Citizen Kane - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of Citizen Kane or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to Citizen Kane

[jim]

Orson Welles met John Ford for the first time on the first day of shooting of "Citizen Kane" when Ford came by to warn Welles that Welles' assistant director, Ed Donahue, was a "fink" for Welles' "enemies at RKO".The meeting with Ford had been mentioned in one of the recorded conversations transcribed in Peter Biskind's book "My Lunches with Orson".

[sylvia]

Apparently, holding less of a grudge than anyone might think, William Randolph Hearst's son said in 1985 that he had enjoyed the film and that Orson Welles could visit his father's San Simeon (CA) estate anytime he pleased--"on my tab", a noble offer as Welles died that year.

[tamara]

When "Rosebud" was burned, Orson Welles choreographed the scene while he had composer Bernard Herrmann's cue playing on the set.

[gerald]

Gregg Toland's equipment included the first extensive use of coated lenses for shooting a feature film.

[morris]

The film represents the feature film debuts of William Alland, Ray Collins, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead, Erskine Sanford, Everett Sloane, Paul Stewart, and Orson Welles himself.

[janice]

The Inquirer's bad review of Susan Alexander's opera debut (bylined "Jed Leland" but, in the film, largely written by Kane himself) reads: "Miss Susan Alexander, a pretty but hopelessly incompetent amateur, last night opened the new Chicago Opera House in a performance of 'Salammbo'. Her singing, happily, is no concern of this department. Of her acting, it is absolutely impossible to say anything except that it represents, in the opinion of this reviewer, a new low. The performance, as a whole, was weak and incomprehensible . . . While it is true that a wealth of training has been expended on the voice of Miss Alexander, the result has been pathetitc [sic] in the extreme, inasmuch as she lacks tonal purity, volume and the nuances of enunciation so important for the grand opera diva." LACKS STAGE PRESENCE "Another grave fault in her performance was lack of stage pres- ... " (The rest of the column cannot be seen.)

[maureen]

Orson Welles tried to buy out the screen credit of co-writer Herman J. Mankiewicz. Welles actually paid him several thousand dollars. However, the Writers Guild got wind of this and said that was not permitted. When Welles tried to get his money back, Mankiewicz had already spent it.

[christina]

William Randolph Hearst was so angered by the film that he accused Orson Welles of being a Communist in order to keep the film from being released.

[kenzi]

Kane knows plenty of magic tricks that amuse Susan. Orson Welles himself was an amateur magician.

[jessie]

The snow globe Kane drops and breaks at the beginning of the film reappears in the flashback scene in Susan Alexander's apartment by a framed picture next to her mirror.

[brent]

During filming Orson Welles received a warning that William Randolph Hearst had arranged for a naked woman to jump into his arms when he entered his hotel room, and there was also a photographer in the room to take a picture that would be used to discredit him. Welles spent the night elsewhere, and it is unknown if the warning was true.

[ivan]

According to Ruth Warrick, Orson Welles was not in good shape at the beginning of production. When principal photography began, Welles was suffering from the effects of caffeine poisoning as the result of consuming thirty to forty cups of coffee a day. Welles then switched to tea, figuring that the hassle of having to brew the beverage would naturally limit his intake. But Welles had someone on call to brew the tea for him, and within two weeks, Welles was the colour of tannic acid. It was also reported that he would go for long periods without eating, then put away two or three large steaks with side items at one sitting.

[kenneth]

In the scene where Kane and his entourage set off for the beach from Xanadu, large birds are seen flying across the background. In fact, the background was lifted from a science fiction film to reduce costs, and the birds are, in fact, pterodactyls. The prehistoric beasties were probably lifted from either King Kong (1933) or Son of Kong (1933).

[kenzi]

The camera looks up at Charles Foster Kane and his best friend Jedediah Leland and down at weaker characters like Susan Alexander Kane. This was a technique that Orson Welles borrowed from John Ford who had used it two years previously on Stagecoach (1939). Welles privately watched Stagecoach (1939) about 40 times while making this film.

[melinda]

Citizen Kane (1941) had massive influences from Rebecca (1940). Both films uses deep focus photography. Both films have mansions - Manderley in Rebecca (1940) and Xanadu in this film. Both Rebecca and Charles Foster Kane are dead and their lives are explored through the point of view of others. Both Rebecca and Charles Foster Kane have adulterous relationships. Both Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca and Mary Kane in Citizen Kane are dressed in similar fashion and both characters also behave coldly. Rebecca ends with a burning pillow with a giant "R" on it and Citizen Kane ends with a burning sled with "Rosebud" on it.

[caroline]

Orson Welles came to dislike the Rosebud twist, calling it, "Dollar-book Freud".

[ava]

The scene outside Ma Kane's boarding house reportedly drove Orson Welles crazy. The director always resented that, although it was set in a snowy field, the breath of the actors was not visible because the scene was actually filmed on a sound stage.

[wesley]

Gregg Toland's cinematography credit appears alongside Orson Welles directing credit in the final title card of the film.

[ivan]

Mr. Bernstein's first name is never revealed.