One of the most famous radio shows.

The Mercury Theater of the Air, originally broadcast October 30, 1938, 87 years ago.  A modernized adaptation of HG Wells War of the Worlds.  The show was styled as a series of live news bulletins describing a Martian invasion of Earth. Though announced as fiction, the realistic format caused panic among some listeners who believed the invasion was real. The broadcast became one of the most famous moments in radio history and a defining example of the medium’s power.

Next, a rare recording of author HG Wells discussing the broadcast with Orson Welles from October 28, 1940, on KTSA Radio in San Antonio, Texas.  The meeting occurred while both men were in the city for separate lecture engagements—Wells was addressing the United States Brewers Association, and Welles was preparing for a town hall forum.

We close out the show with an episode of Theater Five, originally broadcast October 30, 1964, 61 years ago, The Second Chance.  A middle-aged man discovers the secret of growing backwards...getting younger every year!