The Mercury Theatre on the Air is an American radio anthology series created in 1938 by Orson Welles and producer John Houseman, adapting classic and contemporary literary works into hour-long dramas performed by Welles's Mercury Theatre repertory company on CBS. The series became a showcase for Welles's inventive use of sound, music and narration to build atmosphere without visual staging, and its literary ambitions set it apart from more formulaic commercial radio drama of the period. The series is most widely remembered for its October 30, 1938 broadcast adapting H. G. Wells's The War of the Worlds as a sequence of simulated news bulletins, an episode recorded separately in this atlas as its own landmark broadcast, but the series as a whole is regarded as one of the most artistically significant dramatic anthologies in the history of American radio.
Facts
Classification
Original LanguageSourced to the subject's own account AwardSourced to the subject's own account Release YearSourced to the subject's own account CountrySourced to the subject's own account FAQs
Did The Mercury Theatre on the Air ever have a sponsor?
It was sponsored by the Campbell Soup Company from December 1938 and became The Campbell Playhouse.
Yes. The Internet Archive's catalog page for the Orson Welles collection The Campbell Playhouse describes the period from December 1938 to March 1940 as the Mercury Theatre on the Air now sponsored by the Campbell Soup Company, with one-hour adaptations of literary works.
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Source The Mercury Theatre on the Air (Wikipedia)
In Medium
Source The Mercury Theatre on the Air (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Original Language
Also in Language Atlas: the original language of this subject.
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Sources
1. The Mercury Theatre on the Air (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead paragraph, third sentence (start date), en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mercury_Theatre_on_the_Air
The series began July 11, 1938, as a sustaining program on the CBS Radio network, airing Mondays at 9 pm ET.
Lead paragraph, third sentence (CBS network), en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mercury_Theatre_on_the_Air
The series began July 11, 1938, as a sustaining program on the CBS Radio network, airing Mondays at 9 pm ET.
The Mercury Theatre on the Air, Description, original language
The Mercury Theatre on the Air is an American radio anthology series created in 1938 by Orson Welles and producer John Houseman, adapting classic and contemporary literary works into hour-long dramas performed by Welles's Mercury Theatre repertory company on CBS.
Wikipedia Awards section, checked 2026-09-27
The Mercury Theatre on the Air was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1988
In Medium: Radio, Article lead sentence
The Mercury Theatre on the Air is a radio series of live radio dramas created and hosted by Orson Welles.
In Group: Radio Anthology Dramas, Lead
The Mercury Theatre on the Air is a radio series of live radio dramas created and hosted by Orson Welles.
Created By: Orson Welles, Lead
The Mercury Theatre on the Air is a radio series of live radio dramas created and hosted by Orson Welles.
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