The Shadow — Radio Hall Of Fame (2024)

FAQs

Was Orson Welles The Shadow? ›

When The Shadow returned in 1937, the title role was played by 22-year old Orson Welles, with Agnes Moorehead as Margo Lane. The Shadow was later played by radio veteran Bill Johnstone (1938-1943) and Chicago-born actor Bret Morrison, who assumed the role from 1945 until the show's last broadcast in 1954.

Thus, beginning on July 31, 1930, "The Shadow" was the name given to the mysterious narrator of the Detective Story Hour radio program. The narrator was initially voiced by James LaCurto, who was replaced after four months by prolific character actor Frank Readick Jr.

The radio episodes were melodramatic, with the Shadow often tracking down mass murderers and psychotic killers who were carrying out bizarre crimes.

One of the most popular radio shows in history, The Shadow went on the air in August of 1930 and ran until 1954. "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" The opening lines of the "Detective Story" program captivated listeners and are instantly recognizable even today.

Because the characters in Citizen Kane are composites, and Hearst and Davies are the most famous of Welles' muses, the shadow of Susan Alexander has followed Marion Davies for decades. In reality, the character of Susan Alexander is much closer to Ganna Walska, an opera singer whose voice was famously mediocre at best.

Although various sources were used as a model for Kane, William Randolph Hearst was the primary inspiration. Kane's response to a cable from a correspondent in Cuba—"You provide the prose poems, I'll provide the war"— is the film's most overt allusion to Hearst.

“John Wick” leading man Keanu Reeves will voice Shadow in “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” a source confirmed to Variety. He joins a cast that includes Ben Schwartz as Sonic, as well as Jim Carrey as the villainous Dr. Robotnik.

THE SHADOW KNOWS!” The weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay.

Voice portrayal

Kirk Thornton has voiced Shadow since 2010, starting with Sonic Free Riders. In Sonic Prime, Shadow is voiced by Ian Hanlin. Keanu Reeves is set to voice Shadow in the 2024 film Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

What is the first episode of The Shadow? ›

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Welles played The Shadow for about a year before moving on to a project more worthy of his burgeoning talents. In the Summer of 1938, The Mercury Theatre on the Air came to CBS with adaptations of great works of literature, with Houseman producing and Welles directing and performing in each program.

Writer Peter Barry wrote several of The Shadow Radio Show scripts, beginning in 1941, and his last one was aired on April 15, 1954, only a few months prior to this TV script. The Shadow TV pilot failed from the beginning and was never aired, nor a TV-series ever followed.

The Shadows rode a wave of popularity that lasted well into the 1980s. The band faded from the scene once again, until 2004, when the Shadows embarked on what was billed as a farewell concert tour. Another final tour took place in 2009–10, and a 50th-anniversary album, Reunited, appeared in 2009.

In 1937 it was revealed that the Shadow's real name was Kent Allard, a World War I flying ace who had supposedly died years earlier.

In Citizen Kane shadows are used to hide the identity of the reporter, Jerry Thompson, and reflect the actions of the main character, Charles Kane. In the first scene that Thompson is introduced his face is hidden by shadows. The first scene after the “News March” shows the reporters in a room with harsh backlighting.

Orson Welles began his career as a stage actor before going on to radio, creating his unforgettable version of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds. In Hollywood, he left his artistically indelible mark with such works as Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons.