Orson Welles and the Frozen Peas Spot
Two years ago, otisfodder.com launched this year-long project called “365 Days Project” wherein a new mp3 was introduced to the web every day of the year. These came from corporate industrial musicals, school bands, religious oddities, vanidy recordings and just plain fun audio.
The project (365 mp3 files/1.7GB) is archived in its entirety, complete with images and commentary on each selection by UbuWeb.
One of my favorites was on March 1st (#60). It featured an mp3 of Orson Welles’ outtakes during a Frozen Pea Spot for some British Pea company. It was simply hilarious to listen to Orson badger these producers.
Excerpt from otisfodder.com:
Rob Eads writes:
I work with voiceover talent, and have been told of this recording, but never heard before today. Interesting note: to the layman, it sounds like Welles is being a jerk, but most voice talent folks enjoy hearing Orson take the copywriters to task for writing bad copy. A vicarious thrill, I’m sure, since most of the time they are “directed” by inexperienced producers/writers, but since they (the talent) wish to continue working, they will tacitly ignore bad writing. BTW - this also reminded me of the infamous Buddy Rich tantrum tape, where he throws a walleyed fit on the tour bus. One of the meanest, nastiest, vitriolic spewings ever recorded.
Knotty Klown! writes:
I am sure you already aware of this,.. but the Orson Welles commercial outtakes was copied almost word for word in an episode of the Warner Brothers cartoon series “Pinky and the Brain”. The bit never made a lick of sense to me until just now. And I am rolling over at the memory of it, now knowing what it was based on. Every line in the bit was taken damn near word for word from this recording. Later the same fellah who did the voice for the brain in that series did anther gag based on this bit for the show “family guy” i believe, in which “Orson Welles” becomes peeved doing a commercial for peas that ends with the lines “full of buttery goodness and green pea-ness” As I said I am positive you already have experienced these voice over treasures for yourselves, but on the off chance you have not I suggest you dig them up immediately and give them a listen. Thanks for sharing your collection.
Colin Kish writes:
I may have some additional information about this. Back in the early 90’s I had a number of friends who were working at television commercial company in Toronto. There was this rumor of a tape of Orson saying things like “I’ll go down on you…” kicking around. Sure enough the guy in the dubbing room had it. He claimed it was recorded here in Toronto in the 80’s near the end of Orson’s life. The other voice in there I beleve is a comercial producer I met who worked for McLaren when they were merged with another agancy back in the 80s.
Aden Nak writes:
I was delighted to actually hear the original copy of the Orson Wells Frozen Peas clip. But I did notice something not quite correct on the page. The guy who did the voice of the Brain later did go on to do a fake spot where he was advertising frozen peas as Orson Wells. “Full of green pea-ness.” But it was on the show “The Critic” not “The Family Guy”. I remember seeing it there, as he often played Orson Wells for them (since the show itself was about a movie critic), and you can verify that by catching it on Comedy Central if you really want to (although for the life of me I can’t remember the episode off the top of my head).
September 22nd, 2005 at 12:03 pm
He’s just insulting these guys… “your ignorant” and going on and on about how stupid what they have written is. It is funny, but I can tell he is anal about grammar, and writing… hmmm Sounds a lot like you Ramdac!!! BTW, thanks again for proof reading my papers, you are a genius!
September 22nd, 2005 at 1:46 pm
Not according to MENSA. You’re welcome anyway.
September 23rd, 2005 at 12:30 pm
What’s MENSA?
September 23rd, 2005 at 12:33 pm
Okay… I looked it up MENSA is some sort of IQ test thing also a membership thing.
September 23rd, 2005 at 12:36 pm
Gary told me once that he was a member of MENSA, I believe it… he is very smart, but he has a bad temper, and he is mean at times. Its too bad that he is a trucker, he could have been doing something benefical with himself all this time. Maybe run an anger management class hehe.
September 23rd, 2005 at 1:06 pm
I tokt he practice test at MENSA website
http://www.mensa.org/index0.php?page=12
I got 18 out of 30 questions right…. who can beat me?
September 23rd, 2005 at 1:38 pm
No one else here knows who Gary is. Remember, this is the internet and as such is an open forum. Introduce Gary to us
September 23rd, 2005 at 1:48 pm
Well sorry… I knew that people didn’t know who Gary was. ITs okay to be in the darka bout some things.
September 23rd, 2005 at 1:50 pm
Anyways, so Gary is my Great Uncle so that makes him my grandmother’s brother. But Gary resides at my home with my family. He is a trucker, and is highly intelligent, but he has a horrible temper.
He has a history of being mean to others, and that doesn’t include women. I don’t know of any abuse, but he does verbally abuse people, he is a mean person, who waste his brillant mind.
September 23rd, 2005 at 2:11 pm
I don’t know how you people will respond to that.. but all I was saying that Gary is a member of MENSA and he waste it all with what he does.
I think that Jason is more intelligent than Gary because of the better course of action that Jason takes. Gary may have higher test scores than Jason, but I believe Jason to be the better man. Thats all I was getting at.
September 23rd, 2005 at 2:11 pm
bravo
September 23rd, 2005 at 3:17 pm
Do the Mensa people (hehe) get like a card or something. or is it just once you get to a certian IQ level.
September 23rd, 2005 at 6:00 pm
They probably get a card, and take lots of IQ test, and have meetings and get togethers and thats probably about it.
September 23rd, 2005 at 6:04 pm
once you take a proctored exam by the MENSA people, i’m sure you get a card, and a ‘members only’ jacket or something similar
heh
September 23rd, 2005 at 6:50 pm
You are probably right Jason
September 24th, 2005 at 10:35 am
comments on my site never stay on-topic. =/
September 24th, 2005 at 11:08 am
Yes, but your topics are so wide and varied. As are the backgrounds and demographics of your site members. Used to be I could post a question of who was the better singer in Van Halen, some would answer and some would say, “Who was David Lee Roth”…. now your members would probably say, “Who is Van Halen?” — right Ditto?
September 24th, 2005 at 12:47 pm
Exactly! Who is Van halen?
September 24th, 2005 at 12:51 pm
I think the only Van Halen song I can think of is you’re old enough to dance the night away or something like that. But can’t think of any other songs by them. Unless that song was made by another band completely IDK.
September 26th, 2005 at 7:11 am
Hot For Teacher
Big Bad Bill is Sweet William Now
Jump
Janie’s Crying
Top Jimmy
Love Comes Walking In
Dreams
Panama
Right Hear Right Now
Finish What You Started
Poundcake
Standing on Top of the World
blah blah blah .. just to name a few.
September 27th, 2005 at 7:41 am
right here right now is a good one :p
September 27th, 2005 at 10:04 am
Oh I know that song too!!!
September 28th, 2005 at 10:27 am
Hey… send us a new article… I’m suffering from withdrawls, I need something to comment on!
September 29th, 2005 at 11:14 am
Ummm… my ex is suing me for contempt of court now that she has a new baby on the way and wants more shtuff from our long-settled divorce settlement. (read as: she and her husband are poor trailer trash so she is looking for money/goods wherever she thinks she can squeeze). So regardless of the validity of her claims, I have to now hire a lawyer and go through a BUNCH of shit or she gets a summary judgement. How f’d up is that?
Comment away….
September 29th, 2005 at 11:33 am
I think that is wrong that she wants more money because her and her husband are having a baby, but that shouldn’t relate to you any.
Its too late to take back your marriage to her, but at least you have one good thing to come of it. Haley!!! Be thankful for that, unfortunately, your ex will always be attached to you because of your daughter.
I hope things rule in your favor Jim..
September 29th, 2005 at 11:40 am
I found this and this may clear up things for everyone else if you are wondering what contempt of court is. In this case I believe it is called civil contempt of court.
Civil contempt occurs when the contemnor willfully disobeys a court order. This is also called indirect contempt because it occurs outside the judge’s immediate realm and evidence must be presented to the judge to prove the contempt. A civil contemnor, too, may be fined, jailed or both. The fine or jailing is meant to coerce the contemnor into obeying the court, not to punish him, and the contemnor will be released from jail just as soon as he complies with the court order. In family law, civil contempt is one way a court enforces alimony, child support, custody and visitation orders which have been violated.
http://www.lectlaw.com/def/c118.htm
September 29th, 2005 at 11:43 am
Jim I found a wonderful website for you, it should help you build your case. It’ll also answer any questions you may have.
http://www.fathersrightsinc.com/contempt.htm
I really hope that you look at this.
September 29th, 2005 at 11:49 am
hehe thats the wrong website… let me give you the right one later.
September 30th, 2005 at 7:29 am
Well, I have a lawyer now. There goes all the money I saved up for my first vacation ever. She’s wanting increase in child support, more furniture, etc. I’m not in contempt, but her lawyer filed the charge (which I could do to just about anyone). So regardless of it being true, I have to defend it. Otherwise, they technically could arrest me. I still can’t believe they convinced this judge to sign the document this lawyer made up. She’s claiming she doesn’t have everything she was supposed to get from the house. She actually has hand-written notes on the first divorce settlement from years ago. She tried doing this earlier in the summer by showing up with the police and her handwritten notes. The police were actually laughing and apologizing for having to come out. She left without anything.
The main thing I hate is that she puts our daughter in the middle of this, yet again. Ramdac knows how bad my ex has been over the last 3 1/2 years.
September 30th, 2005 at 9:30 am
Our legal system in dealing with these type of things is really bad. All she has to do is call the police and tell them you were just there and beat her up, and they would come a running. The Father’s in society get just a bad reputation from the liberal feminist groups of this country.
September 30th, 2005 at 2:00 pm
I can tell that both Jim and Joey are good father’s. Just by the way you talk about your kids, and love them.
I think that men do have a bad reputation about being a parent, but also, there are just as many women who are bad mothers. You hear too much about men, and not enough about women.
Most of the time the courts grant the mother custody. But back in the day (when America was first founded) the courts would grant the father custody.
September 30th, 2005 at 2:47 pm
Unless you have a vagina, you ain’t getting your child unless the mother voluntarily gives up custody or she’s an immediate danger to the child.
Period.
September 30th, 2005 at 5:12 pm
Well!!! I assure yout hat just because a person has a vagina that it doesn’t mean they are getting custody. Because of the fact that the courts find that men with vaginas are a danger to the child.
Period.
HAHA
October 1st, 2005 at 8:16 am
you so craaazy
October 1st, 2005 at 11:25 am
George Orson Welles only lived till 1985. He only lived to be 70 years old. I have never heard of this man until Jason posted this story.
The 365 days of MP3’s…? Is that recordings of things he’s said? Whats the big deal about him. What are some of the film’s he directed. So far nothing comes to mind with me. Anything good at least?
October 2nd, 2005 at 7:22 am
Ummm… the original War of the Worlds, for one. You’re kidding though. Never heard of Orson Welles? Ya know, your responses to Jason’s stories provide me with so much levity and pause for reflection.
October 2nd, 2005 at 8:38 am
I have never seen War of the Worlds that must be why. But I am sure he is a great director, but that his “stuff” just doesn’t come into contact with younger generations as much as yours.
I wouldn’t mind seeing his stuff, but I hve not had the opportunity to do so. However, I do want to see World of Wars, the origional that is. I haven’t seen the new one either.
All in time I will see them all!
October 2nd, 2005 at 8:46 am
Wiat a minute… I was looking up stuff about Orson Welles, and I read this tings saying,
“H.G. Wells was driving through San Antonio, Texas and stopped to ask the way. The person he happened to ask was none other than Orson Welles who had recently broadcast “The War of the Worlds” on the radio. They got on well and spent the day together.”
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000080/bio
Is that the famous radio broadcast,t hat got thousdands scared because they thought it was for real? That thousands of people traveled to other cities to try to “outrun” the aliens that they thought invaded? Didin’t he go to court for that too? I’ve heard that broadcast tons of times in school. I didn’t know that was him!
October 2nd, 2005 at 8:51 am
That’s the one