365 DAYS PROJECT

2003   MARCH 1   #060

Orson Welles - Frozen Peas Spot

The infamous recorded outtakes of Orson trying to get through a spot for Peas. No clue on the exact date, but rumors speculate that it originates from the 1960's.

- Otis Fodder

TT-4:01 / 3.7MB / 128kbps 44.1khz (MONO)

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 rummor 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).