Les Misérables (radio play)

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Orson Welles (1938)

Les Misérables is a seven-part radio drama series by Orson Welles that in 1937 the United States in the radio program of Mutual Broadcasting System aired.

background

The radio play adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables , which was told from the first-person perspective, was Welles' first work as a writer and director for the radio. The seven thirty-minute radio drama episodes could be heard from July 23 to September 3, 1937 on Fridays at 10 p.m. local time.

Orson Welles adapted Victor Hugo's novel, directed the radio play series and played the role of Jean Valjean . In addition to Welles, Martin Gabel as Javert , Alice Frost as Fantine and Virginia Nicolson, Welles' first wife, could be heard as the adult Cosette in other leading roles . Supporting cast members included Ray Collins , Agnes Moorehead , Everett Sloane , Betty Garde , Hiram Sherman , Frank Readick , Richard Widmark , Richard Wilson and William Alland .

The radio play was the radio debut of the Welles-directed Mercury Theater . The biographer Simon Callow described Welles' radio play Les Misérables as "one of his earliest, finest and most important achievements for radio".

Episodes

The seven episodes of Les Misérables are featured in an annotated résumé of Orson Welles, written by Jonathan Rosenbaum for the book This is Orson Welles (1992):

# date episode
1 July 23, 1937 Chapter 1: The Bishop
2 July 30, 1937 Chapter 2: Javert
3 August 6, 1937 Chapter 3: The Process
4th August 13, 1937 Chapter 4: Cosette
5 August 20, 1937 Chapter 5: The Tomb (initially announced as 'Marius')
6th August 27, 1937 Chapter 6: The Barricade
7th September 3, 1937 Chapter 7: Finale

literature

  • Jay Hickerson: The Ultimate History of Radio Programming and Guide to All Circulating Shows. 2nd Edition. Hamden CT 1992.
  • Orson Welles, Peter Bogdanovich, Jonathan Rosenbaum: This is Orson Welles. HarperCollins Publishers, New York 1992, ISBN 0-06-016616-9 .
  • Simon Callow: Orson Welles: Hello Americans. Viking Penguin, New York 2006, ISBN 0-670-87256-3 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Jay Hickerson: The Ultimate History of Network Radio Programming and Guide to All Circulating Shows . 2nd Edition. Hamden, Connecticut 1992, pp. 232 .
  2. see the radio program. In: The New York Times , July 25, 1937
  3. ^ A b Orson Welles, Peter Bogdanovich, Jonathan Rosenbaum: This is Orson Welles . HarperCollins Publishers, New York 1992, ISBN 0-06-016616-9 .
  4. Simon Callow: Orson Welles: Hello Americans . Viking Penguin, New York 2006, ISBN 0-670-87256-3 .