BW - EP154—006: Stars on Suspense in 1944—Listen To Orson Welles Take Over Suspense in May 1944

Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio Broadcasting

Support Breaking Walls at https://www.patreon.com/thewallbreakers In May of 1944 Orson Welles appeared on Suspense three times. The first of which was on May 4th in “The Dark Tower,” a play originally written by George S. Kaufman and Alexander Woollcott. Adapted for Suspense by Peter Barry, Woollcott had died in January of 1943. In many ways, the play is a satire of Welles’ friend, John Barrymore, and it's ripe with innuendo and other inside humor. Featured in this episode as Jessica was Jeanette Nolan. Like so often in Bill Spier’s productions of Suspense, Hans Conreid played a villain. Here’s fellow actor Byron Kane talking about Orson Welles and Hans Conreid. On May 15th, 1944, Orson Welles was placed on the U.S. Treasury payroll to consult for the duration of the war. His pay: an honorary one dollar. On May 18th Welles starred in part one of “Donovan’s Brain,” based on the 1942 Curt Siodmak novel. Welles played Dr. Patrick Cory, who successfully learns to keep a brain alive outside the human body. The sound-effects were outstanding for their time. “Donovan’s Brain” is considered one of the first adult science-fiction broadcasts. After this evening’s show, Orson Welles and Bill Spier were having dinner at the Players Restaurant in Los Angeles when Spier suffered his second major heart attack in ten months. He was immediately placed on bed rest. In the studio he was replaced by CBS executive Robert Lewis Shayon. Although he’s once again recovered, heart problems continued to plague Bill Spier for the rest of his life. Just two days after the west coast broadcast of part two of “Donovan’s Brain”, Welles spoofed it on his Orson Welles Almanac program. Performed live at the Air Transport Command in Long Beach, California, among those in the cast for the parody were Suspense regulars John McIntire and Hans Conried. For more info on this time in Welles’ career, tune into Breaking Walls episode 104.