Orson Welles' Sketch Book (1955)
Season 1 Episode 1: The Early Days
Orson Welles made a six-episode television series for the BBC, which basically has him playing storyteller. Through the six episodes we see him sitting in a chair where that terrific voice of his just speaks to the viewer as if you were sitting right next to him. The subject changed throughout the series but all the stories center around Welles' life and for the visuals of television we're given sketches that the legendary filmmaker drew.
The first episode has Welles' recalling his earliest time on stage at the Gate Theater in Dublin. He starts off talking about the props used and then goes into details about falling on his face. If you're a fan of Welles then you're going to find this episode quite easy to watch and especially because the fifteen minutes just flow by with a poetic ease. Welles mentions DIAL M FOR MURDER, talks about how getting on stage was easy but everything that followed has been difficult and he also talks about the importance of failure. That grand voice was perfect for storytelling and this first episode was quite good.
Episode: A-,