Orson Welles Once Threw A Tantrum Over This Frozen Food Commercial
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Orson Welles is widely known as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. For one, his first feature film, the critically acclaimed "Citizen Kane," which he co-wrote, produced, directed, and starred in, has been consistently ranked at the top of every best movies list since its debut in 1941 (per IMDb). His influence on various creative media has been celebrated, with countless attempts to replicate his vision for generations by those who have been lucky enough to follow in his giant footsteps.
Welles was a tenacious artist since his youth. With the guidance of his legal guardian after his parents' passing, he became deeply involved in theater at age 15. His passion eventually turned into an obsession, as he produced and acted in numerous stage plays around the world. But Welles is remembered for more than his theatrical and cinematic genius. He also was a master of radio. He caused quite a stir with his haunting rendition of H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds," which was broadcast in October 1938 (via Biography). Another one of Welles' lesser known gigs, however, was a bit more — let's just say — off the rails.
Orson Welles had a fit while recording a frozen peas commercial
Being the well-respected figure he was, Orson Welles was notorious for displaying an extravagant, determined, yet stubborn personality. In 1970, the year before his death, Welles was hired to narrate a series of advertisements for Findus, a Swedish frozen foods brand. Behind the scenes, however, the experience was not too pretty.
When the audio engineer asked Welles to do a second take on the frozen peas commercial's opening line, "Nothing is more important than the simple act of people getting together," Welles exclaimed, "Look, I'm not used to having more than one person in there. One more word out of you and you go! Is that clear? I take directions from one person, under protest. Who the hell are you, anyway?" Then, the director asked Welles to emphasize the "in" while saying "in July." Welles angrily questioned, "Why? That doesn't make any sense. Sorry. There's no known way of saying an English sentence in which you begin a sentence with 'in' and emphasize it. That's just stupid. 'In July?' I'd love to know how you emphasize 'in' in 'in July.' Impossible! Meaningless!" (via Mental Floss). Need a good laugh? You can hear the recording session's audio on YouTube.
According to Josh Karp — author of "Orson Welles's Last Movie: The Making of 'The Other Side of the Wind,'" which chronicles Welles' mission to make a comeback film in the 1970s — Welles demanded $15,000 per day for his recording sessions. "He was a brilliant, funny guy," Karp said. "There's a good chance he'd think the pea commercial was hilarious."