Every Man a King: A History of the Long Presidency and Beyond

Excellent analysis. I always like essays/articles from within the alternate reality universes because they always provide good analyses of the big picture.
 
From an interview with Orson Welles, in 1988:

I: Mr. Welles, your career is certainly a great and a varied one-

OW: Well, yes. Of course it is.

I: But many have accused you of collaboration with the Social Populist regime, pointing to your interactions with Huey Long. What is your response to that?

OW: Oh, well, you know, at first, before that executive order of his, and after even, I actually rather sympathized and agreed with some of his views. But then, you know, after he censored 'Heart of Darkness,' and 'Faust,' and after he sent some of his warped Special Police after me, I knew I was in danger. And that's why I left for London, you know. I had done some acting there, and when things got rough in Hollywood, I left. I was kind to it, but it wasn't kind to me. So it goes.

I: I'd like to ask you about your early work for Long, particularly some of your radio shows.

OW: Oh, hell, do you mean that 'Sic Semper Salvatores' thing? That's the worst piece of work I ever made. I remember, Jo asked me about the script, he said, 'Orson, what in the name of God is this travesty?" [laughs] And I said to him, 'Jo, it's satire. And Huey Long, that uncultured boor, he'll eat it up, I tell you.' And he did. [laughs] He really did. I remember, he said to me, 'Orson, this is brilliant. You're just the kind of man this country needs.' I guess he lived to regret that. We both did.

I: And he was the one who sponsored your first film, 'The Cradle Will Rock?'

OW: Oh, yes, yes. I had wanted to make 'Heart of Darkness' as my first picture, but the budget was too expensive, you know. And Long said to me, 'Orson, I'll personally finance a project for you.' 'Really, Mr. President?' And he said, 'Yes. I want you to film that play of yours, "The Cradle Will Rock."' That's what he said. And so that's what I made.

I: And how would you say it measured up to some other movies of the release? 'Tomorrow is Another Day', and so forth?

OW: I'm no Pansy O'Hara, not by any means. [laughs] But I will say that it was well received, and I think rightly so. Not my magnum opus, though. Everyone always points to 'Heart of Darkness' for that, or 'Moby Dick,' but I always felt that 'The American' was my finest piece of work. I really had to get around the censors to tell the story I wanted, you know?

I: Yes, I see. And do you have any other projects planned, Mr. Welles?

OW: Oh, I don't know. We'll see what comes up.

OOC: Obligatory pop culture post.
 
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Am I the only one amongst you who noticed that Orson Welles lives 3 years longer than the actual history (it's 1988 in that interview, and our Welles died in 1985)? Not only that, but he appears to still be going strong given the last line.

I wonder, does Welles take on a Kubrick quality here? That being an artistic exile in England (because Kubrick hated flying) who does all his work there, is free from Hollywood, and is able to be a free artist based on that?

Also, what of Welles' weight? Is that the same?

EDIT:
I had a shot of an idea out of the blue. From a Wellesian perspective, you know who could be a good foil? Jerry Lewis. Welles called him out on Dick Cavett once for an appearance where Lewis was this total pseudo-intellectual who needed to say words that were big enough to sound smart, and make these purple prose sentences the likes of which meant nothing but acted as if you were too stupid to understand their genius. Welles was the total opposite. He was a very smart and worldly man, but he had the coolness and relatability that came with all that wisdom. He didn't need to prove anything to you or to himself. He had a sort of nirvana. Lewis in the sixties/seventies acted like he needed to prove to you and himself just how great he was, which is not wisdom or maturity. It's all very petty. Potentially perfect for fascism.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHI5BYmWDtU
 
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Confusion

I have read the first half of this TL, with people talking about Long's somewhat progressive views in politics (from what I understand), but I find the last half talking about Long's fascism. Could someone help me with this?

Also, I have much confusion as to whether this TL is a dystopia or not, but from what I read, for Europe, it's much better.
 
Damn, how have I missed this TL? :eek::mad:

Subscribed :D

Thanks very much!

Am I the only one amongst you who noticed that Orson Welles lives 3 years longer than the actual history (it's 1988 in that interview, and our Welles died in 1985)? Not only that, but he appears to still be going strong given the last line.

I wonder, does Welles take on a Kubrick quality here? That being an artistic exile in England (because Kubrick hated flying) who does all his work there, is free from Hollywood, and is able to be a free artist based on that?

Also, what of Welles' weight? Is that the same?

EDIT:
I had a shot of an idea out of the blue. From a Wellesian perspective, you know who could be a good foil? Jerry Lewis. Welles called him out on Dick Cavett once for an appearance where Lewis was this total pseudo-intellectual who needed to say words that were big enough to sound smart, and make these purple prose sentences the likes of which meant nothing but acted as if you were too stupid to understand their genius. Welles was the total opposite. He was a very smart and worldly man, but he had the coolness and relatability that came with all that wisdom. He didn't need to prove anything to you or to himself. He had a sort of nirvana. Lewis in the sixties/seventies acted like he needed to prove to you and himself just how great he was, which is not wisdom or maturity. It's all very petty. Potentially perfect for fascism.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHI5BYmWDtU

Very perceptive of you about Welles and his survival. He is less overweight ITTL. Also, FASCIST JERRY LEWIS? Is that what you're describing?

I have read the first half of this TL, with people talking about Long's somewhat progressive views in politics (from what I understand), but I find the last half talking about Long's fascism. Could someone help me with this?

Also, I have much confusion as to whether this TL is a dystopia or not, but from what I read, for Europe, it's much better.

Uh, friend, it's nuance. Long has fascist tendencies, but isn't one, per se, as was described. And it's not as if a TL has to be only a dystopia. It can be just a different world, can't it?
 
Very perceptive of you about Welles and his survival. He is less overweight ITTL. Also, FASCIST JERRY LEWIS? Is that what you're describing?
Eh, why not? Jerry Lewis was what you'd imagine Satan to look like during that period, and he had a comparable personality. And it wraps into the whole psychological profile of fascism. Suave, Rat Pack fascism.

Also, I will make the further facetious suggestion of Hip Hop Orson Welles in the Eighties. :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwJ3dN9RzpM
 
Eh, why not? Jerry Lewis was what you'd imagine Satan to look like during that period, and he had a comparable personality. And it wraps into the whole psychological profile of fascism. Suave, Rat Pack fascism.

Also, I will make the further facetious suggestion of Hip Hop Orson Welles in the Eighties. :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwJ3dN9RzpM

Ok, John Wayne and Jerry Lewis are the leading fishermen of Hollywoodland ITTL.

That video is one of the funniest things I've seen in a while.
 
Dodge the Ford

Ok, John Wayne and Jerry Lewis are the leading fishermen of Hollywoodland ITTL.

"Now lookie here, Pilgrim, you've caused a hell of a lot of trouble, but I won't kill ya. I won't kill ya. Aw, the hell I won't "
KABOOM
(pause)
"This man needs a medic."

And then, there's John Ford. With his Alpha Male bullying, he would either be Long's worst enemy or staunchest supporter.
The Informer might be a tad early to be really influenced by Long, but The Grapes of Wrath and How Green Was My Valley could be impacted big time.
 
From an address given by Huey Long on June 3rd, 1937:

"Today, I, by virtue of the power vested in me as President of the United States, I hereby create the of Federal Bureau of Security [FBS]! This organization shall serve as a bulwark against all those who would seek to undermine the sovereignty and freedom of our country. This organization shall serve as a continuation of the Division of Investigation, disbanded last year. I am also authorizing the creation of the Social Justice Agency [SJA], which shall be a federal tool to share the country's wealth among its less fortunate citizens, of all colors, creeds, and religions. Both of these departments shall be chaired by Mr. J. Edgar Hoover. Thank you."

From The Corrupt Idyll: How I Shared Our Wealth, R.M. Nixon, 1976, Sacramento Press:

I was accepted into the SJA in 1941. Yes, '41. I rose fairly swiftly through the ranks, 'cause I always did what was asked of me, and I told the truth. Well, by '43, I was a full-on supervisor, reporting to J Edgar himself. He didn't believe in the ideals at all...

Everyone was always skimming a little money off the top, myself included. I tried to take less than others did -after all, the money was all some people had to live on- but plenty of guys weren't nearly as scrupulous. "Honest Dick," that's what they called me back then. "Honest Dick," and most of the other guys were in strict defiance of the rules. And it's not as if they assisted everyone what with their diluted funds; no, they gave the lion's share to whites, and the bare minimum to Negro families...For all of Long's talk about equality and justice, there was no appreciable difference.

From Race and the Kingfish: Civil Rights Under Social Populism, Henry Louis Gates, 1998, Harvard Press:

...[The] progressivist ideals that Long often espoused were not entirely ignored during his administration, it is true. He was certainly not as racist as some; compared to Rockwell, his successor, he was practically a beacon of tolerance. However, while he was not often a race-baiter, as it were, he was never openly for civil rights or integration...He merely kept Afro-American communities to themselves, and did not involve them beyond any reasonable measure...

Afro-Americans were far luckier than Japanese-Americans, though. The already unsettling prejudice towards them grew at the outbreak of the Pacific War...Long began pursuing a policy of "selective relocation," or, in other words, internment camps...By late 1946, when the war was nearly over, the entire population of Japanese-Americans had been "relocated."
 
You don't have to comment in regards to this, but getting a hint at it, I get the feeling that from a socio-political perspective that Long is making progressive ideas tied in with tyrannical methods, meaning regressive ideas are tied in with democratic government and liberty. So something of the notion that Rockwell will embody the liberty and democracy of America, while also being a horrid bigot. The long term horror of the fact that our stupid ape brains only let there be two sides to anything, with everything having to fall under one or the other, making for odd ideological bedfellows.

You mean "Honest Dick," right? :D But my thinking was that, for all the idealism that Huey Long had, there's no way it could have been actually carried out the way he'd've wanted it.

And thus, in this timeline, the phrase "That man is a real Dick" takes on a different meaning.
 
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