War of the Worlds
Season 25 Episode 6 | 51m 47sVideo has Closed Captions
How Orson Welles' genius use of the new medium of radio struck fear into an anxious nation
Shortly after 8 p.m. on the Halloween Eve, 1938, a panicked radio announcer broke in with a report that Martians had landed in the tiny town of Grovers Mill, New Jersey. Although most listeners understood that the program was a radio drama, the next day's headlines reported that thousands of others plunged into panic. It turned out to be H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds performed by Orson Welles.
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For Season 25 of American Experience, exclusive corporate funding is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance, major funding by The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS stations.
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War of the Worlds
Season 25 Episode 6 | 51m 47sVideo has Closed Captions
Shortly after 8 p.m. on the Halloween Eve, 1938, a panicked radio announcer broke in with a report that Martians had landed in the tiny town of Grovers Mill, New Jersey. Although most listeners understood that the program was a radio drama, the next day's headlines reported that thousands of others plunged into panic. It turned out to be H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds performed by Orson Welles.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Dear Mr. Welles: Uncovering Original Material
Clip: S25 Ep6 | 2m 59s | Letters from a library archive come alive in the American Experience documentary. (2m 59s)
Clip: S25 Ep6 | 18s | Americans were living in fear during the height of the Great Depression. (18s)
Clip: S25 Ep6 | 48s | "Alien army invader in the late '30s was quickly translatable from Martian to German." (48s)
Clip: S25 Ep6 | 22s | In Oct. 1938, a panicked radio announcer reported that Martians had landed in New Jersey. (22s)
Clip: S25 Ep6 | 2m 59s | Actors, antique radios, and the greatest prank of all times. (2m 59s)
Orson Welles' Best Performance
Clip: S25 Ep6 | 32s | The press conference was one of Welles great performances as an actor. (32s)
Orson Welles' Press Conference
Clip: S25 Ep6 | 23s | Orson Welles could not imagine how anyone could believe that Martians had really landed. (23s)
Clip: S25 Ep6 | 18s | Many Americans were in awe that some people had believed the War of the Worlds broadcast. (18s)
Clip: S25 Ep6 | 29s | During the height of the Great Depression, radios were being purchased by the millions. (29s)
There Was No Stopping Orson Welles
Clip: S25 Ep6 | 26s | CBS network executives ordered a break in the broadcast, but Welles could not be stopped. (26s)
Clip: S25 Ep6 | 7m 16s | Watch chapter 1 of War of the Worlds, premiering on PBS October 29, 2013 at 9/8c. (7m 16s)
Clip: S25 Ep6 | 1m 18s | Outtakes from the recreation shoot for War of the Worlds. (1m 18s)
Preview: S25 Ep6 | 30s | Airing October 29, 9/8c. The most famous invasion that never happened. (30s)
Clip: S25 Ep6 | 16s | In the 1930s, Americans worried when radio programs were interrupted by news bulletins. (16s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship
Support for PBS provided by:
For Season 25 of American Experience, exclusive corporate funding is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance, major funding by The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS stations.