> There are 3 versions of how Welles got the
director's job, as told by
> Heston, Zugsmith and Welles. I suspect each had
their own
> agenda/perspective. After extensive research, this
is what I suspect
> happened:
>
> 1) Badge of Evil by Whit Masteron) published 1956 to
good reviews and
> two hardcover printings.
> 2) Eddie Muhl, head of Universal bought the rights
and made Albert
> Zugsmith producer.
> 3) Zugsmith got writer Paul Monash to write a script
in 4 weeks, did not
> care for it and put it on the pile.
> 4) Welles got a job as the baddy on the
Zugsmith-produced Man In The
> Shadow (1957), and so got the job of baddy in Badge
Of Evil.
> 5) December 1956, Muhl suggested Heston for the
lead.
> 6) After reading the script, Zugsmith asked Heston
(a man of power at
> the time) who he thought should direct. Heston said
that Welles, already
> cast as the baddy, is a pretty good
director.
> 7) Over a drink, Zugsmith offered Welles a chance to
direct again. Which
> script? Why Badge Of Evil of course.
> 8) Zugsmith gives Welles 2 weeks to rewrite - Welles
takes 17 days.
> Welles used some of the Monash script, put in more
scenes from the
> novel, and then added themes and scenes of his own.
There are
> differences of course, as other list members have
indicated, but Welles
> wholly invented the characters of Tanya and the
night clerk.
> 9) Welles met Heston on January 14 1957 to talk
about the film.
> 10) Between Jan 22-26, Welles cut 25 pages from the
script (scenes which
> Zugsmith said would bore the teenagers
watching).
> 11) Rehearsals began February 9, for 9
days.
> 12) Filming began on February 18 doing the long,
continuous shot of the
> interrogation in the Sanchez house (which people
forget is one take). By
> the end of the day, Welles had completed 12 pages of
script, and was 2
> days ahead of schedule
None of this, as I recall, conflicts with Heston's account,
which is considerably less detailed in terms of dates. The
only things I can think of to add are these: Heston was close
friends with actor Milburn Stone, who was making a great
success in a relatively new TV series called GUNSMOKE.
Watching his pal on GUNSMOKE, Heston spotted Dennis Weaver
and offered him the role of the aforementioned night clerk
(perhaps the most bizarre character I've ever seen on
film).
And, when filming was over and Heston was shown a rough cut,
he smiled at Welles and said, "You bastard. The movie's not
about a Mexican cop anymore. It's about the downfall of Hank
Quinlan." Quinlan, of course, was Welles's character, who, as
reported earlier, was of lesser importance in the
novel.
Jim Beaver
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