Travis Simpkins: Orson Welles

Showing posts with label Orson Welles. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 14, 2022

Ray Collins. Actor. Freemason. Mercury Theatre. War of the Worlds. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Ray Collins

( 1889 - 1965 )

Actor of Stage, Screen, Television and Radio

Member of the Mercury Theatre

Cast Member of the Infamous

1938 War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast

Made his screen debut in Citizen Kane (1941)

Freemason

Member of Tehama Lodge No. 3

Sacramento, California

by Travis Simpkins

Orson Welles - War of the Worlds

1938 Radio Broadcast

For more info, please visit:

smithsonianmag.com

Ray Collins. Actor. Freemason. Mercury Theatre. War of the Worlds. by Travis Simpkins

Saturday, February 19, 2022

Ray Collins. Actor. Freemason. Mercury Theatre. War of the Worlds. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Ray Collins

( 1889 - 1965 )

Actor of Stage, Screen, Television and Radio

Member of the Mercury Theatre

Cast Member of the Infamous

1938 War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast

Made his screen debut in Citizen Kane (1941)

Freemason

Member of Tehama Lodge No. 3

Sacramento, California

by Travis Simpkins

Orson Welles - War of the Worlds

1938 Radio Broadcast

For more info, please visit:

smithsonianmag.com

Ray Collins. Actor. Freemason. Mercury Theatre. War of the Worlds. by Travis Simpkins

Sunday, January 9, 2022

Ray Collins. Actor. Freemason. Mercury Theatre. War of the Worlds. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Ray Collins

( 1889 - 1965 )

Actor of Stage, Screen, Television and Radio

Member of the Mercury Theatre

Cast Member of the Infamous

1938 War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast

Made his screen debut in Citizen Kane (1941)

Freemason

Member of Tehama Lodge No. 3

Sacramento, California

by Travis Simpkins

Orson Welles - War of the Worlds

1938 Radio Broadcast

For more info, please visit:

smithsonianmag.com

Ray Collins. Actor. Freemason. Mercury Theatre. War of the Worlds. by Travis Simpkins

Thursday, December 9, 2021

Ray Collins. Actor. Freemason. Mercury Theatre. War of the Worlds. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Ray Collins

( 1889 - 1965 )

Actor of Stage, Screen, Television and Radio

Member of the Mercury Theatre

Cast Member of the Infamous

1938 War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast

Made his screen debut in Citizen Kane (1941)

Freemason

Member of Tehama Lodge No. 3

Sacramento, California

by Travis Simpkins

Orson Welles - War of the Worlds

1938 Radio Broadcast

For more info, please visit:

smithsonianmag.com

Ray Collins. Actor. Freemason. Mercury Theatre. War of the Worlds. by Travis Simpkins

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Monsieur Verdoux (1947): Charlie Chaplin

Produced, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin, based on a story idea by Orson Welles, Monsieur Verdoux (1947) ventured far from the familiar and lovable "Little Tramp" character for which Chaplin had become so beloved. The plot concerns a laid-off bank worker, who resorts to seducing and murdering rich women for their money, in order to support his son and invalid wife. Deep themes and metaphors couple with black comedy in this underrated Chaplin Classic. The supporting cast is great, including the beautiful Marilyn Nash, and the sharp-tongued Martha Raye.

Monsieur Verdoux. 1947: Charlie Chaplin

Monsieur Verdoux. 1947: Charlie Chaplin and Marilyn Nash

Monsieur Verdoux. 1947: Marilyn Nash

Monsieur Verdoux. 1947: Charlie Chaplin

Saturday, May 25, 2019

The Third Man (1949): Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten

Perhaps the best film Orson Welles appeared in that he didn't also direct, The Third Man (1949) has all the makings of a classic. Shot in post-WWII Vienna, the crisp black and white cinematography is superb and dramatic. The script is airtight, written by the great literary author Graham Greene. The cast and acting are all top notch. And the harsh, zither music soundtrack is cutting and unforgettable.

American dime store novelist Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) has just arrived in post-war Vienna, having been offered a job by his old friend, Harry Lime (Orson Welles). He soon discovers that Harry had died the previous week, having been accidentally hit by a truck. After the accident, two friends carried Lime to the sidewalk, where he died...

The Third Man. 1949: Joseph Cotten

Martins, dissatisfied with the jumbled police work of the opposing forces in the city, conducts his own investigation...

The Third Man. 1949: Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten

He learns some horrible truths...

The Third Man. 1949: Orson Welles

that Harry Lime was involved in some pretty despicable business rackets, that there were three men, not two, at the accident site, and that it might not have been an accident after all...

The Third Man. 1949: Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten

Who was the third man?

The Third Man. 1949: Orson Welles

The Third Man. 1949: Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten

Saturday, April 27, 2019

The Stranger (1946): Orson Welles and Edward G. Robinson

Put down by some and applauded by others, regardless of opinion, The Stranger (1946) remains one of Orson Welles most memorable films, and his only film with true box office success upon it's initial release. The tense atmosphere created by the idea of an atrocious Nazi war criminal hiding in the midst of a small, cookie-cutter American town is all together unsettling, nail-biting and fascinating. The cinematography is excellent, and the performances of Orson Welles and Edward G. Robinson are superb.

Edward G. Robinson is a detective for the War Crimes Commission...

The Stranger. 1946: Edward G. Robinson

Out to catch Franz Kindler, the most notorious of the escaped Nazi leaders, a plan is devised to accidentally let Kindler's second in command escape prison. The hope being that the escaped man will lead them to Kindler. The plan works, and they follow him to the small town of Harper, Connecticut where Kindler (Orson Welles) is living under the assumed name of Charles Rankin and teaching at a local school. Kindler immediately suspects that a trap has been set and kills the man...

The Stranger. 1946: Orson Welles

Now Robinson, freshly arrived and without a witness must search and discreetly interview the town to discover Kindler's new identity...

The Stranger. 1946: Edward G. Robinson and Orson Welles

Gaining the trust of those closest to the chief suspect, he works further to gain the trust of the criminal's new wife, who naturally refuses to believe her beloved husband is capable of such horrors. The walls are closing in, and Kindler knows time is short, as the investigation continues...

The Stranger. 1946: Orson Welles

and the clock continues to tick...

The Stranger. 1946: Orson Welles

The Stranger. 1946: Edward G. Robinson and Orson Welles

Saturday, March 30, 2019

Touch of Evil (1958): Orson Welles, Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh

Upon completion of principle photography, Orson Welles had to submit his rough cut version of Touch of Evil (1958) to the studio. Editors butchered it, changed the order of scenes and added unnecessary music. Orson wrote a 58 page letter begging them to reconsider and allow him to present the film in his own, unique artistic vision. They refused. It was the last time Welles made a Hollywood film. Instead he moved to Europe, where his style was better appreciated. Touch of Evil was shown there in it's uncut form and had a great influence, particularly on French New Wave films.

A legendary long opening shot introduces the catalyst for the film: a wealthy businessman is killed after crossing the border by a bomb placed in his car. The bomb originated in Mexico, so authorities on both sides are eager to see the matter resolved. Miguel Vargas (Charlton Heston), a Mexican official and his wife (Janet Leigh) are involved in the investigation, having been nearby when the explosion occurred...

Touch of Evil. 1958: Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh

Crooked cop Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles) represents the American authorities. When Vargas discovers Quinlan planting evidence to frame a Mexican man for the crime, he threatens to expose Quinlan...

Touch of Evil. 1958: Orson Welles

Quinlan, not one to go down easy, concocts a seedy revenge to disgrace Vargas and protect his own reputation...

Touch of Evil. 1958: Orson Welles

The result is a series of mind games, manipulations and tense moments that culminate with an inevitable conflict...

Touch of Evil. 1958: Orson Welles

Touch of Evil. 1958: Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh

Touch of Evil. 1958: Orson Welles

Saturday, December 29, 2018

The Lady from Shanghai (1947): Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth

In 1946, Orson Welles was directing a stage treatment of Around the World in Eighty Days. Largely financing the production himself, Welles quickly ran out of money and desperately needed $55,000 for costumes. Welles convinced Columbia Pictures head, Harry Cohn, to send him the money based on a promise that he would write, direct and star in a movie for Cohn at no additional charge. The pitch was for a movie based on a book Welles had presumably never read. It would become The Lady of Shanghai (1947). It helped Cohn's approval that, at the time, Welles was married to Columbia's biggest Star, Rita Hayworth. When casting began, Welles had envisioned an unknown actress as the female lead, but Rita Hayworth suggested herself for the part, hoping it would bring her and her husband closer together and save their failing marriage. It didn't, and they divorced the following year. What came out of all of this, though, The Lady of Shanghai, is a top-notch thriller very much in the Film Noir vein. It is an under appreciated film, born out of desperation, completed with love in mind.

When Mike OHara (Orson Welles) meets Elsa Bannister (Rita Hayworth), he is immediately smitten. After rescuing her from muggers, O'Hara is offered a job on board her husband, hot-shot defense lawyer Arthur Bannister's yacht, bound for San Francisco...