The Mercury Theater

_____________________________________ THE MERCURY THEATER ON THE AIR was first heard as a Summer series of nine shows, on CBS affiliated stations and in Canada on the CBC. It was the first time a theater company brought drama to the radio. The shows featured hour-long dramatizations of classic books. It was produced and directed by Orson Welles, who also acted in the main roles, probably one of the most versatile and creative talents in the history of entertainment. When the Summer series ended with "The Man Who Was Thursday" on Sept. 5, 1938, CBS continued to sustain the series, until Dec. 4 of that year. It was during this time that the best known show from this series, in fact, the best known radio show in radio's history, was broadcast, the radio adaptation of H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds". The series didn't end on Dec. 4. At the conclusion of the Nov. 6 show, Mr. Welles announced that the Campbell's Soup Company would become sponsor. The series changed its name to THE CAMPBELL PLAYHOUSE and moved from Sunday to Friday. On December 9, 1938, the first show of the new series aired on Friday at 8:00 PM. 38/07/11 1 Dracula 38/07/18 2 Treasure Island 38/07/25 3 A Tale of Two Cities 38/08/01 4 The Thirty Nine Steps 38/08/08 5 I'm a Fool, My Little Boy, Open Window 38/08/15 6 Abraham Lincoln 38/08/22 7 The Affairs of Anatole 38/08/29 8 The Count of Monte Cristo 38/09/05 9 The Man Who Was Thursday 38/09/11 10 Julius Caesar 38/09/25 12 The Immortal Sherlock Holmes 38/10/09 14 Hell on Ice 38/10/16 15 Seventeen 38/10/23 16 Around the World in 80 Days 38/10/30 17 War of the Worlds 38/11/06 18 2 Complete Stories 38/11/13 19 A Passenger to Bali 38/11/20 20 Pickwick Papers _____________________________________