What happened to Orson Welles as a result of the Ambersons?
Welles was recalled from South America before the filming of “It’s All True” was finished and his contract with RKO was terminated. Because of the problems with Ambersons, and the fact that the South American project was scrapped by the new authorities at RKO, Welles developed a reputation for not finishing projects. He was never entrusted with a major Hollywood production again. In Welles own words, “They destroyed Ambersons and it destroyed me.” Welles did go on to direct and star in many more pictures, but without the luxuries that he enjoyed at RKO. Welles spent much of his career acting (sometimes in roles that were quite beneath his talent) so that he could raise money to fund his own projects. His next major project as director was Touch of Evil, which was also severely cut prior to release (fortunately, this movie was recently restored).
