Orson Welles' Infamous Champagne Commercial Outtakes Have Found New Life Online

Orson Welles redefined what cinema was capable of with "Citizen Kane," a film he co-wrote, directed, and starred in. He had numerous other noteworthy credits to his name. However, right now, the internet is focused on a more obscure portion of his filmography, namely the outtakes from a Paul Masson wine commercial where Welles tries to deliver his lines while seemingly being inebriated and unable to deliver his part. 

The Orson Welles champagne commercial aired nationally for several years, with the outtakes only circulating on VHS tapes initially. They found new life on YouTube, with the compilation posted by @grimscribe126 in 2009. Since that time, the video has garnered 3.7 million views, and every so often, they reemerge in a new form. On August 27, the TikTok account @genxplore posted the outtakes, once again, hooking in another generation.

To see an artist of Welles' caliber completely stumble his way through a simple line reading is hilarious, with plenty of standout moments, the best of which is probably one take where the actor says, "Mwaaaaaugh the French ... champagne." It's an odd glimpse into a man who's often held up in such high regard, and to actually be there on the set during filming was nothing short of transcendent. 

Decades after the Orson Welles champagne commercial aired, Mel Magazine spoke with Peter Shillingford, who operated the clapperboard one can see in the outtakes. He explained how it all began, starting with Welles arriving several hours after he was supposed to. Shillingford met him in his limousine, where it was abundantly clear he was off. Welles mentioned how he had driven from a late shoot in Las Vegas to Los Angeles, and he had taken a sleeping pill to get some rest in the car, but it had only begun kicking in. They tried filming it anyway, with Welles obviously being out of sorts and slurring his speech.

Shillingford realized Welles needed to rest, so they gave him a bed to sleep it off for a while. He stated how things then got testy, "The agency men were furious. They were talking about suing him, talking about firing him. They hated him anyway, so they'd be happy to be rid of him, but I thought, if we maybe gave him a couple of hours, we could salvage the day." After a quick rest, they went back to shooting, with Welles able to do his part magnificently. 

But the outtakes were there, and thanks to the internet, they spread further than anyone likely could've imagined at the time. Numerous memes and remixes have emerged, including a video from Charles Cornell where he plays the piano in sync with Welles' ramblings. The Orson Welles champagne commercial outtakes have officially become one of the most referenced things in the actor's resume, right up there with Rosebud from "Citizen Kane."