Orson Welles’ Film Memorabilia Up For Auction
Orson Welles in 1941s ‘Citizen Kane’
Orson Welles youngest daughter is to put items up for auction, all of which she found last years in boxes and trunks, and which contain material from her father’s film career.
Beatrice Welles, speaking from her home in Arizona, has said her father didn’t believe in schooling or academic things, and so she didn’t wish to send the items to a museum, believing her father would be happier with the items ending up with fans and film buffs.
Heritage Auction is handling the memorabilia, and there are approximately 70 items up for auction, including a camera used for home movies, and two scripts from Welles’ 1942 film, The Magnificent Ambersons, which contain different endings, neither or which were used in the film. There are also publicity stills, telegrams, jackets and pages from a script of Citizen Kane.
Although not speculating on how much they expect bidding amounts to reach, Heritage Auction have said they expect the items at the auction to reach decent bid amounts, and continued by saying; “One of the enduring signs of fame is when young people know who someone is – someone who might have passed away decades ago.”
George Orson Welles, born in Wisconsin in 1915, co-wrote, produced, directed and starred in his first film, Citizen Kane, at the age of 26. Citizen Kane is now often described as being one of the greatest films ever made, and he went on to direct 12 more films in his lifetime.
Welles was married three times, including famously to actress Rita Hayworth from 1943 until 1948. He would often clash with studios over their participation in his films, and resented that the studios would often edit his films further when he had finished working on them.
After his death in 1985, Welles was praised for his creative directing style and, in 2002, he was listed as the greatest director of all time in two polls from the British Film Institute, one voted for by critics and the other voted for by directors.
The auction is set to take place on Saturday 26th April 2014.
