“It is impossible to sit in a room and hear the scratched, worn, off-the-air recording of the broadcast, without feeling in the back of your neck some slight draft left over from that great wind of terror that swept the nation.”
“‘War of the Worlds’ 1938 Radio Broadcast.”
YouTube.
youtube.com/watch?v=OzC3Fg_rRJM
Listen to the October 30, 1938, War of the Worlds program, posted by the Newseum.
The full October 30, 1938, broadcast is also available at:
“Orson Welles—Mercury Theater-1938 recordings.”
Internet Archive.
archive.org/details/OrsonWelles-MercuryTheater-1938Recordings
In addition to The War of the Worlds, the site contains more than a dozen other Mercury broadcasts. Also included is “Mercury Theater Remembered” from the 1988 recording Theatre of the Imagination: The Mercury Company Remembers. This production includes comments by Orson Welles, John Houseman, Bernard Herrmann, and several Mercury actors about the War of the Worlds broadcast.
“Orson Welles’ ‘The War of the Worlds’ radio drama—CBS October 30, 1938—subtitled.”
YouTube.
youtube.com/watch?v=oWD9Q6klzco
This YouTube version includes photographs and illustrations.
“Mercury Theatre, War of the Worlds, Oct 30 1938.”
Generic Radio Workshop Script Library.
genericradio.com/show.php?id=3e128b5a5d82a7fc
Read the script written by Howard Koch. It differs from the actual recording because of minor changes made during rehearsals and the broadcast.
“Orson Welles apologizes for The War of the Worlds’ mass panic.”
YouTube.
youtube.com/watch?v=8vbYyDh-BRI
Watch the press conference held the day after the famous broadcast. At the end, hear two versions of Welles’s prepared statement.
“‘Attack By Mars’ Panic; Orson Wells [sic] Speaks 1938/10/31.”
YouTube.
youtube.com/watch?v=ho_9XTnlJKM
This edited Universal Newsreel version of Welles’s prepared statement was shown in movie theaters. It is a third version of the prepared statement.
“AT&T Operators Recall War of the Worlds Broadcast.”
YouTube.
youtube.com/watch?v=R29BTsoIHpQ&index=10&list=PLWocaE3xRbeqMoxfTAWazPJhUda6Usxle
From the AT&T Tech Channel, AT&T operators from across the country tell how phone customers reacted to the October 30, 1938, broadcast.
“Orson Wells [sic] Meets H. G. Wells.”
YouTube.
youtube.com/watch?v=nUdghSMTXsU
Listen to the 1940 broadcast of the two men discussing The War of the Worlds at Texas radio station KTSA, San Antonio.
American Experience: “War of the Worlds” (DVD).
PBS, 2013.
This documentary covers the famous 1938 broadcast using actors, archival radio and video recordings, photographs, and interviews.
“American Experience: War of the Worlds” (website).
PBS and WGBH Educational Foundation.
pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/introduction/worlds/
The website for the American Experience DVD includes video and audio clips from the documentary, the complete transcript, a timeline of 1930s news, photographs, and books and websites for further reading.
“War of the Worlds.”
Radiolab.
radiolab.org/story/91622-war-of-the-worlds
Hear excerpts from the 1938 Mercury Theatre show. Listen to a discussion about the original broadcast, later imitations, and the public reaction to them.
“War of the Worlds Radio Documentary from October 30, 1988, Parts 1 and 2.”
YouTube.
youtube.com/watch?v=ol3NRuMOEGk
youtube.com/watch?v=s7811lx10y4
NPR’s radio documentary aired on October 30, 1988, marking the fiftieth anniversary of the famous broadcast. It includes interviews with several people involved in the program.
Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles (DVD).
Cohen Media Group, 2014.
This biographical documentary covers Welles’s career, including the War of the Worlds radio broadcast. Watch Welles talking about his life, interviews with people who knew him, and excerpts from his movies and performances.
“The Broadcast News.”
Radio Days.
Listen to several alarming news broadcasts from 1938, listed under “Hitler Seizes Austria!” and “Hitler Wants Territory.”
The radio in a Missouri home, 1938
“Herbert Morrison—WLS Radio (Chicago) Address on the Hindenburg Disaster.”
AmericanRhetoric, Online Speech Bank.
americanrhetoric.com/speeches/hindenburgcrash.htm
The site features part of the recording made by reporter Herbert Morrison on May 6, 1937, as the German passenger zeppelin Hindenburg exploded upon arriving in Lakehurst, New Jersey. His emotional reaction to the explosion inspired actor Frank Readick to copy Morrison’s voice in the War of the Worlds radio broadcast. Both audio and the transcript of Morrison’s broadcast are included.
To hear the entire thirty-six-minute version of Morrison’s broadcast (with the airship’s explosion occurring at the 8:32 mark), visit: “Hindenburg Disaster.”
Radio Days.
“Franklin Delano Roosevelt, First Fireside Chat.”
AmericanRhetoric, Online Speech Bank.
americanrhetoric.com/mp3clips/politicalspeeches/fdrfirstfiresidechat63496436943.mp3
Listen to President Franklin Roosevelt’s first radio fireside chat, delivered on March 12, 1933. Actor Kenny Delmar imitated FDR’s voice during the War of the Worlds broadcast.
Radio Days.
The radio program The March of Time dramatized news events. Click on the blue links to hear the shows about the Lindbergh baby’s 1932 kidnapping and the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor. Orson Welles and other Mercury Theatre actors had roles on this radio program, and Ora Nichols provided sound effects.
“Introduction to Foley and Sound Effects for Film.”
YouTube.
youtube.com/watch?v=_Jznye0iqYE
During the 1930s, sound effects were produced live while a radio program aired. Today, sound effects are added to movies after filming ends. These sounds are created using the Foley technique. This video by FilmmakerIQ.com includes a look at a radio-drama performance with the actors and sound effects experts gathered around microphones. Learn how sound effects are created for films today, using many of the tricks from radio days.
“Mars Exploration.”
NASA.
Find out about the latest Mars discoveries and the space agency’s views on life, water, and “canals” on the planet. Ask questions of NASA’s computerized scientist, Dr. C., at mars.nasa.gov/drc/. View images and video of Mars at mars.nasa.gov/multimedia/.
NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity takes a selfie on the Mars surface in 2015.
The Museum of Hoaxes.
Check out a collection of hoaxes and pranks from the Middle Ages to the present. Meet the clever pranksters who fooled scientists, journalists, and historians, as well as the general public.
A Colorful History of Popular Delusions by Robert E. Bartholomew and Peter Hassall. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 2015.
Read about past and present cases of mass delusion, panic, and hysteria. Learn how rumor, urban legends, and social media lead to false beliefs and fears.
Media Hoaxes by Fred Fedler. Ames: Iowa State University Press, 1989.
Find out about successful hoaxes that appeared in newspapers, radio, and television. Discover a few famous ones that people still believe more than a hundred years later.
Real or Fake?: Far-Out Fibs, Fishy Facts, and Phony Photos to Test for the Truth by Emily Krieger. Washington, DC: National Geographic Kids, 2016.
How gullible are you? Test your skill at spotting lies and deceptions among dozens of examples. A nonfiction book for young readers.
The Giant and How He Humbugged America by Jim Murphy. New York: Scholastic, 2012.
The true story of the Cardiff Giant hoax in upstate New York, 1869. A nonfiction book for young readers.
The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. New York: Harper, 1898.
catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/012293655
The novel is widely available in print and online.
The Tripods series by John Christopher. New York: Aladdin, 1967–1988.
This series of novels for young adults depicts Earth invaded by extraterrestrials who use machines called Tripods, similar to those in H. G. Wells’s novel.
*Websites active at time of publication
