I am trying to get any information on Orson Welles' Mercury Wonder Show during World War II. I have a prop that once belonged to Mr. Welles during that time and I specifically would like to know of any of the specific effects he may have performed. Any information would be appreciated.

My mom saw the show. I will ask her what she remembers. Also, there is a poster from the show downstairs at the Magic Castle. It is in the walk way that leads to the inner circle/Hello Dolly bar. The poster is like a broadside and lists the various act performed. Maybe Pete Biro will look at it and report back.

I wrote an article about Welles' show in MAGIC magazine in August ,1993. It was the 50th anniversary of the show. There is a reproduction of the broadside that Todd mentions, above, in the article. I have one in my collection. Video of parts of the show exists in the film, "Follow The Boys" released in 1944. The show was one of Welles' favorite projects.

Follows the Boys is also the last movie W.C. Fields made. In it he does some of his pool act from his Vaudeville days.

Really tragic to see Fields in Follow The Boys. He's obviously just walking through the routine. His performance of the pool act in "3 of a Kind" is the classic. Actually, his final film appearance was in "Sensations of 1945" where he does his train scene "A Night On The Caledonian Express" that he performed in the Ziegfeld Follies. (Can you tell I'm also a big Fields fan?) Both "Follow The Boys" and "Sensations" are great star-studded "morale booster" WWII films.