Orson Welles

The Black Museum is another collaboration between Welles and producer Harry Alan Towers. The radio series treated audiences to crime thrillers based on actual Scotland yard cases. Its life spanned exactly the year 1952, with a few weeks off at the beginning of June. Welles played his usual role of host and narrator, and also steered the series in terms of its major direction and aesthetics. Though Welles and Towers drew inspiration from Scotland Yard ( the Black Museum was Scotland Yard’s crime museum), and while Towers produced another series The Secrets of Scotland Yard on that entity’s crime-fighting exploits, the aim with The Black Museum was not historical accuracy. Welles was out to provoke and to amaze with gruesome details. The format of the show was his host character strolling through the museum, whereupon, as radiohorrorhosts.com tells us, he would “casually pick up or point out various murder weapons and examine them, all the while droning on about the related

“Maker of Better things for Better living...through chemistry,” DuPont sponsored Cavalcade of America , a wholesome, family program airing from 1935-53 (a television version airing from ‘52-’57). It broadcast historical events, with tales of courage and strength. Representative titles include “Faith in Education,” “Defiance of Nature,” and “Woman’s Emancipation.” The Fall of 1942 found Orson Welles in a dismal state. His recent film “The Magnificent Ambersons” had gotten strafed by critics and had a lackluster performance at the box office. Other films “Journey Into Fear” and “It’s All True” were in various stages of disarray and being patched. He was in the midst of producing the Ceiling Unlimited series, but he had time for two guest appearance of Cavalcade. On Sept. 28, ‘42, he hosted an episode made up of “Thunder from the Mountain,” by Arthur Miller , the story of Benito Juarez, and on Oct. 12, “Admiral of the Ocean,” a corny celebration of the anniversary of Chris

Command Performance was a radio program for the troops overseas. It aired from 1942-1949, broadcast via shortwave, not on commercial radio. It was a star-studded variety show, with a panoply of American showbiz icons performing at the request of servicemen. The various rosters were filled by Bob Hope , Ginger Rogers , Ella Fitzgerald, Gene Autry , Rita Hayworth , and many others. Welles’s turn came on Dec. 21, 1943. He had just married the gorgeous Rita Hayworth , and was also making forays into geopolitics by writing articles for the journal Free World and by speaking at the Third World Dinner in New York City in October. While he was suffering from both back problems and jaundice, he still found a way to make the guest appearance on  Command Performance . He co-starred with Fred Waring and Kate Smith . Sources Command Performance. Old Time Radio Catalog. Higham, Charles. Orson Welles: The Rise and Fall of An American Genius New York:   St. Martin’s Press. 198

The rivalry between Orson Welles and his “Mercury Theatre on the Air” and “The Charlie McCarthy Show” was friendly enough that Welles appeared as a guest on the latter several times: 04-02-1944: in “The Easter Rabbit” 05-28-1944: in “The Raven” 10-29-1944: as “The Musuem Guide” 11-05-1944: in “Buck Bergen and Flash Welles” 04-02-44 in “The Easter Rabbit” Welles was the only guest. The opening sketch was “Letter From Sanborn.” “The Easter Rabbit” was a corny sketch with a bit of improv. First, after some good-natured ribbing between Welles and McCarthy, Welles reads a gag from the script: “frankly, I’ve seen better owls in drug stores,” which drew a big groan from the audience and gave him a chance to ad-lib that the material they’d hear on his Wednesday night show would be better. 05-028-44 in “The Raven” Other sketches: “Weatherby and Graduation,” “Making a Date.” Last show of the season 10-29-44 as “The Musuem Guide” Other sketches: “Ghost Story,” “Window Wash

With a single feature film, the first one he ever made, Orson Welles changed the way motion pictures were made. The picture he made was Citizen Kane, universally hailed as the greatest film ever made, and despite its critical success, it was a commercial failure. In its wake, the cinema was changed forever, but its creator was practically finished. It is a cruel joke that filmmakers, producers, and famous actors all over the world would give Welles such great praise for decades to come, and yet every production Welles would be involved in would be plagued with problems in financing and distribution. If everyone held such great admiration for Welles, how come so few have ever helped him? It is a shame that Welles would have some regrets about working in the cinema when he is perhaps its greatest director. Perhaps he did not mean anything by his public lament, but most would agree that he should have received better treatment. When Welles was brought to Hollywood by RKO Studios, he brou

“The Fred Allen Show” ran under its various names from 12-25-32 to 6-26-49. Fred Allen was a sharp wit, but was also influenced by Will Rogers and accordingly brought topical political humor into his repertoire. Another big part of his show was the Allen’s Alley segments, starring Alan Reed, and John Brown. Over the years, he had more big guests to name, but some included Edward G. Robinson, Jack Benny, Bing Crosby, Ozzie & Harriet Nelson, and Carmen Miranda. Orson Welles guested on: 11-8-39 10-18-42 3-3-46 The 10-18-42 show was aimed at the troops in WWII, and Welles starred in a production of “Les Miserables.” At the top of the show, Allen billed him as “a boy prodigy who lived up to it.” The program kicked off with Irving Berlin’s “This is the Army, Mr. Jones.” The 3-3-46 episode centered around another rendering of “Les Mis,” included an Allen’s Alley sketch, and began with a segment of Allen’s monologue in which he skewered Jack Benny, mostly by insulting his intellig

“GI Journal” was popular comedy program produced by the AFRS, Armed Forces Radio Service. The AFRS, as the name would imply, produced much-needed entertainment for servicemen and women. “GI Journal” featured, a “guest editor” or guest host each week. It was a variety show, with guest editors such as Frank Sinatra, Groucho Marx, Bob Hope, and our protagonist, Welles. His turn came on 12-15-44, and in his episode he exchanged bawdy jokes with the fetching Faye Mackenzie, who managed to be beautiful even on the radio. On 6-15-45, he made his second and last appearance, with others on the show including Fred Waring and Kate Smith. He collaborated with Smith in a sketch in which he played a French perfume salesman.