RKO 281 is a revolutionary picture that gives us an eye opening look at a significant time in the history of American film. It takes us back into the days of the late 1930's and exposes how one man could control the lives of so many people. The main characters of the film are Orson Welles, a writer, director and actor; William Randolph Hearst, a wealthy newspaper publisher; George Schaefer, a top official at RKO pictures; and Herman Mankiewicz, an unemployed writer.
Some of the main scenes of the movie include when the audience is introduced to Orson Welles; when Mr. Welles first meets Mr. Hearst; when Orson comes up with the idea for his first movie; when RKO production #281 begins and ends; and the fight by Mr. Hearst to stop "Citizen Kane" from being released in theatres.
The movie begins with a brief look into the life of Orson Welles. Through vivid imagery and brief clips the movie informs us about some significant milestones in the life of the "boy genius." When he was eighteen years old he moved to New York. While there, he worked for some of the major airwaves including NBC and CBS. At the age of twenty four he moved to Hollywood and signed an exclusive contract with RKO pictures, which allowed him to write, direct and star in his own projects. .
After being signed to RKO pictures, Mr. Welles still was unsure about what his first movie would be. A little while later, Mr.Welles attended a fancy Hollywood dinner at the lavish home of William Randolph Hearst. At the dinner, he first encountered Mr. Hearst-"the owner of the biggest publishing empire in the world at the time." Later that night Orson spent the night at the home of Mr. Hearst. He woke up in the middle of the night and heard music coming from the ballroom. There, he found Mr. Hearst and his young mistress Marion Davies dancing the night away. The next day he had an idea for his first film. .
Orson took his movie idea to George Schaeffer, a top official at RKO pictures.