For Halloween in 1938, Orson Welles made a radio adaptation of H.G. Wells' (no relation) The War of the Worlds. The drama was broadcast by CBS on October 30 in its Mercury Theater on the air series. The radio play was a contemporary retelling of the events of the novel, presented as a series of news bulletins in documentary style. Welles played recordings of the radio reports of the Hindenburg disaster to the cast to demonstrate the mood he wanted. The invasion was relocated to Grover's Mill, New Jersey and set in the present time. The play started as an ordinary music program, interrupted by news flashes.The news reports grew more frequent and increasingly ominous ending with a lone reporter talking from the top of a building, above the poison gas,
asking if there was anyone out there.

Many people missed or ignored the announcements before the program and shortly before the start of the second half, that the program was a fictional play. In the atmosphere of growing tension and anxiety in the days leading up to World War II, panic ensued, with people thinking they could smell the poison gas or see the flashes of the fighting in the distance. A study by the Radio Project discovered that most of the people who panicked did not think that it was an invasion by Martians, but by the Germans. Other studies have suggested that the panic was exaggerated by the media,
but it remains clear that many people were fooled.

THE STORY OF ORSON WELLS
AND
"WAR OF THE WORLD'S"

ORIGINAL BROADCAST
complete

PART 1

PART 2
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EXCERTPS IN REAL AUDIO
from WFMU

ARTICLE FROM TRANSPARENCY

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT

PARODY IN REAL AUDIO

Can clear cache (ALL previous url's deleted from memory) 4 better listening, put option key on & pause every 9 mins., pause again.

Many years ago I heard a song called "Forever Autumn", by Justin Hayward who had just split from the "Moody Blues". The only recording that I could find at the time came from an album called "War of the World's.

I had never heard this album, but wanted the song. Having bought the album, I have listen to it quite a few times. The album is pretty good folks, so take a listen to something you probably have not heard before. And if you like it, go purchase it as it is worth it.

Inchey@webtv.net
1998-2003

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