Lunch With Orson Welles

[dbensics]

Private Lives played Broadway May-July 1983 after which Taylor starred in a Broadway revival of The Corn Is Green in August and September.

A classy interlude between General Hospital and The Flintstones.

[Big Magilla]

Private Lives played Broadway May-July 1983 after which Taylor starred in a Broadway revival of The Corn Is Green in August and September.

Although it's possible Burton and Taylor were together at the restaurant at the same time as Welles and Jaglom, the conversation still rings false. I find it odd that Welles would know Burton but not Taylor whether they met on the set of The V.I.P.s or not. If memory serves they were altogether at the airport even if their backstories were filmed separately. Even if that weren't the case one would think they'd have met at some Hollywood function or another. Taylor was certainly more accessible in Hollywood than Burton. Still, assuming they hadn't met, it doesn't seem likely that Burton would ask Welles' permission to bring Taylor over to say hello. It seems more likely that the gregarious Burton and the not at all shy Taylor would have come over to Welles' table together. It also seems unlikely that Welles would publicly snub the two even if he had negative things to say about them behind their back.

[dbensics]

Bullshit from Orson Welles is worth more than the wisdom of most, so I've ordered the book and can't wait to dig into it.

Reading the NY Mag article it seemed odd that in 1983, Richard Burton would say, "Elizabeth is with me." They were long divorced and Burton was by then married to his last wife.

Why would they still be hanging out together?

Turns out they appeared together in Noel Coward's Private Lives in Los Angeles from October 13 - November 6, 1983.

I thought that play had only a limited run in New York circa 1980 or 1981.

By the way, just saw on IMDB that a tele-movie of the Taylor-Burton Private Lives reunion is being made with Helena Bonham Carter.

[Big Magilla]

Perhaps, but the conversation rings false.

[Mister Tee]

I've always thought Welles was more prone to bullshit than even most directors, and that his journalistic fans lapped it up without fact-checking.

However...any man who can refer to Norma Shearer as "as minimally talented as any actress who ever lived" has my heart.

Magilla, I'm not sure Welles would necessarily have met Taylor during The V.I.P.s shoot -- the stories in the film were fairly separate, and Welles might have done all his scenes in a few days, never crossing paths with her.

[Eric]

Yes, one of Welles' many lies not the least of which was his taking credit for writing Citizen Kane when it was actually written by Herman Mankiewicz. Mank allowed Welles to take credit because Welles' RKO contract stipulate that he write, produce and direct in order to be paid for his services.

Weird that someone who loathes Pauline Kael would side with one of her most specious claims.

[Big Magilla]

Welles claims he was in makeup for Citizen Kane, next to Hepburn who was in makeup for A Bill Of Divorcement, even though Citizen Kane was a 1941 film and A Bill Of Divorcement was a 1932 film.

Yes, one of Welles' many lies not the least of which was his taking credit for writing Citizen Kane when it was actually written by Herman Mankiewicz. Mank allowed Welles to take credit because Welles' RKO contract stipulate that he write, produce and direct in order to be paid for his services.

As for the Hepburn story, Hepburn's contract with RKO ended before Welles' began. They may have crossed paths in public at some point but never on adjoining movie sets. Besides which Hepburn was a very private person, not one apt to share personal confidences with a notorious blabbermouth like Welles. I wonder how much of Jaglom's allegedly recorded interviews can be authenticated. The Burton/Taylor story also sounds made up. Welles was in 1963's The V.I.P.s with Burton and Taylor. Wouldn't he have met her then?

[Greg]

Welles claims he was in makeup for Citizen Kane, next to Hepburn who was in makeup for A Bill Of Divorcement, even though Citizen Kane was a 1941 film and A Bill Of Divorcement was a 1932 film.

[Big Magilla]

Fascinating excerpt from Henry Jaglom's soon to be published book taken from his recorded conversations in the early 1980s. Welles dishes on everybody from Katharine Hepburn to Woody Allen. It's mostly bull, but quite funny.

http://www.vulture.com/2013/06/orson-we ... aglom.html