Orson Welles last tv interview

[Lzcutter]

From an archive list serve that I belong to, here are three clips from the Merv Griffin show that were included in the Guide's greatest top 60 talk show moments:

Today TV Guide published its “60 Greatest TV Talk-Show Moments” and we were honored to find out that three of them were from The Merv Griffin Show.
http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/241357 ... ow-moments



Here are the three clips with a link to the footage that is on our YouTube channel dedicated to the show.

(25) Captain MItsuo Fuchida (September 2, 1965)
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Captain Fuchida was the architect of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. He tells his story of being a young naval officer doing his "duty" leading the attack, being decorated by Emperor Hirohito, his dislike of Tojo to the eventual change of heart which led him to become a Christian preacher. To realize that this was on TV a mere 24 years after the attack to me is astonishing. In the polarizing environment of today would someone who was involved in the planning of 9-11 and “repented” be allowed on a talk-show in 2025? When I first discovered this footage last year it really did blow my mind and not only that on the same show was the legendary comedian, Phyllis Diller. To see Merv Griffin at the end of the show thank these two opposite individuals in the same breath truly lefty me speechless.

(41) Whitney Houston (June 23, 1983)
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This is Whitney Houston's very first television appearance. Clive Davis, head of Arista Records, shown here at the head of the clip, had just signed her and taken her under his wing. She hadn't even started recording her first album but Merv had seen her perform in a nightclub and was anxious to have her on his show. She's singing "Home" from The Wiz. Later in the same program her mother (Cissy Houston) joins her for a stunning duet of a medley of Aretha Franklin songs

(46) Orson Welles (October 10, 1985)
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Orson Welles was a dear friend of Merv Griffin but was a notoriously guarded interviewee. He told Merv he wasn't interested in taking "trips down memory lane." On October 10, 1985 he told Merv he was "feeling expansive" and to go ahead and ask him all those "gossipy" questions he'd always wanted to ask him on the air. Merv took the opportunity and Orson Welles opened up about his personal life like never before and, as fate would have it, never again. He died a few hours after the show at his home in Hollywood, making this interview his final words to the world.

[moira finnie]

These were very interesting, particularly the Japanese reverend and the interview with Welles, whose tenderness toward Rita Hayworth makes me feel that he had a conscience and genuine concern for his former wife and mother of one of his daughters.

[Rita Hayworth]

Orson Welles tried his best to have a clear conscience of his wife Rita Hayworth and his only daughter that they had - Rebecca Welles. If I may add here, that Rita Hayworth had some problems with him because he was always working and never wanted to have a home and that bothers her. I seen these videos especially the last one on the bottom and he (Welles) admitted that he made some mistakes about his marriage to Hayworth. But, I wished they had a longer marriage and that alone would had solved Rita's misgivings of her trust in men.

Of all the men in Rita's life ... the one that stands alone was this man - ORSON WELLES and when Rita divorces Edward Judson - he told everybody - I'm going to marry Rita Hayworth and many of his cohorts, friends, family, and business associates all laughed at him and when he had a MISSION he said that he is going to do it and win her heart. That's alone made him a determined husband to Rita Hayworth and that's showed the character of him that I admired a lot of Orson Welles. Orson Welles is the only Husband that I collect pictures of ... and I don't even bother with the four other jerks that wanted her for various reasons whatsoever. Orson was a winner in my book and I wished that they could had ironed out their differences during the years 1946-47 timeframe and maintained some degree of respect and love but Rita had some misgiving of Orson and Orson admitted that he never conceded to her requests.

I wished that they had a longer marriage and that alone would had made them one of the Hollywood Premier Power Couple. I just loved his work and I wished they had some degree of faith and that alone causes their marriage to fall apart.

That's all I have to say.