TV review – “The Fountain of Youth” (1956) ***

Orson Welles turned his hand at television and the result was a typically fascinating concocation. Welles narrates in person the tale of a romance between a young couple – it’s not that interesting but the presentation is, with it’s narration, use of stills and jazzy editing. I can’t imagine what sort of TV series they thought they were going to make out of it – narration. Like almost everything Welles did, it’s an assault on the senses - and ahead of its time. He promises next week to make a show about a man-eating tiger and signs off “obediently ours” but it never happened. This is too weird. (It's a shame Welles never did an anthology based on more well known stories - his way out style plus a familiar story might have produced something the public went for, just like the Mercury Theatre of the Air was.)