What does a guy do when he starts off at the Top and Tees Off a guy named Bill, William Randolph Hearst, that is..

Rating: 10/10 (16 January 2008)

It comes to mind of an incident occurring back at the work place, which was directly related to CITIZEN KANE (RKO Radio Pictures, 1941) and to the why to its having been almost universally held as being 'The Greatest American Film.' The 'work place' was the Chicago Police Department, the year was ca. 1991. The question of "They're having CITIZEN KANE on cable all week long. Why are they doing that?" The question was posed by one of my old partners, a guy whom I had known for about 25 years at that time. Let's just call him Officer Elmo Aymee. (Much like DRAGNET, "The names have been changed to protect the Innocent."
As for an answer (there were about 6 of us in the Doughnut Shop then) it was myself who finally answered "Well, Elmo, CITIZEN KANE is considered to be the greatest film of all time, and this is its 50th Anniversary." Without much of a hesitation, Elmo responded; "Yeah well, I'm not watchin' it because I don't like Orson Welles!" That was sure as about a tough and unexpected a reply that could be returned; but I did my best to maintain the 'high' level of this discussion by saying, "Well then you must not have seen THE MUPPET MOVIE (1979); as it had Welles in a Cameo, toward the end."
But now seriously, folks, it is no exaggeration to heap such praise on the Film. And it is certainly not considered to be puffing to bestow such a title as the Greatest Film on this one, singularly conceived and so constructed movie. We must remember that at that time, circa 1940, the young Mr. Welles was considered to be a young genius with his Star still rising in the Hollywood Zodiac. His accomplishments in varying theatrical areas were undeniably superb, being in the classification corresponding to Academia's designation as "Suma Cum Laude", or in the Queen's own tongue, "With Highest Honors".*
We of course know of his famous and infamous "WAR OF THE WORLDS" national broadcast over CBS Radio in October, 1938 as a weekly installment of The Mercury Theatre of the Air programme. Everybody's heard of that and there was even a Made-for-Television Movie telling the story. But the accomplishments of the young Orson Welles date back much further than that; extending back to the time before the New York Stage and Radio days. .
At 14 years of age as a Prep School Freshman, young Master Welles was writing and producing plays which were staged at the Woodstock Music Hall, in Woodstock, Illinois. This was nothing unusual, for the talented adolescent lad. This sort of thing had become expected of him and no surprise in those days in New York with partnership with John Houseman in the Federal Theatre Project.
So when Orson was being courted by RKO Radio Pictures to ink a "standard, Rich & Famous" Hollywood contract; Welles would continually make what would surely be deemed as being outrageous demands, but RKO apparently "double crossed" him. They gave in. So, it was armed with guarantee of absolute Artistic control and an essentially a "the skies are the limit" budgetary considerations, that he headed West; taking his company of players and Musical Director, Mr. Bernard Hermann, along for the ride and appointment with destiny.
OUR STORY.Aw, c'mon! We all know that! So let's waive this part. All in favor signify by saying, "Aye"! All opposed signify with "No!" The "Ayes" have it. So, on with the Show, Schultz!
For such an outstanding example of the Cinematic Arts, the underlying structure of the story & screenplay is rather simple, amazingly non-intricate even. When all is cleared away, what we have left is a good, old-fashioned Detective Story. Sure, we have no hero with names the likes of Sherlock, Marlowe, Spade, Blackie or Philo. And there are no colorful supporting characters to help solve the mystery.
There's no mysterious murder, but there is the mystery of the identity. Just who or what is "Rosebud" and just what did this mean to Charles Foster Kane on his deathbed? The non-frilled structure of the Detective Story would certainly not be enhanced by the use of flashbacks, for the flashback is an almost indispensable ingredient of the way a detective or other investigative person uses by way of the interview.
But again, how does an otherwise normal and standard story-type command such great acclaim and accolades? The "secret" lies in the methods of story-telling by flashback with the most colorful of overlays. As the story continues to unfold, it goes over the same ground already covered, but it always takes us a little more along the way. The story is also seen from a different view point each time some re-visitation occurs.
All of the scenes no matter where they come in the story, in present or flashback, are accompanied and successfully underscored with the original score of themes, queues and incidental music, all specially ordered and special delivery sent to the movie audience by the Maestro, himself, Bernard Hermann.
As a result of the Mercury Theatre Company's relocating out to the "left coast" it truly does appear that Tinsel town would never be the same. First of all, Mr. Welles' own Star quickly increased in size to that of a Nova and then to the status of a Super-Nova; before its explosion and crashing down to Earth. It would be years before Orson's brief flirtation with life at the top was gradually supplanted with the appreciation with performances in films like THE STRANGER (1946), THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (1947) THE THIRD MAN (1949) and scores of other roles over the years.
And over the years whatever the role that Mr. Orson Welles had in whatever film project, or Television appearance, he always did his best in giving his all. And that includes THE MUPPET MOVIE.