Twentieth Century

The makers of Campbell's Tubes present the Campbell Playhouse, Orson Weld, producer. Good evening, this is Orson Weld. Tonight we're going to present a typical chapter in the life of a special type of theatrical manager, the man who wears the mantle of the impresario.

He's sometimes a genius, always a visionary, and is usually dressed in a haze of glory, especially if he's just created a success. And it's his particular ability to wear his aura, whether he deserves it or not.

He exists on the momentum of the past and the anticipation of the future. He's divorced from reality and lives in his own frantic world of the glorious, impractical dreams which keep bursting on the bubbling surplus of his mind.

And lest I seem to convince you that he is a type entirely removed from the usual producer, me hasten to assure you that we are all a little guilty of the same dreams and the same aspirations.

The play is 20th century, our version of 20th century which was written by those inimitable's Ben Hecht and Charlie MacArthur from the play by Charles Bruce Mill Holland. And tonight our leading lady is Elisa Landy who has appeared notably on Broadway and in a large number of successful films in the past few seasons.

Mr. Sam Levine plays Owen O'Malley and you've met him before on this program. We also have here in the studio the model for Owen O'Malley, one of the characters in the play. Not the producer, but one of the most remarkable characters on Broadway.

Richard Manie, press agent without peer and interpreter to the world for a number of the great dreamers of the theatre. He will speak in his own defense at the end of the program. And now before we begin our story a word from Ernest Chappell.