HELLO, TODAY WE ARE GOING TO BE DISCUSSING ORSON WELLES,
AND WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST.
WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST WAS THE BIGGEST MEDIA MOGUL IN AMERICA.
THREE OUT OF FIVE PEOPLE READ A HEARST PAPER.
HE HAD OWNED 25% OF THE WORLD'S MOST VALUABLE ART,
THE SECOND BIGGEST PRIVATE ZOO IN THE WORLD,
HE HAD STARTED TO BUILD SAN SIMEON.
THE [bleep] PROPERTY WAS LIKE
HALF THE SIZE OF RHODE ISLAND, MAN.
NOT HIS WIFE, BUT THIS WOMAN, MARION DAVIES,
NEXT THING YOU KNOW SHE'S LIVING IN SAN SIMEON, LOVING IT.
MEANWHILE, ORSON WELLES,
A BOY GENIUS PRODIGY, HAD JUST DONE
ORSON WOULD SAY THINGS LIKE TONIGHT AT 7:52 P.M.
WE SPOTTED A CRAFT ENTERING EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.
IT LANDS ON THE WHITE HOUSE LAWN, YES, YES.
HOLLYWOOD CAME A-KNOCKIN',
AND THEY SAID ORSON, BABE,
WHAT DO YOU WANT, BABE?
YOU WANT A--YOU WANT A THREE-PICTURE DEAL?
WE DON'T SAY A WORD, ALL THE MONEY YOU WANT, BABE?
DONE.
GREEN LIT, DONE [bleep] DEAL.
ORSON'S HAVING SOME LATE-NIGHT, PROBABLY HAMMERED, COCKTAILS
WITH A ONE HERMAN MANKIEWICZ, SCREENWRITER,
AND MANKIEWICZ ALL OF A SUDDEN STARTS GOING LIKE,
YEAH, I WAS--I WAS AT SAN SIMEON THE OTHER WEEK,
AND ORSON'S LIKE, YOU HAVE INSIDE INFO
AND--AND LIKE LITTLE JUICY TIDBITS OF WHAT'S HAPPENING
AT THE HEARST CASTLE?
HE'S LIKE, OH, YEAH.
HE'S LIKE, OH [bleep], I HAVE AN INSIDE GUY.
DO TELL, DO TELL.
I PARTIED THERE REGULAR.
I'M HAVING DRINKS, SMOKING CIGS, DRINKING CHAMPY,
HAVING DELICIOUS APPETIZERS WITH MARION DAVIES
AND DOUGIE FAIRBANKS AND ALL THOSE PEOPLE, LOVING IT.
HE'S WITNESSING THIS STUFF FIRST HAND OF [chokes] HOLD ON.
[bleep]
SORRY, WHISKEY BEARD.
[laughs and burps] OH, MAMA.
BUT THEN HEARST WOULD LEAVE THESE PARTIES AND GO OUT
AND SPREAD ALL HIS NEWSPAPERS OUT
AND JUST LORD OVER HIS POWERS,
LIKE I CONTROL MEDIA, WHICH CONTROLS THE WORLD.
I AM [bleep] GOD.
AND ORSON GOES STOP.
I NEED YOU TO WRITE ME
A SCREENPLAY ABOUT THIS,
AND I AM GOING TO MAKE IT
INTO A FEATURE FILM.
DEAL WAS MADE.
ORSON WELLES KNEW THAT WE NEED TO KIND OF KEEP THIS TOP SECRET,
AND KEEP IT UNDER WRAPS BECAUSE OF HEARST.
MANKIEWICZ WOULD POUND OUT THE PAGES,
ORSON WELLES KEPT ON READING THIS STUFF,
HE WAS LIKE, THIS IS AMAZING SCREENWRITING.
THIS IS GONNA BE THE BEST MOVIE EVER,
LIKE I'M MAKING A [bleep] KICKASS MOVIE MAN.
CAPICHE?
HE WROTE, PRODUCED,
DIRECTED, HE STARRED IN IT.
WHEN THE MOVIE WAS COMPLETE,
THE MOST POWERFUL GOSSIP COLUMNIST OF THE TIME,
SHE SAID TO HEARST, THEY MADE MARION DAVIES LOOK LIKE
A COMPLETE FLOOZY, HORRIBLE PERSON.
I MEAN THE--THE WHOLE MOVIE WAS BASICALLY TRASHING
THE HEARST NAME.
HEARST HEARS ABOUT THIS, AND HE SEES RED.
HE STARTS THREATENING ANY NEWSPAPER OUT THERE
IF YOU PUT A REVIEW, IF YOU PUT AN AD OUT FOR THIS,
YOU'RE DONE.
HE TOLD EVERY MOVIE THEATRE, IF YOU RUN THIS MOVIE,
WE WILL NEVER PLACE AN AD FOR ONE OF YOUR FILMS EVER AGAIN.
SO.
HMM, UM.
OH, WHAT WAS I TALKING ABOUT?
- CITIZEN KANE?
- [laughs] THAT WAS VERY GENERAL,
UM [laughs] AH, RKO CALLED ORSON WELLES
AT TWO IN THE MORNING AND SAID ORSON,
NO ONE IS GOING TO SHOW YOUR FILM.
WONDERFUL, SHOW IT IN TENTS. PUT UP A QUOTE THAT SAYS,
"THE MOVIE THAT NO ONE WILL LET YOU SEE."
AS FATE WOULD HAVE IT, ORSON AND WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST
WERE IN THE SAME ELEVATOR.
WELLES AND HEARST NEVER LOOK AT EACH OTHER.
ORSON SAYS, SO MR. HEARST, DID YOU SEE MY FILM?
HE SAID, NO, AND I NEVER WILL.
AND HE SAID, KANE WOULD'VE SEEN IT.
KANE WOULD HAVE SEEN THE FILM!
IT GOT NOMINATED FOR NINE ACADEMY AWARDS.
THEY WON ONE OSCAR FOR BEST SCREENPLAY.
WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST HATED, LOATHED,
AND WANTED TO CRUSH THE MOVIE,
BUT THAT'S WHERE HIS LEGACY IS REMEMBERED,
AS KANE.
THE A GREAT [bleep] MOVIE, DUDE.
IT IS HAUNTING AND THERE'S NOTHING LIKE THAT MOVIE AT ALL.
THERE'S NOTHING WILL EVER BE LIKE THE MOVIE.
IT IS SUCH A WONDERFUL [bleep] THING, I LOVE IT.
AND HE WOULD--ALSO DID THE VOICE IN THE TRANSFORMERS MOVIE.
[laughs]