The War of the Worlds - A Halloween Classic

No, it's not the 2005 Spielberg movie starring Tom Cruise.  Nor is it the 1953 version starring Ray Bradbury.  Nor is it even a very faithful adaptation of the 1898 H.G. Wells novel.

No, this is the Mercury Theatre on the Air's original vision of "The War of the Worlds".  To understand the impact it had on American society, take a listen to last week's show after you hear this one. 

So, in what has become tradition - we celebrate Halloween by playing "The War of the Worlds", starring Orson Welles and his Mercury players, on the Old Time Radio Express.

Mercury Month - Week #4

Welles at his craft

This week we focus on the great man himself, the man who brought all the other players of the Mercury together - Orson Welles.

I do not suppose I shall be remembered for anything. But I don't think about my work in those terms. It is just as vulgar to work for the sake of posterity as to work for the sake of money.  - Orson Welles

Welles made his mark on old time radio before flitting off the Hollywood to capture America's imagination on film.  In this broadcast, we have him in a comedic role, guest starring on the Fred Allen Show.  Welles could do comedy just fine, thank you, as he even had a run as fill-in for Jack Benny when Benny was out sick for a 4 week stretch in the 1942-3 season.

I passionately hate the idea of being with it; I think an artist has always to be out of step with his time. - Orson Welles

And out of step he was, as we'll see next week on the Old Time Radio Express, when we play that instant classic - The War of the Worlds.  After the Fred Allen Show, we get you all prepared for everything you'll need next week.

Nobody who takes on anything big and tough can afford to be modest. - Orson Welles

And modest he was not.  As I'm sure he would have told you.

Mercury Month - Week #3



The Old Time Radio Express rolls out of the station tonight with two more shows featuring the talents of members of the Mercury Theatre troupe - George Coulouris and Edgar Barrier.

Coulouris is great in the WWII thriller,
"Watch on the Rhine", with Bette
Davis and Paul Muni.

Coulouris plays the title role in the B-grade detective show, Bulldog Drummond.  Despite the fact that Drummond ran for 8+ years, it is much less remembered nowadays than The Adventures of Sam Spade or The Adventures of Philip Marlowe.  The preservation of the majority of those shows on tape probably has a lot to do with it.

The film noir, "Cornered"
is on DVD and features
Edgar Barrier along with
crooner turned dramatic actor
Dick Powell.

Barrier and his distinctive voice narrate a "documentary" on the Pacific situation during WWII.  It's an interesting bit of radio, but if it's a documentary, then the term is used very loosely.

Enjoy!