The War of the Worlds (Original 1938 Radio Adaptaion) [Audio CD]

H.G. Wells (Author), Orson Welles (Author), The Mercury Theatre on the Air (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2003

Original uncut Radio Broadcast! on the evening of October 30th, 1938, Earth went to war with Mars! Martians invaded New Jersey! The famous panic broadcast that shook the world starring Orson Welles.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Media Bay (February 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570195501
• ISBN-13: 978-1570195501
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.3 x 5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #241,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #44 in Books > Books on CD > Radio Shows

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the greatest misunderstandings of all time, May 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The War of the Worlds (Audio Cassette)

This is the actual radi broadcast made in the 30s, and I can see where people could get the idea of the story being real. The details are authentic to the period and it really sounds like those old radio news shows from the time. The plot follows the H.G. Wells classic with minor changes, like the introduction of airplanes in the futile defense of... New York City! Yes, there are changes that yould make this little joke seem more real to an American radio audience.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the greatest broadcasts of all time, June 23, 2005

By 

Donna Di Giacomo (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: War of the Worlds: Original Radio Broadcast (Audio Cassette)

Ahh, the days when there was no such thing as television and people had to use their <gasp!> imaginations while listening to the radio.

I am 29 years old and I love collecting old radio programs, especially the "Suspense" series. I'm fascinated that people could write well enough to keep a listening audience's attention for a full thirty minutes and make them want to keep listening until the end. I have great respect for the actors and actresses of the era when radio was king as it takes a lot of talent to let your voice do the acting. Today, an "actor" or "actress" can get away with being attractive and being a bigger hit with trashy tabloids more than at the box office.

It is well known how much people were freaked out by this broadcast (so much so that the FCC launched an investigation including looking at whether or not Welles and his fellow actors were not part of some conspiracy to create such a hysteria) and, while listening to this, it's easy to imagine channel surfing on the evening of October 30, 1938 and catching the program well after Welles stated the obvious: That it was a radio play based on the H.G. Wells novel of the same title. It was authentic in that it included the names of men in FDR's cabinet and picked out small towns in Northern New Jersey where Martians initially landed. And, as another reviewer previosuly pointed out, the show was done in the same format that radio news shows were done then, so for those who missed Orson's explanation of the program, they were bound to think this was the real thing happening at that place and at that time.

Unfortunately, the mass hysteria and publicity (dare I say infamy?) was no doubt a jinx on the talented Welles. True, he made the mighty classic "Citizen Kane" in 1941 but, apart from that, he was, and still is, remembered as the guy who made people think that the world was really being attacked by Martians. Near the end of his life he made a comment on his career, "I started at the top and worked my way to the bottom."

It's a shame things turned out the way they did for Welles but one thing's for sure, he sure stirred up plenty of mischief on that Mischief Night in 1938.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic for everyone, September 28, 2002

By 

Lodge2 (Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Radio Shows: War of the Worlds 10-30-38 (Audio CD)

This should be required listening for everyone. The story is fantastic. You can easily understand how people could be convinced that it was real. In a time when radio and print news were the primary sources of information, this broadcast was quite convincing. If you missed the few times the broadcasters mentioned that it was a performance, you would easily assume that it was real. Although I have read the story several times, this was the first time I have experienced the broadcast. Definitely something worth having.