Xanadu (film) actual order in the film: The plot of the 1947 film "Down to Earth" was used as the basis for "Xanadu". In the film, Rita Hayworth played Terpsichore, opposite male lead Larry Parks, who played a producer of stage plays. The film was originally conceived as a relatively low-budget roller disco picture. As a number of prominent, A-list performers joined the production, it evolved into a much larger project, while retaining rollerskating as a recurring theme, especially in the final scenes of the club's opening night. Earlier versions of the story established that Sonny was the artist who created the
Xanadu (Citizen Kane) Xanadu (Citizen Kane) Xanadu is the fictional estate of Charles Foster Kane, the title character of the film "Citizen Kane" (1941). The estate derives its name from the ancient city of Xanadu, known for its splendor. Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California, is the obvious inspiration for Xanadu, due to the Hearst/Kane comparison that is central to the film. Built on an immense "private mountain" located on the "deserts of the Gulf Coast" in Florida, Xanadu is described as being the world's largest private estate; "Cost: no man can say," according to the newsreel at the beginning of the film.