… was born on this date in 1863. Was Hearst the model for
Charles Foster Kane? Here is what Orson Welles had to say in
1975 (written to promote a book about Hearst and actress Marion
Davies). When Frederick Remington was dispatched to the Cuban
front to provide the Hearst newspapers with sketches of our
first small step into American imperialism, the noted artist
complained by telegram that there wasn’t really enough shooting
to keep him busy. “You make the pictures,” Hearst wired back,
“I’ll make the war.” This can be recognized not only as the true
voice of power but also as a line of dialogue from a movie. In
fact, it is the only purely Hearstian element in Citizen Kane.
There are parallels, but these can be just as misleading as
comparisons. If San Simeon hadn’t existed, it would have been
necessary for the authors of the movie to invent it. Except for
the telegram already noted and the crazy art collection (much
too good to resist), In Kane everything was invented. Let the
incredulous take note of the fa