Aggie Calling Orson, Come In Orson

It's All In The Timing
So, here I am back again to take a new run at adding to this blog. My prompt was a meet and greet situation that I found myself at. It was while introducing myself in my normal forward manner to an Australian actress whose stage presence I find akin to what would have happened if suddenly Aggie and Orson found themselves the parents of a daughter. It prompted me to yet again take a run at the seemingly lifelong task of sheltering my talented cousin's memory and trying to find a good way to let everyone see beneath the veil of who Aggie was.

While looking over my notes I was struck by the section that I had copied down ages ago about the interview that Agnes did with Dick Cavett in 1973. It was during this interview that Aggie claimed to have met Orson in 1922 in the lobby of the Waldorf Astoria when Orson was a mere 7 years old. She makes no mention of meeting either his father nor his mother just him. There are a couple of reasons this is problematic:

1. Agnes was in college in 1922 in Muskingum Ohio and there are no records to "prove" that she was in New York in 1922. Keep in mind that traveling was an occasion documented by newspapers.
2. There are also no records indicating that Orson was in New York in 1922. See above.

Orson Orson Orson
To call George Orson Welles a gypsy would essentially be an insult to gypsies. He was on the move from the age of 12 or 13 onward. He was all over Europe, Ireland, Canada, and the list goes on. Orson's mother passed away in 1924 and his father in 1930. His father was a wealthy man who, oddly enough, made his money in car headlights and bicycle lamps, see "Magnificent Amberson's" for extremely strange coincidence. In January of 1931, a guardian named Dr. Maurice A Berstein is appointed for Orson and since Orson's brother Richard was 10 years older than Orson no guardian was required for him. By November of 1931, Orson was on his way to Ireland to begin his meteoric rise in the entertainment industry. By 1933 he was touring with Katherine Cornell and by November of 1934 was a married man.  In 1935 Orson began experimenting with radio and this had repercussions that followed him until the day he died. Welles cofounded "Mercury Theatre On The Air" with John Housman and together they created a series of radio plays from classic sources such as Bram Stoker's Dracula but the most memorable of these for most people was H.G. Wells War of the Worlds. Welle's radio show created a panic the likes of which had not been seen before. People thought it was real. But I'm getting ahead of myself. In 1937 Orson took on the role of LaMont Cranston in the radio production of "The Shadow." LaMont had a gorgeous faithful assistant named Margo Lane and she was voiced by none other than Agnes Moorehead. Welle's recognized his costar's skill level and subsequently, Agnes along with the likes of Joseph Cotten, Ray Collins, and others were drawn into the "Mercury Theatre" fold.

So while I cannot prove that Agnes did not, in fact, meet George Orson Welles at the tender age of 7 I can say with confidence that it likely did not happen.

Svengali
What is undeniable is that Orson was a sort of Svengali for Agnes. For eons, people have spoken of their relationship in terms of an affair but I really think that is a non-starter as an argument. Agnes cared for Orson yes but I think that her affection for Orson was akin to the same affection she felt for her sister. Orson took her to Hollywood. He frequently told her that she undersold herself and that she was worth a much larger salary. Agnes worked with him on his Mobile Gas Almanac productions in 1944 and in those shows, she plays his straight man. In an uncharacteristic burst of humor on one particular Alamanac broadcast March 8, 1944, Agnes let loose a long loud laugh that brings the show to a momentary standstill. The banter between the two is priceless and shows how well they actually worked together. Welles also took Agnes along on his Mercury Wonder Show as well. For her first 7 or 8 years in Hollywood Orson helped Agnes find her way around the maze of Hollywood as she established herself as a Hollywood icon.

We likely would not have one without the other and for that, I'm very, very grateful!