THE STRANGER - IT'S A PLAY!

[jaime marzol]

http://www.dm-theatrics.com/Stranger/stranger.htm

check this out, the stranger is a play!

[Wilson]

Interesting; it wouldn't be the first time it's been adapted, as there was a radio adaptation for the series Hedda Hopper hosted, I think it was called This is Hollywood. Haven't been able to get a copy yet, though I know it still exists. Welles didn't appear in the radio version, though if I recall correctly, EGR did.

[Glenn Anders]

Given the popularity of Movies, and the importance of any kind of name recognition in our culture, it is not surprising that little theaters would turn to staging classic screenplays. In fact, over the last six months, I have noticed several such productions at small theaters, here in San Francisco.

Glenn

[Knowles Noel Shane]

It's interesting that Welles announced The Stranger radio version on July 5th 1946, during the Mercury Summer Theatre series, I think with EGR and Loretta Young. It didn't happen, though. Maybe the Hedda version was from the same script Welles would have used. What date was her version?

[Wilson]

The date given is 7 December 1946. It was a half hour version with EGR and Merle Oberon.

[Knowles Noel Shane]

Speaking of December 7th, has anyone ever found the Welles broadcast interrupted to announce the bombing of Pearl Harbour? That would be interesting to hear.

[jaime marzol]

you know what i did find, a film directed by hawks. bombadier plane. crew listening to radio. radio announcing pearl harbor bombing. john garfield enters, hears broadcast and says, "are you guys listening to orson welles, the mercury theater?

[Glenn Anders]

Interesting, jaime. Good free association! The picture is called AIR FORCE.

Howard Hawks, of course, was a friend of Welles, and the reference suggests how well the name Orson Welles was known in 1943.

Incidentally, Welles did a radio show, an episode of Ceiling Unlimited (radio play by Arthur Miller?), which follows a Flying Fortress around the World in the days and weeks after December 7, 1941.

Glenn