War of the Worlds........

[flat-top]

...on satelite radio!
The Original Mercury Theater Production of War of the Worlds
Mon 10/30 8:00 pm ET
8 pm ET, October 30, 1938. A nation tuning in to CBS Radio heard a startling broadcast: Earth was being invaded by beings from Mars...

Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre radio adaptation of H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds originally aired as a Halloween special. Welles' genius was to set the story, not in late-19th century England, as in the original, but in 1938 New Jersey, and perform it like a news broadcast. Reportedly, many listeners believed the invasion was real.

8 pm ET, October 30th, 2006. RadioClassics will re-broadcast of the original Mercury Theater production of The War of the Worlds. Listen as a nation did nearly 70 years ago.

 

[CharlieH.]

I listen to that one every year, and it always gives me the creeps... especially when the lights are low and I have a few vintage publications nearby.

 

[Harp]

WoW

War of The Worlds,like enfant terribleWelles,
a classic-that seems more bark than bite.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

And yet another point on the side of satellite radio. I have yet to invest in it, but keep hearing all of these great broadcasts that I'm missing.
This sure sounds like a great one. Please let us know how it is....

 

[LizzieMaine]

A good article on the War of the Worlds legend --

http://http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/06/0617_050617_warworlds.html"

(I was one of the sources interviewed!)

 

[The Wolf]

as Dr. B. Banzai can tell you...

It wasn't martians that landed in Grover's Mill. It was evil, pure and simple, from the Eighth Dimension.

Sincerely,
<-------

 

[Feraud]

I bought this program on cd a couple of years ago. It is fun to listen to.

 

[BegintheBeguine]

Thank you LizzieMaine. That was a good article, and links. Now i am going to listen to the Mercury Theatre Dracula, after having watched the Mongoose Murder Mystery video. Chores? They can wait.

 

[VivianRegan]

Yes, LizzieMaine, that was an insightful article... cool you were tapped for info, too!

"War of the Worlds" is also offered for free at http://www.mercurytheatre.info, along with every other broadcast they did. But maybe some of you already knew this!

It also includes a great interview/roundtable between Wells and Welles from 1940. XM played this after their Worlds broadcast, and I got a really kick out of these two guys discussing their work.

They also played an interview with the last surviving cast member (forgotten his name), and I wonder if that is also somewhere out on the 'net.