War of the Worlds Radio Documentary Part 1

[AlostheVampirePrince]

No matter what you think, you have no choice but to give him a round of applause.

[cha5]

"The question has persisted, did he do it on purpose?"

Yes. Welles had said twenty years later in the 1950s that he had in effect 'trolled' the radio audience because he didn't like the fact people would believe anything coming out of that box. I believe I had read somewhere that WOTW's author H.G. Wells had publicly tore into Welles for using his original story to cause a panic, but he also personally congratulated him on his resourcefulness in pulling it off.

[FrozDOEUF]

Pretty interesting video, american people were crazy lol.

[TheCrazyMexican0]

I'm 17 but I still think that this is the greatest prank played on a nation. When I heard this, I thought it was boring at first but then when the "aliens" appeared I could see how people back then could've panicked

[Schutte2717]

People jumped off buildings. Pretty terrifying.

[yellowhue30]

I think the anger would be rooted mainly in embarrassment. Imagine all of the people who panicked, instantly throttled from whatever social status they had achieved in life, now thought to be raving lunatics based on that single over-reaction to a fictional radio program. Damn right they were mad...

[TheFrontrowkid]

Although there was panic and some overreactions, there were no deaths due to suicide or mass panic. Once the public found out the truth, they became angry at the way they were fooled. It was this embarrassment which led CBS to decree that no future drama or mystery program be presented so as to mislead the listeners. Many shows had the disclaimer that the names of persons or places in the story were ficititious and had no resemblance to reality.

[TheFrontrowkid]

It wasn't the storyline so much that panicked people. It was the on-the-spot news format that was just coming into radio. This gave the storyline a modern day approach. Listeners had already heard the routine broadcast of a dirigible landing turn into an instant tragedy. Also Kenny Delmar, an actor who impersonated FDR on radio, did the "voice" as the Secretary of the Interior. But in their panic, listeners heard FDR trying to calm them. To understand what happened, you had to be there.

[yesiamawizardjonny]

Anyone who believed that when it happened was fucking retarded...

[2010californa]

@yesiamawizardjonny you.........

[LIL10709]

i would panic and move the the other side of the earth thats scary



[anteracmacash]

there's an actual monument of that in new york...a monument in honor of human stupidity

[RJ132991]

Shit that sounds scary. lol :P

[ihavtugo]

The 9/11 terrorist attacks which killed real people and started a real war that's killed more people. Is nothing like a radio broadcast of a famous book. That talks about an alien invasion...

[laz0r4321]

Internation trolling.

[donniedarko88888]

where can i download the original radio broadcast? pls

[Billthrasher]

@donniedarko88888 Just google it, I believe OTR.com has it as a mp3

[daweller]

Orson Wells, the original troll.

[1Openminded1]

@daweller hahaha

[Songsmirth]

One of the best examples of mob mentality in history. It really proves the power of the writing itself and the appeal of a singular voice. I'm not going to spell this right but it shows how a person can be carasmatic. I believe Orson had no idea how appealing his voice was to the American people. Sad that so many didn't question it. They had gone through being exposed to what science could do with the atom bomb and how shocking that was so to hear aliens had landed maybe wasn't that far off.

[wajmgirl]

Greatest IRL Troll EVER.

[daredevilXIII]

if I were there I would have said: "fake and gay" :D

[92KICKSTART]

"you're like Orson Wells " lol

[pinkfurryhat]

master unintentional trollin

[TomHbirbeck]

Actually,Wells tricking the entire nation with his broadcast is considered the top 10 media myths of all time. Truthfully, a hundred people maybe were totally tricked, and even as this documentary states, a million Americans were initially tricked. One million out of a population of 2 hundred million in 1938 is hardly "punking" the entire nation.

[rhall4th]

@TomHbirbeck Actually, the population of the United States in 1938 was about 130 million.

[mtndewfullflavor]

Could you imagine if people back then could see the movies we have now... lol

[Kedorlaomerist]

@mtndewfullflavor The movies in the olden days relied more on character acting and the use of shadows and creepy music. Today the movies rely on special effects. Every generation thinks they are so much more advanced then the generation before. However, if it were not for the generations before us we would not be where we are today. Just ask Steven Spielburg.

[mtndewfullflavor]

@Kedorlaomerist lol... must not have anything better to do...

[Kedorlaomerist]

@mtndewfullflavor Right at this particular moment I don't have anything better to do. Isn't that the reason for youtube.

[Songsmirth]

@Kedorlaomerist Not to me. I look up new/old music, movies, documentaries, etc. I am a visual learner so YT is just right for me. This story is history. People ran out in the streets, etc. Can you imagine? There's lots to learn in here. So many different venues. I just looked up, "Laugh-In" which I've not seen since it aired. I get to listen to younger people's preferances and various artists. :) I'd only heard of this. Now I get to understand why.

[kaizenx68]

lol That was great hhahahaha.To bad something like that can't happen in this date and time.

[dtominus]

@kaizenx68 Oh yes it can look at 9/11 we all thought it was just two plains that brought down the towers, and some guy in a cave planed it.... ....

[jadestone69]

War of the Worlds - An outstanding eg of impact of media and power of rumours spreading especially during times of war.

[rawdenashitey]

seriously if u were watching bbc news or any news channel today and they have decided to play a prank on us and a braking news comes up saying there is an alien invasion wouldnt u freak out!!!?

[jharrison92bluemoon]

@rawdenashitey nowadays, people would be dicks and not take the joke, but try and sue instead, what's the world come to

[DHGameStudios]

YES!!! This was the very thing I was looking for! Thankyou very much!

[noirdamecom]

Con't ... it's on the PRX website. You can listen to a snippet, or get a Public Radio Exchange account - it's free - and hear the whole thing.

There's all sorts of great original audio drama on that site - if you're a NPR member, ask your local station to air some.

[noirdamecom]

You might like my friend Joe Bevilacqua's 1/2 hour NPR documentary about the making of War of the Worlds, also produced in 1988.

[therealshaynakimmel]

YOU JUST GOT PUNKED! lol It would have been soo funny if he had said that. :P lol

[chikifree]

hahahahahha

[ocgiii]

Welles says he never saw a dime for the recorded version of this, which he says was not a CBS transcription, but a disc recorded by a listener as it was broadcast which was possible.

[misterkami2]

I just finished listening to the 1971 adaptation. It is really impressive. If you like the 1938 broadcast.. you gotta listen to the 1971 one too..

[MSTmike3k]

i wish radio was still that now the only time i turn the radio on now is to listen to glenn beck and coast to coast am with george noory

[donstuie]

I have a copy of the broadcast at home, and sometimes when bored I'll put it on (I know, I need some new hobbies). And I find that with a little imagination you can put yourself in that time and place, and get a better understanding of why so many people were fooled by it. Such was the mastery of Welles and the Mercury Theatre. Truly one of the more fascinating events of the 20th Century.

[ROCKYMARCIANOXX0]

I would love to be arround when this was aired, to see those who thaught it was really happening lol great stuff :P

[NHLinden]

well ask your grandpa if hes still around. if your anything like him he would tell u how funny it was to see that people who thought it was real. i plan to ask my grandpa tomorrow

[buchan23]

Punked a whole nation. Outstanding.

[RJ132991]

@buchan23 Except a lot of people killed themselfs. So, almost outstanding.

[naffanyaaa]

Website

pauldelahay co uk

Album 'War of the Worlds'

[SWORDOFTRUTH9]

Columbia Broadcasting Illuminati. CFR. See u-tube videos: Goddess Columbia, Lilith, Bohemian Grove, Monterrey Bruja, Freeman perspective, UFO's Angels and Gods, or see our playlists to understand why they want to know how we react to UFO invasions.

[mollyarabella]

Stunning. Irresponsible but rivetting.

[larosity]

Historic broadcast...wouldn't work today but propelled Welles' career i'm sure!Good share James!

[sherrywine1941]

Good one James..LOL (5*) Sherry

[cherrialbum]

LOL!! Thanks James for the share!

[oldiesedit]

Took the cash register and the gun but left the wife and kids behind? OUCH!!! I imagine he had quite the 'welcome home"! Hahaha! Interesting video! Glad bigeeezy sent this my way!

[75cliffe]

Aw: they changed their mind, they took one look at the hell on Earth~!Then said YT hell lets get out of here lol.( bigeeezy )are you listening Lol Dam shame I always wanted to Hug one of them little Green Alians

[75cliffe]

bigeeezy. James you want to get down here they just landing Lol

[speke1989]

This is 10X better than punkd or any of them programes lol

BEST PRANK EVER

[mewtwopoke]

ownage man, ownage!

[Johnyg86]

I'm sorry as an american i'm ashamed to say that wizardx99 is correct, GEORGE W BUSH! need i say more. Fortunately it's not all of us it's mostly those who were stupide enough to either support that idiot or vote for him.

[latercerapalabra]

ORSON WELLES WAS A GENIUS

[wizardx99]

Americans are still Dumb today

[ZIPPTPH77]

Hey wizard, it must feel awful and sickening that England is being taken over by the ragheads! Only these aliens have filthy beards and dirty night shirts. I hope you limeys get all that you deserve!

[auto98]

It's true that we should get what we deserve - it was our actions that led to the USA existing, and look what that has led to

Sorry world

[firesdeal1]

Everybody chill, both America and Britain are great countries. We British owe the US a lot.

[pyromanic78]

englands being taken over by ragheads!? not only are you seriously mis-informed but a sad little racist, blinkered fool! climb back under your rock ya daft trogladyte and watch your censored especially for the weekminded news broadcasts. while in the usa i had to laugh at the news and what it said about the uk. seriously you guys REALLY are misinformed, even moreso than here in the uk. and those "ragheads" as you put it....who is it they hate???? lol you've been so well indoctrinated its sad!

[RoyaleMcChicken]

yeah says the raghead

usa usa freedom is the only way

[pyromanic78]

i just had to come back to laugh at you again, as a "limey" ofcourse. lmao...remember where your roots are you fool! man its folk like you that make "trimming the herd" seem feesable! im not even english, but you should 5*s for that comment! its made my day! i bet youd be in iraq right now as a hardy soldier if you werent in your residential unit for retards! your support worker should take you out for a drive or just give you all your tablets at once!

[BreakerSizzle]

Check your grammar, good sir.

~ A message from an American.

[pyromanic78]

not all americans are, just as not all brits are, BUT zipptph77 is certainly a lost cause and on sight could seem to give your claim substantial grounds if he were the voice of america. thankfully i know a lot of americans who have a great deal of common sense and intelligence.

[ZIPPTPH77]

Pyro is must have hit a raw nerve with you, but don't worry because America is as dumb as the Brits are because we are on the verge of electing some Muslim radical as president! I say God help us all!

[JeffreyLewisTV]

You honestly think Obama is secretly a radical Muslim?

[CountingDimes]

i know that it takes nine minutes to drive from Trenton, NJ and Grover's Mill, NJ

[kloten]

where can you hear the original broadcast in full?

[americansupporter]

just search orson wells war of the worlds on youtube

[kloten]

...now why didn't I think of that.

[wellsoflondon]

I have part one of the original Orson Welles broadcast of WAR OF THE WORLDS up on Youtube. I will have the rest of the broadcast up by the end of the week.

[kloten]

thank you for posting it!

[icet925]

damn this guy is a clever a-hole

[CHARMED11P1]

its welles not wells haha

just get name right lol.

but this braodcast started his career big time . soon after this he got the one in a lifetoime opperatunity of a free movie making role. he got a contract with unlimited supplies including money and teams . . untill his movies started to go down hill and there for stopped peaked his carrer at 25 then after that was just small movies and theatre plays. citizen kane n01 film alltime

[hillbillyprofane]

Great stuff! Thanks for uploading it! NPR does great documentaries.

[btermini]

thanks

[TheWhiteBandana]

my grandpa said that ,that scared the shit outtah people.

lol.