anton Karas; won Oscar for Best Cinematography {Robert Krasker}, Oscar & DGA noms for Best Director, won BAFTA for Best British Film; listed on the B.F.I. 100 Best British Films Ever (1999-2000)
Criterion b&w DVD [11/99] for $29.85 Homevision b&w VHS [7/95] out of prodn/used Jasmine Music Anton Karas CD [11/2002] for $13.99 full credits from IMDb |
 |
"The Third Man" [1950 novella] by Graham Greene Penguin 7¾x5¼ pb [5/99] for $10.01 Audio Partners UNABR audio CD [7/98] for $11.67 |
"The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice"
[France 1952, U.S.A. 1955; restored in 1991]
 | Filmed over four years, using Welles' own money, on location in Morocco & Italy • Co-written & directed by and starring Orson Welles; based on the circa 1603 play by Wm. Shakespeare [1564-1616]; also starring Micheál MacLiammóir, Robert Coote & Suzanne Cloutier; tied for Palme D'Or Prize at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival
Image Ent. b&w DVD [8/99] out of prodn/used Academy b&w VHS [yr=?] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
 | "Put Money In Thy Purse" by Micheál MacLiammóir, Foreword by Orson Welles Details of the lengthy and complicated filming of Welles' 1952 "Othello" by the actor who portrayed Iago. Virgin Books pb [4/94] out of print/rare |
"Omnibus: King Lear" [CBS-TV air date 18 Oct 1953]
 | 73-minute condensed version of Wm. Shakespeare's 1605 stageplay Hosted by Alistair Cooke, directed by Peter Brook; starring Orson Welles, Natasha Parry, Margaret Phillips, Beatrice Straight & Alan Badel E1 Entertainment b&w DVD [2/2010] for $27.49 Xenon b&w VHS [2/2002] out of prodn/used episode credits at IMDb • series credits at IMDb |
"Napoléon" [France March 1955]
 | Written & directed by Sacha Guitry; starring Daniel Gelin (as young Napoléon} & Raymond Pellegrin {as old Napoléon}; also starring Jean-Pierre Aumont, Danielle Darrieux, O.W. Fischer, Jean Gabin, Sacha Guitry, Jean Marais, Michèle Morgan, Yves Montand, Patachou, Micheline Presle, Dany Robin, Maria Schell, Erich von Stroheim {as Ludwig van Beethoven} & Orson Welles
DVD/Blu-ray not available Madacy Ent. color VHS [undated] for $5.00 21st Genesis Home Video color VHS [undated] for $23.45 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"Moby Dick" [1956]
 | Directed by John Huston; script by Ray Bradbury, John Huston & Norman Corwin, based on the epic 1851 novel by Herman Melville; starring Gregory Peck, Richard Basehart, Leo Genn, Royal Dano & Orson Welles
MGM/UA VHS video [8/99] for $13.99 MGM/UA DVD [6/2001] for $16.99 full credits from IMDb |
"The Long, Hot Summer" [Fox April 1958]
 | The man who runs the town of Frenchman's Bend, Mississippi hires a drifter to work in his store, and begins to believe that the man may be a good match for his spinster daughter. Directed by [blacklistee] Martin Ritt; based on William Faulkner's stories "Barn Burning" & "The Spotted Horses", and his 1940 novel "The Hamlet"; starring Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Anthony Franciosa, Orson Welles, Lee Remick & Angela Lansbury
Fox widescreen color DVD [5/2003] for $9.99 Fox color VHS [5/2003] out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb |
"Touch of Evil"
[Universal April 1958; restored version Sept 1998]
  | A narcotics officer from Mexico, honeymooning in a U.S. Border town, gets caught up in a battle against a 'justice at any cost' police chief and Mexican gangsters. Highlights include one of the longest continuous shots in film history, and nighttime location filming in 'downtown' Venice, California • Written & directed by & starring Orson Welles; based on the Whit Masterson novel; music by Henry Mancini; co-starring Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Joseph Calleia, Akim Tamiroff, Marlene Dietrich, Joanna Cook Moore, Ray Collins, Dennis Weaver & Zsa Zsa Gabor; listed in the National Film Registry in 1993
Universal 50th Anniversary Edition widescreen b&w DVD [10/2008] 2 disks for $22.49 Universal restored widescreen b&w DVD [10/2000] for $10.99 Universal restored b&w VHS [10/2000] out of prodn/used Universal b&w 1958 version VHS [3/92] out of prodn/many used Varese Sarabande soundtrack CD [4/93] out of prodn/rare full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia color 11"x17" poster (at left) from Amazon for $9.99
|
 | 1956 novel {orig "Badge of Evil"} by Whit Masterson
Carroll & Graf mass pb [10/92] out of print/used Bantam mass pb [1958] out of print/scarce "Touch of Evil: Orson Welles, Director" [1985] |
"The Fountain of Youth" [Desilu Prodns/NBC-TV Sept 1958]
 | Pilot filmed in 1956 for possible "Presenting: Orson Welles" series; series not picked up, broadcast two years later on the NBC-TV network; footage long considered lost, while reputed to be as artistically original for television as "Citizen Kane" was for cinema • Exec produced by Desi Arnaz; co-produced, written & directed by Orson Welles; based on the story "Youth from Vienna" by John Collier; hosted by Orson Welles; starring Dan Tobin, Joi Lansing, Rick Jason, Nancy Kulp, Billy House, Madge Blake, Marjorie Bennett; won a Peabody Award in 1958
VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb watch full show [2/2014 upload; 28:37] online at YouTube |
article by film critic Richard Brody in The New Yorker Magazine of 11 December 2020
"Compulsion" [Zanuck/Fox April 1959]
"David & Goliath" [Italy Jan 1960]
"Before The Law: Franz Kafka" film segment [indep 1962]
 | non-motion animation film segment based on Franz Kafka's "Before The Law" that is used for the opening/prologue sequence of Welles's 1962 "The Trial"; created by pinscreen animator Alexandre Alexeieff, narrated by Orson Welles • credits not found at IMDb
watch b&w short [11/2010 upload; 2:32] online at YouTube |
"The Trial" [Paris Dec 1962, USA Feb 1963] /tt0057427/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trial_%281962_film%29
Filmed in Italy, France & Croatia; adaptation of Franz Kafka's famous 1925 novel.
“The Trial is the best film I ever made.” — Orson Welles
"Ro.Go.Pa.G." anthology film [Italy Feb 1963]
 | Four segments by four directors – Roberto Rosselini, Jean-Luc Godard, Pier Paolo Pasolini & Ugo Gregoretti: "Illibatezza" ('Chastity') written & directed by Rosselini, starring Rosanna Schiaffino, Bruce Balaban & Maria Pia Schiaffino; "Il Nuovo Mondo" ('New World') written & directed by Godard, starring Jean-Marc Bory & Alexandra Stewart; "La Ricotta" ('Curd Cheese') written & directed by Pasolini, starring Orson Welles (as the director of a film about Jesus Christ); and "Il Pollo Ruspante" ('Free Range Chicken') written & directed by Gregoretti, starring Ugo Tognazzi, Lisa Gastoni, Ricky Tognazzi & Antonella Taito DVD/Blu-ray not available; Kino Video b&w VHS [6/2000] out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb |
"Chimes At Midnight"
aka "Campanadas a Medianoche" [Spain 1965]
 | A connected tale molded from "Henry IV" & other plays by Wm. Shakespeare [1564-1616] following Sir John Falstaff's career – bawdy drinking companion to Prince Hal (later crowned Henry V), crafty wartime hero, rejected friend of the newly-crowned king – and his off-screen death • Adapted & directed by & starring Orson Welles {as Falstaff}; co-starring John Gielgud, Keith Baxter, Jeanne Moreau, Margaret Rutherford, Jeremy Rowe, Fernando Rey & Michael Aldridge
Continental b&w DVD [yr=?] out of stock/used Movies Unlimited b&w VHS [yr=?] out of stock/used full credits from IMDb |
 | "Chimes at Midnight: Orson Welles, Director" [1989] critical text by Bridget Gellert Lyons Rutgers Univ Press 9x6 pb [2/89] for $22.00 Rutgers Univ Press 8½x6¼ hardcover [2/89] out of print/used |
"Tepepa - Viva la Revolución!"
[Spain/Italy Jan 1969, USA Nov 1979]
 | During the early part of the Mexican Revolution, a corrupt police chief prepares to execute the bandit Tepepa, who is rescued by a British doctor; when Tepepa asks why the doctor saved him, he is told that it is so that the doctor could kill him himself . . . Co-written & directed by Giulio Petroni; original music by Ennio Morricone; starring Tomas Milian, Orson Welles, John Steiner, Luciano Casamonica, Ángel Ortiz, Annamaria Lanciaprima, José Torres, Paloma Cela, George Wang & Giancarlo Badessi
Region 1 video/DVD/Blu-ray not available {2012} full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"Catch-22" [Filmways/Paramount June 1970]
 |
Based on the best-selling Joseph Heller novel. Captain Yossarian (Alan Arkin) tries deperately to get grounded so he will not have to fly any more bombing missions over Hitler's Europe: anyone who goes to war is crazy, but if he asks to be grounded for being crazy, then he's not crazy anymore and he has to keep flying – 'catch 22'. A gut-wrenching satire • Directed by Mike Nichols; screenplay by Buck Henry; all-star cast including Orson Welles
Paramount widescreen DVD [5/2001] for $17.99 Paramount color VHS [8/2001] for $9.95 full credits from IMDb |
"Ten Days' Wonder" {aka "La Décade Prodigieuse"}
[France Dec 1971, USA April 1972]
 | A young sculptor wakes up in a hotel room, hands bloodied and not knowing how he got there. He recruits a college professor to go with him to his father's country chateau, where they find family intrigue, adultery, and blackmail • Directed by Claude Chabrol; based on a 1948 Ellery Queen novel; starring Orson Welles, Michel Piccoli, Anthony Perkins & Marlène Jobert
Pathfinder dubbed color DVD [5/2003] for $17.99 Pathfinder dubbed color VHS [5/2003] for $19.98 Vivendi subtitled color VHS [5/93] for $18.99 full credits from IMDb |
"Treasure Island" [National General Oct 1972]
 | Directed by John Hough; based on the classic 1883 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson [1850-94]; co-written by Wolf Mankowitz; co-written by & starring Orson Welles {as Long John Silver}; also starring Kim Burfield, Walter Slezak, Rik Battaglia, Lionel Stander, Ángel del Pozo, Jean Lefebvre & Maria Rohm
Region 1 DVD not available; Warner color VHS [9/98] out of prodn/rare full credits from IMDb see also "Treasure Island" Movies [1912-2010] Page |
"L'Affaire Dominici" [1973] /tt0068176/
The 1952 slaying of a vacationing couple and their 10-year-old daughter in rural France sent shock waves
through the country; the matter was dubbed 'The Dominici Affair' after Gaston Dominici, the French peasant
who was jailed for the brutal crime. Controversial director Orson Welles explored the subject in a 26-minute film
for British television that was never broadcast
"L'Affaire Dominici par Orson Welles" [2000] /tt0477555/
This 52-minute documentary presents Orson Welles's unreleased short film, which is restored according to
the original script; it also incorporates newly-discovered archival information and film of a return to the scene
of the murders with the journalist who assisted Welles
http://www.amazon.com/Dominici-Affair-Orson-Welles/dp/B00005B6KC/
"Plato's Cave" animated short film [indep 1973]
 | Illustrated by Dick Oden; music by Larry Wolff; narrated by Orson Welles
DVD/Blu-ray not available • no credits found at IMDb watch full movie [5/2008 upload; 8:18] online at YouTube |
"It Happened One Christmas"
[Universal/NBC-TV Dec 1977]
 | A gender-reversed reworking of Frank Capra's 1947 classic "It's A Wonderful Life"; a woman whose life is coming apart wishes that she had never been born, so an angel is sent to Earth to grant her wish after showing her how her never having been born would have affected everyone else • Directed by Donald Wrye; adapted by Lionel Chetwynd; co-produced by & starring Marlo Thomas, also starring Orson Welles, Wayne Rogers, Cloris Leachman & Barney Martin
DVDs were produced, but not available via Amazon (2009) full credits from IMDb |
"The Muppet Movie" [Henson/A.F.D. June 1979]
 | A frog, a bear and a pig head for Hollywood, while trying to elude a greedy fast-food magnate. On their way to fame & fortune, the characters get an agent, meet with a studio bigwig (Welles), and confront other dangers • Created by Jim Henson & Frank Oz; Directed by James Frawley; starring Kermit The Frog, Fozzie Bear, The Great Gonzo, Miss Piggy, Rowlf The Dog, Charles Durning, Steve Martin, Orson Welles, Carol Kane, Milton Berle, Mel Brooks, James Coburn & Dom DeLuise
Disney color DVD [11/2005] for $13.99 Disney color VHS [3/93] out of prodn/many used 11"x17" poster from Amazon for $9.99 27"x40" poster from Amazon for $19.99 full credits from IMDb • Magic Lantern's 'The Muppets' Page |
"The Secret of Nikola Tesla" [Croatia 1980]
 | Directed by Krsto Papic, starring Petar Bozovic as inventor Nikola Tesla & Orson Welles as banker J.P. Morgan UFO TV 105-minute color DVD [11/2003] for $26.99 UFO Central 105-minute color VHS [10/2001] for $28.45 2-hr video not available; full credits from IMDb |
"Don Quijote de Orson Welles" [Spain 1992]
 | "The Lost Dream Project" Welles worked on this film much like an author might work on a novel, off and on for thirty years from 1955, and it was not entirely finished at his death in 1985. The 1992 release that was cobbled together by Jesus Franco & Javier Mina is far from Welles's intentions, and is missing major sequences, with other sequences filmed by them. (The bottom line is that this is currently the only way that the public can see any of Welles's footage.) • Written & directed by Orson Welles & Jesus Franco; based on the Cervantes novel published in 1604 & 1614; starring Francisco Reiguera, Akim Tamiroff, José Mediavilla & Patty McCormack, with archive footage of Orson Welles
Image Ent. b&w DVD [8/2008] for $12.99 full credits at IMDb |
"Christmas Tails" [Drac Studios/Green Pictures back in development?]
| Announced 2011: A recently-discovered recording of Orson Welles narrating a children’s Christmas story is being used as the basis for a 3-D live-action/C.G.I. hybrid feature film • Directed by Todd Tucker; based on the 1976 story by Robert X. Leeds • entry at IMDb is gone {4/2013} • official movie site {parked} |
Stageplays, Radio, and Audio Works of Orson Welles
® ®
Orson Welles's credits [17 shows, 1935-62] at Internet Broadway Database
The Mercury Theatre Online website
The Mercury Theatre's credits [3 shows, 1938-46] at Internet Broadway Database
"Orson Welles' Hello Americans" radio show [1942]
Welles turned a 1942 South American trip into a 12-week radio travelogue, full of strange places and customs.
available on audio CD-R from Amazon
"Around The World" Broadway musical [May-Aug 1946]
75 performances; music by Cole Porter, staged by Orson Welles
 | "Orson Welles Reads From America’s Greatest Poem, Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself [1953] vinyl record {album or 45rpm?} is scarce, not found on Amazon listen to audio version [3:28] at YouTube more Walt Whitman [1819-92] at Spirit of America Bookstore |
 | "Moby Dick - Rehearsed" [Ethel Barrymore Theatre in NYC, Nov-Dec 1962]
The story begins with actors onstage discussing the production of a stageplay of 'Moby Dick'; the second act takes place on a wharf and then on the whaling ship Pequod. Written by Orson Welles; loosely adapted from 1851 novel "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville; starring Rod Steiger {in three roles}, Bruno Gerussi & Lex Monson; 13 total performances official stageplay credits at Internet Broadway Database playscript by Orson Welles [1965] 76-page Samuel French 8x5 pb [11/2011] for $9.95 |
"Orson Welles Radio Collection" 341 episodes on 7 CD disks
"Studio One: The Night America Trembled" live broadcast [CBS-TV 1957] /tt0712523/
A version of what happened on the night that Orson Welles broadcast his "War of The Worlds" radio program
starring Edward R. Murrow, Ed Asner, Warren Beatty, Alexander Scourby, James Coburn, Warren Oates
http://www.amazon.com/Studio-One-Night-America-Trembled/dp/B000YQUXNE/
 | "The Complete War of The Worlds" [2001] Edited by Brian Holmsten & Alex Lubertozzi 1897 illustrated edition of H.G. Wells's novel and audio of Orson Welles's Hallowe'en 1938 Mercury Theatre radio broadcast Sourcebooks hardcover {book + audio CD} [4/2001] out of prodn/50+ used |
 | "The Best of Old-Time Radio Starring Orson Welles" [2001] from Radio Spirits & the Smithsonian Institution includes the 1938 "War of The Worlds" radio broadcast Radio Spirits audio cassette & 60-page booklet [4/2001] for $24.98 |
 | "The War of the Worlds" Hallowe'en 1938 radio broadcast [2003] cast includes Dan Seymour, William Alland, Frank Readick, Orson Welles, Carl Frank, Kenneth Delmar, Richard Wilson, Ray Collins & Stefan Schnabel Radio Spirits audio CD [2/2003] out of prodn/used Radio Spirits audio [2/2003] out of prodn/used 'War of the Worlds' radio show entry at Wikipedia |
 | "The Orson Welles Library" [1995] readings include Oscar Wilde's "The Happy Prince", Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart", Joseph Conrad's "The Secret Sharer", "Letter to the Rev. Dr. Hyde", "The Red Room", "Wakefield", Rudyard Kipling's "Riki Tikki Tavi", Fitzgerald's "Diamond As Big As The Ritz", and many more Dove/Audio Literature on 4 tapes [9/95] out of prodn/used |
"The Shadow" radio program [1931 to 1954]
mostly written by Walter B. Gibson, using the pen name 'Maxwell Grant';
Orson Welles acted the part on radio from 1937-38
'The Shadow' entry at Wikipedia
DR's Shadow fansite
'The Shadow: Master of Darkness' fansite
 |
Radio Spirits audio CD [1/2006] 3 disks for $29.95 Radio Spirits audio CD box set [2/2003] for $17.98 Radio Spirits audio cassette [1/98] for $34.98 |
 | "The Shadow: Greatest Radio Adventures" [2002] from Radio Spirits total 40 episodes {20 hours}: 8 episodes starring Orson Welles; 15 episodes starring Bill Johnstone; 17 episodes starring Bret Morrison Radio Spirits audio CD box set [7/2002] 20 disks & booklet for $69.98 |
 | "The Shadow: The Lost Shows" [2006] from Radio Spirits 1 episode starring Orson Welles; 3 episodes starring Bill Johnstone; 4 episodes starring Bret Morrison; 2 episodes starring Albert Bester Radio Spirits audio CD box set [1/2006] 5 disks for $39.95 |
 | "The Shadow Chronicles" [2006] from Radio Spirits 2 episodes starring Orson Welles; 3 episodes starring Bill Johnstone; 2 episodes starring Bret Morrison; 1 episode starring John Archer, plus 1-hour audio documentary Radio Spirits audio CD [1/2006] for $35.96 Radio Spirits audio [9/96] for $18.87 |
Family & Friends
George Orson Welles was born in 1915 in Kenosha, Wisconsin; his masterpiece "Citizen Kane" premiered
in New York City on 1 May 1941; he died at age 70 in Los Angeles, California in 1985.
first wife Virginia Nicholson [], married 1934-40
daughter Christopher 'Chris' Welles Feder [b. 1938]
"In My Father's Shadow: A Daughter Remembers Orson Welles" [10/2009] by Chris Welles Feder
http://www.amazon.com/My-Fathers-Shadow-Daughter-Remembers/dp/1565125991/
mistress Dolores del Río [1904-83] from 1938 to 1942
second wife Rita Hayworth [1918-87], married 1943-48
daughter Rebecca Welles Manning [1944-2004]
third wife Paola Mori [1930-86]
married 1955, 'estranged for decades', widowed 1985
daughter Beatrice Welles [b. 1955]
mistress Oja Kodar [b. 1941] from 1966 to 1985
long-time friend bullfighter Antonio Ordóñez [1932-98] of Spain
friend Peter Bogdanovich (from circa 1970)
here on the Orson Welles [1915-85] Page at Magic Lantern Video & Book Store
top of page · short profile · links · books by Orson Welles · works about Orson Welles ·
"Citizen Kane" [1941] · other films of Orson Welles · stageplays, radio & audio works · family & friends
Magic Lantern Video & Book Store's "Citizen Kane" 1941 Movie Page
v v
Visiting this webpage from outside the U.S.A.? It is possible to make purchases from these coded Amazon (USA) links
via other Amazon sites: just follow
these instructions.
Online sales in association with 
top of this page · back to Magic Lantern homepage