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 "With Orson Welles: Stories of a Life in Film". Welles provided narration for the tracks "Defender" from Manowar's 1987 album "Fighting the World" and "Dark Avenger" on their 1982 album, "Battle Hymns". During the 1980s, Welles worked on such film projects as "The Dreamers", based on two stories by Isak Dinesen and starring Oja Kodar, and "Orson Welles' Magic Show", which reused material from his failed TV pilot. Another project he worked on was "Filming The Trial", the second in a proposed series of documentaries examining his feature films. While much was shot for these projects, none of them was