Editing Orson Welles (section)

=== War work ===
==== Goodwill ambassador ====
[[File:Welles-Reisman-Rio-1942-C.jpg|thumb|upright|Welles, accompanied by RKO vice-president Phil Reisman, arrives in [[Rio de Janeiro]] as a goodwill ambassador to Latin America (February 1942)]]
In late November 1941, Welles was appointed as a [[Goodwill Ambassador|goodwill ambassador]] to Latin America by [[Nelson Rockefeller]], [[Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs|U.S. Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs]] and a principal stockholder in RKO Radio Pictures.<ref name="Benamou">Benamou, Catherine L., ''It's All True: Orson Welles's Pan-American Odyssey''. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007 {{ISBN|978-0-520-24247-0}}</ref>{{Rp|244}} The mission of the OCIAA was [[cultural diplomacy]], promoting [[Pan-Americanism|hemispheric solidarity]] and countering the growing [[Latin America during World War II#Axis activity|influence of the Axis powers in Latin America]].<ref name="Benamou" />{{Rp|10–11}} [[John Hay Whitney]], head of the agency's Motion Picture Division, was asked by the Brazilian government to produce a documentary of the annual [[Rio Carnival]] taking place in early February 1942.<ref name="Benamou" />{{Rp|40–41}} In a telegram on December 20, 1941, Whitney wrote Welles, "Personally believe you would make great contribution to hemisphere solidarity with this project."<ref name="McBride" />{{Rp|65}}

The OCIAA sponsored cultural tours to Latin America and appointed goodwill ambassadors including [[George Balanchine]] and the [[American Ballet]], [[Bing Crosby]], [[Aaron Copland]], [[Walt Disney]], [[John Ford]] and [[Rita Hayworth]]. Welles was briefed in Washington, D.C., immediately before departure for Brazil, and film scholar Catherine L. Benamou, finds it likely he was among the goodwill ambassadors asked to gather intelligence for the U.S. government. She concludes that Welles's acceptance of Whitney's request was "a logical and patently patriotic choice".<ref name="Benamou" />{{Rp|245–247}}

In addition to working on his ill-fated film ''[[It's All True (film)|It's All True]]'', Welles was responsible for radio programs, lectures, interviews and informal talks as part of his OCIAA-sponsored cultural mission, which was regarded as a success.<ref name="Wilson"/>{{Rp|192}} He spoke on topics ranging from Shakespeare to visual art at gatherings of Brazil's elite, and his intercontinental radio broadcasts in April 1942 were particularly intended to tell U.S. audiences that [[Getúlio Vargas|President Vargas]] was a partner with the Allies. Welles's ambassadorial mission was extended to permit his travel to Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay.<ref name="Benamou" />{{Rp|247–249, 328}} Welles worked for more than 6 months with no compensation.<ref name="Benamou" />{{Rp|41, 328}}<ref name="Wilson" />{{Rp|189}}

Welles's own expectations for the film were modest. "''It's All True'' was not going to make any cinematic history, nor was it intended to," he later said. "It was intended to be a perfectly honorable execution of my job as a goodwill ambassador, bringing entertainment to the Northern Hemisphere that showed them something about the Southern one."<ref name="Leaming" />{{Rp|253}}

==== ''It's All True'' ====
{{Main|It's All True (film)}}
[[File:Welles It's All True.jpg|thumb|Welles on location in [[Fortaleza]], Brazil, while filming the "Jangadeiros" section of the unfinished film ''[[It's All True (film)|It's All True]]'']]
[[File:It's-All-True-Crew-1942.jpg|thumb|Some of Welles's ''It's All True'' film crew at the top of [[Sugarloaf Mountain]], Rio de Janeiro, in early 1942]]
In July 1941, Welles conceived ''[[It's All True (film)|It's All True]]'' as an [[Anthology|omnibus]] film mixing documentary and [[docufiction]]<ref name="Leaming" />{{Rp|221}}<ref name="Benamou" />{{Rp|27}} in a project that emphasized the [[dignity of labor]] and celebrated the cultural and ethnic diversity of North America. It was to have been his third film for RKO, following ''[[Citizen Kane]]'' (1941) and ''[[The Magnificent Ambersons (film)|The Magnificent Ambersons]]'' (1942).<ref name="South American Cinema">Benamou, Catherine, "It's All True". Barnard, Tim, and Peter Rist (eds.), ''South American Cinema: A Critical Filmography, 1915–1994''. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1996; Austin: [[University of Texas Press]], 1998 {{ISBN|978-0-292-70871-6}}</ref>{{Rp|109}} [[Duke Ellington]] was put under contract to score a segment with the working title, "The Story of Jazz", drawn from [[Louis Armstrong]]'s 1936 autobiography, ''Swing That Music''.<ref name="Teachout Duke">[[Terry Teachout|Teachout, Terry]], ''Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington''. New York: [[Penguin Group|Gotham Books]], 2013 {{ISBN|978-1-59240-749-1}}</ref>{{Rp|232–233}} Armstrong was cast to play himself in the dramatization of the history of jazz performance, from its roots to its place in American culture.<ref name="South American Cinema" />{{Rp|109}} "The Story of Jazz" was to go into production in December 1941.<ref name="Benamou" />{{Rp|119–120}}

Mercury Productions purchased the stories for other segments—"My Friend Bonito" and "The Captain's Chair"—from documentary filmmaker [[Robert J. Flaherty]].<ref name="Benamou" />{{Rp|33, 326}} Adapted by [[Norman Foster (director)|Norman Foster]] and [[John Fante]], "My Friend Bonito" was the only segment of the original ''It's All True'' to go into production.<ref name="South American Cinema" />{{Rp|109|date=April 2014}} Filming took place in Mexico September–December 1941, with Norman Foster directing under Welles's supervision.<ref name="Benamou" />{{Rp|311}}

In December 1941, the [[Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs]] asked Welles to make a film in Brazil that would showcase the  [[Brazilian Carnival|Carnaval]] in Rio.<ref name="McBride" />{{Rp|65}} With filming of "My Friend Bonito" about two-thirds complete, Welles decided he could shift the geography of ''It's All True'' and incorporate Flaherty's story into an omnibus film about Latin America—supporting the [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Roosevelt]] administration's [[Good Neighbor policy]], which Welles advocated.<ref name="Benamou" />{{Rp|41, 246}} In this revised concept, "The Story of Jazz" was replaced by the story of [[samba]], a musical form with a comparable history and one that came to fascinate Welles. He decided to do a ripped-from-the-headlines episode about the epic voyage of four poor Brazilian fishermen, the [[Jangada|jangadeiros]], who had become national heroes. Welles later said this was the most valuable story.<ref name="Welles TIOW" />{{Rp|158–159}}<ref name="Bret Wood" />{{Rp|15}}

Required to film the Carnaval in Rio in early February 1942, Welles rushed to edit ''The Magnificent Ambersons'' and finish his acting scenes in ''Journey into Fear''. He ended his lucrative [[The Orson Welles Show (radio series)|CBS radio show]]<ref name="Wilson" />{{Rp|189}} February 2, flew to Washington, D.C., for a briefing, and then lashed together a rough cut of ''Ambersons'' in Miami with editor [[Robert Wise]].<ref name="Welles TIOW" />{{Rp|369–370}} Welles recorded the film's narration the night before he left for South America: "I went to the projection room at about four in the morning, did the whole thing, and then got on the plane and off to Rio—and the end of civilization as we know it."<ref name="Welles TIOW" />{{Rp|115}}

Welles left for Brazil on February 4 and began filming in Rio on February 8, 1942.<ref name="Welles TIOW" />{{Rp|369–370}} It did not seem that Welles's other film projects would be disrupted, but as film historian Catherine L. Benamou wrote, "the ambassadorial appointment would be the first in a series of turning points leading—in 'zigs' and 'zags,' rather than in a straight line—to Welles's loss of complete directorial control over ''The Magnificent Ambersons'' and ''It's All True'', the cancellation of his contract at RKO Radio Studio, the expulsion of his company Mercury Productions from the RKO lot, and the total suspension of ''It's All True''."<ref name="Benamou" />{{Rp|46}}

In 1942 RKO Pictures underwent changes under new management. [[Nelson Rockefeller]], the primary backer of the Brazil project, left its board, and Welles's principal sponsor at RKO, studio president George Schaefer, resigned. RKO took control of ''Ambersons'' and edited it into what RKO considered a commercial format. Welles's attempts to protect his version failed.<ref name="AFI Ambersons" /><ref>Barnett, Vincent L. "Cutting Koerners: Floyd Odlum, the Atlas Corporation and the Dismissal of Orson Welles from RKO". ''Film History: An International Journal'', Volume 22, Number 2, 2010, pp. 182–198.</ref> In South America, Welles requested resources to finish ''It's All True''. Given a limited amount of black-and-white film stock and a silent camera, he was able to finish shooting the episode about the [[Jangada|jangadeiros]], but RKO refused to support further production.

"So I was fired from RKO," Welles recalled. "And they made a great publicity point of the fact that I had gone to South America without a script and thrown all this money away. I never recovered from that attack."<ref name="Estrin">Estrin, Mark W., and Orson Welles. ''Orson Welles: Interviews''. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2002. {{ISBN|1-57806-209-8}}</ref>{{Rp|188}} Later in 1942, when RKO Pictures began promoting its new corporate motto, "Showmanship In Place of Genius: A New Deal at RKO",<ref>{{cite news |last=Brady |first=Thomas F. |date=November 15, 1942 |title=Off the Hollywood Wire; Orson Welles Attempts to Appease His RKO Bosses |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1942/11/15/archives/off-the-hollywood-wire-orson-welles-attempts-to-appease-his-rko.html |work=The New York Times  |access-date=May 7, 2024 }}</ref> Welles understood it as a reference to him.<ref name="Estrin" />{{Rp|188}}

==== Radio (1942–1943) ====
[[File:Welles-Sandburg-1942.jpg|thumb|Welles performs a card trick for [[Carl Sandburg]] before the War Bond drive broadcast ''I Pledge America'' (August 1942).]]

Welles returned to the US on August 22, 1942, after more than six months in South America.<ref name="Welles TIOW" />{{Rp|372}} A week after his return<ref>''[[Detroit Free Press]]'', August 29, 1942</ref><ref>Norris, Chan, "Orson Welles on Latin America". ''[[PM (newspaper)|PM]]'', September 13, 1942, pp. 16–17.</ref> he produced and emceed the first two hours of a seven-hour coast-to-coast [[Series E bond|War Bond]] drive broadcast titled ''I Pledge America''. Airing August 29, 1942, on the [[Blue Network]], the program was presented in cooperation with the [[United States Department of the Treasury]], [[Western Union]] and the [[American Women's Voluntary Services]]. Featuring 21 dance bands and a score of stage and screen and radio stars, the broadcast raised more than $10&nbsp;million—more than $146&nbsp;million today<ref>{{cite web |url=http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=10%2C000%2C000.00&year1=1942&year2=2014 |title=Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Inflation Calculator |publisher=[[United States Department of Labor]] |access-date=August 24, 2014 |archive-date=August 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826120657/http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=10%2C000%2C000.00&year1=1942&year2=2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>—for the war effort.<ref>"Bond Show Nets 10-Million Order". ''Detroit Free Press'' ([[Associated Press]]), August 31, 1942</ref><ref>''[[Des Moines Tribune]]'', August 29, 1942</ref><ref>''[[The Washington Post]]'', August 29, 1942</ref><ref>"7 Hour Radio Show to Push War Bonds". ''[[The New York Times]]'', August 29, 1942</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CgwEAAAAMBAJ&q=William+Bacher+War+Bonds&pg=PT5 |title=100 Million in Bonds Already Sold by Radio for Gov't; Blue Net Alone Sold 16 Million |magazine=Billboard|date=September 12, 1942 }}</ref><ref>"More on War Bond Selling". ''Broadcasting'', August 31, 1942, p. 50.</ref>

On October 12, 1942, ''[[Cavalcade of America]]'' presented Welles's radio play, ''Admiral of the Ocean Sea'', an entertaining and factual look at the legend of [[Christopher Columbus]]. "It belongs to a period when hemispheric unity was a crucial matter and many programs were being devoted to the common heritage of the Americas," wrote broadcasting historian [[Erik Barnouw]]. "Many such programs were being translated into Spanish and Portuguese and broadcast to Latin America, to counteract many years of successful Axis propaganda to that area. The Axis, trying to stir Latin America against Anglo-America, had constantly emphasized the differences between the two. It became the job of American radio to emphasize their common experience and essential unity."<ref name="Barnouw">[[Erik Barnouw|Barnouw, Erik]] (ed.), ''Radio Drama in Action: 25 Plays of a Changing World''. New York: [[Farrar & Rinehart]], 1945. Written by Orson Welles in collaboration with Robert Meltzer and [[Norris Houghton]], the radio play ''Columbus Day'' appears on pp. 4–13.</ref>{{Rp|3}}

''Admiral of the Ocean Sea'', also known as ''Columbus Day'', begins with the words, "Hello Americans"—the title Welles would choose for his own series five weeks later.<ref name="Welles TIOW" />{{Rp|373}}
[[File:Ceiling-Unlimited-1942.jpg|thumb|upright=.8|Welles and Col. Arthur I. Ennis, head of the public relations branch of the [[United States Army Air Forces|Army Air Forces]], discuss plans for the [[CBS Radio]] series ''[[Ceiling Unlimited]]'' (October 1942).]]

''[[Hello Americans]]'', a CBS Radio series broadcast November 15, 1942 – January 31, 1943, was produced, directed and hosted by Welles under the auspices of the Office of the Coordinator for Inter-American Affairs. The 30-minute weekly program promoted inter-American understanding and friendship, drawing upon the research amassed for the ill-fated film, ''It's All True''.<ref>Hickerson, Jay, ''The Ultimate History of Network Radio Programming and Guide to All Circulating Shows''. Hamden, Connecticut, second edition December 1992, p. 303.</ref> The series was produced concurrently with Welles's other CBS series, ''[[Ceiling Unlimited]]'' (November 9, 1942 – February 1, 1943), sponsored by the [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]]-[[Vega Aircraft Corporation|Vega]] Corporation. The program was conceived to glorify the aviation industry and dramatize its role in World War II. Welles's shows were regarded as significant contributions to the war effort.<ref name="Museum of Broadcasting" />{{Rp|64}}
Throughout the war Welles worked on patriotic radio programs including ''[[Command Performance (radio series)|Command Performance]]'', ''G.I. Journal'', ''[[Mail Call (radio program)|Mail Call]]'', ''Nazi Eyes on Canada'', ''Stage Door Canteen'' and ''Treasury Star Parade''.

==== ''The Mercury Wonder Show'' ====
{{Main|The Mercury Wonder Show}}

[[File:Mercury-Wonder-Show-Welles.jpg|thumb|left|upright=.8|"Hello, suckers!" Orson the Magnificent welcomes the audience to ''[[The Mercury Wonder Show]]'' (August 1943).]]
In early 1943, the two concurrent radio series (''[[Ceiling Unlimited]]'', ''[[Hello Americans]]'') that Welles created for [[CBS Radio|CBS]] to support the war effort had ended. Filming had wrapped on the 1943 [[Jane Eyre (1943 film)|film adaptation]] of ''[[Jane Eyre]]'', for which he received $100,000; that fee, in addition to the income from his guest-star roles in radio, made it possible for Welles to fulfill a lifelong dream. He approached the War Assistance League of Southern California and proposed a show that evolved into a big-top spectacle, part [[circus]] and part [[magic (illusion)|magic show]]. He offered his services as magician and director,<ref name="Magic">Charvet, David, "Orson Welles and The Mercury Wonder Show". ''[[Magic (American magazine)|Magic, An Independent Magazine for Magicians]]'', Volume 2 Number 12, August 1993</ref>{{Rp|40}} and invested $40,000 in an extravaganza he co-produced with his friend Cotten: ''[[The Mercury Wonder Show|The Mercury Wonder Show for Service Men]]''. Members of the armed forces were admitted free of charge, while the public had to pay.<ref name="Genii" />{{Rp|26}} The show entertained 1,000 service members each night, and proceeds went to the War Assistance League, a charity for military service personnel.<ref name="Billboard" />
[[File:Welles-Draft-1943.jpg|thumb|upright=.8|Welles leaves his Army physical after being judged unfit for military service (May 6, 1943).]]
The development of the show coincided with the resolution of Welles's oft-changing [[Selective Service System|draft status]] in May 1943, when he was finally declared 4-F—unfit for military service—for medical reasons. "I felt guilty about the war," Welles told biographer [[Barbara Leaming]]. "I was guilt-ridden about my civilian status."<ref name="Leaming Hayworth">Leaming, Barbara, ''If This Was Happiness: A Biography of Rita Hayworth''. New York: Viking, 1989 {{ISBN|0-670-81978-6}}</ref>{{Rp|86}} He had been publicly hounded about his patriotism since ''Citizen Kane'', when the Hearst press began persistent inquiries about why Welles had not been drafted.<ref name="McBride" />{{Rp|66–67}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://framework.latimes.com/2011/09/28/orson-welles-rejected-by-army/ |title=Orson Welles Rejected by Army (May 6, 1943) |publisher=[[Los Angeles Times]], September 28, 2011 |access-date=August 24, 2014 |date=September 28, 2011 |archive-date=July 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714170629/http://framework.latimes.com/2011/09/28/orson-welles-rejected-by-army/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wellesnet.com/?p=6392 |title=70 years ago: Orson Welles's patriotism, military service made headlines |publisher=Wellesnet, May 3, 2013 |access-date=August 24, 2014 |date=May 3, 2013 |archive-date=December 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205164505/https://www.wellesnet.com/70-years-ago-orson-welles%e2%80%99-patriotism-military-service-made-headlines/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Welles-Hayworth-Cotten-1943.jpg|thumb|upright=.8|[[Rita Hayworth]] took a lunch-hour break from the set of ''[[Cover Girl (film)|Cover Girl]]'' to marry Welles, with best man Cotten (September 7, 1943).<ref name="Leaming Hayworth"/>{{Rp|91}}]]
''The Mercury Wonder Show'' ran August 3 – September 9, 1943, in an 80-by-120-foot tent<ref name="Billboard">{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lgwEAAAAMBAJ&q=Mercury+Wonder+Show+tent&pg=PT3 |title=Welles Dishes Magic, Sawdust at Mercury Bow |last=Abbott|first= Sam|magazine= [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=August 14, 1943 }}</ref> located at 900 [[Cahuenga Boulevard]], in the heart of Hollywood.<ref name="Welles TIOW" />{{Rp|377}}<ref name="Genii">{{cite magazine|last=Wheldon|first= Wynn Pierce|title=Orson Welles the Magician|magazine=[[Genii (magazine)|Genii, The Conjurors' Magazine]]|volume= 63|number=2|date=February 15, 2000}}</ref>{{Rp|26}} At intermission on September 7, 1943, [[KMPC#KMPC-710|KMPC]] radio interviewed audience and cast members of ''The Mercury Wonder Show''—including Welles and [[Rita Hayworth]], who were married earlier that day. Welles remarked that ''The Mercury Wonder Show'' had been performed for 48,000 members of the armed forces.<ref name="Welles TIOW" />{{Rp|378}}<ref name="Bret Wood" />{{Rp|129}}

==== Radio (1944–45) ====
The idea of doing a radio variety show occurred to Welles after his success as substitute host of consecutive episodes (March 14 – April 4, 1943) of ''[[The Jack Benny Program]]'', radio's most popular show, when [[Jack Benny|Benny]] contracted pneumonia on a performance tour of military bases.<ref name="Brady" />{{Rp|368|date=May 2014}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://radiogoldindex.com/cgi-local/p2.cgi?ProgramName=The%20Jack%20Benny%20Program%20For%20Grape-Nuts%20and%20Grape-Nuts%20Flakes |title=The Jack Benny Program for Grape-Nuts and Grape-Nuts Flakes |publisher=RadioGOLDINdex |access-date=August 24, 2014 |archive-date=October 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025194304/http://radiogoldindex.com/cgi-local/p2.cgi?ProgramName=The%20Jack%20Benny%20Program%20For%20Grape-Nuts%20and%20Grape-Nuts%20Flakes |url-status=live }}</ref> A half-hour variety show broadcast January 26 – July 19, 1944, on the Columbia Pacific Network, ''[[The Orson Welles Almanac]]'' presented sketch comedy, magic, mindreading, music and readings from classic works. Many of the shows originated on U.S. military camps, where Welles and his repertory company and guests entertained the troops with a reduced version of ''The Mercury Wonder Show''.<ref name="Museum of Broadcasting" />{{Rp|64}}<ref name="Almanac Part 1">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/1944OrsonWellesRadioAlmanacpart1 |title=Orson Welles Almanac – Part 1 |publisher=[[Internet Archive]] |access-date=August 24, 2014}}</ref><ref name="Almanac Part 2">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/1944OrsonWellesRadioAlmanacpart2 |title=Orson Welles Almanac – Part 2 |publisher=Internet Archive |access-date=August 24, 2014}}</ref> The performances of the [[The Orson Welles Almanac#All Star Jazz Group|all-star jazz group]] Welles brought together for the show were so popular that the band became a regular feature and was an important force in reviving interest in [[Dixieland|traditional New Orleans jazz]].<ref name="Bigard">[[Barney Bigard|Bigard, Barney]], and Martyn, Barry (ed.), ''With Louis and the Duke: The Autobiography of a Jazz Clarinetist''. New York: [[Oxford University Press]], 1986. {{ISBN|0-19-520637-1}}</ref>{{Rp|85}}

Welles was placed on the U.S. Treasury payroll on May 15, 1944, as an expert consultant for the duration of the war, with a retainer of $1 a year.<ref name="Oakland Trib">{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=May 17, 1944 |title=Orson Welles in War Loan Drive |newspaper=Oakland Tribune}}</ref> On the recommendation of President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], Secretary of the Treasury [[Henry Morgenthau Jr.|Henry Morgenthau]] asked Welles to lead the Fifth War Loan Drive, which opened June 12 with a radio show on all four networks, broadcast from Texarkana, Texas. Including a statement by the President,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://docs.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/061244.html |title=Opening Fifth War Loan Drive, June 12, 1944 |publisher=[[Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum]] |access-date=August 24, 2014 |archive-date=December 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141202140258/http://docs.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/061244.html |url-status=live }}</ref> the program defined the causes of the war and encouraged Americans to buy $16&nbsp;billion in [[Series E bond|bonds]] to finance the [[Normandy landings]]. Welles produced additional war loan drive broadcasts on June 14 from the [[Hollywood Bowl]], and June 16 from [[Soldier Field]], Chicago.<ref name="Brady" />{{Rp|371–373}} Americans purchased $21&nbsp;billion in War Bonds during the Fifth War Loan Drive, which ended on July 8, 1944.<ref name="Duke">{{cite web |url=http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/adaccess/guide/wwii/bonds-loans |title=Brief History of World War Two Advertising Campaigns War Loans and Bonds |publisher=[[Duke University Libraries]] |access-date=August 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911083904/http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/adaccess/guide/wwii/bonds-loans/ |archive-date=September 11, 2014 }}</ref>
[[File:Independent-Voters-Committee-of-the-Arts-and-Sciences-for-Roosevelt-poster.jpg|thumb|left|upright=.8|Welles introduced Vice President [[Henry A. Wallace]] at a [[Madison Square Garden (1925)|Madison Square Garden]] rally advocating a fourth term for President Franklin D. Roosevelt (September 21, 1944).<ref name="Welles TIOW" />{{Rp|385}}]]

Welles campaigned ardently for Roosevelt in 1944. A longtime supporter and campaign speaker for FDR, he occasionally sent the president ideas and phrases that were sometimes incorporated into what Welles characterized as "less important speeches".<ref name="Brady" />{{Rp|372, 374}} One of these was the joke in what came to be called the [[Fala speech]], Roosevelt's nationally broadcast September 23 address to the International [[Teamsters]] Union which opened the [[U.S. presidential election, 1944|1944 presidential campaign]].<ref name="Leaming" />{{Rp|292–293}}<ref>{{cite web |title=FDR, Orson Welles, and "the Fala speech" |url=https://prorhetoric.com/fdr-orson-welles-and-the-fala-speech/ |website=Pro Rhetoric |date=September 25, 2020 |access-date=February 22, 2024}}</ref>

Welles campaigned for the Roosevelt–Truman ticket almost full-time in the fall of 1944, traveling to nearly every state<ref name="Brady" />{{Rp|373–374}} to the detriment of his health<ref name="Leaming" />{{Rp|293–294}} and at his own expense.<ref name="Higham" />{{Rp|219}} In addition to his radio addresses he filled in for Roosevelt, opposite Republican presidential nominee [[Thomas E. Dewey]], at ''The New York Herald Tribune Forum'' broadcast October 18 on the Blue Network.<ref name="Welles TIOW" />{{Rp|386}}<ref name="Leaming" />{{Rp|292}} Welles accompanied FDR to his last campaign rally, speaking at an event November 4 at Boston's [[Fenway Park]] before 40,000 people,<ref name="Leaming" />{{Rp|294}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/1944/11/05/fenway-park-spectacle-color-leaders-rally-for-fdr/7kMRex8WrLh5pBBcXglf2H/story.html |title=Fenway Park is spectacle of color as leaders rally for FDR |publisher=Ainley, Leslie G., [[Boston Globe]], November 5, 1944 |access-date=September 21, 2014 |archive-date=June 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629161922/http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/1944/11/05/fenway-park-spectacle-color-leaders-rally-for-fdr/7kMRex8WrLh5pBBcXglf2H/story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and took part in a historic election-eve campaign broadcast November 6 on all four radio networks.<ref name="Welles TIOW" />{{Rp|387}}<ref name="Dunning">[[John Dunning (radio historian)|Dunning, John]], ''On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio''. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 1998 {{ISBN|978-0-19-507678-3}} hardcover; revised edition of ''Tune In Yesterday'' (1976)</ref>{{Rp|166–167}}

On November 21, 1944, Welles began his association with ''[[This Is My Best]]'', a CBS radio series he would produce, direct, write and host (March 13 – April 24, 1945).<ref name="Goldin Best">{{cite web |url=http://radiogoldindex.com/cgi-local/p2.cgi?ProgramName=This%20Is%20My%20Best |title=This Is My Best |publisher=RadioGOLDINdex |access-date=September 21, 2014 |archive-date=April 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403213725/http://radiogoldindex.com/cgi-local/p2.cgi?ProgramName=This%20Is%20My%20Best |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="TIMB Internet Archive">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/ThisIsMyBest |title=This Is My Best |publisher=Internet Archive |access-date=September 21, 2014}}</ref> He wrote a political column called ''Orson Welles' Almanac'' (later titled ''Orson Welles Today'') for ''[[New York Post|The New York Post]]'' January–November 1945, and advocated the continuation of FDR's New Deal policies and international vision, particularly the establishment of the UN and world peace.<ref name="McBride" />{{Rp|84}}

On April 12, 1945, the day Roosevelt died, the Blue-ABC network marshalled its executive staff and national leaders to pay homage to the president. "Among the outstanding programs which attracted wide attention was a special tribute delivered by Orson Welles", reported ''[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]]'' magazine.<ref>"Presidential Coverage Wins High Praise". ''[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]]'' April 23, 1945, page 68.</ref> Welles spoke at 10:10 p.m Eastern War Time, from Hollywood, and stressed the importance of continuing FDR's work: "He has no need for homage and we who loved him have no time for tears ... Our fighting sons and brothers cannot pause tonight to mark the death of him whose name will be given to the age we live in."<ref>"Radio Handles Tragic News with Dignity". ''Broadcasting'', April 16, 1945, page 18.</ref> Welles presented another special broadcast on the Roosevelt's death the following evening: "We must move on beyond mere death to that free world which was the hope and labor of his life."<ref name="Welles TIOW" />{{Rp|390}}<ref name="Callow Hello" />{{Rp|242}}

He dedicated the April 17 episode of ''[[This Is My Best]]'' to Roosevelt and the future of America on the eve of the [[United Nations Conference on International Organization]].<ref name="Welles TIOW" />{{Rp|390}}<ref name="Goldin Best" /><ref name="TIMB Internet Archive" /> Welles was an advisor and correspondent for the Blue-ABC radio network's coverage of the San Francisco conference that formed the UN, taking place April 24 – June 23, 1945. He presented a half-hour dramatic program written by [[Ben Hecht]] on the opening day of the conference, and on Sunday afternoons (April 29 – June 10) he led a weekly discussion from the [[Bill Graham Civic Auditorium|San Francisco Civic Auditorium]].<ref>"Local Interest Coverage Aim of Independents at Conference". ''[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]]'', April 2, 1945, page 20.</ref><ref name="Blue-ABC Ad">Display advertisement, "What America's Youngest News Network Is Doing About the Greatest News Story of Our Time". American Broadcasting Company, Inc., The Blue Network. ''Broadcasting'', April 30, 1945, pp. 22–23</ref>