The Mercury Theatre on the Air - War of the Worlds

Summary

This transcript is from the famous 1938 radio broadcast "War of the Worlds" by Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre. It dramatizes the fictional Martian invasion narrative from H.G. Wells' novel "The War of the Worlds". The broadcast is known for causing widespread panic among listeners who believed the events to be real, despite it being presented as a Halloween special. Orson Welles' dramatic storytelling and the use of realistic news bulletins captivated and terrified the public, forever changing broadcast conventions and illustrating the powerful influence of media.

Highlights

• The broadcast was a Halloween special meant to entertain, but it ended up causing real panic. 🎃
• Listeners tuned in late missed the disclaimers, adding to the confusion and fear. 😬
• The production simulated news reports, convincing many of a real extraterrestrial threat. 🛸
• Orson Welles narrated with such intensity that it blurred the lines between fiction and reality. 🎙️
• The choice of a radio setting mimicked typical evening shows, adding to the broadcast's authenticity. 📡

Key Takeaways

• The broadcast illustrates the power and responsibility of media in shaping public perception. 📻
• Despite detailed disclaimers, many listeners believed the fictional broadcast was real. 👽
• Orson Welles' performance showcased the mesmerizing potential of radio as an entertainment medium. 🎭
• "War of the Worlds" is a reminder of how media effects can lead to mass hysteria. 😱
• The incident triggered discussions and changes in broadcast regulations. 📜

Overview

"War of the Worlds" is a classic example of radio drama, skillfully brought to life by Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre. Set as a live news broadcast, it creatively adapted H.G. Wells' 1898 novel, depicting a Martian invasion with unsettling realism. It's a testament to radio's ability to engage and influence its audience at an unprecedented level.

This broadcast gained notoriety not only for its artistic execution but also for the public pandemonium it inadvertently caused. People across the United States were thrown into chaos, genuinely believing Earth was under attack by Martians. This reaction was fueled by strategic, dramatic elements combined with the media environment of the era, where real-time broadcasts were becoming a powerful influence in daily life.

The incident is a key study in media accountability and the balance between entertainment and public responsibility. Its impact was significant enough to prompt reassessments of broadcast protocols and remains a powerful illustration of how storytelling, when crafted with vivid authenticity, can evoke intense public reactions. It stands out as a fascinating chapter in media history, a story of fiction that, for a moment, became a terrifying reality.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction The chapter opens with a presentation by the Lumbee broadcasting system, introducing Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater on the air. It is based on "The Wall of the World" by H.G. Welles, setting the tone for a dramatic broadcast.
• 00:30 - 03:00: Opening Monologue In the opening chapter 'Opening Monologue,' the focus is on introducing the listener to the context of the story, indicating that in the early 20th century, Earth was under the observation of superior intelligences. The monologue sets a tone of suspense and intrigue, revealing that while humans were preoccupied with their daily lives, they were unknowingly being watched by beings more intelligent than themselves. This chapter establishes a foreboding atmosphere, hinting at the events that are to follow.
• 03:00 - 05:30: Weather Report and Musical Interlude This chapter delves into the introspective examination of humanity's perception of its own existence and dominion over Earth. Through the metaphor of someone using a microscope to study creatures in a drop of water, it reflects on the complacency and assurance with which people go about their daily lives. This complacency is juxtaposed against the vast and mysterious origins of their solar environment, hinting at a broader theme of humankind's relative insignificance in the universe and the existential questions that arise from this realization. The chapter title suggests a blend of both scientific and cultural (musical) reflections as part of this exploration.
• 05:30 - 08:30: First News Bulletin about Mars The chapter discusses the first news bulletin about Mars, emphasizing the immense distances and the cold, calculated intentions of Martian intellects towards Earth. These advanced beings viewed our planet with envy and meticulously devised plans against humanity. The narrative sets the scene in the 39th year of the 20th century, highlighting a period of great disillusionment, particularly around the end of October.
• 08:30 - 15:00: Interviews and Observations The chapter 'Interviews and Observations' discusses an improvement in business conditions. The war scare had diminished, leading to more men returning to work and an increase in sales. The chapter notes that on the evening of October 30th, 32 million people were listening to the radio, as estimated by the Crosley Service. It also highlights a change in temperature and an atmospheric disturbance of unknown origin.
• 15:00 - 23:00: Meteorite Impact and Aftermath The chapter opens with a meteorite impact reported over Nova Scotia, which leads to a sudden change in weather patterns in the northeastern state. A low-pressure area quickly moves down, resulting in rain and light gale-force winds. The government Weather Bureau provides this forecast, announcing maximum and minimum temperatures of 66 and 48 degrees, respectively. Following the weather report, the scene shifts to a merging room at the Hotel Park Plasma in downtown New York, where Ramon Raquello and his orchestra are playing music for the evening's entertainment.
• 23:00 - 31:00: Martian Invasion Begins The chapter opens with a broadcast from the Meridian room in the Park Plaza Hotel, New York City, featuring the music of Ramon Raquello and his orchestra. The chapter sets an atmosphere of normalcy with the orchestra playing 'La Casita,' implying the calm before the storm as the Martian invasion begins.
• 31:00 - 39:00: Martian Machines in Action The chapter discusses a fictional radio broadcast that interrupts a music program with a special news bulletin about astronomical observations. Professor Farrell from Mount Jennings Observatory in Chicago reports observing multiple explosions of incandescent gas on Mars. These events are happening at regular intervals and the spectroscope analysis suggests the gas composition.
• 39:00 - 47:00: Chaos and Evacuation The chapter titled 'Chaos and Evacuation' describes a scientific observation involving hydrogen moving towards Earth at high speed. Professor Pierson from Princeton's observatory confirms another scientist's (Farrell's) findings and likens the event to a rapid, jet-like blue flame. Following this dramatic scientific revelation, the narrative shifts back to a musical performance by Ramon Raquello at a hotel in New York, amidst a backdrop of increasing tension and chaos.
• 47:00 - 57:30: Call for Calm and Unity The chapter titled 'Call for Calm and Unity' revolves around the appeal for togetherness and peace in a time of instability or uncertainty. It begins with a mention of a universally favored tool, likely a metaphor or symbol for something reliable and stabilizing in chaotic times. The narrator then shifts focus to the allure and popularity of Raquel Owen and the effect she has on people.
• 57:30 - 67:30: Resistance and Plans for Survival The chapter 'Resistance and Plans for Survival' details the government's response to celestial anomalies. Following a bulletin from the meteorological bureau, there is an urgent request for major observatories to monitor Mars for any further disturbances, indicating unusual phenomena influencing Earth surveillance and governmental action.
• 67:30 - 91:30: Martians Defeated by Bacteria An interview is arranged with Professor Pierson, a noted astronomer, to discuss the recent occurrence of Martians being defeated by bacteria. Before the interview, the audience is temporarily returned to the music of Ramon Raquello.
• 91:30 - 95:30: Closing Remarks and Reflection The chapter takes place at the Princeton observatory where radio commentator Carl Phillips is set to interview Professor Richard Pierson, a renowned astronomer. The setting is described as a large, pitch-black semicircular room, providing a mysterious and tense atmosphere for the interview. This setup hints at an important discussion or revelation to follow, capturing the audience's attention right from the beginning.
• 95:30 - 99:30: Orson Welles' Out of Character Epilogue The chapter titled 'Orson Welles' Out of Character Epilogue' describes a scene set in a city cut by an opening through which stars sprinkle a frosty glow over a massive telescope. The environment is characterized by the sounds of ticking clockwork as Pierson stands on a platform observing through the telescope lens. The narrative is directed to the audience, requesting patience in case of any unplanned interruptions, such as telephone calls, during the continuous observation of the skies.
• 99:30 - 99:35: Credits and Closing Music The chapter titled 'Credits and Closing Music' involves a communication session with astronomical centers, focusing on the observation of the planet Mars. The observer, possibly Mr. Phillips, describes seeing a red disc with transverse stripes through a telescope. Mars appears distinct because it is currently positioned nearest to the Earth, allowing for a clear observation.

The Mercury Theatre on the Air - War of the Worlds Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 Lumbee a broadcasting system and its affiliated stations present Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater on the air in the wall of the world bye HG Welles [Music]
• 00:30 - 01:00 ladies and gentlemen the director of the mercury theater and star of these broadcasts Orson well we know now that in the early years of the 20th century this world was being watched closely by intelligences greater than man's yet as mortal as his own we know now that as human beings visit themselves about their various concerns they were
• 01:00 - 01:30 scrutinized and studied perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinize the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water with infinite complacency people went to and probe the earth about their little Affairs serene and the assurance of their dominion over this small spinning fragment of solar driftwood which by chance or design man has inherited out of the dark mystery of
• 01:30 - 02:00 time and space yet across an immense ethereal gold mines that are to our minds of ours that are the beasts in the jungle intellects vast cool and unsympathetic regarded this earth with envious eyes and slowly and surely drew their plans against us in the 39th year the 20th century came the great disillusionment near the end of October
• 02:00 - 02:30 business was better war scare was over more men were back at work sales were picking up on this particular evening October 30th the Crosley Service estimated that 32 million people were listening in on radios change in temperature a slight atmospheric disturbance of undetermined origin is
• 02:30 - 03:00 reported over Nova Scotia causing a low-pressure area to move down rather rapidly over the northeastern state bringing a forecast of rain accompanied by wind of light gale force maximum temperature 66 minimum 48 this weather report comes to you from the government Weather Bureau we take you now to the merge merging room in the hotel park plasma in downtown New York where you will be entertained by the music of Ramon raquello and his orchestra good evening
• 03:00 - 03:30 ladies and gentlemen from the Meridian room in the Park Plaza Hotel in New York City we bring you the music of Ramon raquello and his orchestra the touch of the Spanish Ramon raquello lead off with La Casita [Music]
• 03:30 - 04:00 ladies and gentlemen we interrupt our program of dance music to bring you a special bulletin from the Intercontinental radio news at 20 minutes before 8:00 Central Time professor Farrell of the mount Jennings Observatory Chicago Illinois reports observing several explosions of incandescent gas occurring at regular intervals on the planet Mars the spectroscope indicates the gas to be
• 04:00 - 04:30 hydrogen and moving toward the earth with enormous velocity professor Pierson of the observatory at Princeton confirms Farrell's observation and describes the phenomenon as quote like a jet of blue flame shot from a gun unquote we now return you to the music of Ramon raquello playing for you in the Meridian room of the parks laws of hotel situated in downtown New York [Music]
• 04:30 - 05:00 and now a tool that never loses favour the ever-popular star de Raymond Raquel Owen is off Letty's and gentlemen
• 05:00 - 05:30 following on the news given in our bulletin a moment ago the government meteorological Bureau has requested the large observatories of the country to keep an astronomical watch on any further disturbances occurring on the planet Mars view the unusual nature of
• 05:30 - 06:00 this occurrence we have arranged an interview with a noted astronomer professor Pierson who will give us his views on this event in a few moments we will take you to the Princeton observatory at Princeton New Jersey we return you until then to the music of Ramon raquello and disorders [Music] Oh [Music]
• 06:00 - 06:30 we are ready now to take you to the Princeton observatory at Princeton where Carl Phillips our commentator will interview Professor Richard Pierson famous astronomer we take you now to Princeton New Jersey good evening ladies and gentlemen Carl Phillips speaking to you the observatory official I'm standing in a large semicircular room pitch black except for not long
• 06:30 - 07:00 splitting the city through this opening I can see his sprinkling of stars and cast a kind of frosty glow over the intricate mechanism of the huge telescope the ticking sound you hear the vibration of the clockwork the Pierson stands directly above me on a small platform hearing through the giant flame I ask you to be patient ladies and gentlemen during any delay that may arise during our engine sizes ceaseless watch of the heavens press appear some may be interrupted by telephone or other
• 07:00 - 07:30 communications during this period is in constant touch with the astronomical centers of the world better may I begin our question at any time is first better would you please tell our radio audience exactly what you see as you observe the planet Mars through your telescope I mean unusual moment mr. Phillips red disc swimming in a blue sea transverse stripes cross a disc why distinct now because Mars has to be at the point nearest the earth in our position as we
• 07:30 - 08:00 call it in your opinion what are these transverse stripes signify president not canals I can assure you mr. Perotti although that's the popular conjecture of those who imagined must be inhabited from a scientific viewpoint the stripes and merely the result of atmospheric conditions curative planet then you're quite convinced as a scientist that living intelligence as we know it does not exist on Mars there the chances against it or a thousand to one and yet how do you account for these gas
• 08:00 - 08:30 eruptions occurring on the surface of the planet at regular interval well if I cannot account for oh by the way present for the benefit of our listeners how far is Mars from the earth approximately 40 million miles well that seems a safe and discipline just a moment ladies and gentlemen someone has just had a professor Pierson a message while he reads it let me remind you that we we are speaking to you from the observatory in Princeton New Jersey where we are interviewing the world famous astronomer professor Pierson oh one moment please
• 08:30 - 09:00 as the Pierson has passed me a message which he had just received professor may I read the message to the listening audience urgently ladies and gentlemen I should read you a wire addressed VESA Pearson from dr. gray of the Natural History Museum New York quote 9:15 p.m. Eastern Standard Time seismograph registered shock of almost earthquake intensity occurring within a radius of 20 miles of Princeton please investigate signed void gray chief of astronomical division unquote
• 09:00 - 09:30 best person but this occurs possibly has something to do with the disturbances observed on the planet Mars uh hardly mr. Phillips this is probably a meteorite of unusual size and its arrival at this particular time is merely a coincidence however we shall conduct a search as soon as daylight permit Thank You professor ladies and gentlemen for the past 10 minutes we've been speaking to you from the observatory at Princeton bringing you a special interview with Professor Pierson noted astronomer this is Carl Phillips speaking we are
• 09:30 - 10:00 returning you now to our New York studio [Music] ladies and gentlemen here is the latest bulletin from the Intercontinental radio news Toronto Canada professor Morris of Macmillan University reports observing a total of three explosions on the planet Mars between the hours of 7:45 p.m. and 9:20 p.m. Eastern Standard Time this confirms earlier reports received
• 10:00 - 10:30 from American observatories now nearer home comes a special bulletin from Trenton New Jersey it is reported that at 8:50 p.m. a huge flaming object believed to be a meteorite fell on a farm in the neighborhood of Grover's mill New Jersey 22 miles from Trenton the flash in the sky was visible within a radius of several hundred miles and the noise of the impact was heard as far north as Elizabeth we have dispatched a special mobile unit to the scene and we'll have our commentator Carl Phillips give you a word picture of the scene as
• 10:30 - 11:00 soon as he can reach there from Princeton in the meantime we take you to the hotel martinet in Brooklyn where Bobbi Millette and his orchestra are offering a program of dance music [Music]
• 11:00 - 11:30 we take you now to Grover's mill New Jersey ladies and gentlemen this is Carl Phillips again how does the wilmuth farm Grover's mill New Jersey but the piston and myself made the 11 miles from Princeton in ten minutes well I hardly know where to begin pay for your word picture the strange thing
• 11:30 - 12:00 before my eyes like something out of the modern Arabian Nights all right just got here I haven't had a chance to look around yet I guess that if yes I guess that's the thing directly in front of me ass buried in a fast pit muster up with terrific force the ground is covered with split into the tree and must've drunk on its way down but I can see if the object itself doesn't look very much like a meteor race just the meteors I've seen is a small I said you
• 12:00 - 12:30 cylinder as the diameter of them what would you say professor Pierson for first what would you say what's the diameter of this arc 30 are about 30 yards the metal on the sheath is well I've never seen anything like it the color is sort of yellowish white is curious spectators now are pressing close to the oxygen spite of the efforts of the police to keep them back they're getting in front of my line theater and would you mind standing one side please oh well if I push you out back here's mr. wilmuth owner of the farm here he may have some interesting fact to add
• 12:30 - 13:00 mr. wilmuth will you please tell the radio audience as much as you remember of this rather unusual visitor that stopped in your backyard a step posted please ladies and gentlemen this is mr. Weller well I was sitting on the radios and louder please Barney a louder please puddin yes I was listening to the radio and kind of drowsy that Professor fellow was talking about Mars so I was half chosen half yes yes this woman and then what happened well as I was saying I was listening to the radio kind of half way
• 13:00 - 13:30 yes mr. Willet and then you saw something not first all I heard something and what did you hear a hissing sound like this kind of like a fourth of July rocket yes then what I turned my head out the window and would have sworn I was asleep and remus yeah I've seen a kind of greenish streak and then Zingo suffer smack the ground not me clear out of my chair well why are you frightened mr. wilmuth well I'm quite sure I reckon I
• 13:30 - 14:00 was kind of riled Thank You mr. wilmuth thank you very much want me to no that's quite all right that's plenty ladies and gentlemen you've just heard mr. wilmuth owner the farm where this thing has fallen I wish I convey the atmosphere the background of this fantastic scene hundreds of cars of parch in the field in fact mr. police it's time to rope off the roadway leading into the farm but it's no use breaking right through cars headlights throwing enormous spotlight on the pit where the object has buried some of the more daring so now are venturing near
• 14:00 - 14:30 the eggs are you a stand out against the metal sphere bah one man watch the touchy thing he's having an argument the policemen are the policemen wins now ladies and gentlemen there's something I haven't mentioned in all this excitement but it's becoming more distinct perhaps you've caught it already on your radio listen please do you hear the curious humming sound that seems to come from inside the object I'll move the microphone nearer here now
• 14:30 - 15:00 we're not more than 25 feet away can you hear it now professor Pierson yes can you tell us the meaning of that scraping noise inside the thing possibly the unequal cooling of its surface I say do you still think it the media or the fender what do you think the metal casing is definitely extraterrestrial and not found on this earth friction
• 15:00 - 15:30 with the Earth's atmosphere usually tears holes in a meteorite this thing is smooth and peaceful in today something's happening ladies and gentlemen is terrific this end of the thing is beginning to flake off the top is beginning to rotate like a screw and the thing must be Hollow people laugh it off gentlemen hey life
• 15:30 - 16:00 I've ever whip it we're gonna someone calling somewhere something I can see hanging out of that black hole to luminous disks the eyes might be a face might be on the world of heaven something reg hang out of the shadow like a grace naked now it's another one and another one and another one they look like tentacles to me see the things body now it's large God's the
• 16:00 - 16:30 bear systems like wet weather but hey ladies and gentlemen said described over I can hardly force myself to keep looking at it awful it eyes have blackened me lean like a serpent the mouth is that's kind of v-shaped with saliva dripping from its witless lips to see the O's quivered pulsating the monster whatever it is can hardly move he's weighed down by possibly gravity or something things rising up down in the crowd falls fact that seen plenty that was experienced
• 16:30 - 17:00 thinking so much they find words well uh fullest microphone with me as they talk them have to stop the description till I can take a new position hold on where you please I'll be right back [Music] [Music] we are bringing you an eyewitness account of what's happening on the wilmuth farm Grover's mill New Jersey [Music]
• 17:00 - 17:30 we now return you to Carl Phillips at Grover's mill ladies and gentlemen for my on ladies and gentlemen ladies dinner here I am back with stone wall that joins mr. will miss garden from here I get a sweep of the whole same I'll give you every detail as long as I can talk as long as I can save more State Police
• 17:30 - 18:00 have arrived at drawing up a cordon in front of the pit house 30 of them no need to push the cause back now they're willing to keep their distance the captain's conferring with someone had quite see who is a brave it's professor Pierson yes it is now now they've parted and the professor moves around one side studying the object while it captain and two policemen advance with something in their hand I say it now it's a white active tied to a pole flag of truce those creatures know what that means
• 18:00 - 18:30 or anything means there's something happening shape is rising out of the pit and then they got a small beam of light against a mirror [Music] that jet of flame springing a mirror at least slightly passing men strikes them head on Lord to tell you the plain if you followed by the woods of Isaac the pig thankfully all of the fields spreading everywhere coming you point out about 20 yards Bharath ladies and
• 18:30 - 19:00 gentlemen due to circumstances beyond our control we are unable to continue the broadcast from Grover's mill evidently there's some difficulty with our field transmission however we will return to that point at the earliest opportunity in the meantime we have a late bulletin from San Diego California professor indle coffer speaking at a dinner of the California Astronomical Society expressed the opinion that the explosions on Mars are undoubtedly
• 19:00 - 19:30 nothing more than severe volcanic disturbances on the surface of the planet we continue now with our piano interlude [Music] ladies and gentlemen I've just been handed a message that came in from Grover's mill by telephone that's one moment please at least 40 people including six state troopers lie
• 19:30 - 20:00 dead in a field east of the village of Grover's mill their bodies burned and distorted beyond all possible recognition the next voice you hear will be that of brigadier general Montgomery Smith commander of the state militia at Trenton New Jersey I have been requested by the governor of New Jersey to place the counties of Mercer and Middlesex is as far west as Princeton and east to
• 20:00 - 20:30 Jamesburg under martial law no one will be permitted to head of this area except by special pass issued by state or military authorities for companies of state militia era proceeding from Trenton to Grover's mill and will aid in the evacuation of homes within the range of military operations thank you you have just been listening to general Montgomery Smith commanding the state militia at Trenton in the meantime further details of the
• 20:30 - 21:00 catastrophe at Grover's mill are coming in the strange creatures after unleashing their deadly assault crawled back in their pit and made no attempt to prevent the efforts of the firemen to recover the bodies and extinguish the fire the combined fire departments of Mercer County are fighting the flames which Menace the entire countryside we have been unable to establish any contact with our mobile unit at Grover's mill but we hope to be able to return you there at the earliest possible moment in the meantime we take you to just one moment please
• 21:00 - 21:30 ladies and gentlemen I have just been informed that we have finally established communication with an eyewitness of the tragedy professor Pierson has been located at a farmhouse near Grover's mill where he has established an emergency observation post as a scientist he will give you his explanation of the calamity the next voice you hear will be that of Professor Pierson brought to you by direct wire professor Pierson are they creatures
• 21:30 - 22:00 the rocket cylinder at Grover's mill I can give you no authoritative information either as to their nature their origin or their purposes here on earth of their destructive instrument I might venture some conjectural explanation one of a better term I shall refer to the mysterious weapon as a heat ray or to evidence that these creatures have scientific knowledge for an advance of our own it's my guess that in some
• 22:00 - 22:30 way they are able to generate an intense heat in a chamber of practically absolute non conductivity this intense heat they project in a parallel beam against any object they choose by means of a polished parabolic mirror of unknown composition much as the mirror of a lighthouse projects a beam of light that is my conjecture of the origin of the heat ray Thank You professor Pierson ladies and gentlemen here is a bulletin from Trenton it is a brief statement
• 22:30 - 23:00 informing us that the charred body of Carl Phillips has been identified in the Trenton Hospital now here's another bulletin from Washington DC the office of the director of the National Red Cross reports 10 units of Red Cross emergency workers have been assigned to the headquarters of the state militia stationed outside of Grover's mill New Jersey here's a bulletin from State Police Princeton Junction the fires at Grover's mill and vicinity are now under control Scouts report all quiet in the pit and there is
• 23:00 - 23:30 no sign of life appearing from the mouth of the cylinder now ladies and gentlemen we have a special statement from mr. Harry McDonald vice-president in charge of operations we have received a request from the state militia of Trenton to place at their disposal our entire broadcasting facilities few of the gravity of the situation and believing that radio has a responsibility to serve in the public interest at all times we are turning over our facilities to the state militia at Trenton we take you now
• 23:30 - 24:00 to the field headquarters of the state militia near Grover's mill New Jersey this is captain Lansing of the Signal Corps attached to the state militia now engaged in military opera stations in the vicinity of Grover's mill situation arising from the reported presence of certain individuals of unidentified nature is now under complete control the kalindra calab jekt which lies in a pit directly below our position surrounded on all sides by
• 24:00 - 24:30 eight italians of infantry without heavy field pieces but adequately armed with rifles and machine guns all cause for alarm if such cause ever existed is now entirely unjustified things whatever they are do not even venture to poke their heads above the pit I can see their hiding place plainly in the glare of the searchlights here with all their reported resources these creatures can scarcely stand up against heavy machine-gun fire anyway it's an interesting outing for the troops I can
• 24:30 - 25:00 make out their khaki uniforms crossing back and forth in front of the lights looks almost like a real war there appears to be some slight smoke in the woods bordering the Millstone River probably fire started by campers well we ought to see some action soon one of the companies is deploying on the left flank a quick thrust and it'll all be over oh wait a minute I see something on top of the cylinder oh it's nothing but a shadow now the troops on the edge of the
• 25:00 - 25:30 wilmuth farm 7,000 armed men closing in on an old metal tube a tub brother well wait that wasn't a shadow it's something moving solid metal kind of a shield like a fair rising up out of the cylinder it's going higher and higher but it's it's standing on legs actually rearing up on a sort of metal framework now it's reaching above the trees and the searchlights are on it hold on ladies and gentle grave announcement to make it incredible
• 25:30 - 26:00 as it may seem both the observations of science and the evidence of our eyes lead to the inescapable assumption that those strange beings who landed in the jersey farmlands tonight are the vanguard of an invading army from the planet Mars the battle which took place tonight at Grove of Mills has ended in one of the most startling defeats ever suffered by an army in modern times 7,000 men armed with rifles and machine guns pitted against a single fighting machine of the
• 26:00 - 26:30 invaders from Mars 120 known survivors the restroom over the battle area from Grover's mill to Plainsboro crushed and trampled to death under the metal feet of the monster were burned to cinders by its heat ray the monster is now in control of the middle section of New Jersey and has effectively cut the state through its center communication lines are down from Pennsylvania to the Atlantic Ocean railroad tracks are torn and serviced from New York to Philadelphia discontinued except routing
• 26:30 - 27:00 some of the trains through Allerton and Phoenix film highways to the north south and west have clogged with frantic human traffic police tsunami reserves are unable to control the mad flight by morning the fugitives will have swamped Philadelphia Camden and Trenton it is estimated to twice their normal population martial law prevailed throughout New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania at this time we take you to Washington for a special broadcast on the national emergency the Secretary of the Interior citizens of the nation I
• 27:00 - 27:30 shall not try to conceal the gravity of the situation that confronts the country nor the concern of your government in protecting the lives and property of its people however I wish to impress upon you private citizens and public officials all of you the urgent need of calm and resourceful action fortunately
• 27:30 - 28:00 this formidable enemy is still confined to a comparatively small area and we may place our faith in the military forces to keep them there the meantime placing our faith in God we must continue the performance of our duties each and every one of us so that we may confront this destructive adversary with a nation United
• 28:00 - 28:30 courageous and consecrated to the preservation of human supremacy on this earth I thank you you have just heard the Secretary of the Interior speaking from Washington bulletins too numerous to read a piling up in the studio here were informed that the central portion of New Jersey is blacked out from radio communication due to the effect of the heat-ray upon power lines and electrical equipment here is a special bulletin New York cables have been received from
• 28:30 - 29:00 English French and German scientific bodies offering assistance astronomers report continued gas outburst at regular intervals and the planet Mars the majority voiced the opinion that the enemy will be reinforced by additional rocket machines there have been several attempts made to locate professor Pierson of Princeton who has observed Martians at close range it is feared he was lost in the recent battle Langham field Virginia scouting planes report three Martian machines visible above treetops moving north towards Somerville
• 29:00 - 29:30 with population fleeing ahead of them the heat ray is not in use although advancing at express train speed invaders picked their way carefully they seem to be making a conscious effort to avoid destruction of cities and countryside whether they stop to a brute power lines bridges and railroad tracks their apparent objective is to crush resistance paralyze communication and disorganized human society here is a bulletin from Basking Ridge New Jersey hunters have stumbled on a second cylinder similar to the first embedded
• 29:30 - 30:00 in the Great Swamp 20 miles south of Mars town army field pieces are proceeding from New Earth to blow up the second invading unit before the cylinder can be open in the fighting machine rig they're taking up a position in the foothills of Hwacheon Mountains another feat another another Bolton from Langham field Virginia scouting planes report enemy machines now three a number increasing speed northward kicking over houses and trees in their evident haste to form a conjunction with their allies south of Mars town machines also cited by telephone operator east of Middlesex within 10
• 30:00 - 30:30 miles of Plainfield is a bulletin from Winston field Long Island a fleet of army bombers carrying heavy explosive flying north in pursuit of enemy scouting claims act as guides they keep the speeding enemy in sight just a moment please ladies and gentleman Eva run special wires the artillery line and the station villages we give you direct reports in the zone of the advancing enemy base we take you to the battery of the 22nd Field Artillery located in the western mountains range 32 metres 32
• 30:30 - 31:00 meters fiction 39 degrees 39 degrees fire 40 off to the races chief range 31 meters 31 meters direction 37 degrees 37 degrees fire it's the private of one of them Oh
• 31:00 - 31:30 the others are trying to repair it get the range 50/50 30 meters 30 meters protection 27 degrees 27 degrees fire the Lancers letting off a smoke what is it like to observe moving this way like
• 31:30 - 32:00 those to the ground moving faster put on gas masks ready to file if 224 meters 24 meters protection 24 degrees 24 degrees fire ether will come near get the rain 23
• 32:00 - 32:30 meter what army bombing claimed the 843
• 32:30 - 33:00 Orfeo New Jersey lieutenant both commanding 8 bombers reporting to Commander Fairfax Langham field this is both reporting to Commander Fairfax Langham field enemy tripod machines now in sight reinforced by three machines from the Morristown cylinder six all together one machine partially crippled believed hit by shell from Army gun in Watchung mountains guns now appear silence I have a black fog hanging close
• 33:00 - 33:30 to the earth of extreme density nature unknown no sign of heat ray and I'm a now turns east crossing Passaic River into the Jersey marshes another straddles the Pulaski Skyway evident objective is New York City they're pushing down a high-tension power station it seems are close together now and we're ready to attack
• 33:30 - 34:00 planes circling ready to strike thousand yards and will be over the first eight hundred yards six hundred four hundred
• 34:00 - 34:30 two hundred there they go SIA Dom raised green flash miss paying us with flame two thousand feet engines are giving out no chance to release bombs only one thing left stop on the plane at all we're diving on the first one
• 34:30 - 35:00 now the engines gone hate this Bayonne New Jersey calling Langham field this is Bayonne New Jersey calling Langham field come in please Langham field hooded eighth army bombers and engagement with enemy tripod machines over Jersey Platts engines incapacitated by heat ray all crash one
• 35:00 - 35:30 enemy machine destroyed enemy now discharging heavy black smoke in direction of Newark New Jersey Newark New Jersey warning poisonous black smoke pouring in from jersey marshes reaches South Street gas masks useless urge populations move into open spaces automobiles use routes 7 23 24 avoid congested areas smoke now spreading over
• 35:30 - 36:00 over Raymond Boulevard to x2l calling CTO 2x to well calling CQ 2x to well calling it X 3 are come in place this is 8 X 3 are coming back into X 2 L either section as reception hey please where are you a text we are what's the matter
• 36:00 - 36:30 where are you [Music] broadcasting building I'm speaking from the roof of broadcasting building New York City fail to hear a ringing to warn the people to evacuate the city as Martians approach estimated in the last
• 36:30 - 37:00 two hours three million people have moved out along the roads to the North Hudson River Parkway still kept open for motor traffic oh it bridges to Long Island hopelessly jammed all communication with Jersey Shore closed in minutes ago no more defenses our army is wiped out artillery air force everything wiped out
• 37:00 - 37:30 this may be the last broadcast we will stay here to the end people are holding service here below us the Cathedral now I look down the harbor old all manner of votes overloaded with Queen population pulling out from docks streets are all
• 37:30 - 38:00 jammed noise and crowds like New Year's Eve and City wait a minute the the enemy is now in sight above the Palisades five five great machines first one is crossing the river I can see it from here waiting waiting the Hudson like a man waiting through a Brooklyn bulletin
• 38:00 - 38:30 has handed me Arjun's dozen news are falling all over the countries one outside of Buffalo I'm in Chicago st. Louis seemed to be time and space now the first machine reaches the shore he and watching looking over the city [Music] he'll college head is even within skyscrapers he waits for the others it
• 38:30 - 39:00 rise like a line of new towers on the city's west side now they're lifting their metal hands this is the end now smoke comes out black smoke drifting over the city people in the streets see it now they're running toward the East River thousands of them dropping in like rats now the smoke spreading faster it's
• 39:00 - 39:30 reached Times Square people are trying to run away from it but it's no use they they're falling like flies now the folks frosting sixth Avenue Fifth Avenue a a hundred yards away is it accepted Pete calling say kill
• 39:30 - 40:00 4x12 calling say kill directs to our
• 40:00 - 40:30 calling say kill New York and there anyone on the air and there anyone on the air and there anyone to x2l you are listening to a CBS presentation of Orson Welles and the
• 40:30 - 41:00 Mercury Theatre on the air in an original dramatization of the war of the worlds by HG Wells the performance will continue after a brief intermission this is the Columbia Broadcasting System the war of the worlds by HG Wells starring Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre on the air [Music]
• 41:00 - 41:30 [Music] I set down these notes on paper I'm obsessed by the thought that I may be the last living man on earth I've been hiding in this empty house near Grover's mill small island of daylight cut off by the black smoke arrest the
• 41:30 - 42:00 world all that happened before the arrival of these monstrous creatures in the world now seems part of another life life that has no continuity with a present furtive existence the lonely derelict two pencils these words on the back of some astronomical notes bearing the signature of Richard Pierson I've doubted my blackened head not try to
• 42:00 - 42:30 connect them with a professor who lives at Princeton and or on the night of October 20th glimpsed through his telescope an orange splash of light on a distant plant my wife my colleagues my students my books my Observatory my my world where are they did they ever exist am i Richard Pierson what day is it
• 42:30 - 43:00 do days exist without calendars this time pass when they're no human hands left to wind the clocks writing down my daily life I tell myself I shall preserve human history between the dark covers of this little book that was meant to record the movements of the stars but right I must live and to live I must eat find moldy bread in the
• 43:00 - 43:30 kitchen and an orange not to spoil to swallow keep watch at the window time to time I catch sight of a Martian above the black smoke smoke still the house and it's black coil but length there is a hissing sound and suddenly I see a Martian mounted on his machine spraying the air with a jet of steam as if to dissipate the smoke I watching a
• 43:30 - 44:00 corner is his huge metal legs nearly brush against the house door stood by terror I'd fall asleep morning morning Sun streams in the window black cloud of gas is lifted in the scorch Meadows to the north look as though a black snow storm had passed over I adventure from the house I make my way to a road no traffic in their wrecked car baggage
• 44:00 - 44:30 overturned the blackened skeleton for Shaun North some reason I feel safer trailing these monsters and running with him and I keep a careful watch I've seen the Martians feed said one of their machines appear over the top of trees I'm ready to fling myself flat on the earth come to a chestnut tree October
• 44:30 - 45:00 yes that's a right well my pockets has keep alive two days I wander in a vague northerly direction through a desolate world finally I noticed a living creature a small red squirrel in a beech tree I stare at him and wonder he stares back at me I believe at that moment the animal and I share the same emotion the joy of finding another living being for Shaun
• 45:00 - 45:30 North I find dead cows in a brackish field and beyond charred ruins of a daring silo main standing guard over the wasteland like a lighthouse deserted berthsy let's try this purchase a weathercock the arrow points north alright next air come to a city city vaguely familiar and its contours
• 45:30 - 46:00 yet it's building strangely dwarfed and leveled off as if it were giant it's sliced off its highest ours with a capricious sweep of his end reach the outskirts I found Newark Newark under mulish but humbled by some whim of the advancing Martians presently with an odd feeling of being watched I caught sight of something crouching in a doorway I made a step towards in it rose up and
• 46:00 - 46:30 became a man man armed with a large knife stop I come from for many places a long time ago from Princeton president huh that's near Grover's mill yes Oh his mill there's no food here this is my
• 46:30 - 47:00 country always send a town down the river there's only food for one which way you're going I don't know I guess I'm looking for people hey what was that we hear something just then no only a bird live bird you get to know that
• 47:00 - 47:30 birds have shadows these days say we're in the open here let's crawl in this doorway here and talk have you seen any Martians they gone over to New York night the skies alive with their lights such as that people we're still living in it I daylight you can't see him I have a zyc Oh a couple of them carried something big across the flats from the airport I
• 47:30 - 48:00 think they're learning how to fly fly yeah fly it's all over with humanity stranger is still you and I two of us left they got themselves in solid they wrecked the greatest country in the world those green stars are probably fallen somewhere every night they've only lost one machine there isn't anything to do we're done we're licked
• 48:00 - 48:30 where were you you're in a uniform what's left of it I was in the militia National Guard that's good there wasn't any war any more than there's war between men and ass yes but we're eatable ants I found that uh what'll they do to us I fell it all out right now we're caught as we wanted Martian only had to go a few miles to get a crowd on the run but they won't keep on doing that they'll begin catching a systematic like keeping the best and storing us in cages and
• 48:30 - 49:00 things they haven't begun on us yet because not begun all it's happened so far is because we don't have sense enough to keep quiet bothering them with guns and such stuff for losing our heads and rushing off in crowds instead of our rushing around blind we got to fix ourselves up fix ourselves up according the way things are now cities nations civilization progress to the fifth so what is better live for well there won't be any more concerts for a million years or so and no nice little
• 49:00 - 49:30 dinners at restaurants if it's amusement you're after I guess the game's up what is there left life that's what I want to live and so do you we're not going to be exterminated and I don't mean to be caught either tame fattened and bred like an ox you're gonna do I'm going on right under their feet I got a plan we
• 49:30 - 50:00 men as men we're finished we don't know enough we got to learn plenty before we got a chance we've got to live and keep free while we learn see I've thought it all out see some of the wrists well it isn't all of us that are made for wild beasts that's what it got it that that's what it got to be that's why I watched watched you all those little office workers that used to live in these houses they'd be no good they haven't any stuff in him run run off to
• 50:00 - 50:30 work I've seen hundreds out and running to catch their commuters train in the morning afraid that you can if they didn't running back at night right there wouldn't be in time for dinner lives ensured a little invested in case of accidents and on Sundays worried about the here at Washington's there'll be a godsend for those guys nice roomy cages good food careful breeding no worries after a week or so of chasing around the fields on empty stomachs they'll come and be glad to be caught
• 50:30 - 51:00 you've thought it all out I'm just sure you better have that isn't all these Martians are gonna make Texas train him to do tricks who knows get sentimental over the pet boy who grew up and had to be killed yeah some maybe they'll train to Hut us possible yes they will there's men who do it badly Levi
• 51:00 - 51:30 meantime you and I and others like us where are we to live when the Martians only earth I got it all figured I live underground I've been thinking about the sewers under New York they're miles and miles of them the main ones they're big enough for anybody and they're selling sports underground storerooms railway tunnels subways begin to see her we got
• 51:30 - 52:00 a bunch of strong men together no weakness that rubbish out as you meant me to go you a chance it won't quarrel about that go on you got to make safe places for us to stay in sea at all the books we can science books that's where men like you come in Z we raid the museum's we'll even spy on emotions may not be so much
• 52:00 - 52:30 we have to learn before just imagine this for a five of their own fighting machine suddenly start off heat rays right and left not a Martian in them not a Martian in MC but men men who've learned the way how may even in our time she imagined having one of them lovely things with a heat ray wide and free we turn it on Martians we turn it on men we
• 52:30 - 53:00 bring everybody down on their knees that's your plan yeah you who me you Morris we don't the world I see hey hey not to your world hi stranger while after parting with the
• 53:00 - 53:30 artilleryman I came at last the Holland Tunnel and heard that silent tube anxious to know the fate of the great city on the other side of the Hudson cautiously I came out of the tunnel made my way up Canal Street reached 14th Street in there again were black powder and several bodies and an evil Arminius smell from the grating of the cellars of some of the houses I wandered up through the 30s and 40s stood alone
• 53:30 - 54:00 on Times Square caught sight of a lean dog running down 7th Avenue the piece of dark brown meat in his jaws PACA starving mongrels as heels made a wide circle around as though he feared I might prove a fresh competitor walked up Broadway in the direction of it that strange powder passed silent shop windows displaying their mute wares to empty sidewalks past the Capitol Theatre silent dark has to shoot
• 54:00 - 54:30 gallery where a row of empty guns faced arrested line of wooden ducks near Columbus Circle I noticed models of 1939 motor cars in the showrooms facing empty streets over the top of the General Motors building I watched a flock of blackbirds circling in the sky hurried on suddenly I caught sight of the hood of a Martian machine standing somewhere in Central Park gleaming in the late afternoon Sun an
• 54:30 - 55:00 insane idea I I rushed recklessly across Columbus Circle and into the park I I climbed a small hill above the pond at 60th Street and from there I could see standing in a silent row along the mall 19 of those great metal titans their cowls empty their steel arms hanging listlessly by their sides I looked in vain for the monsters that inhabit those machines suddenly my eyes were attracted to the immense flock of blackbirds that
• 55:00 - 55:30 hovered directly below me they circled to the ground and there before my eyes stark and silent lay the Martians with a hungry birds pecking and tearing brown shreds of flesh their dead bodies greater when their bodies were examined in laboratories it was found that they were killed by the future effective and diseased bacteria against which their systems were unprepared crane after all
• 55:30 - 56:00 man's defenses had failed I have a humblest thing with God as wisdoms put upon this earth before the cylinder fell there was a general persuasion that through all the deep of space no life existed beyond the petty surface of our minut sphere now we see further dim and wonderful is the vision I've conjured up
• 56:00 - 56:30 in my mind of life spreading slowly from this little seed bed of the solar system throughout the inanimate vastness of sidereal space but remote dream maybe maybe that the destruction of the martians is only a reprieve for them and not to us the future ordained grass has strange it now seems to sit in my peaceful study princeton writing down this last chapter
• 56:30 - 57:00 of the record begun at a deserted farm Grover's mill strange to watch children playing in the streets strange to see young people strolling on the green weather new spring grass heals the last black scars of a bruised earth strange to watch the sightseers enter the museum where the dissemble parts of a Martian machine are kept on
• 57:00 - 57:30 public view strange when I recall a time when I first saw it right clean-cut hard and silent under the dawn of that last great day [Music]
• 57:30 - 58:00 this is Orson Welles ladies and gentlemen out of character to assure you that the War of the Worlds has no further significance but as the holiday offering it was intended to be the mercury theaters own radio version of dressing up in a sheet and jumping out of a bush and saying boo starting now we couldn't soak all your windows and steal
• 58:00 - 58:30 all your garden gates by tomorrow night so we did the best next thing we annihilated the world before your very ears and utterly destroyed the CBS you will be relieved I hope to learn that we didn't mean it and that both institutions are still open for business so goodbye everybody and remember please for the next day or so the terrible lesson you learned tonight that grinning glowing globular invader of your living room is an inhabitant of the pumpkin
• 58:30 - 59:00 patch and if your doorbell rings and nobody's there that was no Martian it's Halloween tonight the Columbia Broadcasting System and its affiliated stations coast-to-coast has brought you the war of the world by HG Wells the 17th in its weekly series of dramatic broadcast featuring Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre on the air next week we present a dramatization of three famous short stories this is the Columbia
• 59:00 - 59:30 Broadcasting [Music] you