Mercedes McCambridge, Worlds Greatest Radio Actress episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 22, 2026 · 1H 32M

Mercedes McCambridge, Worlds Greatest Radio Actress

from Audio Antiques · host Classic radio shows from the K-Rob Collection

During radio's classic age, few women had starring roles on dramatic programs outside of soap operas. One such woman was Mercedes McCambridge, who Orson Welles called the world's greatest living radio actress. She starred in the early 1950s crime show Defense Attorney, also known at The Defense Rests. McCambridge was so convincing that she receiving an honorary membership in the Los Angeles Women's Bar Association. McCambridge began her career as a radio actor during the 1930s while also performing on Broadway. She went on to appear in movies and numerous TV shows, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her screen debut in All the King's Men in 1949. You will hear Defense Attorney from 1951, and The Defense Rests from 1952 with Mercedes McCambridge in the title character of Martha Ellis Bryant, a respected attorney who champions the underdog and the unjustly accused. Then Bill Swisher interviews McCambridge on the American Forces Radio Network in 1975.More at http://krobcollection.com

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Mercedes McCambridge, Worlds Greatest Radio Actress

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