Star of WCU’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ to discuss 75-year broadcast career, sign books Dec. 7
Western Carolina University will host a public presentation and book signing featuring Arthur Anderson, one of the original radio performers of 1938’s “A Christmas Carol,” from 2:30-4 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7, in the multipurpose room of Blue Ridge Hall.
As part of WCU’s Visiting Scholar Program, Anderson will present “From Orson Welles to Lucky the Leprechaun” and discuss his lifelong career in radio, television, movies and stage. He is author of two publications: Let’s Pretend and the Golden Age of Radio, and An Actor’s Odyssey: Orson Welles to Lucky the Leprechaun.
The session also will feature Anderson’s wife, Alice, who was an actress and casting director for NBC during the early 1950s.
Anderson’s visit to WCU coincides with his appearance two days later as he reprises his 1938 role as the Ghost of Christmas Past in the Campbell’s Playhouse adaptation of “A Christmas Carol.” Now 88, he was 16 at the time of the original production.
Western Carolina’s re-created radio version will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 9, in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, complete with live studio orchestra, choir and sound effects. The performance is a fundraising event for student scholarships.
Anderson started his acting career in network radio at the age of 12. His long-running role on the CBS radio show “Let’s Pretend” launched a career that has spanned more than 75 years. Anderson became a network radio regular, playing numerous roles on the CBS and NBC networks throughout the “golden age of radio.”
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While the name Arthur Anderson may not sound too familiar to some, many people have likely heard his voice for 29 years as the voice of Lucky the Leprechaun for General Mills Lucky Charms cereal.
For more information about Anderson’s visit or WCU’s production of “A Christmas Carol,” contact Don Connelly, head of WCU’s Department of Communication and producer of the show, at 828.227.3851.
