Orson Welles Commentaries

1945 ABC radio series on literature

Radio show

Orson Welles Commentaries

Orson Welles (October 29, 1945)

Genre| Social commentary, political commentary, reminiscences and readings
Running time| 15 minutes
Country of origin| United States
Language(s)| English
Home station| ABC
Hosted by| Orson Welles
Written by| Orson Welles
Directed by| Orson Welles
Produced by| Orson Welles
Original release| September 16, 1945 (1945-09-16) –
October 6, 1946 (1946-10-06)
No. of series| 1
No. of episodes| 56

Orson Welles Commentaries (1945–46) is an ABC radio series produced and directed by Orson Welles. Featuring commentary by Welles, with reminiscences and readings from literature, the 15-minute weekly program aired Sunday afternoons at 1:15 p.m. ET beginning September 16, 1945. Lear Radio sponsored the program through the end of June 1946 when it failed to find a larger audience. The series was continued by ABC as a sustaining show through October 6, 1946. Orson Welles Commentaries was the last of Welles's own radio shows.

## Episodes

[edit]

Welles's five broadcasts on the beating and blinding of decorated U.S. Army veteran Isaac Woodard in South Carolina (July 28 – August 25, 1946) brought significant national attention to the case. #  | Date  | Program  | Recording  | References

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1  | September 16, 1945  | Welles begins his weekly series of social and political commentary and readings, and discusses matador Fernando López.  | [1] | [2]: 366 [3]: 141
2  | September 23, 1945  | Welles tells The Story of Bonito, the Bull by Robert J. Flaherty, the only part of the unfinished omnibus film It's All True he ever presented to an audience. Welles later told the story of Bonito in the final episode of his 1955 BBC-TV series, Orson Welles' Sketch Book.  | [4] | [3]: 141 [5][6]: 418
3  | September 30, 1945  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [7] | [3]: 141
4  | October 7, 1945  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [8] | [3]: 141
5  | October 14, 1945  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [9] | [3]: 141
6  | October 21, 1945  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [10] | [3]: 141
7  | October 28, 1945  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [11] | [3]: 141
8  | November 4, 1945  | Welles discusses the ousting of Brazilian president Getúlio Vargas.  | [12] | [2]: 366 [3]: 141
9  | November 11, 1945  | Welles reads a letter from Louis Armstrong in which he recounts his early days, while Barney Bigard, Zutty Singleton, Fred Washington and others play "Perdido Street Blues".  | [13] | [3]: 141 [2]: 366
10  | November 18, 1945  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [14] | [3]: 141
11  | November 25, 1945  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [15] | [3]: 141
12  | December 2, 1945  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [16] | [3]: 141
13  | December 9, 1945  | A broadcast from the U. S. Naval Training and Distribution Center, Treasure Island, San Francisco, California, via KGO, featuring Commodore Robert W. Cary, USN, commander of the center. The three theatre complexes are named to honor three World War II heroes killed in action: John Basilone (Theatre Three), Edward O'Hare (Theatre Two) and Doris Miller (Theatre One), the first African American to be awarded the Navy Cross. Includes a conversation on race prejudice with Miller's father, Connery Miller, via WACO in Waco, Texas.  | [17] | [3]: 142 [5][18][19]
14  | December 16, 1945  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [20] | [3]: 142
15  | December 23, 1945  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [21] | [3]: 142
16  | December 30, 1945  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [22] | [23]
17  | January 6, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [24] | [3]: 142
18  | January 13, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [25] | [3]: 142
19  | January 20, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [26] | [3]: 142
20  | January 27, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [27] | [3]: 142
21  | February 3, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [28] | [3]: 142
22  | February 10, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [29] | [3]: 142
23  | February 17, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [30] | [3]: 142
24  | February 24, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [31] | [3]: 142
25  | March 3, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [32] | [3]: 142
26  | March 10, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  |  | [3]: 142
27  | March 17, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [33] | [3]: 142
28  | March 24, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [34] | [3]: 142
29  | March 31, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [35] | [23]
30  | April 7, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [36] | [23]
31  | April 14, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [37] | [23]
32  | April 21, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [38] | [23]
33  | April 28, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [39] | [3]: 143
34  | May 5, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [40] | [3]: 143
35  | May 12, 1946  | Due to illness, Welles is replaced by George Hays.  | [41] | [3]: 143
36  | May 19, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [42] | [3]: 143
37  | May 26, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [43] | [3]: 143
38  | June 2, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [44] | [3]: 143
39  | June 9, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [45] | [3]: 143
40  | June 16, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [46] | [3]: 143
41  | June 23, 1946  | Welles calls for protest on the end of the Office of Price Administration.  | [47] | [3]: 143 [5][48]
42  | June 30, 1946  | Welles protests the end of OPA price controls and the imminent atomic test at Bikini Atoll—with his wife Rita Hayworth's image on the A-bomb, nicknamed "Gilda".  | [49] | [50][6]: 397 [51]
43  | July 7, 1946  | Lear Radios does not renew its sponsorship option due to low audience numbers, but ABC continues the program. Welles's pay is cut from $1,700 to $50 per show.  | [52] | [3]: 144
44  | July 14, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [53] | [3]: 144
45  | July 21, 1946  | Don Hollenbeck substitutes for Welles, who is ill. Topics include compromise on OPA rent and price controls, and unrest in Bolivia.  | [54] | [3]: 144 [5][55]
46  | July 28, 1946  | First episode about the Isaac Woodard case. Welles reads an affidavit sent to him by the NAACP signed by Isaac Woodard, a black veteran who was beaten and blinded by South Carolina police hours after he had been honorably discharged from the U.S. Army. Welles promises to root out the officer responsible and makes the case a major focus of his weekly show. Bret Wood: "Welles took up the cause, having always been outspoken on issues of racism and turned the event into a scathing attack on postwar racism and ingratitude".  | [56] | [3]: 144 [5][57]: 329–331 [58]
47  | August 4, 1946  | Second program related to the Woodard case. Welles remarks on world peace negotiations and Congress.  | [59] | [3]: 145 [57]: 329–331 [6]: 398
48  | August 11, 1946  | Third program related to the Woodard case. Welles reads from his July 1944 editorial, "Race Hate Must Be Outlawed".  | [60] | [3]: 145 [57]: 329–331 [61][6]: 398
49  | August 18, 1946  | Fourth program related to the Woodard case. Welles reads and responds to a letter from a white supremacist, and reads from his December 1943 editorial, "The Unknown Soldier".  | [62] | [3]: 145 [57]: 329–331
[63][6]: 399
50  | August 25, 1946  | Fifth and last program related to the Woodard case. Museum of Broadcasting: "The NAACP felt that these broadcasts did more than anything else to prompt the Justice Department to act on the case".  | [64] | [3]: 145 [65]: 66
51  | September 1, 1946  | Welles is told in September that ABC is unable to continue his sustained program after the October 6 show.  | [66] | [3]: 146 [57]: 331
52  | September 8, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [67] | [3]: 146
53  | September 15, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [68] | [3]: 146
54  | September 22, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [69] | [3]: 146
55  | September 29, 1946  | Cast: Orson Welles  | [70] | [3]: 146
56  | October 6, 1946  | Last show of the series, and the last of Welles's own radio shows  | [71] | [3]: 146 [6]: 401

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. September 16, 1945. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
2. ^ a b c Benamou, Catherine L. (2007). It's All True: Orson Welles's Pan-American Odyssey. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-24247-0.
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax Wood, Bret (1990). Orson Welles: A Bio-Bibliography. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-26538-0.
4. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. September 23, 1945. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
5. ^ a b c d e "The Orson Welles Program". RadioGOLDINdex. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
6. ^ a b c d e f Welles, Orson; Bogdanovich, Peter; Rosenbaum, Jonathan (1992). This is Orson Welles. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0-06-016616-9.
7. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. September 30, 1945. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
8. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. October 7, 1945. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
9. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. October 14, 1945. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
10. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. October 21, 1945. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
11. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. October 28, 1945. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
12. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. November 4, 1945. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
13. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. November 11, 1945. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
14. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. November 18, 1945. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
15. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. November 25, 1945. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
16. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. December 2, 1945. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
17. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. December 9, 1945. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
18. ^ "Treasure Island Medal of Honor Dedication: Orson Welles ABC KGO Broadcast Script and Photograph Lot". Snyder's Treasure Trove: Collectible Militaria. Archived from the original on March 16, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
19. ^ "Treasure Island Theaters to Bear Names of 3 Navy Heroes". Oakland Tribune. December 2, 1945. p. A13.
20. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. December 16, 1945. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
21. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. December 23, 1945. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
22. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. December 30, 1945. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
23. ^ a b c d e "Orson Welles Almanac". Digital Deli Too. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
24. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. January 6, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
25. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. January 13, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
26. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. January 20, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
27. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. January 27, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
28. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. February 3, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
29. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. February 10, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
30. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. February 17, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
31. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. February 24, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
32. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. March 3, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
33. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. March 17, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
34. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. March 24, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
35. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. March 31, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
36. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. April 7, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
37. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. April 14, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
38. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. April 21, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
39. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. April 28, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
40. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. May 5, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
41. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. April 14, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
42. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. May 19, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
43. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. May 26, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
44. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. June 2, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
45. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. June 9, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
46. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. June 16, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
47. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. June 23, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
48. ^ "Orson Welles' Commentary (June 23, 1946)". The Paley Center for Media. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
49. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. June 30, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
50. ^ "Atomic Goddess Revisited: Rita Hayworth's Bomb Image Found". CONELRAD Adjacent (blog). August 13, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
51. ^ "Orson Welles' Commentary (June 30, 1946)". The Paley Center for Media. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
52. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. July 7, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
53. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. July 14, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
54. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. July 21, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
55. ^ "Orson Welles' Commentary (July 21, 1946)". The Paley Center for Media. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
56. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. July 28, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
57. ^ a b c d e Leaming, Barbara (1985). Orson Welles, A Biography. New York: Viking Press. ISBN 978-0-618-15446-3.
58. ^ "Orson Welles' Commentary (July 28, 1946)". The Paley Center for Media. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
59. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. August 4, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
60. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. August 11, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
61. ^ "Orson Welles' Commentary (August 11, 1946)". The Paley Center for Media. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
62. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. August 18, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
63. ^ "Orson Welles' Commentary (August 18, 1946)". The Paley Center for Media. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
64. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. August 25, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
65. ^ Orson Welles on the Air: The Radio Years. Catalogue for exhibition October 28–December 3, 1988. New York: The Museum of Broadcasting. 1988.
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67. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. September 8, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
68. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. September 15, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
69. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. September 22, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
70. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. September 29, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
71. ^ "Orson Welles Commentaries". Orson Welles on the Air, 1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. October 6, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2018.

* v
* t
* e

Orson Welles

* Filmography
* Radio credits
* Theatre credits
* Discography
* Bibliography
* Unrealized projects

Feature films|

* Citizen Kane (1941)
* The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
* The Stranger (1946)
* The Lady from Shanghai (1947)
* Macbeth (1948)
* Othello (1951)
* Mr. Arkadin (1955)
* Touch of Evil (1958)
* The Trial (1962)
* Chimes at Midnight (1965)
* The Immortal Story (1968)
* F for Fake (1973)
* Filming Othello (1978)
* The Other Side of the Wind (2018)

Shorts|

* Twelfth Night (1933)
* The Hearts of Age (1934)
* Citizen Kane trailer (1940)
* Around the World (1946)
* The Miracle of St. Anne (1950)
* Magic Trick (1953)
* The Dominici Affair (1955)
* Portrait of Gina (1958)
* An Evening with Orson Welles (1970)
* Orson's Bag
* Vienna (1968)
* The Merchant of Venice (1969)
* One Man Band (1968–1971)
* Moby Dick (1971)
* Orson Welles' Magic Show (1976–1985)
* The Spirit of Charles Lindbergh (1984)

Unfinished films|

* Too Much Johnson (1938)
* It's All True (1942)
* Don Quixote (1957–1969)
* The Heroine (1967)
* The Deep (1967–1970)
* Filming 'The Trial' (1981)
* The Dreamers (1980–1982)

Partly directed|

* Journey into Fear (1943)
* Follow the Boys (1944)
* Black Magic (1949)
* Three Cases of Murder (1955)
* David and Goliath (1960)
* The Southern Star (1969)

Produced|

* Citizen Kane (1941)
* The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
* It's All True (1942)
* Journey into Fear (1943)
* Jane Eyre (1943)
* The Lady from Shanghai (1947)
* Macbeth (1948)
* Othello (1951)
* Mr. Arkadin (1955)
* Don Quixote (1957–1969)
* The Deep (1967–1970)
* The Merchant of Venice (1969)
* Filming 'The Trial' (1981)
* The Dreamers (1980–1982)
* The Spirit of Charles Lindbergh (1984)

Television|

* Orson Welles' Sketch Book (1955)
* Around the World with Orson Welles (1955)
* Orson Welles and People (1956)
* The Fountain of Youth (1958)
* In the Land of Don Quixote (1964)
* The Orson Welles Show (1979)

Theatre|

* Marching Song (1932)
* Bright Lucifer
* Voodoo Macbeth (1936)
* Horse Eats Hat (1936)
* The Cradle Will Rock (1937)
* Caesar (1937–1938)
* Too Much Johnson (1938)
* Native Son (1941)
* The Mercury Wonder Show (1943)
* Around the World (1946)
* Othello (1951)
* The Lady in the Ice (1953)
* Moby Dick—Rehearsed (1955)
* Rhinoceros (1960)

Radio|

* Les Misérables (1937)
* The Shadow (1937–1938)
* The Mercury Theatre on the Air (1938)
* "Dracula" (1938)
* "The War of the Worlds" (1938)
* The Campbell Playhouse (1938–1940)
* The Orson Welles Show (1941–1942)
* Ceiling Unlimited (1942–1943)
* Hello Americans (1942–1943)
* The Orson Welles Almanac (1944)
* This Is My Best (1945)
* Orson Welles Commentaries (1945–1946)
* The Mercury Summer Theatre of the Air (1946)
* The Adventures of Harry Lime (1951–1952)
* The Black Museum (1951–52)

Spoken-word|

* The Happy Prince (1946)
* The Begatting of the President (1970)

Books|

* This Is Orson Welles (1992)
* Les Bravades (1996)

Related|

* Mercury Theatre
* Rita Hayworth (second wife)
* Paola Mori (third wife)
* Beatrice Welles (daughter)
* Oja Kodar
* Frozen Peas
* Orson Welles Paul Masson advertisements
* It's All True: Based on an Unfinished Film by Orson Welles (1993)
* Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles (2014)
* They'll Love Me When I'm Dead (2018)
* Orson Welles (crater)

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