The Fountain of Youth
1958 | 27m | English
Popularity: 0.2 (history)
| Director: | Orson Welles |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Orson Welles, John Collier |
| Staring: |
| 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.) | |
| Release Date: | Sep 16, 1958 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Orson Welles |
| Writer: | Orson Welles, John Collier |
| Genres: | Drama, TV Movie |
| Keywords | short film |
| Production Companies | Desilu Productions, Orson Welles Enterprises |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Jan 30, 2026 Entered: Apr 30, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Marjorie Bennett | journalist |
| Madge Blake | journalist |
| Billy House | Albert Morgan |
| Rick Jason | Alan Brody |
| Nancy Kulp | Stella Morgan |
| Joi Lansing | Carolyn Coates |
| Dan Tobin | Humphrey Baxter |
| Orson Welles | the narrator |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Orson Welles | Music Arranger, Writer, Director, Production Design |
| John Collier | Writer |
| Claudio Guzmán | Art Direction |
| Maurice Seiderman | Makeup Artist |
| W. Argyle Nelson | Production Manager |
| Bud Molin | Editor |
| Sidney Hickox | Director of Photography |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Orson Welles | Producer |
| Desi Arnaz | Executive Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2024 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 2024 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2024 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| 2024 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 2024 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2024 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| 2024 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Trending Position