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Orson Welles - War of the Worlds (The Classic 1938 Mercury Theatre on the Air)

Track listing:
  1. Episode 1 5:12
  2. Episode 2 5:26
  3. Episode 3 4:55
  4. Episode 4 5:09
  5. Episode 5 5:00
  6. Episode 6 4:42
  7. Episode 7 5:08
  8. Episode 8 5:05
  9. Episode 9 5:00
  10. Episode 10 5:05
  11. Episode 11 5:04
  12. Episode 12 3:24

Notes


This is the "Bakhåll" CD-edition of the play.

This edition is the play in its whole exactly as it was aired that sunday evening in 1938.

The War of the Worlds was an episode of the American radio drama anthology series Mercury Theatre on the Air. It was performed as a Halloween episode of the series on October 30, 1938 and aired over the Columbia Broadcasting System radio network. Directed and narrated by Orson Welles, the episode was an adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel The War of the Worlds.

The first two thirds of the 60-minute broadcast was presented as a series of simulated news bulletins, which suggested to many listeners that an actual Martian invasion was in progress. Compounding the issue was the fact that the Mercury Theatre on the Air was a 'sustaining show' (i.e., it ran without commercial breaks), thus adding to the dramatic effect. Although there were sensationalist accounts in the press about a supposed panic, careful research has shown that while thousands were frightened, there is no evidence that people fled their homes or otherwise took action. The news-bulletin format was decried as cruelly deceptive by some newspapers and public figures, leading to an outcry against the perpetrators of the broadcast, but the episode launched Welles to fame.(Wikipedia)


original notes;

Orson Welles - The War of the worlds - October 30 1938

War of the worlds is the 19:th Centurys Radio Days most legendary and famous radio theatre play...

The play was based on Science Fiction writer H.G Wells novel The war of the worlds there earth was invaded by Marsians ouside London during the 18:th century...

The modification Welles and Co writer did was based on the idea that the invasion is going to take place ouside Grovers Mill, New Jersey (USA) during the actual radio broadcast of the play. The play was imitating the ways news was broadcasted those days....

It was aired on CBS coast to coast radio network on sunday october 30 1938...

Many listeners back then missed the announcing of it as a radio theatre play and actually completely believed it was for real and that Marsians actually invaded the earth in the neighbourhood of Grovers Mill, New Jersey/





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