Re-Imagined Radio

Orson Welles

Re-Imagined Radio presents MORE information about Orson Welles (1915-1985), a well-known American radio and film actor, writer, and director.

1935 and beyond
Many, and often uncredited, appearances on The March of Time.

1937
Work with Columbia Workshop and their production of "The Fall of the City."

A seven-part dramatization of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, airing on the Mutual Broadcasting System (MBS).

1937-1938
A starring role in The Shadow for its first season.

LEARN more about The Shadow

1938
Founding, with John Houseman, of The Mercury Theatre on the Air. See below for more informtion.

30 October 1938
Immediate international notoriety for his production, direction, and starring role in The War of the Worlds with The Mercury Theatre of the Air. Notoriety brought a sponser, and The Mercury Theatre on the Air was renamed The Campbell Playhouse. Wells remained until 31 March 1940.

Listen to "The War of the Worlds" as performed by Orson Welles and The Mercury Theatre on the Air, 30 October 1938

1941, 1942, and again in 1946
Starring role in "The Hitchhiker," a radio drama written for him by Lucille Fletcher.

Orson Welles performed "The Hitchhiker" four times on radio.

First for The Orson Welles Show in 1941, then for Suspense and The Phillip Morris Show, both in 1942, and The Mercury Summer Theatre on the Air, 22 June 1946. Many versions and adaptations followed, including a television adaptation by Rod Sterling in 1960 for his anthology series The Twilight Zone

Listen to the 2 September 1942 episode (episode #11) of Suspense as Orson Welles performs "The Hitchhiker."

Orson Welles reprised his performance on 22 June 1946 for Episode 3, of The Mercury Summer Theatre on the Air. In his introduction, Welles called "The Hitchhiker" a classic among radio thrillers and went on to say, "It's author is one of the most gifted of all the writers who ever worked for this medium, Lucille Fletcher who wrote 'Sorry, Wrong Number,' the greatest single radio script ever written."

1951-1952
Narration and acting in The Lives/Adventures of Harry Lime, creating a prequil to his role as Harry Lime, interntional con-artist, in the 1949 British noir film, The Third Man, written by Grahman Greene, directed by Carrol Reed.

1952-1954
Hosting and narration of The Black Museum, a radio series produced and recorded in London, England.

March 1955
Appearance in "The Final Problem," an episode of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes with Sir John Gielgud as Holmes and Sir Ralph Richardson as Dr. Watson. Welles voiced Professor Moriarty. The series aired Sundays, 2 January-5 June 1955, on BBC.

Listen to "The Final Problem" from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, 3 March 1955

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes was heard 2 January 1954-5 June 1955. Harry Alan Towers (producer), Tig Roe (director). The six-episode series was broadcast by BBC Home Service on Children's Hour, Sundays. "The Final Problem" episode was broadcast 3 March 1955. According to The DigitalDeli Too website, Welles further agreed to direct, write, and perform in various roles, including the recurring "plum" role of Professor Moriarty.

Works Cited and Resources
Sherlock Holmes (1952 radio series).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes_(1952_radio_series)

The DigitalDeli Too
No longer available online, but still available through the Internet Archive Wayback Machine
https://web.archive.org/web/20230221012637/http://www.digitaldeliftp.com/DigitalDeliToo/dd2jb-Harry-Lime.html

The Mercury Theatre on the Air

The Mercury Theatre on the Air was an OTR dramatic series founded by Orson Welles and John Houseman in July 1938. It is often cited as the finest radio drama anthology of the 1930s. Plots varied with episodes, but were generally adaptations of literary works thought to be well suited for the radio medium. The Mercury Theatre on the Air is significant for innovative use of sound effects and music, and for the fact that Orson Welles adapted, produced, directed, and starred in many episodes.

Background
11 July 1938-4 December 1938
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), as The Mercury Theatre of the Air
9 December 1938-13 September 1946
CBS, as The Campbell Playhouse

The Mercury Theatre on the Air, the finest radio drama anthology series of the 1930s, began with The Mercury Theatre production company founded August 1937 in New York by John Houseman and twenty-one-year-old Orson Welles. The first production, Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar," adapted by Welles, opened in November and immediately attracted controversy and attention with its setting in fascist Italy.

In summer 1938, Welles was finishing his season-long appearance as The Shadow. The Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), offered him and The Mercury Theatre the opportunity to broadcast performances from New York. The name The Mercury Theatre on the Air was chosen to differentiate the two production companies. The first radio broadcast was 11 July 1938 and the new series quickly became one of the most compelling radio programs of the time, known for its adaptations of literary works well suited for the radio medium, and its innovative use of sound effects and music.

Stories offered were out of the ordinary. The series began with an adaptation of Dracula, and was followed by adaptations of Treasure Island, A Tale of Two Cities, The Thirty-Nine Steps, and The Count of Monte Cristo, among others. Each was adapted by producer John Houseman, writer Howard Koch, and producer, director, and star Orson Welles.

The cast varied with episodes and frequently included well known authors and actors like Martin Gabel, Alice Frost, Ray Collins, Virginia Welles (Mrs. Orson Welles), Agnes Moorehead, Everett Sloane, Margaret Sullivan, Katherine Hepburn, Burgess Meredith, Helen Hayes, Madeleine Carroll, Laurence Olivier, Gertrude Lawrence, Joan Bennett, Lionel Barrymore, and other prominent actors and actresses. Music was conducted by Bernard Herrman, husband to Lucille Fletcher, famous for writing "Sorry, Wrong Number" and other radio dramas.

The adaptation of the 1898 H.G. Wells novel, The War of the Worlds, broadcast on 30 October 1938, changed everything. Suddenly, The Mercury Theatre on the Air and Orson Welles were internationally famous. Based on this success, Campbell Soup agreed to sponsor the program. The name was changed to Campbell Playhouse and continued as a top-grade radio drama series until 13 September 1946. The shows tended to lean toward contemporary literature or best-seller motion pictures. Today, The War of the Worlds is considered the most (in)famous radio broadcast of all time.

During its second season, The Campbell Playhouse moved to Hollywood, to accomodate Welles and other members of the production company who had moved there to make a movie with RKO. To pursue movies full time, Welles left The Campbell Playhouse 31 March 1940, after fifty-four performances.

Episodes
Total Episodes as The Mercury Theatre of the Air = 22
Surviving Episodes = 18
Total Episodes as The Campbell Playhouse = 88(?)
Surviving Episodes = 48(?)

Exemplary Episodes
"Dracula"
Episode 01, 11 July 1938
An adaptation of the 1897 novel by Bram Stoker.

"The Thirty-Nine Steps"
Episode 04, 1 August 1938
An adaptation of the 1915 novel by John Buchan.

"The Count of Monte Cristo"
Episode 08, 29 August 1938
An adaptation of the 1844 novel by Alexandre Dumas.

The War of the Worlds
Episode 17, 30 October 1938
An adaptation of the 1898 novel by H.G. Wells. Considered the most (in)famous radio broadcast of all time. LEARN more.

Resources
Episodes of The Mercury Theatre on the Air at the Internet Archive website
Episodes at the Old Time Radio Researchers Group Library website
Episodes of The Campbell Playhouse at the Internet Archive website
Episodes of The Campbell Playhouse at the Old Time Radio Researchers Group Library website
The Mercury Theatre on the Air website
The Definitive Mercury Theatre at the Digital Deli website
No longer available online, but is available through Internet Archive Wayback Machine
Mercury Theatre logs at Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs website
The Campbell Playhouse logs at Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs website
The Campbell Playhouse at the Digital Deli website
No longer available online, but is available through Internet Archive Wayback Machine