Orson Welles: Volume 1: The Road to Xanadu

Orson Welles: Volume 1: The Road to Xanadu
In this first installment of his masterful biography, Simon Callow captures the chameleonic genius of Orson Welles as only an actor/director deeply rooted in the entertainment industry could. Here is WellesÂ's prodigious childhood; his youth in New York, with its fraught partnership with John Houseman and the groundbreaking triumph of his all-black Macbeth; the pioneering radio work that culminated in the notorious 1938 broadcast of War of the Worlds; and finally, his work in Hollywood, including an authoritative account of the making of Citizen Kane. Rich in detail and insight, this is far and away the definitive look at Orson Welles—a figure even more extraordinary than the myths that have surrounded him.
Customer Review: Orson Welles: From Kenosha boy genius to Hollywood Outcast in volume I of the Callow multivolume bioography
Orson Welles was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 1915. His wild father loved dames, booze and travel while making an upper class living in industry. His mother was a socialite well known in church and community. His older brother had mental problems and spent time in an institution. And so the scene is set for the Kenosha kid the inimitable huckstere, magician, director, actor, storyteller and good time Charlie we call Citizen Welles! Orson studied at the prestigious private Todd School for boys near Chicago. He did well at Todd, acting in student productions; directing plays and becoming the big man on campus. Welles did not go to college but instead became an actor on the Dublin Gate Theatre stage for a period of ten months. He was on his rocket ride to the top of the slippery slope of showbiz. Welles became an actor in the prestigious Katherine Cornell company touring the nation. He wed his first wife Virginia, sired a daughter but kept busy whoring around town. Wells had a gargantuan appetite for food, drink, women, the stage and fame. He was tempermental and liked to receive all of the credit for collaborative efforts. Welles was often vain and childish. He could be a tyrant or pussycat depending on his mood. Welles was the voice on countless radio programs earning him a comfortable living. He teamed with John Houseman in the Harlem "Macbeth" which was a sensation of the New York branch of the Federal Theatre Administration during the Great Depression. Wells hosted and created the Mercury Theatre on the air becoming notorious for the 1938 production of "The War of the Worlds. He was lured to Hollywood directing what has been considered the greatest American film of all time: "Citizen Kane" in 1941. The movie was controversial being based on the life of William Randolph Hearst. This book focuses on the career of Welles on stage and screen. The book does report the private life of Welles but does so in a tasteful manner free of innuendo or gossip. Welles comes across as massively egotistical, selfish, sybaritic and self-destructive. He was, despite his faults, a genius of show business. Simon Callow is a famous British actor and writer who has served his subject well in this massive volume one which takes us through Citizen Kane and ends in 1941,
Customer Review: George Orson Welles
This is a fantastic, very detailed and rather objective biography of the boy genius of the theatre world. 600 pages about Welles for only the first 26 years of his life is a lot, but definitly worth all the details. The author basically tells Orson's early life around the plays he directed and that were his life at the time. It is amazing to me how a 14 year old kid was able to succesfully direct Shakespeare plays and even write a book on how to understand Shakerpeare's work. The book gives great details on every single play he directed, radio shows he produced, the making of citizen Kane and on a broader scale gives a great insight on what broadway was like during the 30s. The account of the war of the world radio broadcast that terrorised the northern US on halloween night 1938 will make you relive the moment as if you were there. I highly recommend this biography to any fan of Orson Welles or anyone who is interested in the history of broadway or the theatre in general.