Lot 403
Welles, Orson. Includes a black and white, 8 x 10", of Welles in his prime. (1915-1985) Director, producer, writer, and actor. Having become a radio producer, he founded the Mercury Theatre in 1937. In 1938, his radio production of H.G. Wells's "War of the Worlds" was so realistic that it caused a panic across the country. In 1941, he wrote, produced, directed and starred in what is considered by many to be the greatest film made, Citizen Kane. (1941).
Typed Letter Signed "Orson" Two pages, Quarto, May 28, 1959, n.p. Signed boldly in black ink at the bottom the second page. Significant content, pointing to the beginning of Welles' creative descent, as his massive debts forced his work to suffer. Welles gingerly explains his reluctance to continue dealing with his shyster accountant, going into detail about the state of his finances and future employment prospects. In part:
"… of course I'bottom left get myself out of the red. But you deserve to know that there are no present means for this--- and no immediate prospects. True, the right movie could come along tomorrow. The point is, that to afford your kind of fees I'd have to take the wrong one today. The same goes for television… the talk continues, and continues to be talk… Meanwhile we're living quite modestly here in the country, although I'm finding it necessary to support an increasingly large family of persons. Emergencies can be most costly; and besides back taxes I'm still faced with personal debts. In America I could be sure of a bigger income-- if only from odd jobs on TV, which simply aren't available in Europe… (Checking into this, I've found that there are European artists who earned twice what I did last year and who will not pay what you asked me in legal fees during the course of an entire lifetime)."
Fine.
Estimated Value $400 - 600.
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| Realized $368 |
