The Fountain of Youth (1958)
A darkly comic fable about vanity and desire, "The Fountain of Youth" follows a newly married couple whose relationship is destabilized by the arrival of a potion that promises centuries of youth and beauty—but in a quantity sufficient for only one person. As temptation and resentment grow, the gift becomes a catalyst for moral and emotional collapse. Written, directed, and narrated by Orson Welles and based on John Collier’s short story “Youth from Vienna,” the film uses stylized narration and experimental visual techniques to construct a compact essay on human vanity. (Note: Originally produced in 1956 as a television pilot and broadcast once in 1958 as part of NBC’s Colgate Theatre anthology series (S1E5); it later achieved independent archival and cultural status, including a 1958 Peabody Award.)
Director: Orson Welles
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Marjorie Bennett as journalist |
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Madge Blake as journalist |
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Billy House as Albert Morgan |
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Rick Jason as Alan Brody |
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Nancy Kulp as Stella Morgan |
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Joi Lansing as Carolyn Coates |
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Dan Tobin as Humphrey Baxter |
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Orson Welles as the narrator |
| Directing | Orson Welles | Director |
| Costume & Make-Up | Maurice Seiderman | Makeup Artist |
| Production | Orson Welles | Producer |
| Writing | John Collier | Writer |
| Art | Claudio Guzmán | Art Direction |
| Production | Desi Arnaz | Executive Producer |
| Art | Orson Welles | Production Design |
| Production | W. Argyle Nelson | Production Manager |
| Writing | Orson Welles | Writer |
| Camera | Sidney Hickox | Director of Photography |
| Editing | Bud Molin | Editor |
| Sound | Orson Welles | Music Arranger |
