Mention George Orson Welles and one motion picture immediately comes to mind, 1941's, "CITIZEN KANE". Always referred to as his First Motion Picture, but actually not. The first motion picture directed by Orson Welles was 1938's, "Too Much Johnson", starring "Mercury Theatre of the Air" actor, Joseph Cotton. Technically, there were two prior short films going back to 1933.
Mention Robert Earl Wise, and if you're a fan of science fiction, his 1951, "The Day the Earth Stood Still" comes to mind. Should you prefer musicals, then there is always 1965's, "The Sound of Music", or should you prefer drama, 1958's, "I Want to Live", starring Susan Hayward. Not to forget one of Wise's horror entries for producer Val Lewton, 1944's, "Curse of the Cat People". However, this article is not about the director of those motion pictures, but the Film Editor on two of Orson Welles's classics. For those of my readers interested in Wise's directorial work with Lewton, my article is "Director Robert Wise: Horror, Science Fiction and the Greek Homer" at:
https://www.bewaretheblog.com/2020/01/director-robert-wise-horror-science.html
THE MERCURY THEATRE
The "Independent" Theatre group was founded in August 1937 by Orson Welles and his partner John Houseman, seen below. The Romanian born British-American producer first teamed with Welles in 1936, for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal", "Federal Theatre Project (FTP)".
Their legitimate theatre productions were performed in two locations in New York City. "The Tragedy of Julius Caesar", premiered on Broadway, November 11, 1937, which implied comparisons towboat was happening in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. Below, Orson Welles portraying "Brutus":
THE MERCURY THEATRE OF THE AIR
On July 11, 1938, the "Columbia Broadcasting Company (CBS)" introduced a new 60-minute radio program, "The Mercury Theatre of the Air". Wells and Houseman just moved their "Mercury Theatre Players" from one medium to another.
Their first production was Bram Stoker's, "Dracula", Orson Wells voiced both "Dr. John Seward" and "Count Dracula". Agnes Moorehead portrayed "Mina Harker", and George Coulouris portrayed "Jonathan Harker".
Probably the "Mercury Theatre's" most famous broadcast took place on October 30, 1938, Herbert George "H. G." Wells's, "The War of the Worlds". Below, on October 31, 1938, Orson Welles is explaining to reporters that he had no intention of causing a panic the previous evening on his scheduled broadcast.
BEGINNINGS OF A FILM EDITOR
The studio was "Radio-Keith-Orpheum", known by the initials as "RKO". While working for the studio, you went were assigned, to any position, on any picture, without questions.
The first motion picture I could locate and verify with Robert Wise's name on it, was as an uncredited, "Apprentice Sound Effects Editor". This was on director John Cromwell's, 1934 version of W. Somerset Maugham's, "Of Human Bondage", starring Bette Davis and Leslie Howard.
That motion picture was followed, within "RKO's Sound Department", by three other feature films, but as a fully credited "Sound Effects Editor". These were the 1934, Ginger Rodgers, and Fred Astaire, "The Gay Divorcee", director John Ford's, classic "The Informer", released on May 8, 1935, and the 1935, Ginger Rodgers and Fred Astaire, "Top Hat".
Released 2-days after "The Informer", was the short, "A Trip Through Fiji Land".Which used previous shot, but unused footage of the Fiji Islands. Robert Wise's name does not appear as a "Sound Effects Editor" on the official crew listing, but only as a "Co-Screenplay Writer" with Neal Douglas.
According to Wes D. Gehring's, 2012, "Robert Wise: Shadowlands", Wise also worked under, and with, RKO's "Supervising Film Editor, Truman K. Wood" on "A Trip Through Fiji Land". However, he is not indicated as an "Editor" either under Wood, or by himself on the "IMDb", website linked below, for this short subject.
Gehring, further started that with 1936's, "Winterset", Robert Wise began to work with RKO Film Editor William Hamilton. I will take the film historian's word, because several websites, including the "IMDb"website at https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0936404/. Skip all of Wise's work with Wood, or Hamilton's, before 1939's, "Fifth Avenue Girl", starring Ginger Rodgers.
The website does indicate Wise's first "Fully Credited Editing" position was for 1939's, screwball comedy, "Bachelor Mother", starring Ginger Rodgers and David Niven, but also with co-editor, Herman Berman. Again, neither Wood, nor Hamilton's name appear on the verified, "Official Cast Listings".
However, William Hamilton and Robert Wise received full credit for Editing the following classic motion picture.
THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, premiered at the Cannes, France, Film Festival on August 31, 1939. The picture has a rather odd distinction as it became the only motion picture shown at that year's film festival. This was the result of the Nazi invasion of Poland, on September 1, 1939, starting the Second World War, and the cancellation of the "Film Festival", filled with frightened world wide film actors concerned about Adolph Hitler's next move.
Robert Wise's next motion picture was another screwball comedy, "My Favorite Wife", starring Irene Dunne, and Cary Grant, which premiered in Louisville, Kentucky, on May 2, 1940.
Orson Welles wrote this screenplay in 1939, with the intention of directing and starring as both Marlow and Kurtz. After founding the Mercury Theatre in 1937, his celebrated production of Julius Caesar and his radio adaption of The War of The Worlds established him as a major talent. RKO Pictures then signed a deal with him to produce his first feature film. Welles intended this to be Heart of Darkness but the script proved to be too audacious for them - and his second script, Citizen Kane, was greenlit instead.
"ROSE BUD!", the words are spoken, the snow globe falls from his hand and rolls across the floor. As "Charles Foster Kane" dies and Orson Welles' masterpiece, 1941's, "Citizen Kane" starts, or was that WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST?
It continues:
According to Orson Welles and co-screenplay writer, Herman J. Mankiewicz. "Charles Foster Kane", was a composite based upon Publishers, William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, Chicago tycoons, Samuel Insull and Harold McCormick, and perhaps a touch of Aircraft manufacture and Motion Picture studio head, Howard Hughes.
It should be noted that basically the only one of the five complaining about "Charles Foster Kane", was William Randolph Hearst. Who, only added to the public's interest in the motion picture, in fact, a mini-war was started by the publisher against RKO Studios and Orson Welles.
Welles now had the 18 credited roles cast to his liking. Within the 238 uncredited roles were Nat "King" Cole portraying the pianist at the "El Rancho Inn and Cocktail Bar", Alan Ladd portraying the "Pipe Smoking Reporter", Herman J. Mankiewicz portraying a "Newspaperman", Arthur O'Connell portraying a "Reporter", and Gregg Toland portraying the "Interviewer in a 1935 newsreel".
Orson Welles knew of Gregg Toland and would have liked him on his picture, but thought that was an impossibility for a novice director. However, in a May 14, 1970 interview between Welles and Dick Cavett, "Orson Welles Talking About 'Citizen Kane", Orson Welles stated that he considered Gregg Toland:
In that interview Welles explained to Cavett that Gregg Tolandthe greatest cameraman who ever lived
came to my office and said, "I want to work in your picture. My name is Toland." And I said, "Why do you, Mr. Toland?" And he said, "Because you've never made a picture. You don't know what cannot be done." So I said, "But I really don't! Can you tell me?" And [Toland] said, "There's nothing to it." And [he] gave me a day-and-a-half lesson—and he was right!Peter Bogdanovich and Jonathan Rosenbaum in their 1992, "This Is Orson Wells", quoted him as staying that Toland:never tried to impress us that he was doing any miracles," Welles recalled. "I was calling for things only a beginner would have been ignorant enough to think anybody could ever do, and there he was, doing them.
The following is a little technical about Gregg Toland's filming of "Citizen Kane". The 1940, "The Long Voyage Home" was a testing ground for Gregg Toland's deep-focus compositions.According to Patrick Ogle's, 1972, "Technical and Aesthetic Influences Upon the Development of Deep Focus Cinematography in the United States", Screen Magazine, Volume 13, Number 1:The main way to achieve deep focus was closing down the aperture which required increasing the lighting intensity, lenses with better light transmission and faster film stock. On Citizen Kane, the cameras and coated lenses used were of Toland's own design working in conjunction with engineers from Caltech. His lenses were treated with Vard Opitcoat to reduce glare and increase light transmission.In Roger Dale Wallace's, 1976, "Gregg Toland--His Contributions to Cinema", the author mentions that Tolandused the Kodak Super XX film stock, which was, at the time, the fastest film available, with an ASA film speed of 100. Toland had worked closely with a Kodak representative during the stock's creation before its release in October 1938, and was one of the first cinematographers using it heavily on set.
Below, the Final Ending Title Card on the completed motion picture.
Orson Welles came from the world of legitimate theatre and not knowing that sets are lighted from above on motion pictures, had the lighting technicians light the sets from ground level and Gregg Toland left that mistake alone and filmed the motion picture.The following are a selection of images shot by Gregg Toland to win the "Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences", "Best Cinematography, Oscar" for "Citizen Kane".
Below, in front of the fill light mounted to his Mitchell camera, is Gregg Toland observing the performance of Dorothy Comingore. Orson Welles is in the wheel chair directing the scene having broken his leg.
had an older editor assigned to him for those tests and evidently he was not too happy and asked to have somebody else. I was roughly Orson's age and had several good credits.
Wise was given an assistant, Mark Robson, the two hit it off with each other, and more importantly, Orson Welles. Like Robert Wise, Mark Robson would become a director for Val Lewton. Among those films are 1945's, "Isle of the Dead", and 1946's, "Bedlam".
Above, mid-1940's picture, left to right, Robert Wise, Val Lewton, and Mark Robson
Meeting with Gregg Toland, the Assistant Art Director, Perry Ferguson, and Film Editor, Robert Wise. Orson Welles had a private production meeting to get around the "RKO Executives" that wanted him to direct a movie tentatively called, because there wasn't even a screenplay, "The Men from Mars". Those executives wanted to publisize the film as from the artist behind the radio production of "War of the Worlds". Perry Ferguson had a suggestion and on the morning of Saturday, June 29, 1940, it was put into effect.
On any given Saturday, there was hardly an executive to be seen at 780 Gower Street, Hollywood, and for those that should show up to see what Orson and crew were doing. The answer was more test shots for "Citizen Kane". In actuality, the motion picture had started being shot. So, that when the executives wanted Welles to direct their science fiction "classic"! They were stuck with the realization that they couldn't put a stop to the production on "Kane", because of the costs the studio had already incurred.
That "First Test Shot" was filmed in the empty "RKO Studio's Projection Room". This was for "The News on the March" sequence. The following link, from the "Facebook" page for "Film Struck", is of the 9 minutes and 19 seconds created newsreel about the death of "Charles Foster Kane". From this clip, my reader has a very good look at the work of Gregg Toland, and especially the Film Editing of Robert Wise, blending Toland's footage, with "Stock Newsreel Footage".
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=517767792001352
Once again, I quote Jake Wakeman, saying that Robert Wise:
could tell that we were getting something very special. It was outstanding film day in and day out.
Above, Robert Wise discussing editing a sequence in his held screenplay to Orson Welles.
During post production, it was necessary to superimpose special effects upon images. The classic being the image within the snow globe that falls to the floor and roles across the room at the death of "Kane", see the above images. Reviewers and film historians, such as in Robert L. Carringer's, 1996, "The Making of Citizen Kane", mention that the uncredited, Linwood Dunn, was called in with his "1930's Optical Printer".
Carringer and other's mention that during "Citizen Kane", Robert Wise, first became familiar with the uses of the "Optical Printer" and would use it in his later directing. That is incorrect, because Linwood Dunn, uncredited, used his "Visual Effects" printer on 1939's, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". In fact, its usage went back to both 1933's, "King Kong", and "Son of Kong".
Above, second from the left is Robert Wise, in front of the group is Orson Welles. Below, left. Joseph Cotton, Orson Welles, and not Robert Wise, as identified on several websites, but Everett Sloane portraying "Mr. Bernstein", both an employee and friend of "Charles Foster Kane".
To the surprise of the "RKO Executives", who wanted the production stopped. The "Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences" nominated the movie for "Best Picture", Orson Welles for "Best Actor", and "Director", Robert Wise for "Best Film Editing", and Gregg Toland for "Best Cinematography". Both Wells and Herman J. Mankiewicz. won, "Best Original Screenplay". Perry Ferguson, Van Nest Polglase, Al Fields, and Darrell Silvera, were nominated for "Best Art Direction - Interior Decoration - Black and White". Berrnard Hermann was nominated for "Best Scoring of a Dramatic Picture", and John Aalberg for "Best Sound Recording".
As of this writing, the following link take my reader to the United Kingdom release of "Citizen Kane":
https://m.ok.ru/video/6960322644642
The clock turns back to October 29, 1939, and radio's "The Campbell Playhouse". "The Magnificent Ambersons" was a one-hour program adapted from Booth Tarkington's, 1918, "Pulitzer Prize" winning novel by Orson Welles. He portrayed two-roles and the other cast members came from "The Mercury Players".
On July 30, 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt established, by "Executive Order", the"Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs". The real purpose of the "OCIAA" was to counter the increasing influence of Germany and Italy within Latin America.
Nelson Rockerfeller was appointed the department's first co-ordinator, and he just happened to be a major stock holder in "RKO". Rockerfeller appointed Orson Welles as a"Good Will Ambassador to Latin America", joining Walt Disney, Bing Crosby, Rita Hayworth, and fellow motion picture director, John Ford.
Orson Welles conceived of a multi-part pro-Latin America documentary, to play in American motion picture theaters. His title was, "It's All True", and that title was registered by Welles on July 29, 1941.
Next, in late September 1941, in his position of overseeing production of "RKO's" contribution to the silent war against fascism. Welles sent, Norman Foster, his co-writer of the "My Friend Bonito" segment of the proposed, "It's All True", to Mexico for test shooting. Foster was both a director of the Peter Lorre, "Mr. Moto" mystery series and an art director.
Meanwhile, Orson Welles was writing the screenplay for his next motion picture, once again, an adaptation of American author Booth Tarkington's, 1918 novel, "The Magnificent Ambersons".
For my readers unfamiliar with the original source material. The novel's description can be found on the website "Goodreads", at:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/127028.The_Magnificent_Ambersons describes it as:
The Magnificent Ambersons chronicles the changing fortunes of three generations of an American dynasty. The protagonist of Booth Tarkington's great historical drama is George Amberson Minafer, the spoiled and arrogant grandson of the founder of the family's magnificence. Eclipsed by a new breed of developers, financiers, and manufacturers, this pampered scion begins his gradual descent from the midwestern aristocracy to the working class.
Actually, for this article, I am not interested in Booth Tarkington's words, but those of the motion picture's, "Script Writer, Orson Welles".
For those of my readers who are interested in those complete words. The following from the website "Cinephiliabeyond" at:
Takes my reader to the original screenplay written by Orson Welles. However, it is not the final version of that screenplay that the movie audience sees on-screen.
On October 16, 1941, "RKO" premiered director William Dieterle's film version of writer Stephen Vincent Benet's,"The Devil and Daniel Webster", under the title of "All That Money Could Buy". The motion picture had been edited by Robert Wise and would move to the Welles's feature film.
Twelve-days after the release of "All That Money Can Buy", filming of "The Magnificent Ambersons" started and would take place between October 28, 1941 and January 22, 1942.
For what the "Script Writer" changed from Booth Trakington's novel, both in story and tone. Which would become a concern for "RKO Studio". I quote Welles found in "Orson Welles, a biography", pages 244-245, by Barbara Leaming, on the "Internet Archive", at:
https://archive.org/details/orsonwellesbiogr00leam
There was just a built-in dread of the downbeat movie, and I knew I'd have that to face, but I thought I had a movie so good—I was absolutely certain of its value, much more than of Kane… It's a tremendous preparation for the boardinghouse… and the terrible walk of George Minafer when he gets his comeuppance. And without that, there wasn't any plot. It's all about some rich people fighting in their house.
Tim Holt portrayed the central character of the story, "George Minafer". Tim Holt had become a popular "B" Cowboy actor, but among his future work is director John Ford's, 1946, "My Darling Clementine", director John Huston's, 1948, "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre", and the 1957, cult science fiction classic, "The Monster That Challenged the World". My article is "TIM HOLT: Directors John Ford, Orson Welles, John Huston and a Prehistoric Snail" at:
https://www.bewaretheblog.com/2019/10/tim-holt-directors-john-ford-orson.html
Joseph Cotton portrayed "Eugene Morgan". Cotton just had 2nd-billing in the Merle Oberon vehicle, 1941's, "Lydia". He followed this feature film by co-starring with Director and Writer, Orson Welles, in 1943 film-noir thriller, "Journey Into Fear".
Above, Joseph Cotton with Tim Holt
Dolores Costello portrayed "Isabel Amberson Minafer". Costello was nicknamed "The Goddess of the Silent Screen", and was once married to John Barrymore. She was the mother of John Drew Barrymore, and the grandmother of Drew Barrymore. Her final on-screen appearance was her next feature film, the Irving Berlin musical, 1942's, "This Is the Army".
Above, Dolores Costello with Tim Holt
Anne Baxter portrayed "Lucy Morgan". Baxter had just been in her 4th-feature film, 1941's, "Swamp Water", co-starring with Walter Brennan and Walter Huston.
Above, Anne Baxter with Tim Holt
Agnes Moorehead portrayed "Fanny Minafer". Moorehead, was following her first feature length motion picture, "Citizen Kane". In which she had portrayed, "Mary Kane", mother of "Charles Foster Kane". Next, she would appear in the Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball, Damon Runyon comedy, 1942's, "Big Street".
Above, Agnes Moorehead with Tim Holt
Ray Collins portrayed "Jack Amberson". Prior to his first feature length film, Collins was seen in thirteen short subjects starting in 1930. His first feature film was 1941's, "Citizen Kane", and had immediately proceeded this picture for the actor.
Above, Ray Collins with Tim Holt.
Richard Bennett portrayed "Major Amberson". Bennett's first motion picture was 1914's, "Damaged Goods". This was the second to his last on-screen role, which was Orson Welles's, 1943, "Journey Into Fear".
Above. Richard Bennett stares at the back of Tim Holt's head.
Erskine Sanford portrayed "Rodger Bronson". Sanford, like Joseph Cotton, and Agness Moorehead, was part of Orson Welles's "Mercury Theatre". Sanford had been in both 1938's, "Too Much Johnson" and "Citizen Kane".
Above left to right, Anne Baxter, Tim Holt, Agnes Moorehead, Don Dillaway portraying "Wilbur Minafer", and Erskine Sanford.
The motion picture's "Film Editor" was, as mentioned, Robert Wise and the "Assistant Film Editor, was Mark Robson".
The musical score was once more by Bernard Herrmann.
Gregg Toland was not the film's "Cinematographer". That position went to Stanley Cortez, the "Director of Photography" on "RKO's" comedy mystery version of Edgar Allan Poe, 1941's, "The Black Cat". Cortez followed this feature with the fantasy and horror, 1943's, "Flesh and Fantasy", co-starring Edward G. Robinson, Charles Boyer, and Barbara Stanwyck.
On November 28, 1941, Orson Welles set up a private screening of what had been shot, edited together by Robert Wise. This was for the current RKO chief, George J. Schaefer, seen below, considered one of the industry's top marketing wizards. Word had reached Schaefer of the "downbeat tone" of the motion picture and he was afraid both distributors and movie theater owners would reject the picture. The showman that Welles was took over and he received the go ahead to complete the motion picture. However, with one stipulation from Schaefer, Orson Welles would have to give away control of the "Final Cut" to the studio. Misbelieving he would still maintain complete control of "The Magnificent Ambersons" editing, thereby, technically, control of the Final Cut. Welles made his fatal mistake, and agreed.
As I mentioned above, filming was completed on January 22, 1942, but not editing. On February 2nd, Orson Wells was called to Washington, D.C. for a briefing over completing "It's All True". Immediately after the briefing's conclusion, he had Robert Wise meet him in Miami, Florida, and the two put together a "Rough Cut" of "The Magnificent Ambersons". Followed by Wells flying to Brazil, to film the segment called either "Carnaval", or "The Story of Samba". Initially, Robert Wise was to accompany him to finish the editing in Brazil. However, after "Pearl Harbor", wartime travel restrictions were in place. As a result, Wise wasn't given travel clearance.
The edited version of "The Magnificent Ambersons" was shown to a "sneak preview audience" in a movie theater in Pomona, California. George J. Schaefer and some other's from "RKO" were in that preview audience to observe how the audience reacted to the motion picture and to obtain the comment cards they were asked to fill out.
After reading the audience cards and with their own views of the "The Rough Cut". A decision was made to change the motion picture and especially the downbeat ending. It is believed that the Orson Welles and Robert Wise edited version shown in Pomona, ran between 131 and 135-minutes. The actual running time cannot be established as "RKO" destroyed that print and any related footage.
The RKO Executives now gave Robert Wise revision instructions of what they expected him to now accomplish. While thousands of miles away in Brazil, Orson Welles had no say in what "Director Robert Wise" was doing. "RKO" was using his agreement over the "Final Cut", which they considered the film as shown in Pomona to be, to take complete control of the production.
Wise required writers to make the demanded changes to the screenplay. The two uncredited writers came from the motion picture. They were actor Joseph Cotton, and Jack Moss. Moss, seen below, was the "Associate Producer", and this was the only motion picture he ever wrote anything for, but he was also an uncredited film editor under Wise.
- - -they absolutely betrayed me and never gave me a shot at it. You know, all I could do was send wires… But I couldn't walk out on a job which had diplomatic overtones. I was representing America in Brazil, you see. I was a prisoner of the Good Neighbor Policy. That's what made it such a nightmare. I couldn't walk out on Mr. Roosevelt's Good Neighbor policy with the biggest single thing that they'd done on the cultural level, and simply walk away. And I couldn't get my film in my hands.
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