A New Book Reveals Secrets About ‘The Third Man,’ from an MIA Orson Welles to Drunken Nights with Joseph Cotten

Film historian John Walsh tells IndieWire about his new book for the noir's 75th anniversary — including David O. Selznick's 11th-hour attempts to change Carol Reed's classic.

“The Third Man” is the cinematic definition of they don’t make them like they used to.

Set in post-world War II Vienna — then split into four sections by the occupied Allied forces — Carol Reed’s black-and-white noir revolves around American writer Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten), who arrives in the city to work with his friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). Martins immediately discovers that Lime has died. He decides to stay in Vienna to investigate Lime’s death, only to fall in love with Lime’s girlfriend, Anna Schmidt (Alida Valli), while also learning that his old chum might have been up to his own dastardly deeds. 

Upon its release, the 1949 Palme d’Or winner was immediately met with positive reviews by British and American critics. The film’s reputation has only enhanced in the decades since. In 1999, the British Film Institute even voted it the greatest British film of all time.

What makes “The Third Man” so special is that there’s not just one reason for its excellence. As well as its all-star cast, Graham Greene’s script, Carol Reed’s direction, Robert Krasker’s sumptuous photography, Anton Karas’ iconic score, and the glistening yet gritty Vienna streets all combine to make the film utterly captivating. Peter Bogdanovich once called “The Third Man” the greatest non-auteur film ever made because it brought together all of these individuals at the height of their talents. 

John Walsh’s new book “The Third Man: The Official Story of the Film” (out now via Titan Books) looks to give the definitive account of the making of the film. Walsh previously wrote books on the productions of “The Wicker Man,” “Conan the Barbarian,” and “Flash Gordon,” so naturally, Studio Canal Archive approached him at the start of 2023 to celebrate “The Third Man’s” 75th anniversary with its own official story. 

Despite his love of the film, Walsh was initially hesitant. “It was a little tricky. Because I didn’t know if there was anything new to say,” Walsh told Indiewire over Zoom. “Also, who could I ask about the film? There were very few people left alive who worked on it.” Studio Canal quickly convinced Walsh with promised access to a treasure trove of never-before-seen material and documents on the making of “The Third Man.”

“I got access to look at everything. I looked through contracts, payment information, and insurance documents. There were still plenty of secrets to be offered up. Then it was my job to distill it down into what is entertaining for people to read.”

Thanks to his extensive research, Walsh discovered that Cotten was so convinced Reed had finished shooting the film’s final sequence, where Schmidt walks past Martins, he lit a cigarette. Walsh also discovered whether Welles actually wrote the famous cuckoo clock speech Lime gives to Martins on the ferris wheel.

Walsh also learned that Welles proved to be quite a handful during production, and not because he caused mischief while he was on set. Instead, like Lime, he was mostly absent, and the crew spent quite a bit of time trying to find out where he was.

“The whole story of ‘The Third Man’ is that he is not around, and Welles wasn’t around either,” said Walsh. “He wouldn’t show up. They couldn’t get him for different shots. The assistant director, Guy Hamilton, would have to stand in for Welles in various scenes.” While Welles knew that everyone involved in was extremely skillful and accomplished, he never really wanted to be in the film, added Walsh. “There was quite a cat-and-mouse game between him and the producers on the film. He just wanted some money because Welles was always looking for money for his own films. He only did ‘The Third Man’ because he wanted money for the film that he was working on.”

Walsh also became obsessed with finding out who discovered Karas, the musician whose “Third Man” theme went on to become one of the most popular scores in film history. Both Trevor Howard, who plays Major Calloway in the film, and Reed claimed to have heard Karas in a restaurant in Vienna. Ultimately, Walsh decided that it was Reed who found Karas.

“I did a deep dive. I spoke to so many other people and found out that, generally, actors are less reliable than directors. Having read so much about Sir Carol Reed, his wonderful life, and what a gentleman he was, I come firmly down on the side that he found Karas. Plus, at his point in his career, and even in his own biography, Howard describes himself as a professional drinker.” 

From all accounts, Howard’s drunken antics on the set of “The Third Man” included his co-star Cotten, too. According to Walsh, Howard got “crazy drunk with Joseph Cotten” during production. Still wearing his British uniform that he has on throughout the film, Howard ended up being arrested, as he was mistaken for a drunk officer. “The British army got dragged into it. So did Carol Reed. Since the film was mostly night shoots, it became a bit of a hassle.” 

When it comes to the biggest villain of the production, though, Walsh points the finger firmly at co-producer David O. Selznick. One of the most famous producers in film history, Selznick produced “Gone With the Wind” in 1939, which, at the time, was the highest-grossing film ever made. In fact, Selznick won consecutive Best Picture Oscars for “Gone With the Wind” and 1940’s “Rebecca”. So it was a little odd, then, that he was working on a reasonably budgeted British movie shooting in Vienna.

Walsh was very intrigued by Selznick’s involvement. “Selznick had actually fallen on particularly hard times. He saw ‘The Third Man’ as an opportunity to lift himself back up. But he tried to change everything. He tried to change the title, tried to change the cast, and tried to change the ending.” Selznick did actually manage to change aspects of the film’s ending in America, but this only resulted in the British producers, Reed and Korda, taking Selznick to court. 

While crafting the book, Walsh began seeing more connections between “The Third Man” and the James Bond franchise. “I can’t think of another film that has so many James Bond actors, directors, and writers coalescing around it.” To begin with, Greene was good friends with James Bond creator Ian Fleming, while Bernard Lee, who plays Sgt. Paine, went on to portray Bond’s boss, M, in 11 James Bond films. Hamilton also went on to direct four James Bond films. Plus, when a fire broke out in the editing room that threatened to destroy “The Third Man’s” negative, the man who ran in to save it was John Glen, who to this day has directed more James Bond films than any other filmmaker, one more than Hamilton. 

As well as the various new stories that Walsh uncovered, he also found many new and unpublished images from the making of “The Third Man,” which are included in the book. “I wanted to give people images that they hadn’t seen before. We found so many great ones that we then restored and repaired. We want the book to be a visual read, too.”

Ultimately, Walsh hopes that readers don’t just learn why the film was made and feel like they’re being transported back to its production. He wants audiences to see why “The Third Man” continues to be so important. “’The Third Man’ was a bona-fide success. It was a high point for everyone involved. Just look at its storytelling and narrative and its effective use of music. It’s the perfect combination of time, place, music, and the right people being given creative control. ‘The Third Man’ is such a great part of cinema history. I can only hope that book lives up to its reputation.”