The War Of The Worlds H G Wells
The Mercury Theatre on the Air et H. G. Wells
Lu par Orson Welles
The War of the Worlds is an iconic episode of the American radio drama anthology series The Mercury Theatre on the Air. This Halloween episode, performed on October 30, 1938, aired over the Columbia Broadcasting System radio network and was directed and narrated by the talented Orson Welles.
Adapted from H. G. Wells's novel, the broadcast presented a gripping tale of an alien invasion by Martians, delivered in a format that mimicked real news bulletins. This innovative approach led many listeners to believe that the events were actually occurring, resulting in widespread panic and outrage among some audiences.
Despite the controversy, the episode solidified Welles' reputation as a dramatist and remains a significant moment in radio history.
This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.
Chapitres
| The War of the Worlds | 59:19 |
Critiques
1938 : The night Orson Welles panicked America
FLAC User
H G Wells vs Orson Welles! Probably the most famous radio broadcast in history. The legendary 1938 production in which Orson Welles presented a radio drama after the fashion of a breaking news story, re-writing the H G Wells novel in order to move the action from England to the USA, thereby convincing the huge American radio audience that they were listening to a live news broadcast of a real invasion from Mars. Partly its impact was due to the fact that, back in 1938, no one had ever before presented drama in the form of a news report. Partly because of the absence of commercials in a 'sustainer'. But also because the one-hour play aired opposite a popular half-hour comedy on another network, so that much of the radio audience joined the broadcast when it was half-way through, thus never heard the opening announcement identifying it as a drama, and didn't hear the opening narration by Orson Welles. In an age when radio was the dominant form of entertainment in America, and the sole form of home entertainment, heard by literally everyone, this entirely novel type of drama had an unexpected impact on its huge audience. It certainly turned Welles into a household name overnight, and launched him on a glittering career.