Malta Spitfire

"The War of the Worlds" was a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Halloween</a> episode of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_drama" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">radio series</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mercury_Theatre_on_the_Air" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Mercury Theatre on the Air</a> directed and narrated by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson_Welles" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Orson Welles</a> as an adaptation of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._G._Wells" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">H. G. Wells</a>'s novel <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The War of the Worlds</a> (1898) that was performed and broadcast live at 8 pm <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Time_Zone" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ET</a> on October 30, 1938, over the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBS_News_Radio" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CBS Radio Network</a>. The episode is famous for inciting a panic by convincing some members of the listening audience that a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martian_(The_War_of_the_Worlds)" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Martian invasion</a> was taking place, though the scale of panic is disputed, as the program had relatively few listeners. The episode begins with an introductory monologue based closely on the opening of the source novel, after which the program takes on the format of an evening of typical radio programming being periodically interrupted by news bulletins. The first few bulletins interrupt a program of live music and are relatively calm reports of unusual explosions on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mars</a> followed by a seemingly unrelated report of an unknown object falling on a farm in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grovers_Mill,_New_Jersey" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Grovers Mill, New Jersey</a>. The crisis escalates dramatically when an on-scene reporter at Grovers Mill describes creatures emerging from what is evidently an alien spacecraft. The aliens employ a heat ray against police and onlookers, and the radio correspondent describes the attack in increasing panic until his audio feed abruptly goes dead. This is followed by a rapid series of news updates detailing the beginning of a devastating alien invasion and the US military's futile efforts to stop it. The first portion of the episode climaxes with a live report from a rooftop in Manhattan, from where a correspondent describes citizens fleeing from poison smoke released by towering Martian "war machines" until he coughs and falls silent. Only then does the program take its first break, about thirty minutes after Welles's introduction.

TV & Film

History

Film History

"The War of the Worlds" was a Halloween episode of the radio series The Mercury Theatre on the Air directed and narrated by Orson Welles as an adaptation of H. G. Wells's novel The War of the Worlds (1898) that was performed and broadcast live at 8 pm ET on October 30, 1938, over the CBS Radio Network. The episode is famous for inciting a panic by convincing some members of the listening audience that a Martian invasion was taking place, though the scale of panic is disputed, as the program had relatively few listeners. The episode begins with an introductory monologue based closely on the opening of the source novel, after which the program takes on the format of an evening of typical radio programming being periodically interrupted by news bulletins. The first few bulletins interrupt a program of live music and are relatively calm reports of unusual explosions on Mars followed by a seemingly unrelated report of an unknown object falling on a farm in Grovers Mill, New Jersey.The crisis escalates dramatically when an on-scene reporter at Grovers Mill describes creatures emerging from what is evidently an alien spacecraft. The aliens employ a heat ray against police and onlookers, and the radio correspondent describes the attack in increasing panic until his audio feed abruptly goes dead. This is followed by a rapid series of news updates detailing the beginning of a devastating alien invasion and the US military's futile efforts to stop it. The first portion of the episode climaxes with a live report from a rooftop in Manhattan, from where a correspondent describes citizens fleeing from poison smoke released by towering Martian "war machines" until he coughs and falls silent. Only then does the program take its first break, about thirty minutes after Welles's introduction.

"The War of the Worlds" was a&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween" rel="noopener noreferrer">Halloween</a>&nbsp;episode of the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_drama" rel="noopener noreferrer">radio series</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mercury_Theatre_on_the_Air" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Mercury Theatre on the Air</a>&nbsp;directed and narrated by&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson_Welles" rel="noopener noreferrer">Orson Welles</a>&nbsp;as an adaptation of&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._G._Wells" rel="noopener noreferrer">H. G. Wells</a>'s novel&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds" rel="noopener noreferrer">The War of the Worlds</a>&nbsp;(1898) that was performed and broadcast live at 8 pm&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Time_Zone" rel="noopener noreferrer">ET</a>&nbsp;on October 30, 1938, over the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBS_News_Radio" rel="noopener noreferrer">CBS Radio Network</a>. The episode is famous for inciting a panic by convincing some members of the listening audience that a&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martian_(The_War_of_the_Worlds)" rel="noopener noreferrer">Martian invasion</a> was taking place, though the scale of panic is disputed, as the program had relatively few listeners. The episode begins with an introductory monologue based closely on the opening of the source novel, after which the program takes on the format of an evening of typical radio programming being periodically interrupted by news bulletins. The first few bulletins interrupt a program of live music and are relatively calm reports of unusual explosions on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mars</a>&nbsp;followed by a seemingly unrelated report of an unknown object falling on a farm in&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grovers_Mill,_New_Jersey" rel="noopener noreferrer">Grovers Mill, New Jersey</a>. The crisis escalates dramatically when an on-scene reporter at Grovers Mill describes creatures emerging from what is evidently an alien spacecraft. The aliens employ a heat ray against police and onlookers, and the radio correspondent describes the attack in increasing panic until his audio feed abruptly goes dead. This is followed by a rapid series of news updates detailing the beginning of a devastating alien invasion and the US military's futile efforts to stop it. The first portion of the episode climaxes with a live report from a rooftop in Manhattan, from where a correspondent describes citizens fleeing from poison smoke released by towering Martian "war machines" until he coughs and falls silent. Only then does the program take its first break, about thirty minutes after Welles's introduction.

Share Malta Spitfire

Sign up to save your podcasts

Malta Spitfire

Malta Spitfire