Orson Welles Welles had not been drafted. "The Mercury Wonder Show" ran August 3 – September 9, 1943, in an 80-by-120-foot tent located at 9000 Cahuenga Boulevard, in the heart of Hollywood. At intermission September 7, 1943, 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 approximately 48,000 members of the U.S. armed forces. The idea of doing a radio variety show occurred to Welles after his success as substitute host of four consecutive episodes (March 14 –
Around the World with Orson Welles existing footage of Welles could be used. The seventh episode was not originally completed or broadcast. For many years, it was believed that the third episode, "Revisiting Vienna", was lost. (The episode is also known as "The Third Man Returns to Vienna"; Welles starred in "The Third Man" in 1949.) In June 2011, the episode was found in the archives at the Wisconsin Historical Society Center for Film and Theater Research in Madison, Wisconsin by Ray Langstone, completing the series. Orson Welles also worked on a seventh episode entitled "The Tragedy of Lurs", which was not completed. The documentary was