The Campbell Playhouse (radio)

The Campbell Playhouse

Orson Welles (July 1938)
Genre	Anthology drama
Running time	60 minutes
Country	United States
Language(s)	English
Home station	CBS
Hosted by	Orson Welles
Starring	Orson Welles William Alland Georgia Backus Edgar Barrier Bea Benaderet Ray Collins Joseph Cotten George Coulouris Arlene Francis Alice Frost Helen Hayes Agnes Moorehead Frank Readick Everett Sloane Paul Stewart Virginia Welles Richard Wilson Eustace Wyatt
Written by	Orson Welles (writer, script editor) John Houseman (writer, script editor) Howard Koch Howard Teichmann
Directed by	Orson Welles Paul Stewart (rehearsal director)
Produced by	John Houseman Orson Welles Paul Stewart (associate producer)
Executive producer(s)	Davidson Taylor (for CBS)
Air dates	December 9, 1938 (1938-12-09) to March 31, 1940 (1940-03-31)
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	56
Audio format	Monaural sound
Opening theme	Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Minor

The Campbell Playhouse (1938–40) is a live CBS radio drama series directed by and starring Orson Welles. Produced by Welles and John Houseman, it was a sponsored continuation of The Mercury Theatre on the Air. The series offered hour-long adaptations of classic plays and novels, as well as adaptations of popular motion pictures.

When Welles left at the end of the second season, The Campbell Playhouse changed format as a 30-minute weekly series that ran for one season (1940–41).

As a direct result of the front-page headlines Orson Welles generated with his 1938 Halloween production "The War of the Worlds", Campbell's Soup signed on as sponsor. The Mercury Theatre on the Air made its last broadcast December 4, 1938, and The Campbell Playhouse began December 9, 1938.

The series made its debut with Welles's adaptation of Rebecca, with guest stars Margaret Sullavan and Mildred Natwick. The radio drama was the first adaptation of the 1938 novel by Daphne Du Maurier; the author was interviewed live from London at the conclusion of the broadcast.

Bernard Herrmann had time to compose a complete score for "Rebecca". "It was absolutely beautiful," said associate producer Paul Stewart, "and it was the first time to me that Benny was something more than a guy who could write bridges." Herrmann later used the main theme as the basis of his score for the film Jane Eyre.

Although the same creative staff stayed on, the show had a different flavor under sponsorship. This was partially due to a guest star policy which relegated the Mercury Players to supporting roles. There was a growing schism between Welles, still reaping the rewards of his Halloween eve notoriety, and Houseman, who became an employee rather than a partner. Houseman worked primarily as supervising editor on the radio shows.