FROM THEATRICAL RADIO TO HOLLYWOOD
Orson Welles made his radio debut in the 1930s as a dramatic actor and appeared in a variety of plays and serials including “The Shadow.” He made radio history with his broadcast of H.G. Wells’ “War of the Worlds,” which caused a nationwide panic, an episode which stands today as a monument to the power of radio.
1979 RADIO INDUCTEE
On air and on the stage Welles honed his storytelling chops. “War of the Worlds” was terrifying, because Welles deftly drew from real-world reporting, devising new ways to tell stories for the ear. He leveraged those skills when he transitioned to film.
His Academy Award-winning film “Citizen Kane” was groundbreaking for its cinematography and a storyline built from multiple perspectives. Welles admits that it was his naivete about filmmaking that helped him technically achieve what others hadn’t, but it was his experience as a master storyteller that elevated the film to a masterpiece that still resonates today.
Orson Welles 1946.
Orson Welles in the studio.