The Genius Takes On Tinseltown
December, 1983
In 1975, The American Film Institute gave Orson Welles a star-studded banquet in the Los Angeles Ballroom of the Century Plaza Hotel to present him with its Life Achievement Award. Film clips of the past two winners, director John Ford and actor James Cagney, flashed on a giant screen as the announcer said, ''Tonight, we honor the third man.'' Nelson Riddle and his orchestra struck up the theme from a movie with one of Welles's most famous performances, The Third Man. Spotlights focused on the p...
