Orson Welles

Having its turn on ABC, CBS, and NBC, this legendary radio program lived on the air from 1934-1955. Its initial format was adaptations of Broadway plays, and later it began adapting films. Lux Radio Theater’s first host was John Anthony, who played the character of the show’s fictional producer, Douglas Garrick. This convention was dropped and a bona fide star, Cecil B. DeMille took the helm. Welles entered the pantheon of elite stars of the era (Errol Flynn, Humphrey Bogart, and Ingrid Bergman to name a few) by appearing on the show for the first time on May 6, 1944, playing the lead role of Mr. Rochester in a production of Jane Eyre. The episode was broken into two parts, with the second playing the next week. On Sept. 1 of the same year, Welles appeared in the episode “The Break of Cards” with Rita Hayworth, his new bride. During this time, Welles was occupied with his participation in the campaign to re-elect FDR and in writing political essays for various publications.