My Lunches With Orson by Peter Biskind

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Richard M Roberts
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My Lunches With Orson by Peter Biskind

Postby Richard M Roberts » Fri Jun 14, 2013 12:24 pm

The great pleasure I experienced while in Washington DC/Culpeper last week was to get the chance to read a review/pre-release copy of MY LUNCHES WITH ORSON, Peter Biskind’s compilation of Henry Jaglom’s recorded luncheon conversations with Orson Welles at the Mai Maison in Hollywood. Though I will never believe Jaglom’s claims that Welles told him it was okay to surreptitiously record these afternoon talks, bless him for doing so, because it preserved Welles at his most candid, funny, and frequently insightful and it is a delightful read. Welles speaks very frankly about innumerable subjects, all as long gone as Orson so just as safe from his barbs, this is an Orson Welles one never got on the Merv Griffin Show.

Welles takes on some of the people in his own life, from more dirt on John Houseman to some lovely, unvarnished opinions on Peter Bogdonovich, with whom Welles was not that happy with at the end of his life. Some good gossip about his own personal life, from dating Lena Horne to more insights about his marriage to Rita Hayworth, yet Welles also interestingly denies being Michael Lindsay-Hoggs illegitimate Father or ever having an affair with Geraldine Fitzgerald.

For our own comedy interests, the most interesting chapter would have to be his memories of dealing with Charlie Chaplin during the making of MONSIEUR VERDOUX. Welles again claims that he wrote a complete screenplay of his version of the Landru story, and Chaplin had agreed to do it, then dragged his heels and finally admitted that he couldn’t stand to be directed by anyone else and wanted to buy Orson’s script so he could make it himself. Welles gave Chaplin the screenplay, telling him to pay what he thought it was worth, then was a bit chagrined to receive a check from Chaplin for a miserly $1500. What galled Welles more was when Chaplin screened VERDOUX for him, Welles first saw no writing credit for himself at all, which Chaplin claimed was necessary because he was being sued by Konrad Bercovici at the time for plagiarism over THE GREAT DICTATOR (a suit which Chaplin settled out-of-court by paying Bercovici $95,000, claiming he couldn’t afford the bad publicity though apparently Bercovici had him dead to rights) and had to make it look like he indeed wrote all of his own work.

Welles then also interestingly tells a story Mal St. Clair told him about working for Chaplin as a writer (or as Chaplin called them, his “assistants”) and being fired by Chaplin after talking to him about a gag his staff was working on in front of visitors. His portrayal of Chaplin certainly jibes with some other candid opinions on the man, but it is refreshing to hear someone talk of Chaplin as a human being, rather than an “artist”. Welles then admits that he thinks Buster Keaton was way greater a comedian that Chaplin, an opinion he regrets is being finally taken up by the Film History and Critical Community at the time so that he cannot keep it as his own minority opinion anymore. Welles then makes a historical misstep in claiming that only Harold Lloyd had no writers, but it is a mistake that he at least seems to genuinely believe.

This is a wonderful book, and just like Buster Keaton, it is wonderful that so much new Orson Welles material has come to light even these so many years after he has left us. I always enjoyed Orson Welles in conversation, it may have indeed been one of his greatest arts, and this book is a goodly and most unfiltered bundle of his talk. I hope that an audio book made up of the actual tapes comes out, just like Bogdonovich did with his THIS IS ORSON WELLES book in the 90’s, but MY LUNCHES WITH ORSON will do just fine for now, even in print, Welles voice comes through loud and clear.


RICHARD M ROBERTS

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Re: My Lunches With Orson by Peter Biskind

Postby Gary Johnson » Fri Jun 14, 2013 4:24 pm

Orson Welles will go down as one of the great raconteurs of his time. Whether he was on a late night talk show or just pausing in the street to speak with a fan, he could keep anyone enthralled. When did these recorded conversations take place, the early 1980's?
The interesting matter concerning VERDOUX is that it involves two of the greatest ego's in Hollywood. Why either of them ever truly believed that a collaberation would work out is beyond me. Welles has altered the story at various times, from giving Chaplin the entire story idea for free, to selling the story and all rights outright. But when push came to shove Welles had to of known that he would defer to Chaplin. Welles had a sense of history regarding the Film Industry and respected those that came before him (Not so much for those who would follow. He could be a tyrant with young filmmakers).

I almost think that VERDOUX would had been funnier had Welles made it putting himself in the starring role. Black comedy wasn't really Chaplin's forte. Orson had a more malicious state of mind.

As for his appreciation for Keaton, go back and look at his intro to THE GENERAL on 'The Silent Years'. He comes right out and calls Keaton "probably the greatest of the clowns". Welles minority opinion was being broadcast in the early '70's.

Richard M Roberts
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Re: My Lunches With Orson by Peter Biskind

Postby Richard M Roberts » Sat Jun 15, 2013 1:27 pm

Gary Johnson wrote:Orson Welles will go down as one of the great raconteurs of his time. Whether he was on a late night talk show or just pausing in the street to speak with a fan, he could keep anyone enthralled. When did these recorded conversations take place, the early 1980's?
The interesting matter concerning VERDOUX is that it involves two of the greatest ego's in Hollywood. Why either of them ever truly believed that a collaberation would work out is beyond me. Welles has altered the story at various times, from giving Chaplin the entire story idea for free, to selling the story and all rights outright. But when push came to shove Welles had to of known that he would defer to Chaplin. Welles had a sense of history regarding the Film Industry and respected those that came before him (Not so much for those who would follow. He could be a tyrant with young filmmakers).

I almost think that VERDOUX would had been funnier had Welles made it putting himself in the starring role. Black comedy wasn't really Chaplin's forte. Orson had a more malicious state of mind.

As for his appreciation for Keaton, go back and look at his intro to THE GENERAL on 'The Silent Years'. He comes right out and calls Keaton "probably the greatest of the clowns". Welles minority opinion was being broadcast in the early '70's.



The recorded conversations took place between 1983 and 1985, so this is Welles right up to the end, ironically a time when opportunities were very close for the chance for Welles to actually get to make another movie (and which unfortunately vanish again before his eyes). I remember well reading press announcements in VARIETY and elsewhere about potential Welles projects like KING LEAR and THE CRADLE WILL ROCK, then when hearing of his death being mad that his death had taken away the chance of seeing another Welles film (Little did I know how many new Welles films would surface or resurface since his death).

When you read MY LUNCHES WITH ORSON, you will understand why Welles changes some of his stories publically when you hear the Candid versions here. The measly $1500 Welles gets from Chaplin sounds historically accurate as typical Chaplin Cheapskatery, but was Welles going to say it to a historian or reporter, especially when Chaplin was still alive and so worshipped?

No Welles would have not worked as Verdoux, part of the point of the character is his own passive appearance and near invisibility as a person. Chaplin’s performance is fine, but I will admit thinking that certainly a less dogmatic Verdoux of equal or more brilliance might have been Alec Guiness.

Those Welles SILENT YEARS intros are great, he actually doesn’t read them from cuecards and they are frequently spontaneously spoken from his own memories. I have a whole set of those on actual film, made even neater by the fact that they are versions uncut into the SILENT YEARS prints, and therefore have pre-slate footage where we get to see Welles checking his notes, taking off his glasses, etc., before going into his talk.


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Re: My Lunches With Orson by Peter Biskind

Postby Gary Johnson » Sun Jun 16, 2013 3:47 pm

Yes, it certainly looks like Welles is just talking off the cuff in those intros. He speaks, pauses, takes a puff off his cigar and continues speaking. Exactly the same manner when he told stories to Carson or Merv Griffin.


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