Product ID: TWOTWSC
Control Number: 7498076
The War of the Worlds 9 Episodes
The War of the Worlds is one of the most famous and influential radio broadcasts in history — a dramatization so realistic and powerful that it caused widespread panic and forever changed public perception of the medium. Produced by The Mercury Theatre on the Air and adapted by Howard Koch from H.G. Wells’ 1898 novel, the broadcast aired live on Halloween Eve, 1938, and depicted a fictional Martian invasion of Earth as if it were breaking news. Its groundbreaking format, convincing performances, and terrifying realism made it a defining moment in radio drama and a landmark in American cultural history.
This single episode remains one of the most studied and talked-about events in the history of broadcasting.
The Stars
The show was directed and narrated by a then 23-year-old Orson Welles, who also played Professor Richard Pierson, an astronomy expert and one of the story’s few surviving eyewitnesses. Welles’s intense and measured performance, coupled with his innovative direction, turned a classic sci-fi story into an all-too-believable crisis.
The supporting cast included members of The Mercury Theatre Company, such as Ray Collins, Kenny Delmar, Frank Readick, and Carl Frank, who delivered remarkably naturalistic portrayals of reporters, scientists, and government officials during the unfolding "emergency."
Key Dates
• The War of the Worlds aired live on CBS Radio on October 30, 1938, as part of the weekly anthology series The Mercury Theatre on the Air.
• The broadcast was unsponsored at the time but became famous almost instantly for the public’s reaction.
• The original program ran for approximately 60 minutes, with no commercial breaks — adding to its realism.
Other Information
The first half of the broadcast was presented in the style of a live news bulletin, interrupting what seemed like a regular music program with increasingly urgent reports of strange explosions on Mars, mysterious objects landing in New Jersey, and horrific scenes of destruction caused by heat rays and poison gas. The realism was so convincing that thousands of listeners believed the invasion was real, causing confusion, fear, and — in some areas — brief panic.
While reports of mass hysteria were likely exaggerated by the media, the event did prompt a national conversation about the power and responsibility of broadcast media. CBS and Orson Welles issued clarifying statements the next day, and the broadcast has since been viewed as both a masterpiece of storytelling and a cautionary tale about media influence.
Over time, The War of the Worlds has become a benchmark for radio drama, studied in schools and media programs, re-aired and adapted many times, and even added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry in recognition of its historic significance.
Today, The War of the Worlds is remembered not just as a radio play, but as a cultural phenomenon — one that demonstrated the potential of radio to blur the line between fiction and reality, and the enduring power of sound to ignite the imagination.
Suggested Retail Price: $12.49
Mice Price: $9.69
Length: 10
Width: 9
Weight: 0.0500 pounds
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