IN 1956, MASTER STORY TELLER, PERFORMER, WRITER, DIRECTOR ORSON WELLES PRODUCED A 30 MINUTE, TELEVISION PILOT FILM IN ASSOCATION WITH LUCILLE BALL AND DESI ARNAZ'S COMPANY,DESILU PRODUCTIONS. THE RESULTING SERIES , HAD IT BEEN SOLD TO A NETWORK , WAS INTENDED TO HAVE BEEN A SOPHISTICATED, WEEKLY ANTHOLOGY , WITH THE CELEBRATED AUTEUR HOSTING AND PRODUCING A STYLISH MIX OF DRAMA AND COMEDY,SEEN THOUGH HIS UNIQUE, CINEMATIC PRISM. THE NETWORKS REJECTED IT , SAYING IT WAS TOO NUANCED FOR THE MASS AUDIENCE, AND PERHAPS, THEY WERE ALSO CONCERNED WITH HIS REPUTATION FOR SLOW, METICULOUS WORK , PUNCTUATED WITH JET SET JAUNTS TO PARTY IN EXOTIC LOCALES AROUND THE GLOBE.
THE FASCINATING PROGRAM POSTED, HERE, IS A DARKLY FUNNY AND TELLING CONFECTION ABOUT A VERY DANGEROUS ROMANTIC TRIANGLE: THE VOLATILE MIX OF SCIENCE, LOVE AND ENVY. "ORSON WELLES PRESENTS THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH," SAT IN THE VAULT AT DESILU, UNSOLD, UNTIL THE SUMMER OF 1958. THAT'S WHEN NBC-TV RAN IT AS A ONE TIME, SPECIAL EDITION OF THE COLGATE THEATER.THAT YEAR, THE SHOW WON THE COVETED GEORGE FOSTER PEABODY AWARD FOR ITS INNOVATIVE STORY TELLING TECHNIQUES.WHILE WELLES MADE MANY GUEST APPEARANCES ON TALK AND VARIETY PROGRAMS, OFTEN DOING HIS MAGIC ACT,I CAN FIND NO RECORD OF HIS EVER HAVING WRITTEN , PRODUCED OR DIRECTED A TELEVISION SHOW,AGAIN. ENJOY !!!!!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
My next door neighbor here in Philadelphia owns, by his reckoning, about 1,500 16mm tv shows from between 1948-1960 and a similar number of full length features and serials between 1931-1960. This impressive collection is in a great pile in his basement and in remarkably good shape. The pile should be archived, I think, because there are a great number of gems down there. I can be reached at: tcherjohn@aol.com.
ReplyDeleteHi,Tcherjohn,
ReplyDeleteThanks for bringing your neighbor's TV treasure trove to my attention.Sorry, but I really have no technical facilty to screen or archive the material in question.I teach at Temple and I know that the urban archive, there ,just received the CBS-3 collection and is overwhelmed in the archiving process.There is a local group called the Broadcast Pioneers that may be able to help. Their website is broadcastpioneers.com. There is a collector named Ira Gallen, who has a you tube chanel.You might also point the neighbor toward Drexel's Westphal college.Also consider the University of the Arts. Thanks for checking out the blog. I'd appreciate any feedback!.
Paul ( aka PAGEONE