Crowther does make a couple references to the Hearst connection - "Within the withering spotlight as no other film has ever been before," "It parallels the life of an eminent publisher . . ." - so maybe he figured he didn't have to spell it out since his readers were already knowledgable about it.
I watched the movie over the weekend. Since I have rented most of the movies from the reviews I post I have seen a pretty good representation of mainstream film-making from 1938 to 1941. "Citizen Kane" brings some completely new ideas to the screen. Welles was an original thinker in this medium.
After this viewing I decided that my favorite scene is when Kane kicks off his political career at a banquet and has hired some showgirls to introduce his theme song. Kane joins the chorus line and hops around the room with them. A strange and wonderful scene.
Did you listen to Roger Ebert’s commentary on the DVD? It’s terrific.