During most of the 1950s Orson Welles was a full-on expatriate, living in various different hotel rooms in various different European capitols, usually paid for by others who often believed they were investing in various Welles projects when in reality they were investing in various meals in various high-end restaurants. Ever keen on making some money to continue self-financing his work, Welles developed an interest in television as a medium in which he could deploy his story-telling gifts in a simple and direct way. Thus was born ‘Orson Welles’ Sketchbook’, a series of five fifteen-minute programs made and aired in England in 1955. As always with Welles, his sense of innovation cannot be denied even when the occasion for whatever project he’s working on seems at least slightly mercenary. The ‘sketchbook’ is a prop where we see Welles sketching (and very skillfully) impressions of the story he’s going to relay. The show is a one-take, close-up monologue by Welles anecdoting about his life, observations and beliefs. Yes, he’s a hammy presence in his own fake low-key manner, but most certainly one you want to have dinner with. I find these little shows mesmerizing–he saw in television not just a way to do what had already been achieved in other mediums–like scripted drama or variety show format–but to intimately enter people’s living rooms and establish an unusually personal connection with the viewers. His breakthrough here is a very simple one–one might say austere to the point of abstraction; television as a one-on-one encounter. Above I’ve posted episode one, in which he talks about his beginnings in the Irish theater when he was still an adolescent. If you’re reading this during the daytime, I suggest having lunch or at least a coffee while Orson spins his tales. And if you’re reading this in the evening, well, your preferred beverage of choice will make an excellent accompaniment to Orson’s simple, magical monologues.

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