OW on Suspense

[Terry]

Orson serves up thrillers and shockers, with a side of corn and ham.

http://www.archive.org/details/OrsonWellesOnSuspense

[Terry]

Here's Donovan's Brain, the campy two-parter of Suspense from 1944. When it was released on LP in 1983, Welles won the Grammy for Best Spoken Word, Documentary, or Drama Recording.

Here also is the heavy-handed parody Welles did on his Almanac series, which nonetheless demonstrates his impressive vocal flexibility.

Part 1 http://www.box.net/shared/0fcejeb17e
Part 2 http://www.box.net/shared/ql338vtcbq
Almanac Spoof http://www.box.net/shared/09o8rflgav

[Wellesnet]

The nine Welles Suspense programs:

09/02/42 "The Hitchhiker" by Lucille Fletcher

09/23/43 "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell

09/30/43 "The Lost Special" by Arthur Conan Doyle

10/07/43 "Philomel Cottage" by Agatha Christie

10/19/43 "Lazarus Walks" by Robert Richards

04/13/44 "The Marvelous Barastro" by Ben Hecht

05/04/44 "The Dark Tower" by Alexander Woollcott and George S. Kaufman

05/18/44 "Donovan's Brain" (part1) by Curt Siodmak

05/25/44 "Donovan's Brain" (part2) by Curt Siodmak

[Wich2]

For those who need to be enticed to listen:

In DARK TOWER, Orson plays Jack Barrymore - and ribs Orson Welles! DONOVAN'S is great barnstorming spooky fun, and it's a treat to get the longer format; and HITCHHIKER is one of the understated masterpieces of the medium.

Best,
-Craig

[Le Chiffre]

HITCHHIKER is a great show for sure. That's why I'm glad Criterion included it on their Welles radio Laserdisc some years ago. He did it three times in all, and I like the way he acknowledges that it is called by some an "Orson Welles role". He owned it.

I like THE DARK TOWER a lot too, yet another Welles nod to the Algonquin Round Table. Perfect for radio. Interesting how many George S. Kauffmann things Welles did.

But my favorite here is probably the creepy/campy DONOVAN'S BRAIN. Yes, taking the two parts together, it's probably the last hour-long drama Welles did on radio. Is that a Ronald Coleman imitation he's doing? OW won one of his two Grammy awards for the LP reissue, which I seem to remember has somewhat better sound quality than the version at Archive,org, although the one at Archive is good enough, as are most of the other shows, with the exception of PHILOMEL COTTAGE:

THE HICHHIKER - Pretty Good 6
THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME - Good 7
THE LOST SPECIAL - Good
PHILOMEL COTTAGE - Pretty Bad 3
LAZARUS WALKS - Fair 5
THE MARVELOUS BARASTRO - Fair 5
THE DARK TOWER - Good 7
DONOVAN'S BRAIN (parts 1&2) - Good 7

[Wellesnet]

"Philomel Cottage" in decent sound:


Still somewhat rough, but better than we've ever heard before...maybe a 6 or so. Welles's co-star here is Geraldine Fitzgerald, mother of Michael Lindsay-Hogg, long rumored to be Welles's son. Michael would have been around five or so at this time. This is one of two Agatha Christie adaptations Welles did, the other being "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd", for the Campbell Playhouse in 1939.

***

Here's another OTR performance of Philomel, from 1946. Not with Welles, but it does star Lilli Palmer, Welles's Zarah Valeska in TOSOTW:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ_Vw8jfeRQ