FIRST OFF . . .

In what will probably be perceived as colorization’s most audacious step yet, plans are definitely on to give the mauve, taupe and ecru treatment to the classic 1941 Orson Welles film, “Citizen Kane.” Media tycoon Ted Turner told the Bay Area Society of Television, Advertising and Radio last week he had given the go-ahead for the fleshing of “Citizen Kane”--considered by many film buffs to be the greatest American film of all time--and on Tuesday Turner Broadcasting System officials confirmed the order. Turner--who owns the rights to “Citizen Kane” and about 100 other titles in the RKO film library--said he was tickled over all the free publicity (brought about by public outrage from directors and fans alike) generated by his colorizing of “Casablanca,” the 1943 Humphrey Bogart/Ingrid Bergman classic. Turner says that most people under 35 have never seen “Citizen Kane” and colorizing the 1941 film will introduce it to a wider (although not necessarily deeper) audience. TBS officials said there’s no firm air date for the mutated “Kane” just yet.