Silver Theater

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Silver Theater ran nine seasons, from 1932-1941. It was sponsored by the International Silver Company, which had sponsored previous radio programs. Conrad Nagel was the show’s director and announcer, and in his absence on Nov. 13, 1938, Welles pinch hit as the show’s m.c. and as a character in the play “Stars in their Courses,” whose star was Helen Hayes].

On Mar. 30 of ‘41, he made his Silver Theater encore on the episode “One Step Ahead.”

His first appearance saw Welles on his ascent as a stage actor and as the man behind “Mercury Theatre on the Air.” By the spring of ‘41, he was famous and infamous for the “The War of the Worlds” spectacle and had made a name for himself as a director and actor. And he had just finished shooting a film that would come out in the fall: Citizen Kane.

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