Orson Welles

The person of Orson Welles is a loaded one for an observer of film --- he was so many things in his lifetime, he wore so many hats. Welles had incredible triumphs and unbelievable lows in his chosen work. He was such a consummate actor that it was hard to tell when he was serious and when he was still acting, when seen outside a theater, radio studio or soundstage. If you ask him to be recalled by people in the 21st Century, many will be able to cite two aspects, at polar opposites of his life and story. Orson Welles wrote, directed, produced, and starred in what many regard as the greatest film ever made --- Citizen Kane. He was also, near the end of his life and in search of funds, a spokesperson for the lower- and medium-priced wines of Paul Masson, with the catchphrase, “We will sell no wine before its time.” In other words, these aren’t grapes we just pressed, bottled and shipped. It’s not garbage. That’s what Masson was paying him for. He intoned this, the words emanating from his obese body but still in his beautiful, modulated baritone. He became a punch line. 

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