This is the fifth and penultimate episode of "Orson Welles' Sketchbook" in which he discusses the effects of his "War Of The Worlds" radio broadcast in America. Originally Aired: June 19, 1955.
I love his wicked sense of humor...He was still laughing 20 years after the fact, like a child after a prank. He was always a child playing with toys and having fun, and that's why he was such a genius. He did not listen to adults and just did things to amuse himself.
I heard “war of the worlds” broadcast on the radio on the 50th anniversary of the first broadcast. I was driving home, alone late at night; still freaked me out. 😎
Orson could have been a great stand-up comedian. He had it all. Timing, the accents, the recall, the sense of humor. We're all so lucky that he wasn't an intravert, ha!
His warning about people swallowing everything coming from this relatively young medium, the radio, rings relevant today. As for the effect of his production of The War of the Worlds - in 1949 a similar broadcast of the same source material in Quito, driving the realism farther, actually did result in a genuine panic, with the military moving out to fight the Martians, and leaving the public so angry after it was revealed that it had merely been a radio show, that they descended upon the broadcasting house and set it on fire. Several people died.
Throughout the history of this radio broadcast, most people think it was done on Halloween in 1938. But, with hearing his own words, Orson Welles said: "On the eve of Halloween....". So, with that, he proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that the broadcast was on October 30, 1938. And 20 years later, I was born on that very night in 1958.
I was always fascinated by this story, and how despite announcing throughout the broadcast the show was a live adaptation, people still somehow managed to miss the announcements and panicked. This says a lot about human nature and the underlying fears that exist within us. I have often said that if someone were to stand in the middle of a populated area, and convince enough people that they saw something, it would eventually spread like wildfire. The statements made between 12:03 and 13:00 are some of the most powerful, as they still have relevance in this day and age. We are now fed by way of the 'internet tap' and sadly people are drinking the social media Kool-Aid at an alarming rate, as they pass the cup around. I would imagine Mr. Wells is turning over in his grave with a classic smirk. 😏
IMHO, the closest real-life similar experience is the full aircheck broadcast recording of Dallas radio station KLIF-AM from Nov 22, 1963. The upbeat, jovial disc jockey; the top 40 tunes, the cheery commercials interrupted with bulletins that shots were fired at the motorcade of President Kennedy, and you hear the tone go downhill as further news is released until the reporters take over. The flow is very reminiscent of WOTW.
We have some good storytellers in America, and this fellow was one of them. Here he is so entertaining and bemusing, just sitting there regaling me with anecdotes (be they truth or lawn fertilizer; doesn't matter to me).
I watched movie once...its was about the war ofnthe world broadcast but ive never been able to find it. Bit they showed the orchestra in the studio and how they did the special effetcts etc
Andy Kaufman like genius, on the side of the people. But not commercial - makes you think instead of re-story telling. Huge hero. Shaped Hollywood and loved even though the executives didn't realize that til later
Uh, sir there is footage of about 30 to 40 journalists questioning him the morning after the event, I assure you its not as exaggerated as you suspect. The event landed him the contract with RKO that gave him absolute control over his next picture, which turned out to be Citizen Kane, the greatest film ever made.
