DATELINE 1941 – After a fight between William Randolph Hearst and RKO Radio Pictures, Citizen Kane is finally released to the public. This film both created and cemented the reputation of Orson Welles, who never had final control of a movie again.

Welles had been a hot commodity after his Mercury Theatre (it’s an ironic insult that Glenn Beck’s company name pays tribute to Welles) scared the crap out of ‘Merka with his radio drama of H.G. Wells “War of the Worlds.” Soon afterwards RKO signed him to an unprecedented picture deal with full artistic control and the rest is history and allegory.

Over the years the reputation of Citizen Kane has grown and many, including myself, think it’s the greatest film ever made. Much of the film’s language was adapted by directors over the years. Therefore Citizen Kane hardly looks as revolutionary as it was back in the day. Welles went on to make many movies over the years, but none were as TERRIFIC as Citizen Kane. 

As always the nonconformist, here’s Welles’ trailer for Citizen Kane, which includes many scenes not in the final movie, some which appear to have been created for this advert and some back-stage tomfoolery. Enjoy: