Orson Welles: “Citizen Kane” premiere

The very beginning of “Citizen Kane” has no main title.

No RKO logo, no fanfare, no opening credits. Just a dead black screen. The first thing you see is the pan up to the sign ‘No Trespassing.’

At the premiere people are shouting, ‘Lights, sound, sound, projectionist! Sound!’ They cannot accept a film that starts in complete silence.

The studio couldn’t add sound. So instead they inserted the RKO trademark and a title for later screenings.