Tuesday, May 4, 2010

The Failed Romance between Welles and Television


Orson Welles's substantial impact on theater, radio, and film is well known and continues to inspire study and debate. Lesser known, however, are his forays into television. Here's a link to a well-researched and fantastically written article on the subject "Arrested Development: How Orson Welles Tried to Revolutionize Television and Why Television Wouldn't Let Him" by Ben Walters. It centers around Welles's production of a half-hour pilot for a proposed anthology show along the lines of The Alfred Hitchcock show. The result, a short film called "The Fountain of Youth" was deemed too odd and innovative for television. Give the article a look, it's good reading.

Note: "The Fountain of Youth" used to be available on Youtube, but it's been taken down.

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