Comments on: Reliving Radio History This Halloween

By: Noelegy

Noelegy — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:29:04 +0000

I’m always amazed by how young Welles was when WotW was recorded: 23.

By: historyguy

historyguy — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:44:15 +0000

Thanks for the memory jog Johnny Cat!

I should have added:

–The playback was from a really bad “quick” recording just for the one advertiser Campbell Soups so that CBS could verify that the commercials ran as scheduled. That was the ONLY recording made of the broadcast, and CBS execs were upset that the “death ray” segment was played a number of times for the reporter’s amusement.

It’s that same lousy recording that is still playing today on nostalgia re-broadcasts of the Mercury Players Theatre.

One year previous, btw, was the famous “Adam & Eve” skit between Charlie McCarthy and Mae West. So, between the two shows a lot of broadcasters feared that the FCC would really crack down on broadcast rules and regs. In reality, Mae was “banned for life” on radio, which only lasted a few years.

WW 2, on the other hand clamped down on all weather forecasts, non-scripted comments, and dramas purporting to be newscasts.

I would encourage all to listen to the War of the Worlds broadcast…. with the lights out!

By: Johnny Cat

Johnny Cat — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:05:40 +0000

Yeah, historyguy. It’s called “The Night That Panicked America,” with John Ritter, Tom Bosley and Will Greer among other TV stars of the time.

By: historyguy

historyguy — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:52:39 +0000

Welles was more interested in opening his “Julius Ceasar” Broadway play than working on his Halloween Mercury Players radio show, so he asked Howard Koch to come up with some content that included a monologue for himself (Welles).

Orson Welles walked into the studio only twenty minutes before air and did the broadcast. Americans were tuned into the Charlie McCarthy show and some 18 minutes into the program, they featured a not-so-good singer and Americans changed the dial just as the Martians were landing at Grovers Mill, NJ.

Some listeners were convinced that the broadcast was code for a Nazi invasion of NY from Canada, while some gathered at churches to pray. Some went to the train station for a ticket anywhere except NJ.

There were no recorded deaths, nor panick, and at the half-hour mark when CBS identified the attack as mere drama, most returned to the Chase & Sanborn hour, missing Welles 20 minute monologue.

The next day Welles held a press conference to apologize, but the reporters only wanted to hear the death ray and Welles left in disgust, turning his attention to the successful Julius Ceasar Broadway show.

Remember that Koch “adapted” War of the Worlds to fit Welles radio format. In the 1980s (I believe) there was a two-hour TV docudrama on the radio broadcast which still might be available.

By: Seano

Seano — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:44:20 +0000

See it in action: http://gappster.com/news/66/listen-to-halloween-radio-online-spooky-ra dio-time/

By: Necronomic Recovery

Necronomic Recovery — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:38:29 +0000

Obvious troll is obvious.

By: Seanette

Seanette — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:52:44 +0000

I wasn’t alive back then, but my grandfather reports that his younger sister fell for this. He told me that right after I’d caught the last few minutes of “Special Bulletin” as a wee-hours re-run with no indication it wasn’t a newscast. He thought it was funny.

By: Lasse

Lasse — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:24:35 +0000

Many years later, Orson Welles would become lead singer in the band The Pixies.

By: B.M.

B.M. — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:14:18 +0000

I don’t believe it. I’ve never met anyone who panicked, never met anyone who met anyone who panicked, and never heard of anyone who met anyone who met anyone who panicked, and have never seen more than 2 photos of all the people who supposedly panicked.

It’s as phony as 9/11