To capture the joy of the holiday season in Wellesian fashion, we once again present streaming audio of four vintage Christmas radio shows starring Orson Welles.
First up are two Mercury Theatre versions of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol as heard on the Campbell Playhouse in 1938 and 1939. The first featured Welles in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge. The second broadcast had Welles narrating the story and the great Lionel Barrymore in the lead role. The 1939 broadcast also featured Everett Sloane as Marley’s ghost, Frank Readick as Bob Cratchit, Erskine Sanford playing Fezziwig and George Coulouris as the Ghost of Christmas Present.
Lady Esther’s Orson Welles Show from December 22, 1941 has a holiday theme. Recorded during the making of The Magnificent Ambersons, it includes actors Ray Collins, Agnes Moorehead, Joseph Cotten, Erskine Sanford and Tim Holt. The program includes a reading from the Gospel of Luke, as well as The Happy Prince.
And finally, radio great Norman Corwin’s The Plot to Overthrow Christmas from 1944 stars Welles and Collins..
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!
Streaming audio
Broadcast on December 23, 1938, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol starred Orson Welles as Ebenezer Scrooge. The cast included his wife, Virginia Nicolson, as Belle, and Joseph Cotten as Fred. Also, Arthur Anderson (Ghost of Christmas Past), Eustace Wyatt (Ghost of Christmas Present), Frank Readick (Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come) and Alfred Shirley (Marley).
The Mercury Theatre’s second performance of A Christmas Carol aired on December 24, 1939 with Welles as the narrator. Lionel Barrymore starred as Scrooge with Everett Sloane (Marley’s ghost), Frank Readick (Bob Cratchit), Erskine Sanford (Fezziwig) and George Coulouris (Ghost of Christmas Present).
This episode of Lady Esther’s Orson Welles Show from December 22, 1941 began with a reading from the Gospel of Luke; Oscar Wilde’s The Happy Prince starring Orson Welles, Ray Collins, Agnes Moorehead, Joseph Cotten, Edgar Barrier, Erskine Sanford and Tim Holt; and the recitation of a G.K. Chesterton poem. The radio show was recorded during the production of The Magnificent Ambersons.
The Plot to Overthrow Christmas was written by Norman Corwin and performed by Welles as Nero and Ray Collins as Santa Claus for This Is My Best on December 19, 1944. In his introduction, Welles says “Best is a big word, but it isn’t too big for Norman Corwin, who is certainly beyond all argument the best writer the medium has produced.” Of Collins, he adds, “If you know of a better actor in radio, please send me his name. I could use him in the Mercury.”
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