Listen to the 1938 Orginal Broadcast of ‘War of the Worlds’ Halloween Night
This Saturday night after the kiddos have wrapped up trick-or-treating around Acadiana, get your family and freinds gathered at your Halloween Hootenany to once again enjoy the original 1938 live broadcast of "War of the Worlds" uninterupted in its entirety!
The Halloween Radio Broadcast That Terrified America
On October 30, 1938, a young Orson Welles and his radio theater company aired a dramatization of The War of the Worlds, a story about Martians invading Earth.
What happened next would become one of the most famous moments in American radio history.
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The program aired on CBS as part of The Mercury Theatre on the Air.
But instead of telling the story like a typical radio drama, Welles and his crew decided to make it sound like actual news coverage.
The show started out innocently enough, with music playing over the radio. Then came reports of strange activity on Mars. Before long, listeners were hearing about a mysterious object crashing near Grovers Mill, New Jersey.
Did the War of the Worlds Broadcast Really Cause Mass Panic?
For decades, people have repeated the story that millions of Americans panicked after hearing the broadcast.
According to the legend, frightened listeners ran from their homes, called police departments, and prepared for an actual alien invasion. And while some people really were fooled by the program, historians have since questioned just how widespread that panic actually was.
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The show included announcements explaining that it was fictional, and its audience was relatively small compared to other popular radio programs at the time.
Still, there were enough confused and frightened listeners to generate complaints and make headlines across the country.
Listen to the Original 1938 War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast
This Saturday night, Classic Rock 105.1 will continue our Acadiana tradition and play the original 1938 brodcast of "War of the Worlds" in its entire from 8pm until 9pm.
You'll be able to hear it on-air as well as listen live through our app, Radio Pup, and at classicrock1051.com.
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Gallery Credit: Bruce Mikells