The Third Man

2019 celebrates the seventy year anniversary of the release of the British film noir, The Third Man.

The film is set in post–World War II Vienna. Holly Martins, an out-of-work pulp novelist, has been invited by his ex-school friend, Harry Lime to come and work with him. 

Vienna has been divided into sectors by the victorious allies, and a shortage of supplies has led to a flourishing black market. When Holly arrives in Vienna he gets the news that Harry is dead - killed in a peculiar traffic accident. 

In an attempt to investigate what he considers a suspicious death, he talks to Lime's friends and associates, determined to discover what really happened to his friend.

Then in 1951 and 1952, Orson Welles reprised his movie role in a new radio series of adventures called The Lives of Harry Lime, which were a prequel to the film, depicting the many misadventures of the con-artist, before the story told in the celebrated 1949 film, The Third Man. 

In total there are fifty-two episodes, and several of these would begin with 'The Third Man' theme being played, abruptly cut off by an echoing gunshot. Then Welles would speak:

"That was the shot that killed Harry Lime. He died in a sewer beneath Vienna, as those of you know who saw the movie 'The Third Man'. Yes, that was the end of Harry Lime ... but it was not the beginning. Harry Lime had many lives ... and I can recount all of them. How do I know? Very simple. Because my name is Harry Lime."

The Third Man is considered one of the greatest films of all time, celebrated for its acting, musical score and atmospheric cinematography - and The Lives of Harry Lime doesn't disappoint either! You can listen to all fifty-two episodes on RUSC.

Happy listening my friends,