Orson Welles drunk Paul Masson wine commercial outtakes
December 20th, 2009 by Scott Marks
MaaaHaaaaaa the Orson Welles bloopers!
By now we have all seen these classic bloopers from Paul Masson champagne commercials where Orson samples a bit too much of the sponsor’s product. This looks like it was struck from the original camera negative as opposed to the muddy dupes that have been floating around for years.
While out searching for a cheap laugh at Orson’s expense I happened to stumble on this exceptional parody from something called “The Midnight Show.” It not only asks the question “She doesn’t do anything?” but remembers to inquire as to the whereabouts of Mrs. Buckley as well.
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Tags: Orson Welles, Orson Welles drunk, Orson Welles drunk commercial, Orson Welles paul masson, Orson Welles Paul Masson commercialFiled Under Rants
EC talks with Christian McKay, star of “Me and Orson Welles”
December 11th, 2009 by Scott Marks
Speaking with Christian McKay is the closest one will ever come to meeting Orson Welles in this lifetime.
McKay (pronounced “Mc-KYE”) stars in Richard Linklater’s “Me and Orson Welles,” a terrific pre-”Citizen Kane” biopic that takes place in 1937 and finds Welles staging a modern dress production of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” for his young Mercury Theater.
The British-born actor graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2001 and studied music at the University of York, the Royal College of Music and Queensland Conservatorium. “Me and Orson Welles” is his first film and the modest Mr. McKay is quick to share credit with his director.
“This was my first film,” he said with a laugh. “I didn’t know what I was doing. I had the confidence of ignorance, but (Linklater) very patiently taught me how to play this larger-than-life theatrical animal.”
Through the years, many have played Orson Welles on film. Jean Guérin (”Heavenly Creatures”), Vincent D’Onofrio (”Ed Wood,” “Five Minutes, Mr. Welles”), Angus Macfadyen (”Cradle Will Rock”), Liev Schreiber (”RKO 281″), Danny Huston (”Fade to Black”) and even SCTV’s John Candy have all tried their hand at bringing the Master to life.
But none come close to capturing the look and timbre of Welles quite like Christian McKay, who talked to EC in his fine English accent.
Christian McKay: Hello, Scott, I’m Christian.
Scott Marks: Hello, Christian, I’m Jewish. (Laughter.) This is a going to be a somewhat different interview for me because all I know of you is based solely on one performance.
Well, after all this is my first film.
You had previously played Orson in the Broadway production of “Rosebud.”
No, no, no. It was so far off Broadway it was practically in Canada. It was a tiny little theater on East 59th St. But you know Orson used to say…there’s a great Yiddish saying from back in the twenties, “A star is the man who owns the theater.” Well, there might have been only fifty seats, but this was my theater.
It was that small of a theater?
Actually, no. We got about 100 in and we were packed out every night which was just lovely. My wife produced the show and she ran the show, stage managed the show. We were just a one-man band, you know.
Is that how (director) Richard Linklater found you?
Yes. It’s that wonderful cliché for an actor of being in the right place at the right time with the right role.
You went from playing a falsetto-voiced eunuch in “Antony and Cleopatra” to mimicking Orson Welles bravura pipes. That must have been a bit of a leap.
I was virtually in mezzo-soprano range when I was doing the eunuch. It was very funny. Then suddenly I had to go to the other end of the scale. I’m a kind of baritone. It doesn’t sound it at the moment simply because when I’m doing these press junkets…I don’t talk too much apart from on stage and my voice has got darker and deeper doing it. I suppose staying up partying with Zac Efron doesn’t help, so it’s gone a bit lower. Usually I’m a baritone and Orson, of course, is basso profundo. Without hurting my voice I had to teach myself how to give a flavor of the man. It would have been death to give an impression or imitation. That would have been absolutely awful.
Legend has it that you are almost as prodigious as Mr. Welles.
Not true at all, my goodness me! I’m a classical pianist certainly. I studied that before turning to study acting, but I always acted. In all honesty to you I can act a little bit - Orson Welles and eunuchs a specialty – but ask me to put in a new light bulb and I’m finished.
Could you tell me something about the play? Sadly, it never made its way this far west to the La Jolla Playhouse.
No. It didn’t make it very far at all. I was at a point and a time and friends thought it would be a good exercise for me to play a real life person and I thought that was quite interesting. A one man show is a rather cheap form of theater which allows you to show people what you can do. And they said, “What about Orson Welles?” I said, “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not that fat! Richard Burton. I might be able to do something like that.” And they said, “but you look just like (Welles).” It doesn’t matter that I don’t look like Burton, I’ll act it. “No, Christian,” they said. “Orson Welles.” I went “Peter Sellers. I can do Clouseau.” “No, no, Christian. Orson Welles!” I said, “How about Winston Churchill?”
Oh, sure. You and Winston Churchill. One face.
(Laughing.) Well, absolutely!
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