The Orson Welles Almanac guest when he returned to the show April 11, 1943. Orson Welles's variety show was auditioned in New York December 2, 1943, with the Compton advertising agency representing Mobilgas. The cast included Welles (host) and Duke Ellington (music), with guest spots by Rita Hayworth and Jimmy Durante on an audition record. "Billboard" reported that plans were under way for scheduling the show. The 30-minute program was heard Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET January 26 – July 19, 1944. The wartime variety show presented readings from classic works, drama, music, sketch comedy, magic, mindreading and personal commentary by Welles. Many of
Orson Welles Cinema was the Welles’ Boston Film Festival (1976), which included such films as "Monty Python's Flying Circus", "And Now For Something Completely Different" and Jacques Rivette’s "Out One: Spectre". However, according to Welles Cinema staffers, many of the announced films arrived late or never appeared. Film personalities associated with the Orson Welles Cinema include the first house manager, future actor Tommy Lee Jones, during the spring of his senior year at nearby Harvard University. Producer-screenwriter John Semper ("Class Act", "Spider-Man") was an employee, as was the Brazilian film composer Pancho Sáenz, future writer-director Martha Pinson and future sound editor David E.