Throughout the last one-hundred years of American entertainment, few people have gotten as strong a reaction as Orson Welles. A rare quadruple threat: writer, director, actor, producer, Welles found immense success on stage, in films, on television, and in radio. In fact, he took center stage in the United States on more than one occasion… and not always to a positive reaction, but always with pushing the creative envelope in mind.
Welles managed to alienate the newspaper industry, the Hollywood studio system, and occasionally even the broadcasting networks, but he rarely had a door closed in his face.
Welles was known to work himself to the bone, and party even harder. He had romances with some of the most famous and attractive women in the country, including Virginia Nicholson, Dolores del Rio, and Rita Hayworth.
He was hailed as a genius, a charlatan, a magician, an incredible friend, an a***hole, a hard-driver, a steady worker, and a man who drank too much. Welles liked to joke that he began his career on top and spent the rest of his life working his way down. Such a strong-willed, creative person deserves an in-depth look.
Join James Scully — Radio historian and producer/host of Breaking Walls, the docu-podcast on the history of U.S. network radio broadcasting for the last of a three-part webinar that deeply explores the life and career of Orson Welles, with a strong focus on his two decades working in American and British radio.
Can't attend live? Not to worry! I'll be recording the event and sending the video out to all guests who register so you can watch it later.
In Part 3: Orson Welles In Europe (1948 - 1956) we’ll explore Welles’ time in Europe from the late 1940s through the mid 1950s, with audio clips and highlights including:
• HUAC and Leaving the U.S
• Harry Alan Towers, and Harry Lime
• Othello and The Black Museum
• Song of Myself and Theatre Royal
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Moriarity
• The BBC Sketchbook and Moby Dick
• Mr Lincoln and Mr Arkadin
• Returning to the U.S.
• Tomorrow and Yesterday
Afterward, I’ll do a Q&A — any and all questions are welcomed and encouraged! Can't attend live? Not to worry! I'll be recording the event and sending the video out to all guests who register so you can watch it later. See you (virtually) there!
REGISTER HERE FOR PART 1, happening on 7/17/2025
REGISTER HERE FOR PART 2, happening on 7/31/2025
About James
James Scully is an outgoing native New Yorker who grew up in a home with four generations of family. He had close relationships with both his grandparents and great-grandparents. This exposed him to an invaluable amount of local history and culture, helping him to become a passionate historian, writer, and director.
He’s a graduate of Xavier High School in Manhattan, Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, and spent over a decade working as an art director and copywriter for media companies such as Condé Nast and Hearst before becoming a writer, director, and historian. His history focus is both New York City history and US radio history.
James produces and hosts Breaking Walls, the docu-podcast on the history of US network radio broadcasting (https://www.thewallbreakers.com/breaking-walls). He has developed historical audio fiction productions, like the 2022 official Tribeca audio selection Burning Gotham, set in 1835 New York City (http://burninggotham.com), the Frank Sinatra biopic musical And Then I Sing (https://www.andthenising.com), and the western adventure series Frontier Gentleman (https://www.frontiergentleman.com/).
James is a member of the Salmagundi Club, has given numerous talks and webinars on various history subjects, and is a New York City sightseeing/tour guide.
Testimonials
"Fascinating look at radio at the dawn of TV" -Milan
"Extremely knowledgeable and engaging presenter." -F. Lane
"The behind-the-scenes, business aspect of radio of the late 1940's was interesting and insightful." -Maureen
"I enjoy the subject matter, and I'm a big fan of James Scully's work on Breaking Walls. It was a pleasure to listen to him and interact with him. I will definitely look for more presentations by him." -Thomas
"The presenter was excellent and the content was interesting." -Charles
"James is an excellent presenter" -Paul
