Apart from the disastrous consequences of the studio re-editing (if there can be an 'apart' from that), I found George an improbable character. He needed to be more than what he seemed in this final version - a cruel and arrogant young man lacking any self knowledge. He needed to have, interwoven with that, the vulnerability and the presence to attract a young woman like Lucy. Didn't get that from Tim Holt.
shareA fair point. Some of the vulnerability of the character was more on-display in the footage that was deleted, so it's difficult to judge the entire performance based on what we have. The reordering of the scenes in the final third also obscured George's character arc: the scene where George is kneeling at his mother's empty bed asking for forgiveness was supposed to come earlier in the sequencing so we were meant to more quickly recognize the humility in his attempt to care for Fanny and his decision to take a job in a dynamite factory.
I agree that Holt's George doesn't appear charming enough to attract Lucy; perhaps we should view Lucy's interest in him as a character flaw on her behalf? Nonetheless, I'm convinced Welles would have been the wrong choice to play George. He played the role in the Mercury Theater's radio adaptation in 1939 and was, frankly, terrible.
I agree about Welles radio performace playing George. I sounded like a superficial smart aleck you might see at a soda fountain in one of those 1930s teen movies.
shareI'm going to have to find this radio performance. Love Orson Welles on radio (The Third Man, The Shadow, etc.), but have never heard this one!
Martha
Austin, Texas
I'm going to have to find this radio performance. Love Orson Welles on radio (The Third Man, The Shadow, etc.), but have never heard this one!
I thought Holt did a great job as George. He seemed very much like that little brat all grown up. He played the role with a sort of detachment and a clueless air. He doesn't really understand anything about life, love, or money yet he acts as if he has all the answers. George also had to be played by a young, attractive actor; Holt fit that bill as well.
I felt we did see the arc in his character. Perhaps it could have been driven home in a more obvious way but it was pretty clear to me he had changed. The fact he tells his mother Eugene had been there to see her is a big change and an act of love. I fully expected him to lie to her in that scene. It had been made clear earlier that he had a hold on her that was intense yet he was also tender towards her. Prior to that scene, he was willing to manipulate her to get his way.
Later when we learn he's willing to work in any capacity it marks another huge change. Prior to that he was telling Lucy he would be a yachtsman. He even had contempt for people who worked for a living. When he talks with Fanny, he had already determined he would look out for her. She misunderstood, thinking he was ready to toss her aside and make his own way. Where he was hesitant was in wanting her to pay his way. He thought she still had a good chunk of money (which she had gotten when they gave her his father/her brother's life insurance).
That showed a huge change in him too. In college he was spending his family's money like crazy with no regard to how much he spent. At that point, had he been the same guy, he would have tried to reclaim any money Fanny had left. Instead he didn't want her spending it on him. Likewise, when he realizes she had even less money than he does, he didn't abandon her.
His relationship with Lucy, to me, seemed sincere and real. He's the same guy but his attraction to her brings out a nicer side of him. We see he's capable of these emotions because he expresses them with his family. He is also doing all he can to win her over. Most people are on their best behavior early in a courtship. She cares about him just as much but she is standoffish because she sees he's not really the right guy at that point for her. He lacks humility; he has no ambition, drive, or prospects for supporting himself; and he's very controlling. Had she given in to him and married him, he would never have appreciated her for long. When he changed she was able to go to him again.