Editing Orson Welles (section)

==== 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''.