Mercury Theatre
Repertory companyWikipedia
81
MENTIONS
31
EPISODES
29
PODCASTS
Search complete. 81 mentions across 31 episodes found for "Mercury Theatre".
Nov 4, 2026
Joseph McBrideGUEST
And Philip Dunn and John Hausman, I've seen these letters.
Joseph McBrideGUEST
Hausman was his partner in the Mercury Theater.
Joseph McBrideGUEST
They basically said, I'm sorry for know all these causes that i supported but you didn't have to name names so he must have written a letter like that to cbs he worked for desi lou uh in 55 he did i love lucy for lucille desi arnaz and then uh they did a
Forrest MillerHOST
uh
Melvyn BraggHOST
So
John David RhodesGUEST
how did he assemble the crew? He drew on some of the talents that he had assembled at the Mercury Theater, the repertory theater he had run in New York, again with Hausman.
John David RhodesGUEST
So he brought a lot.
John David RhodesGUEST
It was important to him to bring actors who mostly had not appeared before the camera up until this point.
William JohnstoneSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Orson Welles.
William JohnstoneSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater on the air in The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells.
Martin GabelSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
This is Orson Welles speaking from London.
speaker_3SOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
As the third man.
Martin GabelSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Yes, I know.
speaker_3SOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Stand by, everybody.
speaker_3SOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Mercury Theater on the air presents Orson Welles.
speaker_3SOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
as Count Dracula in his own version of Bram Stoker's great novel, Dracula.
Jim RomanovichHOST
In 1938, Orson Welles was a much-in-demand stage and radio performer, starring in the hit series The Shadow, which we feature here on Radio Retropolis.
Jim RomanovichHOST
Because of the success of that, and from his stage successes with Mercury Theatre, CBS Radio invited Welles to create a summer show, a summer series, that was to be called Mercury Theatre on the Air.
Jim RomanovichHOST
The series itself began on July 11, 1938, with their very first production.
Jim RomanovichHOST
Dracula.
1 HR 6 MINS LATER
Jim RomanovichHOST
Great role for him there.
Jim RomanovichHOST
And of course, Orson Welles played Dr. John Seward and Count Dracula.
Jim RomanovichHOST
Well, thanks for joining me for this very special podcast from Mercury Theatre on the Air's presentation of Bram Stoker's Dracula from July 11th, 1938 on Radio Retropolis Presents.
John CenaADVERTISER
John Cena here.
Darren MarlarHOST
That evening, fans tuned in to their comedy monologue but began switching stations when singer and movie star Nelson Eddy was singing.
Darren MarlarHOST
Even though it was made clear at the start of Mercury Theatre's War of the Worlds show that it was a dramatization, audiences who switched over to CBS from NBC wouldn't have known that because the beginning of the show sounded like a typical music program.
Darren MarlarHOST
until a nervous announcer suddenly interrupted with news of a disturbance on the surface of Mars.
Darren MarlarHOST
In the aftermath of the show, CBS responded to public outcry by pointing to reminders throughout the broadcast that it was a performance.
Darren MarlarHOST
Let yourself be taken back in time to the 1930s, when radio was king, and imagine what it must have been like without television news and only your imagination to fill in the blanks.
Darren MarlarHOST
even today, you'll find the first section of the show to be surprisingly effective, and I can pretty much promise you that it can still give you a few nice chills even after all this time.
Darren MarlarHOST
When Weird Darkness Returns, H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds, as presented by Mercury Theatre and Orson Welles.
speaker_1SOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Columbia Broadcasting System and affiliated stations present Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater on the air in The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells.
speaker_4ADVERTISER
See Vrbo.com slash trust for details.
Frank GallopNARRATOR
The Columbia Broadcasting System takes pleasure in bringing you the 12th in its series of weekly broadcasts featuring Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre on the air.
Frank GallopNARRATOR
Tonight, Broadway's and radio's most celebrated theatrical producing company brings to life the best-known character in detective fiction, the immortal Sherlock Holmes.
Frank GallopNARRATOR
The play is Orson Welles' own adaptation for radio of William Gillette's enduring melodrama, based on the famous stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Frank GallopNARRATOR
Before the performance begins, here is the director of the Mercury Theatre, the star and producer of these unique broadcasts, Orson Welles.
Orson WellesVOICE_ACTOR
Good evening.
Orson WellesVOICE_ACTOR
Well, tonight it's back to Baker Street.
Orson WellesVOICE_ACTOR
We'd know them anywhere and call them easily by name.
Larry ConnersHOST
Now, Larry Conners with the story behind the story.
speaker_18SOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
The Columbia Broadcasting System and its affiliated stations present Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater on the air in The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells.
speaker_4NARRATOR
The War of the Worlds
speaker_18SOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Ladies and gentlemen, the director of the Mercury Theater and star of these broadcasts, Orson Welles.
Orson WellesSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
We know now that in the early years of the 20th century, this world was being watched closely by intelligences greater than man's.
Orson WellesSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
On this particular evening, October 30th, The Crosley service estimated that 32 million people were listening in on radios.
Jim RomanovichHOST
He soon broke into radio.
Jim RomanovichHOST
Wells and his good friend John Houseman founded the Mercury Theatre in 1937.
Jim RomanovichHOST
Orson Welles, now, is probably best known for portraying Lamont Cranston in the Shadow in the Shadow radio series, which began September 26, 1937.
Jim RomanovichHOST
His tenure ran until September 18, 1938.
Scott JenningsHOST
There was, however, a cast of actors and a 23-year-old man named Orson Welles.
Scott JenningsHOST
His Mercury Theater was performing a drama called The War of the Worlds, turning a science fiction story into something that sounded an awful lot like breaking news.
Scott JenningsHOST
They had it all.
Scott JenningsHOST
Dance music interrupted by bulletins.
Scott JenningsHOST
There was, however, a cast of actors and a 23-year-old man named Orson Welles.
Scott JenningsHOST
His Mercury Theater was performing a drama called The War of the Worlds, turning a science fiction story into something that sounded an awful lot like breaking news.
Scott JenningsHOST
They had it all.
Scott JenningsHOST
Dance music interrupted by bulletins.
21 more episodes mention Mercury Theatre.
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