Orson Welles stands as a visionary filmmaker, a notorious showman, and an enigmatic storyteller who blurred the lines between fact and fiction. In this episode, Tom and Elliot dive deep into the life and legend of one of America’s most celebrated yet elusive filmmakers, exploring the enduring allure of his work. As we celebrate the re-releases of The Third Man and F for Fake here at LAB111, we unravel the layers of myth Welles wove around himself—always performing, always crafting his narrative. Was he ever telling the truth, or was it all part of his grand act? Listen to a fascinating journey into the complex mind of the man who redefined American cinema, leaving behind a legacy as compelling and mysterious as his films.

Book tickets to The Third Man @ LAB111

Book tickets to F For Fake @ LAB111

Show notes

• Orson Welles Recounts Crossing Paths With Hitler And Churchill! | The Dick Cavett Show
• Original Takes for Orson Welles Wine Commercial
• Orson Welles’s Cuckoo Clock Speech | The Third Man (1949)
• Funhouse Mirrors Scene | Lady From Shanghai (1947)
• There’s More To Orson Welles Than Citizen Kane | The Discarded Image
• Orson Welles: Who Is This Man? Video Essay | MUBI
• A History of Narrative Film by David A. Cook

Films mentioned

(click on the links for tickets to screenings at LAB111)

• The Third Man (Carol Reed, 1949)
• F For Fake (Orson Welles, 1973)
• Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)
• Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
• Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (Chantal Akerman, 1975)
• Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles, 1942)
• The Stranger (Orson Welles, 1946)
• Lady From Shanghai (Orson Welles, 1947)
• Out of the Past (Jacques Tourneur, 1947)
• This Gun for Hire (Frank Tuttle, 1942)
• Othello (Orson Welles, 1951)
• Macbeth (Orson Welles, 1948)
• Mr. Arkadin (Orson Welles, 1955)
• Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder, 1950)
• Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944)
• The Fallen Idol (Carol Reed, 1948)
• Odd Man Out (Carol Reed, 1947)
• Brief Encounter (David Lean, 1945)
• Shadow of a Doubt (Alfred Hitchcock, 1943)
• Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958)

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