Orson Welles' "The War of the Worlds" radio drama - CBS October 30, 1938 - subtitled
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- Опубліковано 13 жов 2024
- The historic October 30, 1938 Halloween episode of the "The Mercury Theatre on the Air" CBS series by Orson Welles, based on H. G. Wells's novel "The War of the Worlds" (1898), which caused much panic and even more debates on the influence of the mass media.
This specific video was created as a companion to the original recording and script, for the Science Fiction Seminar at the University of Athens Cinema Club and was screened on October 21, 2012 ("Iris" theater, www.kinimatogra... ).
It seemed appropriate to upload it for the 75th anniversary of the broadcast, I hope non-native English speakers will find it useful for experiencing this work of art.
Source material:
The original recording: archive.org/de...
The script: www.sacred-text...
Book covers and other photos: drzeus.best.vwh...
The (extremely rough) subtitle syncing was done with the help of youtube's transcript synchronization service and some minor corrections from my part, since I haven't quite mastered any subtitle program. Perhaps in the future a better version will be uploaded.
Hope you enjoy it!
This version of the broadcast is incomplete. I know it is because I've heard other recordings of it. For example, after the Martian cylinder opens up, news reporter Carl Phillips says "Wait a minute, there's someone crawling out of the hollow top! Someone or something!" But, in this version, the line is all messed up so that it sounds like Carl Phillips is saying "Someone is crawling, uh oh, something." At the beginning of Act Two, when Orson Welles, in the role of Professor Richard Pierson, is writing down his thoughts on the aftermath of the Martian invasion, he says "I look down at my blackened hands, my torn shoes and my tattered clothes." But here, the line about the "torn shoes and tattered clothes" is left out and only the "blackened hands" remark is heard. Finally, during Professor Pierson's closing narration (after the Martians are killed off by Earth bacteria and the world is saved), between his remarks about how strange it now seems for him to sit "in my peaceful study writing down this last chapter of the record begun at a deserted farm near Grover's Mill" and the "Strange to watch children playing in the streets" line, the Professor is supposed to say "Strange to see the University spires bright and clear through an April haze." But in this version, the entire line is left out altogether! I noticed that these same mistakes occur in almost every recording of this program in existence lately, whether on C.D.s, on internet apps, or the various versions available on UA-cam. I once had a cassette of "War of the Worlds" that was put out by Nostalgia Lane Records. This tape included the parts l have mentioned that are left out of the recordings in existence today, but even the Nostalgia Lane version was incomplete: the opening announcement and music was replaced with a new introduction in which a man tells listeners about what they're about to hear while science fiction style music is heard in the background; this same music is heard at the end of Side One and at the beginning of Side Two, thus making it hard to hear the dialogue; the intermission announcement, the introduction to Part Two of the story as well as a part of the music for the start of Part Two are edited out; finally, the ending music and announcement, including the promo for the following week's show (a dramatization of "three famous short stories") are also missing and again, the sci-fi music is heard as well as the voice of the man at the beginning of Side One saying something like "This has been a production of Nostalgia Lane Records." Why is it that the complete, unedited version of the program never seems to be around lately?
I would love to find an original recording. Thanks for sharing this.
Michael Palmieri wow u took a while to type that and your very observant
Indeed, very observant Michael. As a matter of fact, those dialogue segments are absent even from MTA's web archive version (www.mercurytheatre.info/).
I can only guess that this is due to a faulty tape recording from which the version that is available on the web (and apparently in other releases) originated. Thankfully, the script does contain these segments, so even though they are inaudible they still appear in the video's subtitles.
Also, poor choice for Nostalgia Lane Records to edit their release in that way. Each work of art should be presented to the audience "as is", without any tampering. I'd suggest (if you still have the cassette), to make a digital copy, edit the three missing parts into the rest of the recording and upload it so anyone can have access to it.
Thanks for sharing the info!
Στρούμφ Όμουρο Unfortunately, I don't have the cassette anymore. In fact, I lost all my cassettes, records, C.D.s, videos, etc., when we lost our house in 2011. Even if I did have the tape, I don't think I would know how to do what you suggested since I have never done it before. But, thanks for the idea anyway.
Thanks , appreciate you setting things right. Always best to know all.
Thank you for this. I listened to radio and still enjoy closing my eyes like I did when I was a little kid and letting my imagination take off. Radio is not as passive a media as television. It requires a particular attention since it lacks the visual. We only had three tv channels when I was a kid with really only two of them relatively clear. When transistor radios were available, I was in seventh heaven.
I would be willing to bet that playing some good old radio shows, (sans progressive propaganda, and shut all otehr devises off.), as family entertainment once a week today,---will increase the attention span of your kids, (and parents), far above that of what is normal today.
@@EarthSurferUSA Totally agree. My kids were affected by radio being used around them when they were young, and both of them at 47 and 50 are frequent listeners of podcasts which are basically the same sort of medium. They are both bright successful people.
Damn! No wonder people flipped out back then! I can see how convincing it may sound at some parts, especially if you tune in after the intro and hear the "on site" broadcasts mixed with the jazz breaks.
Genius
What part of "Boston's Deadpool's" comment is a myth? BTW, the broadcast was a radio program, not television!
Alex Pascual don't you mean heard
That there was a mass panic. There wasn't. It was propaganda by Hearst Newspapers to smear their competition in radio.
A.K.A the radio broadcast that scared the shit out of people back then
yeah well it is not like they had twitter alerts or facebook ones or even T.V, back than you can see why it scared the shit out of people all they had was old radios back than and most tuned in after they said this was a radio play house. not to mention they were like 50 years from the modern internet.
I have always wanted to hear this , thank you!
I have to say, I did NOT expect this radio broadcast to seem so...realistic! It's definitely showing its age but I am deeply impressed with this! The wide range of voice actors and sound effects really give this broadcast depth and believeability. I find this actually more engaging than some modern audiobooks.
really? I was thinking the whole time "how could people believe this?" Like it all happens super fast, who'd bring 7k troops in a matter of minutes?? Or was it broadcast with pauses in between? I don't think so, it was an uninterrputed transmission. For me people had to be REALLY naive to buy this.
@@LalulaPsy They did not have the same life experience that we have had. But don't get too cocky if you watch the TV news or got good grades in today's colleges and grade schools. There is a lot more stuff, and very damaging stuff that is reported and taught today, that I have a hard time believing people believe. I guess it depends on the life experiences we have had. But reality is,---we are being duped big time today. The results that we live now and later don't lie.
Definitely would've fooled me. Sound design is insane
From Alaska
I had a class in" Intro to Broadcasting" in the fall of 1979. It was interesting to hear of the various circumstances which led to the panic resulting from this broadcast. How different American society was in 1938. The fact that much of the audience had been listening to "Edgar Bergin and Charlie McCarthy" on another network, and began listening to 'War of the Worlds' minutes in, and did not hear the opening disclaimer from CBS.
They started that after people ended there lives after this sadly this is how we got disclaimers
@@sarahmoviereviewer4109
Nobody "ended their lives" because of this broadcast. That was a rumor that was immediately discredited. The only incident that ever came close was when a man came home and found his wife trying to swallow poison, saying "I'd rather die this way than like that!" She was probably referring to how the non-existent "Martians" were killing people with poisonous smoke and heat rays.
There probably is no way to ever be certain at this late date if any people did end their lives, or not. Some cases could have somehow been counted as due to other causes, for instance.
It's become popular in past fifteen years or so to say "the panic didn't crealky happen" as younger generations seem to feel some kind of "duty"to revise historical events which happened well before their own lives
Amazing , it is a pity that i was not alive that time and listen that broadcast !!! Audiobook ,is also mesmerising (that too exists in YT) !!!
Always and forever my favorite radio play ❤
I played this at the exact same time, 80 years ago!
Byron Kingsley what was going thru your mind when you began listening to it?
Byron, there are several of us that’d like to hear what it was like. Please share your story.
This is the best version; with all the different book covers over the miles and over the years.
Agree. Too bad, there are no hungarian covers, though. Anyway, still brilliant.
What an entertaining and scarily realistic broadcast, thanks for sharing.
I saw this fetchered on OPB, and had to lokk it up >< I'm so glad I found it, and its subbed >< This is going to be fun.
Thank you for this great radio broadcast.
A truly excellent broadcast. Thanks for posting this.
I have all of Ramon Roquello's albums and have seen the great bandleader live twice. Very popular with Martians.
Wells was a national treasure! Actor, writer, producer, genius.
I believe he was also a communist ideologically, (may be card carrying?), but I understand he may have had 2nd thoughts about it sometime during his later life.
We should be careful who we claim is a genius, because anybody who prefers communism clearly is not.
that was creepy how all of the sudden pierson started talking and how he was still alive.
oh yeah and i rate this 10 out of 10
I never tire of this!!! CLASSIC!
I enjoyed listening to this but find it astonishing that anyone ever thought it was real.
Happy Halloween everybody.
Yes, this scared the shit out of most people in 1938! It's said that it was announced originally as a dramatic presentation and that most people missed that somehow. My late parents were working in Boston at the time before they got married in 1939 and then in the 1970s and 80s I lived in the Princeton NJ area after I got married. I vaguely remember in the 1980s that some farm house in the area which had more open space and sod farms back then, was the house where the whole thing was supposed to take place. Kept the mystery of the whole event going....fascinating thanks to the brilliance of the late great Orson Welles! Thanks for sharing~
To reply to Michael below; edited editions of War of... seem to have existed for many years. I own a single LP vinyl of it from Mercury Records as well as full length 2 LP vinyl version from same company, both from the 1970's. But yes, edited or altered versions do seem common online today. My Dad talked about how people in community gathered at a local store to listen to developments when he was a young adult in 1938.
A presentation of the different 'Martians' gave different looks on the 'creature'. Found this great!! Executed to fit all the expectations of an actual, "invasion" so to say.
Shelly01ya
I feel as though this was foreshadowing the future.
thanks for the upload! :)
MASTERPIECE!
Nice job on the slideshow
THANK YOU!
Imagine tuning in around 17:59.
Classic Si-Fi 4the real fan... thanks
Look up a podcast called "Uncanny County"; they have an episode wherein Orson Welles tries to produce ANOTHER radio play on Halloween and...well, things go about as well as you expect. Very funny and well worth checking out! Plus the voice actor does a truly excellent job as Welles.
I can’t tell you how awesome this was as a college assignment. I was actually 100% invested in an assignment for once in my life lol
I can imagine the hysteria.... I remember when i was 8years old I saw a movie called "Without Warning! " ua-cam.com/video/cZbI20HYNb0/v-deo.html The entire movie was a news channel reporting abductions, meteor crash provoked by Aliens. The anchor was the actrees who plays Malcoms Mom in Malcom in the Middle.
I remember that the third act was about the launch of nuclear weapons to the asteroids from differ spots in the world with Live footage of the locations and from Nasa Command Room.
Everyone was happy with the total destruction of the asteroids...until the camera man shows the radar of Nasa and everyone see thousends of meteors coming to earth...
I was in panic... I called my mom , my sister, my school friends....while looking at the sky and crying like an idiot .
Holy crap! Not even three minutes in, and already I understand how most listeners' attention span was manipulated. But forty minutes in..? Come on, silly humans. This is a brilliant execution of a dark story. Oh, and f Mars lol.
At the 9:30 mark, the piano piece is "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows".
Do you know the theme music at the very beginning? It sounds familiar but can’t place it
@@underwriter100 Yes, it is "Tchaikovsky's Concerto #1"
Thanks. Very good video for an excellent broadcast.++++++++++++++++++++
This video was very entertaining!
This is brilliant!
Thanks 1130pm
pure genius....
Great stuff, many thanks for the upload,
i had originally heard this when I was kid. It is however for radio a hell of a performance.
This is a very good video i realy enjoyed it
you spelled really wrong...
sNOwSCOPEr Some one doesn't get sarcasm. I cant have a sarcastic voice when there is no voice.
Old school. Sweet.
Sadly this is how we got disclaimers
Best quality of this I have heard
honestly i can't blame people for being scared of this if I heard something like that I would shit my pants
Honestly, starting around the 15 minutes mark it is rather horrifying if you lived back in the late 1930s. It would have been terrifying to watch it on TV or the internet, but back than you had only your ears and whatever you could have made out of it so I can't imagine how people reacted. Well, I can... they were angry and almost killed Orson Welles...
wow...that was a great adventure!
Classic and thank 👍🏻
One word. Gullible.
May the people who ended there lives becuse of this rest in peace
Some say it was in the millions.
Some say it was none.
Now there is a battle against humanity on Earth!
Please tell me I'm not going to have ads every 2 and a half minutes...
OK it is a dramatisation of a novel, which is announced briefly at the start, but there are ways of making it clear that something is a story as it goes along and not actual breaking news.
trick or treat!
This is golden :D
Now this is epic
Wow !!! What a SHOW !!F-ing Martians !!! Grrrr.... :]
I've heard conflicting stories over the years about the 'panic' which this broadcast supposedly created. Yes, apparently there were SOME people who took this for real. However, for the most part, it appears that it has grown into an 'urban legend' that the "panic" was as widespread and extreme as we have been led to believe.
I guess, for some ignorant folk of the day, this MAY have sounded real. But again, the "panic" has been blown WAY out of proportion for the 'ignorant' masses of today.
james connors
Maybe because of the internet all of the people's experiences with this talked about how few people on town panicked and those "few" over all those stories told have been magnified making it seem like everyone panicked.
It was originally set in England in the late 19th century not the US
I thought it was real and put a contract out on myself
Woah
Talking about Orson Welles... soundcloud.com/la-era-vulgar/orson-welles-1
😱
yeay drew
you betcha Sam
Sam, christian here, stfu and do ya work
hello HIS people
25:22 Monologue
25:00
Lets see who was president at that time,oh yea FDR ,(but the book was written in 1898 so it was know for over 40 years back when William McKinley was in office),, its so funny i live in west windsor nj about 2 miles from the grovers mills pond lol
emrgrn the book is based in Britain.
yea boooooooooooooooooooooooooooi
What the hell....this is Eighty years old so why is downloading it not possible ?
Moronvideos1940 UA-cam to mp3
How can u do this with fucking commercials???
Radio at it's peak! Now "video killed the radio stars " ! Back there only profesionists worked for radio ! Now, they hire only idiots
Only in USA could anyone think this was real, but then they think they went to the moon!!!
Only in the USA???
Actually, a radio station in Quito Ecuador did a version of War of the Worlds and the reaction was even worse. Six people at the radio station were killed by an angry mob.
There a reason you’re bringing your small minded politics in here, Billy?
It was also played in the UK. They had been told about Americans reaction ahead of time, but reacted similarly as there was no way to verify or nullify such an instance.
So, Billy, grow up and learn your history on both fronts before your closed mind opens your mouth.
Moon landing? REAL
People in multiple countries getting scared by this broadcast? REAL
Seeing your reaction when you learn several truths at once? PRICELESS
I am dumb so im asking this...... IS THIS A REAL OR A FAKE STORY?????
Vista Bassari It’s a play they broadcasted in 1938, it tricked millions because it sounds real with the events and the way they set it up.
a 22 year old...
HUE HIE HUE HUE HUE
L
Put on gas masks were goin in in meters not feet
xDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
sNOwSCOPEr is bad at bl0ck Gqme
spacex go to mars
Woah
Woah