Unlike other standard theatrical trailers of the era, it did not feature any footage of the actual film itself, but was a wholly original pseudo-documentary piece.

This was partly born out of necessity, to prevent William Randolph Hearst from knowing in advance that the film was a parallel of his life.

The film's producer, director, co-writer and star Orson Welles—then an established radio star—does not appear in person, but serves as the unseen narrator, introducing members of the cast.

The trailer also contains a number of trick shots, including one of Everett Sloane appearing at first to be running into the camera.

He spent weeks on scripting, shooting, and editing it, and emerged with a punchy and intriguing look at the behind-the-scenes life of the film.

Already, before the debates around the authorship of Kane, the trailer constitutes a deeply ambiguous work in terms of Welles's attitude toward collaborative filmmaking.

And while there is a suggestion of disdain for the "ballyhoo" of commercial filmmaking, the trailer absolutely revels in show biz and its deconstruction.

[9] Subsequently, Gary Graver's 1993 documentary Working With Orson Welles contained the trailer, and numerous DVD editions of Citizen Kane have contained the trailer as an extra, including the 2011 Blu-ray release and the 2021 4K Ultra HD release by The Criterion Collection.