Orson Welles

Folger Shakespeare Library: Shakespeare Unlimited

Folger Shakespeare Library

Arts

4.8 • 878 Ratings

🗓️ 23 January 2018

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Orson Welles is perhaps most famous for his panic-inducing radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds and the award-winning film Citizen Kane. For his entire life though, Welles's obsession was Shakespeare. He produced and starred in Shakespeare plays on Broadway and directed and starred in multiple versions of Shakespeare's work on film, including Chimes at Midnight. Our guest is Michael Anderegg, the author of Orson Welles, Shakespeare, and Popular Culture. From the Shakespeare Unlimited podcast series. Published January 23, 2018. © Folger Shakespeare Library. All rights reserved. This podcast episode, “A Rescue, a Rescue!” was produced by Richard Paul. Garland Scott is the associate producer.

Transcript

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0:00.0	The 1930s were not kind to Shakespeare in America.
0:09.0	Warner Brothers' midsummer night's dream flopped at the movie theaters.
0:13.0	Benny Goodman's version died on Broadway.
0:15.8	MGM's Romeo and Juliet lost nearly a million dollars.
0:20.1	But that didn't stop people from trying.
0:22.6	Each Monday night at this time, during July and August,
0:26.6	the Columbia Network has brought you special full-hour radio adaptation
0:31.6	of seven of William Shakespeare's greatest plays.
0:34.6	Buried in this graveyard summertime slot was a plan.
0:38.3	A plan to revive Shakespeare and raise him back to the place he'd held in American culture
0:44.3	half a century before.
0:46.3	Starring in tonight's performance of 12th night, our Tallulah Bankhead as Viola,
0:51.3	Orson Wells as Duke Orsino, Sir Cedric Hardwick as Malvolio. For the next 50 years, Orson Wells as Duke Orsino, Sir Cedric Hardwick as Malvolio.
0:55.0	For the next 50 years, this plan for Shakespeare became an obsession for one of those players,
1:01.0	a one-man crusade waged by one of the centuries' biggest personalities.
1:10.0	From the Folger Shakespeare Library, this is Shakespeare Unlimited.
1:15.6	I'm Michael Whitmore, the Folgers director.
1:18.6	The person we're talking about is the actor, director, raconteur, magician, tap dancer, commercial spokesman, Orson Wells.
1:28.3	I know there are younger people who, if they know Orson Wells at all today, it's from clips
1:34.3	like this on YouTube.
1:36.3	Palm-Asan will sell no wine before it's time.
1:40.3	There was a time when Orson Wells was one of America's biggest celebrities.
	...

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