The personal working script of Orson Welles for "Citizen Kane" was auctioned by Sotheby's today for $97,000 to an anonymous phone bidder.
The script was the last one before the final script used for shooting, and was 156 pages long. Estimates before the sale were that it would go for between $80,000 and $120,000.
Welles' Oscar for his screenplay didn't fare as well, as bidding didn't meet the minimum requirements and it was withdrawn from the auction. According to Sotheby's, right after the withdrawal they were contacted by a number of people interested in buying it privately. Estimates for the award were between $800,000 and $1.2 million.
The Oscar, which had mysteriously disappeared, somehow re-emerged in 1994, and was bought by the Dax Foundation, a charity based in Los Angeles.
Citizen Kane is always considered one of the best films of all time on most lists, and was believed to be a jab by Welles at publishing giant of the time William Randolph Hearst.
Comment Preview