About this season
Orson Welles' Sketch Book is a series of six short television commentaries by Orson Welles for the BBC in 1955. Written and directed by Welles, the 15-minute episodes present the filmmaker's commentaries on a range of subjects. Welles frequently draws from his own experiences and often illustrates the episodes with his own sketches.
Episodes (7)
1. The Early Days
Aired 24 April 1955 • 15 min
Welles discusses a timely earthquake, first-night audiences at the Gate Theatre in Dublin, and how he came to be an actor.
2. Critics
Aired 8 May 1955 • 15 min
Welles talks about a Boston performance of Five Kings, the consequences of Percy Hammond's negative review of the Voodoo Macbeth, and a curse placed on the film It's All True.
3. The Police
Aired 22 May 1955 • 15 min
Welles relates the story of Isaac Woodard, a decorated black World War II veteran who was blinded in a brutal 1946 beating by South Carolina police.
4. Houdini/John Barrymore/Voodoo Story/The People I Missed
Aired 5 June 1955 • 15 min
Prompts used by actors and others; remembering Harry Houdini; observations on gender differences in the appreciation of magic tricks; John Barrymore.
5. The War Of The Worlds
Aired 19 June 1955 • 15 min
The famous 1938 Mercury Theatre broadcast mistaken by many listeners for a real Martian invasion, and the consequent skepticism during the presentation of Norman Corwin's Between Americans on December 7, 1941; and the opening night of the Mercury stage flop, Danton's Death.
6. Bullfighting
Aired 3 July 1955 • 15 min
Welles tells the true story of Bonito the bull. Robert Flaherty's story was partially filmed in 1942 for Welles's unfinished film, It's All True.
7. Postscript
Aired 7 May 1955 • 15 min