Editor’s note: R.H. Greene is no stranger to Orson Welles fans, who fondly recall his impressive 2011 documentary “Airborne” for Southern California Public Radio. He has been kind enough to allow Wellesnet to preview Act 1 of his latest effort “War of the Welles,” which features “Star Trek” actor George Takei. The special will be […]
By RAY KELLY Chris Welles Feder, the eldest daughter of Orson Welles, is sharing her thoughts on her father’s “The War of the Worlds” radio broadcast as the media notes the 75th anniversary on October 30. Feder has been interviewed for public television, syndicated newspaper and national magazine retrospectives. And she has been kind enough […]
By RAY KELLY October 30 marks the 75th anniversary of Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre On the Air’s performance of the H.G. Wells’ sci-fi classic “The War of the Worlds” on CBS radio. With Nazi Germany’s annexation of part of Czechoslovakia still fresh in the minds of a jittery public, Welles’ use of faux […]
Neil Verma has been curating a series of articles about Orson Welles’ radio works for the website Sounding Out entitled “From Mercury to Mars: Orson Welles on Radio after 75 Years.” “From Mercury to Mars” is a joint venture with the Antenna media blog at the University of Wisconsin, and will continue into 2014. The […]
Editor’s note: The hacking of our website in late April cost us several articles. Among the losses was a look at the book “When Mars Attacked,” which examines the legacy of Orson Welles’ “The War of the Worlds” radio broadcast. Author David Acord was kind enough to help us recreate the interview as it appeared. […]
Orson Welles’ infamous radio broadcast of “The War of the Worlds” will be recalled this fall on PBS. PBS announced its fall programming on Thursday. Among the highlights is an “American Experience” look at “The War of the Worlds.” It will air on Tuesday, October 29, at 9 p.m. ET – a day before the […]
Rich Phoenix, president of the New Jersey Radio Museum, will discuss “The War of the Worlds” radio broadcast at the Wyckoff Free Public Library in New Jersey next week. “The Radio Broadcast That Terrorized America,” Orson Welles’ radio dramatization of H. G. Wells’ science fiction novel “War of the Worlds,” will be the subject of […]
By RAY KELLY Wellesnet.com is now home to more than 30 radio shows featuring Orson Welles. The new radio pages span his career from “Les Misérables” in 1937 for the Mutual Network to “The Adventures of Harry Lime” in 1952 on BBC. The programs selected for inclusion are a mix of dramatic presentations, variety shows, […]
By RAY KELLY Recently, we looked at the impressive Library of Congress online collection related to the Federal Theatre Project. However, it is not the only government website that allows us to revisit Orson Welles’ work in the 1930s. The National Archives offers online visitors a glimpse into two of the more than 600 letters […]
By RAY KELLY Nearly 75 years later, the “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast continues to inspire. Last year, the faux documentary “War of the Worlds: The True Story” was released to movie theaters. Now, a one-act play based on the 1938 broadcast has won an Oregon competition for playwrights. “We Interrupt This Program,” by […]
By LAWRENCE FRENCH Orson Welles appearance on The David Frost Show recorded on May 12, 1970 came before most of the numerous biographies about Welles had been published, providing us with Welles’ own point of view on some very interesting aspects of his life and work. This interview also took place in the midst of […]
“War of the Worlds: The True Story,” filmmaker Timothy Hines’ ambitious faux documentary about a Martian invasion, has drawn opposing views from two prominent West Coast critics. The film opened in select theaters on October 30, but has only recently gained notices from the Hollywood press as the Pendragon Pictures release now plays in Los […]