After Orson Welles terrified the nation with his Halloween 1938 War of the Worlds broadcast, his name became a household word. The immediate result was sponsorship for his theatrical air company, The Mercury Theater on the Air. Campbell Soups had been sponsoring the once-famed but fading variety hour Hollywood Hotel, which closed its doors in December 1938. The soup company immediately picked up Welles and his players, and the first Campbell Playhouse under that title was Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, introduced by newsman Edwin C. Hill. The
( John Dunning )
[ On the Air: The Encyclopedia ]
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