Orson Welles' Sketch Book

Orson Welles' Sketch Book (1955)

Orson Welles made a six-episode television series for the BBC, which basically has him playing storyteller. Through the six episodes we see him sitting in a chair where that terrific voice of his just speaks to the viewer as if you were sitting right next to him. The subject changed throughout the series but all the stories center around Welles' life and for the visuals of television we're given sketches that the legendary filmmaker drew.

You can check the individual episodes for more detailed reviews of those episodes. This here is more for the overall series, which I personally found to be quite excellent. Welles was a master director and actor but he was perhaps an even better storyteller. These six episodes run fifteen minutes each and each of them are wonderfully detailed with that terrific voice of Welles talking about the subjects and drawing your attention closer with each spoken word.

I was really shocked to see how wonderful this series was and especially episode five, which takes a look at the notorious The War of the Worlds radio broadcast. I've seen countless films and documentaries on the subject and there's just something wonderful here about getting to hear these stories from Welles. He tells a terrific story about John Barrymore's reaction to the alien invasion and Barrymore also appears in episode four with another terrific story.

If you're a fan of Welles then these six episodes are a must see. Each of them was highly entertaining and proves was a master storyteller Welles was.

This six-episode series, produced on a shoestring budget for the BBC, proves that above all else Orson Welles was a great storyteller. The camera cuts back and forth between close-ups of Welles and his charming sketches as he tells anecdotes ranging from the tragic (such as the case of a black U.S. serviceman who returned to the South after a tour in the Pacific, got into a dispute with a bus driver, and as a result was beaten blind by a policeman) to the hilarious (the varied reactions to the Mercury Theatre of the Air's infamous radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds). This is as minimalist as television gets - just his drawings, his subtle facial expressions, and that wonderful, wry voice - and it's riveting; a great showcase of Welles's talent, wit, and charisma.

Orson Welles' Sketchbook was directed by Huw Wheldon, 'producer' being 1950s BBC language for producer-director. There is a story that during the filming of one episode Orson ran out of ink and threw down his pen in irritation. By the time Wheldon had reached the set Orson has disappeared, telling a crew member that he was going to Paris. It turned out to be the case. Nevertheless, the two men became friends. Wheldon later conducted a celebrated interview with Welles on the legendary BBC arts programme 'Monitor'. Welles tried to persuade Wheldon to be his European manager. Wheldon was concerned both that he would never be paid and that Orson would have 'eaten him up'. Wheldon went on to become the Managing Director of BBC TV, and knighted for his services to broadcasting. He died in the same year as Welles, 1986. On his death the sketches Welles had done for the show were found among Wheldon's papers, a gift from the one man to the other.

Welles was an accomplished artist, and went to Ireland at the age of 16 in order to become a painter, not an actor.