I think one of the most famous films never released is Mr. Welles' "The Other Side of the Wind."

Yes well, I'm privy to what is going on. Gary Graver is trying to set a deal with Showtime to pay for the completion of the film. It's all shot, it just needs final editing, sound effects, the final music and the whole production will be finished. There is a big problem and I think this is still an ongoing problem. They haven't resolved it yet. One of Orson Welles' daughters is an incredible, its very unfortunate, an incredible obstructionist. She is in the grip of a shyster lawyer. Whenever anything is done, she brings a law suite trying to get money. She's just vicious about it. She's a terrible person. When they did the restoration of "Touch of Evil" she caused trouble at Universal. She's extremely litigious because of this guy, this shyster lawyer that she is involved with. It's very unfortunate. She's preventing...they're afraid you see...she makes them afraid to make a deal to finish the film, because she's threatening and threatening and threatening. Even if she doesn't have a leg to stand on, they don't like the idea that there is going to be a lawsuit to fight through. Can't blame them. She is just awful.

What was it like working on "The Other Side of the Wind"? There was an amazing number of directors acting in the film?

Well I'm one of them!

Oh yes.

It was fun. Orson did it (the sequence with Mr. Harrington) the night before I began shooting "What's the Matter With Helen?", the very night before. I had to get up early to begin shooting, but I was so thrilled that I would do this little scene for Orson that I said "Come hell or high water, I'm going to finish my prep (on "Helen") and I'm going to be there and do this!"

Have you been able to see portions of the film?

A huge amount of it. Gary Graver, in trying to get the money to complete the film, arranged several screenings, not public screenings, but private screenings in a projection room in a laboratory or a studio.

It sounds like the movie has an intriguing premise.

Well, it's a very...it's an Orson Welles movie! It has two simultaneous storylines. It's about a film director played by John Huston, and then interspersed with the present day story about this film director are scenes from his latest film. So it's a film within the film. The film that he's shooting, which it has sequences from, is done in a very different style than the rest of the film. So it is very fascinating exercise.

Well hopefully one of these days the lawyer will go away...

I wish he would!

...and the world will get to see this.

It's really a shame that she is so terrible. She should be promoting the completion of the film, not obstructing it.

You would think so. You would think that she would tend to profit from its release. What did you think of "Touch of Evil"?

It's one of my favorites. There again, that's one of the great master works of the cinema, and it was totally ignored, totally ignored, even more ignored than my film "What's the Matter With Helen?" when it was originally released. It was released as a B-picture by Universal. They didn't like it. The executives didn't like it, nobody there liked it. They didn't understand it, they didn't want it, so it was just thrown out. It took France to recognize this. Then people began to notice it.

I guess it is to much to ask a producer to think beyond the bottom line, but from a historical viewpoint, where would Martin Scorsese be without "Touch of Evil"? That movie had such an impact on him, you look at the opening shoot...and Brian De Palma or Francis Ford Coppola?

Of course. Orson has had a profound influence on all of us. Absolutely. He was one of the great theatrical geniuses of the 20th century.

Yes, and he still owes me $99.00 for that fender on my Camero.

(Laughs).

But, hey, I'm not going to be like his daughter and sue.

Good, good.

I'll chalk it up to being star struck and lead footed. One of the things I find about seeing your movies today is that you can't see a lot of your TV movies. Any chance of...

The only ones that I know are available are "How Awful About Allan" and "The Dead Don't Die." "How Awful About Allan" with Tony Perkins is available.

What was Joan Hackett (costar of "How Awful About Allan") like?

I knew her very well. We were very good friends. She was a very interesting girl, very nice. Very special. Very sad early demise from cancer. It was so sad. And Julie Harris was also a joy to work with. One of our greatest actresses.

I remember seeing "The Cat Creature" when it first came out. It was an ABC movie of the week if I remember correctly. That was one I was really hoping to find.

That apparently hasn't been made available. I don't know why. I have no idea. "The Cat Creature" and the other TV movie that I'm proud of is "Killer Bees."

"Killer Bees" with Gloria Swanson.

It's a pity that that is not available. That ought to be available. Both of those films have admirers so someone should put them out.

The thing is, in the early 70s before cable, you had some top quality films being made by the networks. Some of them have turned out to be considered important, even landmark films, like "Duel" "That Certain Summer" "Born Innocent" or "Brian's Song." The networks were turning these out on a regular basis. I know ABC did two a week.

I know, they did a lot of them. Also what was nice, for that brief period of time you could make a film like those I made which were entertainments. You know. Then TV, a bit later, became totally engulfed in the idea of doing sort of 'socially significant' TV movies. Where every movie had to be about a disease or a mother who was losing her children because she had cancer, and it crowded out pure entertainment like "The Cat Creature" in the tradition of Pulp Magazine stories. It's a great loss. I made one other TV movie that you may come across in lists that I would like to not to have my name on, as it was positively dreadful, I would like it never to be seen again, anywhere, any how for as long as I live. It is "Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell." It's a piece of shit!

(Laughs) I appreciate your honesty on that.

I would just as soon no one sees it. It is just ludicrous. It's just terrible.

Was it one of those films done to pay the bills?

Kind of. But one of the reasons it is so terrible is it is one of those stories that builds up to a climax where you have to show the creature, like we were talking about earlier in "Night of the Demon" but in this case, you had to see the creature. It was just nothing at all. The actor's reaction of stark terror, which I had to shoot without him seeing anything at all doesn't match what you see at all. And the reason it is so terrible is the producer was so determined not to go beyond the licensing fee, that he wouldn't spring any money to do any thing properly, post-production special effects. So it is totally ludicrous. Perfectly terrible. It was a terrible premise to begin with. As I said, I did it because I needed money at the time and they offered me the job, but I would very much like that it be totally forgotten.

You also did some episodic television. "Baretta."

That was just a couple of episodes. I got to know Robert Blake very well when I was working with him. He was a very difficult person to get along with, but I was able to get along with him quite well. I like Bobby. I certainly don't believe that he had any thing to do with this murder. I don't blame him for announcing that he is going to move away from here now, and create a life for himself elsewhere. God knows, he's salted away the money, so he is all right. ... I thought he was wonderfully chosen to play in "Lost Highway." Have you seen it?

No I haven't.

"Lost Highway" is David Lynch's film. The film he made before the one about the guy on the lawnmower. "Lost Highway" is every bit as good as "Blue Velvet" but it is more difficult than "Blue Velvet" so a lot of people don't like it. It is very, very interesting. I have seen it about 4 times. Bobby Blake is absolutely wonderful in it. If you haven't seen it, you should go rent it. It has a lot of horror film elements in it.

Any other recommendations for our readers as to any films they should see?

Well, I would certainly recommend "Lost Highway." A lot of people haven't seen it. It is an extraordinary film. I'm a great admirer of his films. In fact, he is my favorite contemporary filmmaker. Oh! I just saw a new Japanese film called "Cure" out here that has a wonderfully sinister quality to it. The filmmaker has the same name as a very famous Japanese filmmaker but they apparently are not related. His name is Kurosawa. It's called "Cure" and it is about a series of strange murders done by people who would seem not to be murderers. It is very nice.

One of the unfortunate thing about living in middle America, in a place like Memphis is...

You don't get films like that.

We have one theater that brings in independent, foreign and art films, but all the others are the multiplexes with "Planet of the Apes" on 3 screens. We have to wait for the video or DVD. release.

We are just lucky here that we have a theater like the "NuArt" that plays nothing but odd ball films.

What are you working on now, besides you autobiography?

I've just finished a remake new version of Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher." My version is contemporary. I call it "Usher." It's a short film 36 minutes long. I star as Roderick Usher. It was filmed it in 35 mm. Gary graver is the cinematographer. I hope to enter it into film festivals around the country.

It sounds perfect for "A&E" or "Bravo."

Yes, yes. Whatever exposure I can get will be nice.

Well, Mr. Harrington, I have taken about an hour and a half of your time and I'd like to thank you. I really appreciate the time you have given me. Bea Suarez from VCI said you were a very nice gentleman, very interesting to talk with. She was absolutely, dead on right. Thanks for everything, especially your films.

Well, you are very welcome.

RETURN TO BEGINNING

Rusty White