One of the best things about YouTube is the ever-growing number of archive films and recordings.
I had no idea that Orson Welles and H G Wells had ever met and this recording is rather touching:
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9 comments:
That was so interesting and sweet! I love the contrast in their voices. Thanks for sharing.
Nice piece. But when did he become "the Honorable" HG Wells? Did Americans just assume that every Brit had a title of some description?
I'm still wrestling with the idea that HGW had come to San Antonio to address the US Brewers' Association. He was near the end of his life. He was H G Wells. What on earth was he doing?
I suspect that what he was doing was enjoying being lionised at a time when his reputation had sunk somewhat back home; he was a great pontificator, and brewers wouldn't have been exempt. Plus, this was October 1940, so he probably thought he was doing war work - or just enjoying the peaceful sunshine!
PearlFog - I was particularly fascinated by Wells' voice - a lower middle class Victorian accent, where 'yes' sounded more like yeeiss.
Welles had a voice that I could listen to all day.
Tim - In those days, so many Britons of a certain class did have titles, so I can't blame the poor man.
Roger - After failing to come up with a suitable pun based on one of Wells' novels, all I can say is I have no idea. Perhaps the brewers were regarded as an influential lobby group.
Mike - Aparently he was trying to talk the Americans out of entering the war too early.
I've also just found this extract from the NY Times: The New York "Times" said to- day that Mr. H. G. Wells' unofficial lecture tour of the U.S.A. had done more good in America than an offi- cial British spokesman could have
done.
He said that thc fact that Mr. Wells had been permitted to speak his mind and to criticise people like Britain's Foreign Secretary (Lord Halifax) and Viscount Gort was evidenre of British tolerance, virility, and strength.
Mr. Wells' statements were criti- cised tn a House of Commons debate on Thursday.
My favourite incongruous meeting is T.E Lawrence apparently being interviewed by Capt W.E. Johns when he was attemtping to get into the RAF under an assumed name. There must surely be a play hiding in there somewhere.
Me too, Steerforth, me too :o) And look, we can if we want to (there's a lot more on there but I can personally recommend this one, a snip at 89p):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Count-of-Monte-Cristo/dp/B002SH7XG2/ref=sr_1_33?ie=UTF8&qid=1346099619&s=dmusic&sr=1-33
How can I resist? I've just 'one-clicked' it.
Oh good, I hope you enjoy it :o) I'd also recommend the first volume of Simon Callow's biography of Welles (the second volume is good too, but the most exhilirating part of his life seems to have been up to about the age of 25). There's a few phrases that are en francais when it's not really necessaire, but that aside it's a wonderful book and the only biography that I regularly re-read.
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