He was voted the greatest director in film history, directed and starred in what is widely considered the greatest film of all time, and was an innovator in radio and the theater. He could read at 2 years old, play the violin at 7, and was doing Shakespeare at 10. He even married Rita Hayworth.
He was Orson Welles, born 100 years ago this month in Kenosha. To celebrate his centennial, the Citizen Welles Society of Kenosha is sponsoring a month of events honoring the legendary filmmaker and radio pioneer.
Welles’ relationship with his birthplace was something of a contentious issue. “I’m not ashamed of being from Wisconsin,” Welles once told a friend, “Just of being from Kenosha. It’s a terrible place.” Welles and his family moved from Kenosha to Chicago when he was 5 years old, and it was later said that his only memorable trip back to the city was for his mother’s funeral four years later.
Nita Hunter, president of the Citizen Welles Society, moved to Kenosha to perform radio theater and was “shocked” to learn that it was Welles’ birthplace. She was even more surprised to learn that some people in the city still harbored a grudge against Welles for his comments—which Hunter says he later refuted. But, thanks to her own efforts in reconnecting the city to its most famous son, Kenosha has forgiven and forgotten. “Today, we’re proud to say the entire arts community is behind these efforts and events,” she said. “Kenosha has left those hard feelings behind and for some it’s like they never existed. We have embraced Orson Welles.”
The “Citizen Welles” celebration kicks off on May 6—Welles’ birthday—at Carthage College with a collection of his film highlights and presentations by Welles scholars and local dignitaries. Public events to follow include screenings of his 1941 masterwork Citizen Kane (7 p.m., Friday, May 15, UW-Parkside Cinema) and his 1942 classic, The Magnificent Ambersons (2 p.m., Sunday, May 24, Women’s Club of Kenosha). A live reading of “The War of the Worlds” will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 9 at the Kenosha Public Museum. A Welles pub crawl trivia contest will also be held at participating Kenosha bars throughout the month. Tickets for the film screenings are $5. All of the other above-mentioned events are free. For more information and other Welles events, visit citizenwelles.org.
