Orson Welles’ little-known TV pilot

November 9, 2014 4:42 PM

Imagine a Twilight Zone or Alfred Hitchcock Presents, but with Orson Welles in the auteur/narrator’s role.

Orson Welles wrote, starred in, directed, art directed and even produced the music for “The Fountain of Youth,” an ingeniously devised and wryly funny half-hour that was made as a television pilot for The Orson Welles Show, an ill-fated anthology show that Welles developed for Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s Desilu production company in 1956.

From the first minutes of “The Fountain of Youth” it’s very obviously different from any and every television show of that era, with a clever use of rear projection, consecutive photo stills, illustration, on-camera set changes, innovative sound editing, experimental narrative techniques and multilayered storytelling.

(Direct link to "Fountain of Youth" on YouTube)
posted by Room 641-A (11 comments total)

The glands! The glands!
posted by artof.mulata at 5:08 PM on November 9, 2014 [2 favorites]

I am so sad there is only one episode of this. Imagine what could have been!
posted by Room 641-A at 5:28 PM on November 9, 2014 [1 favorite]

There could have been a carnivorous posie!
posted by artof.mulata at 5:35 PM on November 9, 2014

I watched this yesterday, and it's really good. I love how they did the rear screen projection and transitions. And Welles is, as always, a delight.
posted by Catblack at 9:25 PM on November 9, 2014 [1 favorite]

Rick Jason bears a striking resemblance to Leonard Nemoy, even his voice.
posted by carping demon at 12:02 AM on November 10, 2014

Looks like this is my week for eternal life. Been reading (and enjoying) The Postmortal, and also just ran across the Vonnegut short story 2BR02B.

Those of us who are elderly (but not yet immortal) remember Rick Jason best from his starring role in the TV series Combat. And of course Nancy Kulp, seen briefly here, from that paragon of TV culture The Beverly Hillbillies. Like the Vonnegut story, both shows date from 1962; I'm sure the latter will live forever.
posted by LeLiLo at 4:15 AM on November 10, 2014

I could listen to Orson Welles read the ingredients off a can of soup.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:48 AM on November 10, 2014 [4 favorites]

The plot had promise. It gives the appearance of running out of time or money with a weak ending. It's also very.. 19th century. Just like Welles. It's cool today but out of sync in the 50s. He was before and ahead of his times.
posted by stbalbach at 7:13 AM on November 10, 2014

I have a mission for the other Welles-loving MeFites. Is there anything online from Everybody's Shakespeare, the three book series of plays by the Bard edited and with commentary, staging notes and illustrations by a teenage Welles and Roger Hill? They were intended to make Shakespeare manageable and fun for high school students, but their reputation is that they could do the same for anyone and that the notes by Welles are pure gold.

I can't find any excerpts or even anywhere selling an old copy.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:19 AM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]

Those of us who are elderly (but not yet immortal) remember Rick Jason best from his starring role in the TV series Combat. And of course Nancy Kulp, seen briefly here, from that paragon of TV culture The Beverly Hillbillies.

Also the uncredited appearance by Madge Blake, who played Aunt Harriet on the original Batman tv series! She had my favorite line:

Now as I understand it, that's the gladular secretion that controls -- let me say that word again -- controls the aging of the tissue. Girls, just imagine what that means!

as a callback to Welles saying earlier:

Ladies, quite late in their 70s, can be heard addressing each other as 'girls.'

He was before and ahead of his times.

You could say he sold the show...

*removes sunglasses*

...before its time.
posted by Room 641-A at 8:02 AM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]

This is such a strange hybrid of radio and stage work with all these flashy TV transitions that don't really help - its both pushing the boundaries of TV at the time and a huge throwback.

Dig that intermission music.
posted by The Whelk at 12:02 PM on November 10, 2014