Orson Welles’ four all-time strangest gigs

March 4, 2010

A tip of the hat to Peter Hartlaub, Cal Poly graduate, former Telegram-Tribune reporter, and currently the pop culture critic for the San Francisco Chronicle. Pete is responsible for an offbeat Chronicle blog about parenting and just about anything else that piques his interest, especially movies.  [The Poop]

So when it comes to movies, one name usually stands head and shoulders among the rest: Orson Welles, the boy genius of radio, film, and theater, the man who made “Citizen Kane” at 27 and then thrashed about for 43 years looking for a suitable follow up. He never quite made it, ending up instead pitching wine on TV, doing magic acts, and appearing on Dean Martin celebrity roasts.

Our personal favorite is Welles in the classic “The Third Man.” He’s only in three scenes, but he steals the entire movie.

As Hartlaub discovered, Welles had some particularly interesting gigs late in his career (he died in 1985). One thing is for sure in Hollywood — there will only be one Orson Welles.