When we think of Orson Welles, ‘Citizen Kane’ often steals the spotlight. But before he revolutionized cinema, Welles was busy reinventing another medium entirely: radio. His groundbreaking work with The Mercury Theatre on Air didn’t just terrify America with a Martian invasion—it laid the groundwork for what would become the most influential film in cinema history.
Welles’ mastery of radio narrative techniques proved to be the perfect training ground for his later cinematic innovations. Consider how his famous ‘War of the Worlds’ broadcast used simulated news bulletins and documentary-style storytelling—techniques that would later appear in ‘Citizen Kane’s’ groundbreaking newsreel sequences. The ability to manipulate time and perspective through sound alone translated brilliantly to his use of unconventional camera angles and non-linear storytelling in film.
The sonic landscapes Welles created in radio—layering voices, music, and sound effects to build immersive worlds—directly influenced his approach to film soundscapes. His understanding of how audio could drive narrative and emotion led to ‘Kane’s’ revolutionary sound design, where overlapping dialogues and strategic use of silence became as important as the visuals.
Perhaps most significantly, radio taught Welles the power of the disembodied voice—a lesson he would apply masterfully in ‘Kane,’ where the protagonist’s true nature is revealed through multiple, often contradictory, narrators. The mystery and unreliability of narrative perspective, perfected in his radio dramas, became a central theme in his cinematic masterpiece.
Welles also brought his Mercury Theatre collaborators, including composer Bernard Herrmann and writer Howard Koch, from radio to film. These partnerships, forged in the crucible of weekly radio productions, helped create the collaborative spirit that made ‘Citizen Kane’ possible.
In essence, radio wasn’t just Welles’ first medium—it was his film school. The Mercury Theatre on Air became a laboratory where he experimented with storytelling techniques that would later revolutionize cinema. Understanding this connection helps us appreciate both how radical ‘Citizen Kane’ truly was and how the DNA of innovative radio storytelling lives on in modern filmmaking.
The next time you watch ‘Citizen Kane,’ listen carefully. In its innovative sound design, overlapping dialogues, and multiple narrative perspectives, you’ll hear echoes of those groundbreaking radio broadcasts that first taught a young Orson Welles how to paint pictures—not just with light and shadow, but with sound and silence.