Gary Johnson wrote:I would hazard a guess that Orson was among Deans annual twice-yearly guests for the duration of the shows run. And even afterwords. Many of those same guests ended up on Dean's silly Roasts in the '70's -- including Welles.
Welles had met Greg Garrison back in the forties when Garrison was a teenager and had worked backstage on AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, then Garrison started booking Welles on THE DEAN MARTIN SHOW even before Welles had relocated back to the United States. Welles appeared frequently on THE DEAN MARTIN SHOW doing both serious bits like the Falstaff speech, but also comedy sketches with Martin and others. It really was sort of the way Welles was re-introduced to American Audiences after his self-imposed (for the most part) European exile in the 50's and 60's, even before he started appearing on talk shows like Carson, Cavett, and Merv.
When Welles relocated back to the US in the 70's, commuting between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, the Dean Martin Roasts were quick and easy money for Welles. They were shot in Vegas, done mostly in one night, and he could do his bit, get a check and get out of there.
RICHARD M ROBERTS