An Orson Welles Herald from "The Mercury Wonder Show," 1943....

Description

An Orson Welles Herald from "The Mercury Wonder Show," 1943. From the magic and variety show that Welles and his Mercury Theatre members conceived of, wrote, and staged in 1943 specifically for WWII soldiers; starring Welles, Joseph Cotten, Rita Hayworth, and Agnes Moorehead (among others), the herald (which Welles entirely wrote himself in a 'tongue in cheek' fashion) lists the fun acts such as "Orson the Magnificent," "The Girl with the X-Ray Eyes" (where "An Extraordinary Demonstration by Miss Rita Hayworth of Strange Powers Recognized" took place), "The Great Joseph" (where "the redoubtable J. Cotten Risks His Life"), and "Grand Finale Voodoo!" among other orphic performances; also noted are interesting credits on either side margin such as "Western Costume Company, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios," and "The Assistance League of Southern California;" included is a newspaper clipping from 'The Chicago Daily News,' dated "Saturday, August 21, 1943," discussing this show and displaying twelve images of Welles et al. performing; further included with a letter from Beatrice Welles indicating she consigned this lot directly to Heritage Auctions. (Please note there are two fold marks on the herald and edges are slightly wrinkled due to age, but the overall condition is still very good.)
22" x 7"

This show proved so successful that Welles took it on the road for about a year, though Hayworth was forced to quit early on due to film obligations, thus dating this herald from August 1943.

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