SiriusXM listeners will hear “The War of the Worlds,” the classic radio drama performed by Orson Welles that caused panic and convinced listeners 75 years ago that Martians had landed in Grovers Mill, NJ, and the United States was being attacked. “The War of the Worlds” will air on Wednesday, October 30, at 8 p.m. […]
By RAY KELLY On Tuesday, October 29, PBS’ Emmy Award winning history series “American Experience” will turn back the clock 75 years and examine Orson Welles’ infamous “The War of the Worlds” broadcast. Director-producer Cathleen O’Connell has not only made use of interviews with historians; Welles’ eldest daughter, Chris Welles Feder; and director and Welles […]
By MATTHEW ASPREY GEAR “But this way ain’t out, mister! That way!” – Jakob Zouk Orson Welles’ Mr Arkadin (1955) is an international narrative set mostly in Western Europe but also in Mexico City, Acapulco, and Tangiers. Many of the locations were convincingly faked. Welles shot most of Arkadin in Spain, on the French Riviera, […]
Updated on Oct. 14, 2013: The Guardian weighed in on the screening. “While it is a work print, not a finished film, ‘Too Much Johnson’ offers breathlessly enjoyable viewing. Joseph Cotten makes a tremendous movie debut as the play’s philandering lead, displaying unimagined guts and agility in a series of tumbles and leaps across Manhattan […]
Editor’s note: In marking the 75th anniversary of “The War of the Worlds” broadcast, Wellesnet offers a transcript of the October 30, 1938 broadcast as heard on the Columbia Broadcasting System. It was performed by Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre on the Air from a script by Howard Koch and based on the novel […]
Launched in 1974 and running for a decade on NBC, “The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts” gathered some legendary show biz names together to salute and snipe at each other. StarVista/Time Life has released a dozen of these roasts in a new six-DVD collection, which carries a suggested list price of $59.99. Martin was the genial […]
The Regent Theatre in Arlington, Massachusetts, will commemorate the 75th anniversary of “The War of the Worlds” on October 31 with a live theater event recreating Orson Welles famous radio play. The event will raise funds for “The Orson Welles Complex,” a new documentary produced and directed by Garen Daly about the legendary Cambridge art […]
By RAY KELLY Chris Welles Feder, the eldest daughter of Orson Welles, is sharing her thoughts on her father’s “The War of the Worlds” radio broadcast as the media notes the 75th anniversary on October 30. Feder has been interviewed for public television, syndicated newspaper and national magazine retrospectives. And she has been kind enough […]
Charles Foster Kane’s childhood sled is right up there with Dorothy’s ruby slippers and Dirty Harry’s .44 Magnum handgun in the pantheon of iconic film objects, according to a new book. In “Rosebud Sleds and Horses’ Heads: 50 of Film’s Most Evocative Objects,” Daily Telegraph critic Scott Jordan Harris looks at items ranging from the […]
Editor’s note: Todd Tarbox has generously agreed to share an excerpt from his acclaimed book “Orson Welles and Roger Hill: A Friendship in Three Acts” with Wellesnet.com readers. Written as a play, “Friendship” is based on recorded conversations between Welles and his mentor Hill, former headmaster at the Todd School for Boys in Woodstock, Illinois. […]
Magician David Copperfield recently talked about movies, magic and Orson Welles with Aint It Cool News. Much of the interview focused on Copperfield’s work as a technical consultant on the film “Now You See Me,” but he took time to talk about working with Welles. “Orson Welles hosted my first TV special, so imagine that. […]
Editor’s note: The hacking of our website in late April cost us several articles. Among the losses was a look at the book “When Mars Attacked,” which examines the legacy of Orson Welles’ “The War of the Worlds” radio broadcast. Author David Acord was kind enough to help us recreate the interview as it appeared. […]