Season 1

(1955)
Back to season list

Episodes 7

1 The Early Days

April 24, 1955

15m

Welles discusses a timely earthquake, first-night audiences at the Gate Theatre in Dublin, and how he came to be an actor.

2 Critics

May 8, 1955

15m

Welles talks about a Boston performance of Five Kings, the consequences of Percy Hammond's negative review of the Voodoo Macbeth, and a curse placed on the film It's All True.

3 The Police

May 22, 1955

15m

Welles relates the story of Isaac Woodard, a decorated black World War II veteran who was blinded in a brutal 1946 beating by South Carolina police.

4 Houdini/John Barrymore/Voodoo Story/The People I Missed

June 5, 1955

15m

Prompts used by actors and others; remembering Harry Houdini; observations on gender differences in the appreciation of magic tricks; John Barrymore.

5 The War Of The Worlds

June 19, 1955

15m

The famous 1938 Mercury Theatre broadcast mistaken by many listeners for a real Martian invasion, and the consequent skepticism during the presentation of Norman Corwin's Between Americans on December 7, 1941; and the opening night of the Mercury stage flop, Danton's Death.

6 Bullfighting

July 3, 1955

15m

Welles tells the true story of Bonito the bull. Robert Flaherty's story was partially filmed in 1942 for Welles's unfinished film, It's All True.

7 Postscript

May 7, 1955

15m

Sorry we have no overview for this episode! Help us to improve our docs.

© All Rights Reserved 2025