Holy cow (and no pun intended) – today is Orson Welles’ 100th birthday!

Listen to this acceptance speech and realize just how far we as a civilization have fallen. Can you imagine any filmmaker or actor of today possessing this kind of oratorical skill? Does anyone even know who Samuel Johnson is?

I also just learned that Rialto Pictures is releasing a 4k restoration of Carol Reed’s “The Third Man,” in which Orson totally steals the show. It will open on June 26 at New York’s Film Forum, before fanning out to several other major U.S. markets, including Philadelphia.

http://variety.com/2015/film/news/orson-welles-restored-the-third-man-set-for-u-s-release-1201488365/

Obviously, this is not the restored version (it looks like a screen shot off of somebody’s television set), but a great clip nonetheless:

I salute you, Orson! You fell hard, but you accomplished much.

PHOTO: Sometimes a cigar is just a – oh forget about it.