Citizen Kane

Citizen Kane is the first feature film directed by Orson Welles (he had directed two short films previously), and is loosely based on the lives of the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, the reclusive aerospace and movie mogul Howard Hughes, and the Chicago utilities magnate Samuel Insull. Welles maintained that the character is a composite of several historical individuals. Internally while it was under production, it was referred to as RKO 281. The film premiered on May 1, 1941. Endlessly discussed and dissected by critics and viewers alike, this innovative film is perhaps the most influential ever in film history.

References to Citizen Kane in other work

• Russ Meyer's movie Up! - Sweet Li'l Alice (Janet Wood) says "rosebud" and looks at the camera after seeing the flower tattoo of Margo Winchester (Raven De La Croix).
• The last chapter of the comic book The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck by Keno Don Rosa is heavily influenced by Citizen Kane.
• The White Stripes song "The Union Forever" is made up entirely of quotes from Citizen Kane. A young Kane yells the title while playing in the snow. The chorus, "it can't be love for there is no true love", is originally sung by the jazz band during the camping trip. It also features the "Charlie Kane" song in a breakdown.
• The flash-backs to childhood in Oliver Stone's Nixon closely resemble Citizen Kane stylistically.
• The animated television program The Simpsons has had many, many references to Citizen Kane, including an episode entitled "Rosebud", which concerned tycoon Montgomery Burns recovering his teddy bear Bobo, which he had lost as a young man, à la Charles Foster Kane and his sled. Another episode featured Burns running for governor of Springfield's state and losing (he then yells "I'm Charles Montgomery Burns!" à la Charles Foster Kane). In another episode, Smithers arranges a musical number for Burns reminiscent of the "Good ol' Charlie Kane" number in CK. Additionally, a Planet Hollywood-esque restaurant which the family visits in one episode displays the spurious "cane from Citizen Kane" (though Kane actually is seen with a cane in several scenes). In DVD commentary for another episode, one of the show's producers half-jokingly claims that all the Citizen Kane references made throughout the series could be pieced together to comprise the entire film from start to finish.
• In the children's television show The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Pete drops a snow globe in the episode Sick Day just like in Citizen Kane.
• Several animated programs, including Animaniacs and Family Guy have revealed what "rosebud" is in a satirical manner; one of Family Guys more memorable quotes involves Peter Griffin taping over the film and revealing the ending for the next viewer, exclaiming, "There, I just saved you two long boobless hours."
• A level in the computer game Oh No! More Lemmings is called Citizen Lemming.
• Upon defeating the boss in final level of the final episode in the computer game Wolfenstein 3D, the boss will mutter "rosenknospe" (the German word for rosebud) before he dies.
• In an episode of the children's television show Arthur the rich Muffy has a sled identical to Kane's.
• Ruth Warrick who played Emily Monroe Norton in Citizen Kane became better known later in her career for playing Phoebe Tyler Wallingford on the America soap opera All My Children from 1970 until her death in January 2005. In this show it became a recurring gag to make references to this film when Phoebe was in the scene.
• In 2004 a documentary film titled Citizen Black detailed the career and downfall of newspaper baron Lord Conrad Black.
• In episode 137 of Cheers ("A Tale of Two Cuties", aired 1/21/88), Frasier, upset that the regulars have ruined the ending of the book he is reading, takes revenge by revealing the endings to several classic films in rapid succession, including the fact that Rosebud was Kane's sled.
• A Batman Elseworlds story entitled "Citizen Wayne" featured Dick Grayson as the reporter piecing together Bruce Wayne's life.
• The Superman comic Lex 2000 refers to Citizen Luthor, a film about the life of Lex Luthor's grandfather.
• In an episode of The Real Ghostbusters cartoon, a bearded ghost keeps referring to "Rosebud", only to happily leave its haunt upon finding its long lost sled.
• The Playstation 2 video game "Destroy All Humans" includes a level titled "Citizen Crypto", along with several movie themed levels from the 50's and 60's.
• Peanuts strips have many references to Citizen Kane. In one strips, Charlie Brown's sister Sally, talking about some old movies she is watching during her summer camp, says: "Rosebud, I'll bet it, it's his sled". In another strip, Linus is watching the tv while Lucy enters the room saying: "What are you watching?" and as Linus replies: "Citizen Kane This is the first time I've ever seen it...", Lucy exits saying: " 'Rosebud' was his sled."
• Paul Thomas Anderson's 1997 Film Boogie Nights was referred to by some critics as the Citizen Kane of the Nineties'.
• Kate Bush sings "in the snow with Rosebud" in the song "King of the Mountain" from her album Aerial
• A famous cheat code from the PC game The Sims for unlimited money was "rosebud", named after the sled from Citizen Kane.