William Randolph Hearst

William Randolph Hearst (April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American newspaper magnate, born in San Francisco, California.

The Hearst myth

A thinly-disguised version of Hearst's life is served up in Orson Welles' 1941 film Citizen Kane. (It should be noted that Welles and co-writer Herman J. Mankiewicz put bits and pieces of the lives of other rich men of the time, among them Harold McCormick, Samuel Insull and Howard Hughes into Kane.) Hearst was aware of the film's production and used all his resources and influence in his attempt to prevent its release. While the film paints a dark portrait of Hearst, it was devastating to the reputation of Marion Davies, fictionalising her as a talentless drunk. Many years later, Orson Welles said his only regret about 'Kane' was the damage it had done to Davies. Fifty years on, HBO offered a fictionalized version of this event in its picture RKO 281. Welles and his studio, RKO, resisted the pressure, but Hearst and his Hollywood friends succeeded in getting the theater chains of the time to limit bookings of 'Kane' , resulting in poor box-office numbers and profoundly harming Welles's career. Now, fifty years after his death, Citizen Kane 's reputation seems secure, while Hearst's own image has largely been shaped by the film.

Related Topics:
Orson Welles - Citizen Kane - Herman J. Mankiewicz - Harold McCormick - Samuel Insull - Howard Hughes - HBO - RKO 281 - RKO

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On November 19, 1924, silent film producer Thomas Harper Ince ("The Father of the Western") died of a heart attack while on a weekend yacht trip with Hearst, Davies, and other prominent Hollywood personalities. For years, rumours circulated that Hearst had shot Ince, and used his power to cover up the truth. A fictional 2001 film, The Cat's Meow is based on these rumours. General opinion seems to be that such a cover-up is highly unlikely.

Related Topics:
1924 - Silent film - Thomas Harper Ince - Western - Heart attack - The Cat's Meow

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As a newspaper publisher, Hearst promoted writers and cartoonists despite any apparent demand for them by his readers. The press critic A.J. Liebling reminds us how many Hearst stars would not be deemed employable elsewhere. One Hearst favorite, George Herriman, was the inventor of the dizzy comic strip Krazy Kat; not especially popular with either readers or editors, it is now considered by many to be a classic, a belief once held only by Hearst himself.

Related Topics:
A.J. Liebling - George Herriman - Krazy Kat

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In 1974 Hearst's granddaughter, Patty Hearst, made front pages nationwide when she was kidnapped by a group calling itself the Symbionese Liberation Army. She subsequently joined the organization and became involved in criminal activities that eventually led to her arrest and conviction for bank robbery. Thirty years on she has become a respectable family member, holding a seat on the Hearst Corp. board of directors.

Related Topics:
1974 - Patty Hearst - Symbionese Liberation Army - Bank robbery

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