An Orson Welles signed letter to Irving "Swifty" Lazar
Typed letter signed ("Orson"), 3 pp, n.p., circa mid-1970s, with hand-written salutation ("Dear Irving"), and one correction in ink. In this fascinating letter to his sometime agent, Welles very politely continues an ongoing discussion with Lazar about writing his memoirs and lays down his terms for them. Welles makes reference to his notorious disregard for standard Hollywood protocol: "now I'm certain that there's no need to point out to you that I am what I am – that is, quite poor and moderately famous – by virtue of a stubborn, life-long refusal to be anything except my own particular self. Had I been willing to cooperate, to compromise, indeed, even to listen, I would surely be very rich, and commercially at least, a great deal more famous."
Welles expresses interest in writing these memoirs but on the strict condition that he would have exclusive creative control of the text, down to the punctuation. Welles was fully aware that this clause was very likely a deal-breaker: "Under such conditions you may wish to show me to the door. If so, I know you will do it with the same perfect kindness I have always received from you." Welles' unpublished, incomplete memoirs, Confessions of a One-Man Band, only resurfaced in an archive in 2015. Swifty Lazar (1907-1993) ranks among the most famous Hollywood agents, with a client list including Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Ernest Hemingway, Gene Kelly, Cole Porter, Cary Grant, Tennessee Williams and Madonna.
