RKO
RADIO
PICTURES
CITIZEN KANE
STAGE 10
Orson Welles
Lights!
Get me a mic!
Thank you.
How do you do ladies and gentlemen. This is Orson Welles. I'm speaking for the Mercury Theater, and what follows is supposed to advertise our first motion picture. Citizen Kane is the title. We hope it can correctly be called a coming attraction. It's certainly coming, coming to this theater, and I think our Mercury Actors make it an attraction. I'd like you to meet them.
Chorus Girls
There is a man, a certain man
And for the poor, you can be sure,
He'll do all he can.
Who is this one?
Orson Welles
Speaking of attractions, all the chorus girls are certainly an attraction. But frankly, ladies and gentlemen, we're just showing you the chorus girls for purposes of ballyhoo. It's pretty nice ballyhoo.
But here's some of our real Mercury people. This is the first time you've seen most of them on the screen.
Hey, uh, give Joe a little light!
Smile for the folks, Joe. Smile!
Joseph Cotton, ladies and gentlemen. That's it! Joseph Cotton. I think you're gonna see a lot of him.
Here's Ruth Warrick, whom I know you love.
Ruth. Look at the camera, Ruth.
We caught Ruth with her hair up.
And here's somebody you've all heard on the radio so I don't have to tell you he's wonderful: Ray Collins.
SILENCE
Orson Welles
Dorothy Comingore is a name I'm going to repeat. Dorothy Comingore. I won't have to repeat it much longer. You'll be repeating it.
And here's George Coulouris, who's a grand actor. I'll say that name again: George Coulouris.
Watch it! Here comes Everett Sloane, look out, Everett! Oops. Everett Sloane, ladies and gentlemen. He isn't necessarily a comedian.
Here's one of the best actors in the world, Agnes Moorehead.
I've said a lot of nice things but Erskine Sanford deserves some more. Erskine! Erskine Sanford.
So does Paul. Paul! Paul Stuart, everybody.
Citizen Kane is a modern American story about a man called Kane. Charles Foster Kane. I don't know how to tell you about him, there's so many things to say. I'll turn you over instead to the characters in the fiction. You will see they feel very strongly on the subject.
Herbert Carter
Charles Foster Kane is- gasping
Mr. Bernstein
Sure he started the war, but do you think, if it hadn't been for Mr. Kane, the United States would have the Panama Canal?
Walter Parks Thatcher
Charles Foster Kane is nothing more or less than a communist!
Jim W. Gettys
Hey, governor. Listen, if the voters of this state and Mrs. Kane learn what I found out about Mr. Kane and a certain little blondie named Susan Alexander he couldn't be elected dogcatcher. I'm going to skin Mr. Charles Foster Kane alive.
Emily Monroe Norton
I'm gonna marry him next week—at the White House.
Jed Leland
Emily, I hear you've been stepping out with Charlie Kane.
Herbert Carter
Gasping
Mary Kane
Of course I love him, I gave him 60 million dollars.
Susan Kane
Well of course I love him, he's the richest man in America.
Herbert Carter
Gasping
Jed Leland
What all you're [inaudible] say about him, at first.
Jim W. Gettys
But, you know, I can't help but admire him.
Raymond
He's crazy.
Emily Monroe Norton
He's wonderful.
Herbert Carter
Gasping
Orson Welles
Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know what you'll think about Mr. Kane. I can't imagine. See, I play the part myself. Well, Kane is a hero, and a scoundrel, a no-account, a swell guy, a great lover, a great American citizen, and a dirty dog. It depends on who's talking about him. What's the real truth about Charles Foster Kane? I wish you'd come to this theater when Citizen Kane plays here and decide for yourself.
by
Orson Welles
"Citizen Kane"
AN R.K.O. RADIO PICTURE
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was legally published within the United States (or the United Nations Headquarters in New York subject to Section 7 of the United States Headquarters Agreement) between 1929 and 1977 (inclusive) without a copyright notice.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1985, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 38 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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