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 –
Me and Orson Welles original incidental music and staged in a style as close to that of the 1937 production as is now possible. Teachout wrote that he "was floored by the verisimilitude of the results", and that "you will never get any closer to the Welles "Julius Caesar" than by watching "Me and Orson Welles," whose DVD version also includes a special feature comprising footage of the reconstructed scenes, not all of which made the final cut." In 2015, Mercury actor Norman Lloyd (who is portrayed by Leo Bill in the film) praised Christian McKay's performance as Orson Welles as "the best rendition