Clash of the Titans
Orson Welles – who also grew to love Spain and bullfighting – was 22 when he first met Hemingway in 1937. That’s a year before he frightened the bejeesus out of America with his War of the Worlds radio broadcast, making him 22 or 23. Welles was at the recording studio to narrate a Spanish Civil War documentary written by Hemingway when he decided to offer the author a few suggestions on how to improve the script.
Hemingway didn’t take it well, and the two ended up rolling around on the floor and coming to blows before cracking up with laughter, opening a bottle of whiskey, and drinking their way to friendship. Although Welles always claimed they were friends, behind the scenes, he loathed Hemingway’s “macho enthusiasms,” and Hemingway didn’t have much time for Welles either. It must have been like looking in a mirror!
