Rehearsal and previews The Mercury Wonder Show

george (shorty) chirello, joseph cotten, eleanor counts , orson welles

the show s name nod howard thurston s wonder show of universe. welles adapted @ least 5 of thurston s illusions own show, , adopted use of showgirls stage extras.

for mercury wonder show, welles selected rita hayworth, 1 of popular women in motion pictures, chief assistant. in april 1943 began teaching illusions hayworth, living him. couple practiced houdini substitution trunk routine in 125-seat private theater of bill larsen, successful los angeles attorney , magician operated thayer s studio of magic.

other cast included co-producer joseph cotten and, in stage debut comedy assistant, welles s chauffeur, george (shorty) chirello. welles hired keye luke — accomplished visual artist actor — design culturally authentic scenery , graphics, in contrast fake-oriental visuals typically seen in western magic shows.

the show rehearsed 17 weeks. welles leased playtime theatre (later las palmas theatre), 350-seat house in hollywood. welles planned moderate-sized magic show, open service members, run 6 weeks @ theatre , tour army camps. welles , cast rehearsed 7 p.m. until 2 or 3 a.m.; home, welles spend rest of night improving magic act , working out new bits of business. tested 18 different openings before satisfied.

previews began in june. show came welles began calling biggest magic show on earth , , cast , crew grew 31 people. welles bought or commissioned $26,000 worth of props , put $14,000 tent, scenery, costumes , rental of circus equipment. rented entire menagerie, canary lion. metro-goldwyn-mayer donated venue, lot near hollywood canteen on cahuenga boulevard.