Orson Welles' Sketch Book

15min

Talk

Orson Welles' Sketch Book is a series of six short television commentaries by Orson Welles for the BBC in 1955. Written and directed by Welles, the 15-minute episodes present the filmmaker's commentaries on a range of subjects. Welles frequently draws from his own experiences and often illustrates the episodes with his own sketches.

Episodes

Cast

The Early Days

1. The Early Days

15min

24th Apr 1955

Welles discusses a timely earthquake, first-night audiences at the Gate Theatre in Dublin, and how he came to be an actor.

Critics

2. Critics

15min

8th May 1955

Welles talks about a Boston performance of Five Kings, the consequences of Percy Hammond's negative review of the Voodoo Macbeth, and a curse placed on the film It's All True.

The Police

3. The Police

15min

22nd May 1955

Welles relates the story of Isaac Woodard, a decorated black World War II veteran who was blinded in a brutal 1946 beating by South Carolina police.

Houdini/John Barrymore/Voodoo Story/The People I Missed

4. Houdini/John Barrymore/Voodoo Story/The People I Missed

15min

5th Jun 1955

Prompts used by actors and others; remembering Harry Houdini; observations on gender differences in the appreciation of magic tricks; John Barrymore.

The War Of The Worlds

5. The War Of The Worlds

15min

19th Jun 1955

The famous 1938 Mercury Theatre broadcast mistaken by many listeners for a real Martian invasion, and the consequent skepticism during the presentation of Norman Corwin's Between Americans on December 7, 1941; and the opening night of the Mercury stage flop, Danton's Death.

Bullfighting

6. Bullfighting

15min

3rd Jul 1955

Welles tells the true story of Bonito the bull. Robert Flaherty's story was partially filmed in 1942 for Welles's unfinished film, It's All True.

Postscript

7. Postscript

15min

7th May 1955

First air date

24th Apr 1955

Last air date

3rd Jul 1955

Status

Ended

Type

Talk Show

Original language

en

Networks