Follow a Star · 1937–1952

Orson Welles

Radio's first auteur

Welles is the rare case where the radio work came first and the films followed. The journey starts with him anonymous inside The Shadow, moves to the Mercury company that made him famous in a single Sunday night, and ends in Europe with him selling his own voice back to the medium as Harry Lime.

273 recordings across 5 chapters

Chapter 1 · 1937–1938

The voice nobody could place

Before the Mercury, Welles was the uncredited Lamont Cranston. He was twenty-two and already the most recognisable unnamed voice in America.

Death House Rescue
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1937 · 57 min
Series
Murder By The Dead
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1937 · 29 min
Series
The Temple Bells of Neban
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1937 · 32 min
Series
The Three Ghosts
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1937 · 31 min
Series
Circle of Death
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1937 · 28 min
Series
The League of Terror
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 31 min
Series
Sabotage
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 30 min
Series
The Society of the Living Dead
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 31 min
Series
The Poison Death
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 28 min
Series
The Phantom Voice
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 31 min
Series
The House of Horror
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 24 min
Series
Hounds in the Hills
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 29 min
Series
The Plot Murder
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 29 min
Series
The Bride of Death
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 30 min
Series
The Silent Avenger
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 30 min
Series
The White Legion
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 28 min
Series
Power of the Mind
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 29 min
Series
The Hypnotized Audience
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 26 min
Series
Death from the Deep
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 25 min
Series
Firebug
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 28 min
Series
The Blind Beggar Dies
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 23 min
Series
Power of the Mind
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 29 min
Series
White God
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 29 min
Series
Aboard the Steamship
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 28 min
Series
Murders in Wax
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 23 min
Series
Message from the Hills
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 24 min
Series
The Creeper
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 27 min
Series
Tenor with a Broken Voice
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 29 min
Series
Murder on Approval
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 27 min
Series
The Tomb of Terror
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 55 min
Series
Death Under the Chapel
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 25 min
Series
The Caverns of Death
Rko Orson Welles the Shadow Radio Recordings · 1938 · 25 min
Series

Chapter 2 · 1938

The Mercury Theatre on the Air

One season, a repertory company, and the broadcast that made a national panic out of a Sunday adaptation. What survives of the run sits here in order.

11 Dracula
The Mercury Theatre on the Air · 1938 · 59 min
Series
18 Treasure Island
The Mercury Theatre on the Air · 1938 · 1h 4m
Series
25 A Tale of Two Cities
The Mercury Theatre on the Air · 1938 · 59 min
Series
01 The 39 Steps
The Mercury Theatre on the Air · 1938 · 1h 1m
Series
08 Three Short Stories: I’m a Fool | The Open Window | My Little Boy
The Mercury Theatre on the Air · 1938 · 59 min
Series
15 Abraham Lincoln
The Mercury Theatre on the Air · 1938 · 59 min
Series
22 The Affairs of Anatol
The Mercury Theatre on the Air · 1938 · 59 min
Series
29 The Count of Monte Cristo
The Mercury Theatre on the Air · 1938 · 59 min
Series
05 The Man Who Was Thursday
The Mercury Theatre on the Air · 1938 · 59 min
Series
11 Julius Caesar (Rehearsal)
The Mercury Theatre on the Air · 1938 · 1h 2m
Series
25 The Immortal Sherlock Holmes
The Mercury Theatre on the Air · 1938 · 58 min
Series
09 Hell on Ice
The Mercury Theatre on the Air · 1938 · 1h 0m
Series
16 Seventeen
The Mercury Theatre on the Air · 1938 · 1h 0m
Series
23 Around the World in 80 Days
The Mercury Theatre on the Air · 1938 · 58 min
Series
30 War of the Worlds
The Mercury Theatre on the Air · 1938 · 57 min
Series
30 War of the Worlds (Alt Version)
The Mercury Theatre on the Air · 1938 · 1h 0m
Series
The War of the Worlds
The Mercury Theatre on the Air · 1938 · 59 min
Series
06 Heart of Darkness | Life with Father
The Mercury Theatre on the Air · 1938 · 1h 0m
Series
13 Passenger to Bali
The Mercury Theatre on the Air · 1938 · 1h 0m
Series
20 The Pickwick Papers
The Mercury Theatre on the Air · 1938 · 59 min
Series

Chapter 3 · 1946

showing 16 of 24

Mercury Summer Theatre

The company reassembled after the war, compressed to half an hour, with Welles introducing and narrating as well as playing.

07 Around the World in 80 Days [by Jules Verne]
Mercury Summer Theatre · 1946 · 29 min
Series
14 Count of Monte Cristo [by Alexandre Dumas]
Mercury Summer Theatre · 1946 · 29 min
Series
21 The Hitchhiker [by Lucille Fletcher]
Mercury Summer Theatre · 1946 · 29 min
Series
28 Jane Eyre [by Charlotte Bronte]
Mercury Summer Theatre · 1946 · 29 min
Series
05 A Passenger to Bali [by Ellis St Joseph]
Mercury Summer Theatre · 1946 · 29 min
Series
12 The Search for Henri Le Fevre [by Lucille Fletcher]
Mercury Summer Theatre · 1946 · 29 min
Series
19 Life With Adam [by Hugh Kemp]
Mercury Summer Theatre · 1946 · 30 min
Series
25 Moat Farm Murder [by Norman Corwin]
Mercury Summer Theatre · 1946 · 29 min
Series
02 Golden Honeymoon [by Ring Lardner]
Mercury Summer Theatre · 1946 · 29 min
Series
16 Abednego the Slave [by John Tucker Battle & Orson Welles]
Mercury Summer Theatre · 1946 · 29 min
Series
Abednego the Slave
Mercury Summer Theatre · 1946 · 29 min
Series
Abednego the Slave
Mercury Summer Theatre · 1946 · 29 min
Series
23 I'm a Fool & The Telltale Heart [by Sherwood Anderson & Edgar Allan Poe]
Mercury Summer Theatre · 1946 · 29 min
Series
Im a Fool - The Tell-Tale Heart
Mercury Summer Theatre · 1946 · 30 min
Series
Im a Fool - The Tell-Tale Heart
Mercury Summer Theatre · 1946 · 29 min
Series
30 Moby Dick [by Herman Melville]
Mercury Summer Theatre · 1946 · 29 min
Series

Hear the whole run →

Chapter 4 · 1951–1952

showing 30 of 164

The Lives of Harry Lime

Made in London, playing the character that had already made him money on film — the sound of a man who has worked out exactly what his voice is worth.

Too Many Crooks
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 27 min
Series
The Lives of Harry Lime (ep01, 1951-08-03) - Too Many Crooks
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 27 min
Series
Too Many Crooks
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 27 min
Series
Too Many Crooks
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 28 min
Series
See Naples and Live
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 28 min
Series
The Lives of Harry Lime (ep02, 1951-08-10) - See Naples and Live
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 28 min
Series
See Naples and Live
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 28 min
Series
See Naples and Live
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 29 min
Series
Clay Pigeon
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 29 min
Series
ime 1951-08-03 (1) Too Many Crooks
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 27 min
Series
ime 1951-08-10 (2) See Naples and Live
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 28 min
Series
ime 1951-08-17 (3) Clay Pigeon
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 29 min
Series
ime 1951-08-24 (4) Ticket to Tangier
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 27 min
Series
ime 1951-08-31 (5) Voodoo
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 28 min
Series
ime 1951-09-07 (6) Bohemian Star
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 27 min
Series
ime 1951-09-14 (7) Love Affair
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 27 min
Series
ime 1951-09-21 (8) Rogue's Holiday
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 27 min
Series
ime 1951-09-28 (9) Work of Art
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 27 min
Series
ime 1951-10-05 (10) Operation Music Box
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 28 min
Series
ime 1951-10-12 (11) Golden Fleece
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 27 min
Series
ime 1951-10-19 (12) Blue Bride
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 27 min
Series
ime 1951-10-26 (13) Every Frame Has a Silver Lining
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 28 min
Series
ime 1951-11-02 (14) Mexican Hat Trick
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 28 min
Series
ime 1951-11-09 (15) Art Is Long and Lime Is Fleeting
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 28 min
Series
ime 1951-11-16 (16) In Pursuit of a Ghost
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 28 min
Series
ime 1951-11-23 (17) Horse Play
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 28 min
Series
ime 1951-11-30 (18) 3 Farthings for Your Thoughts
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 28 min
Series
ime 1951-12-07 (19) The Third Woman
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 28 min
Series
ime 1951-12-14 (20) An Old Moorish Custom
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 28 min
Series
ime 1951-12-21 (21) It's a Knockout
Lives of Harry Lime · 1951 · 28 min
Series

Hear the whole run →

Chapter 5 · 1938–1966

showing 24 of 33

Everywhere else on the dial

Every other transfer in the archive whose own title names him: guest turns, readings, and the odd late appearance long after he had left the medium.

Between Americans (with Orson Welles)
A Sherlock Holmes Christmas Carol Radio Shows with Basil Rathbone Orson Welles · 1941 · 29 min
Series
Orson Welles, Christopher Morley
Information Please · 1942 · 28 min
Series
Orson Welles, Christopher Morley
Information Please · 1942 · 28 min
Series
Christopher Morley, Orson Welles
Information Please · 1942 · 28 min
Series
Host Orson Welles - Takes Cast to His Movie Lot
The Jack Benny Program · 1943 · 29 min
Series
Guest - Orson Welles
The Bob Hope Program · 1943 · 29 min
Series
Guest: Orson Welles (AFRS #22)
Duffys Tavern · 1943 · 30 min
Series
Guest - Orson Welles, Jane Powell
Edgar Bergen and Charlie Mccarthy · 1944 · 30 min
Series
CBS Orson Welles Radio Almanac D-Day
Radio News 1944 · 1944 · 29 min
Series
Guest - Orson Welles, Connie Haines
Afrs Gi Journal · 1944 · 31 min
Series
Halloween Show, Guest - Orson Welles
Edgar Bergen and Charlie Mccarthy · 1944 · 29 min
Series
Guest - John Robert Powers, Orson Welles
Edgar Bergen and Charlie Mccarthy · 1944 · 28 min
Series
JBGS 1944-11-26 Stop or Go - Joe E Brown host, Orson Welles, Jack Benny, Dorothy Lamour
Guest Star · 1944 · 28 min
Series
l 441215 Orson Welles Conne
Gi Journal · 1944 · 30 min
Series
GI Journal 441215 Orson Welles Conne
Gi Journal · 1944 · 23 min
Series
Robert Armbruster, Orson Welles
Command Performance · 1945 · 30 min
Series
The French Radio The Liberation Of Paris Orson Welles
Radio News 1945 · 1945 · 28 min
Series
Judy Canova, Herb Shriner, Orson Welles, Donna D
Command Performance · 1945 · 27 min
Series
FredAllen-460210 The Fred Allen Show-Les Miserables Reprise (with Orson Welles)
The Fred Allen Show · 1946 · 28 min
Series
FredAllen-460303 The Fred Allen Show-Les Miserables Reprise (Guest Orson Welles)
The Fred Allen Show · 1946 · 28 min
Series
Chicken Surplus - Orson Welles
The Fred Allen Show · 1946 · 29 min
Series
16 Abednego the Slave [by John Tucker Battle & Orson Welles]
Mercury Summer Theatre · 1946 · 29 min
Series
rn 1943-10-12 (99) Guest Orson Welles (AFRS)
Duffys Tavern · 1947 · 30 min
Series
Peggy Knutson, Orson Welles, Betty Grable
Mail Call · 1948 · 29 min
Series

Follow someone else

1932–1955

Jack Benny

The man who owned the pause

1948–1951

Lucille Ball

The sitcom, three years early

1937–1954

Agnes Moorehead

The finest actress radio had

1943–1954

Vincent Price

The gentleman thief before the horror

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