Orson Welles - War Of The Worlds - Radio Broadcast 1938 - Complete Broadcast.

Columbia Broadcasting System and its affiliated stations with an Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre on the air in the war of the world by HD West you ladies and gentlemen the director of the mercury theater and Scala these broadcast Orson Welles we know now that in the early years of the 20th century this world was being watched closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own we know now that as human beings visit themselves about their various concerns they were 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 fro 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 time and space yet across an immense ethereal gulf mines that are to our minds as ours or to 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 business was better the war scare was over more men were back at work's sales were picking up on this particular evening October 30th but Crosley service estimated the 32 million people were listening in on radios change in temperature a slight atmospheric disturbance of undetermined origin is reported over Nova Scotia causing a low-pressure area to move down rather rapidly over the northeastern states bringing a forecast of rain accompanied by winds 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 merged meridian room in the tell park plasma in downtown New York where you will be entertained by the music of Ramon raquello and his orchestra good evening 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 with the touch of the Spanish Ramon raquello lead off with la casita 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 getting's 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 hydrogen and moving toward the earth with enormous velocity the sets of 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 Park Plaza Hotel situated in downtown New York and now a tune that never loses favour the ever-popular star de Raymond Raquel oh my gosh ladies and gentlemen 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 due to the unusual nature of 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 his orchestra Oh 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 from the observatory of friendship I'm standing in a large semicircular room pitch black except for knob long split in the city through this opening I can see a sprinkling of stars that cast a kind of falsely go over the intricate mechanism of the huge telescope the ticking sound you hear the vibration of the clockwork professor Pierson stands directly above me on a small platform peering through the giant flame I'll ask you to be patient ladies and gentlemen during any delay that may arise during our interview besides a ceaseless watch of the heavens purser Pierson may be interrupted by telephone or other communications during this period he is in constant touch with the astronomical centers of the world professor 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 nothing unusual at the moment mr. Phillips red disk swimming in a blue sea transverse stripes cross the disk why distinct now because Mars has to be at the point nearest the Earth in opposition as we call it in your opinion what do these transverse stripes signify president oh not canals I can assure you mr. Phillips Tate although that's the popular conjecture of those who imagine Mars to be inhabited from a scientific viewpoint the stripes are merely the result of atmospheric conditions secured to the 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 are a thousand to one and yet how do you account for these gas eruptions occurring on the surface of the planet at regular interval well if I cannot account for it 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 enough distance just a moment ladies and gentlemen someone has just handed professor Pierson a message while he reads it they 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 as a person 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 shall read you a wire addressed VESA Pierson from dr. gray of the Natural History Museum New York for 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 Lloyd gray chief of astronomical division unquote best person but this occurrence 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 permits 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 returning you now to our New York studio 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 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 soon as he can reach there from Princeton in the meantime we take you to the hotel martinet in Brooklyn where Bobby malade and his orchestra are offering a program of dance music we take you now to Grover's mill New Jersey edges and gentlemen this is Carl Phillips again how does the wilmuth farm Grover's mill New Jersey let 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 scene before my eyes are something out of the modern Arabian Nights and I just got here I haven't had a chance to look around yet I guess that's it yes I guess that's the same directly in front of me ass buried in a vast pit must have stuck with terrific force the ground is covered with splinters of a tree and must have struck on its way down but I can see if the object itself doesn't look very much like a meteor ray stop the meteors I've seen it looks more like a you cylinder as the diameter of them what would you say professor peasant for first what would you say what's the diameter of this Oxford er about 30 yards the metal on the sheath is well I've never seen anything like it the colour is sort of yellowish white is curious spectators now are pressing close to the object in spite of the efforts of the police to keep them back getting in front of my line of theater would you mind standing one side please Oh while the first man pushing the crowd back here's mr. wilmuth owner of the farm here he may have some interesting fact to add mr. wilmuth would you please tell the radio audience as much as you remember of this rather unusual visitor that stopped in your backyard a step closer please ladies and gentlemen this is mr. Willis I was sitting in the radio hose and louder please Barney a louder please puzzle yes I was listening to the radio in kind of drowsy that Professor fellow was talking about Mars so I was half Stoughton half yes yes this woman and then what happened well as I was saying I was listening to the radio kind of half way yes it's Willett and then you saw something not first off 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 dreaming yeah I've seen a kind of greenish streak Zingo some smack the ground not me clear out of my chair well why are you fighting mr. wilmuth well I thought sure I reckon I was kind of riled Thank You mr. wilmuth thank you very much you want me to tell 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 a field in fact listen police it's trying to rope off the roadway leading into the farm but it's no use breaking right through cars headlights growing enormous spotlight on the pit where the objects have buried some of the more daring so now are venturing near the edge can you expand out against the metal scalebar one man watch the touchin thing he's having an argument the policeman and other policeman 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 view here the curious humming sound that seems to come from inside the object I'll move the microphone nearer here now 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's a meteor pathetic what the things the metal casing is definitely extraterrestrial and not found on this earth friction with the Earth's atmosphere usually tears holes in a meteorite this thing is smooth see if the listener 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 in this thing must be Hollow people turn back the most terrifying sea life I'd ever whip-it we're gonna someone calling some world something like conceits hanging out of that black hole to luminous discs for the eyes might be a face might be on the world of heaven something breaking out of the shadow like a gray snaky now it's another one another one another one they look like tentacles came--it I can see the things body now it's large and large the bear systems like wet leatherback Hey ladies and gentlemen indescribable I can hardly force myself to keep looking at it awful it eyes have blackened me lean like a surf in the mouth is as kind of v-shaped with saliva dripping from its WHMIS which deceiveth those quivered pulsating the monster whatever it is can hardly move he's weighed down by possibly gravity or something the things rising up down the crowd falls back that seemed putty that was experienced Oh Mike they're fine words well uh pull this microphone with me as they talk them have to stop the description so I can take a new position hold on will you please I'll be right back in a minute we are bringing you an eyewitness account of what's happening on the wilmuth farm Grover's mill New Jersey we now return you to Carl Phillips at Grover's mill ladies and gents it's my own ladies and gentlemen ladies general Here I am back with Stonewall that joins us we'll 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 could save more State Police have arrived at drawing up a cordon in front of the pit about 30 of them no need to push the card back now they're willing to keep their distance the captain's and furring was summoned had quite see who is I believe it's Professor Pierson yes it is now they party and the professor moves around one side studying the object while its captain and two policemen advance with something in their hand I see it now it's a white hex have tied to a pole flag of truce those creatures know what that means about anything means there's something happening I'm shape is rising out of the pit but then they got a small beam of light against a mirror the bet jet of flame springing in the mirror at least slightly advancing men strikes them head on Lord to tell you the flame if you qualify the would deposit the cash big thanks to the automobiles spreading everywhere coming this way Doug about 20 yards right ladies and 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 nothing more than severe volcanic disturbances on the surface of the planet we continue now with our piano interlude 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 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 as as far west as Princeton and East to Jamesburg under martial law no one will be permitted to enter this area except by special pass issued by state or military authorities for companies of state militia are 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 catastrophe at Grover's mill are coming in the strange creatures after unleashing their deadly assault crawl 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 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 of a creatures in the rocket cylinder at Grover's mill I can give you no authoritative information either today and their origin or the 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 far in advance of our own it's my guess that in some 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 this 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 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 ten 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 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 in view 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 to the field headquarters of the state militia near Grover's mill New Jersey this is captain Lansing of the Signal Corps attached the state militia now engaged in military operations 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 cylindrical object which lies in a pit we below our position surrounded on all sides by eight Italians of infantry without heavy field pieces but adequately armed with rifles and machine guns all cause for alarm if such Clause 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 make out their cocky uniforms crossing back and forth in front of the lights looks almost like a real war 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 are on the edge of the 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 affair rising up out of the cylinder 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 gentlemen I have a grave announcement to make incredible 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 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 or 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 fluid 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 some of the trains through Allerton and Phoenix film highways to the north south and west of clogged with frantic human traffic police and army reserves are unable to control the mad flight by morning the fugitives will have swelled 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 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 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 in 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 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 there is a special bulletin New York cables have been received from 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 toward Somerville 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 paralyzed 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 in the Great Swamp 20 miles south of Mars town army field pieces are proceeding for 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 hates to form a conjunction with their lives south of Mars town machines also cited by telephone operator east of Middlesex within 10 miles of Plainfield is a Bolton from Winston C Long Island a fleet of army bombers carrying heavy explosive flying north in pursuit of enemy scouting planes act as guides they keep the speeding enemy in sight just a moment please ladies and gentlemen Eva we've run special wires to the artillery line and adjacent villages to give you direct reports in the zone of the advancing enemy place we take you to the battery of the 22nd Field Artillery located in the hwachun mountain range 32 metres 32 meters section 39 degrees 39 degrees fire 140 yards to the right says chip range 31 meters 31 meters projection 37 degrees 37 degrees fire it's the type of one of them that's up the others are trying to repair it get the range shifts 50 30 meters 30 meters protection 27 degrees 27 degrees fire Lancer letting off the smoke what is it electro / moving this way thank those to the ground moving faster put on gas masks ready to file 50 24 meters four meters projection 24 degrees 24 degrees fire there can't be sir we'll come near getaway meters 40 meters 22 army bombing claimed the 843 of Bayonne New Jersey lieutenant both commanding a bombers reporting to Commander Fairfax Langham field this is --fold 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 for mommy gun in Watchung mountains tons now appear silence I have a black fog hanging close to the earth of extreme density nature unknown no sign of he trained enemy now turns east crossing Passaic River into the jersey marshes and other straddles the Pulaski Skyway evident objective is New York City and pushing down a high-tension power station it seems our close together now and we're ready to attack planes circling ready to strike thousand yards and will be over the first eight hundred yards 600 400 200 there they go saya Tom raised green flash spraying us with flame 2,000 feet engines giving out no chance to release bombs only one thing less stuff on the plane at all we're diving on the first one now the engines gone hey this is Bayonne New Jersey calling Langham field this is Bayonne New Jersey calling Langham field come in please Langham field who hit eighth army bombers and engagement with enemy tripod machines over Jersey flats engines incapacitated by heat ray Paul crash one 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 breach at South Street gas masks useless urge populations move into open spaces automobiles use routes 7 23 24 avoid congested areas smoke now spreading over over Raymond Boulevard elects to L calling C kill 2x 2 while calling sake kill 2 X 2 L calling 8 X 3 are from in place this is 8 X 3 are coming back into X 2 L eyes reception as reception K please where are you at X 2 Yas what's the matter where I am broadcasting building I'm speaking from the roof of broadcasting building New York City thee fell to hear a ringing to warn the people to evacuate the city as Martians approach estimated in the last two hours three million people have moved out along the roads to the north Hutchison River Parkway still kept open for motor traffic Boyd bridges to Long Island hopelessly jammed all communication with Jersey Shore closed ten minutes ago no more defenses our army is wiped out artillery air force everything wiped out this may be the last broadcast we'll stay here to the end people are holding service here below us the Cathedral now I look down the harbor all all manner of votes overloaded with fleeing population pulling out from docks streets are all 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 to a frog bulletin has handed me Archon cylinders are falling all over the country one outside of Buffalo one in Chicago st. Louis seemed to be time and space now the first machine reaches the shore he and washing looking over the city he'll college head is even within skyscrapers he waits for the others they 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 street see it now they're running toward the East River thousands of them dropping in like rats now the smoke spreading faster it's 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 crossing sixth Avenue Fifth Avenue a hundred yards away it's a 50 feet - x2l calling say kill Joe x2 elk calling say kill Joe x2l calling say kill New York and there anyone on the air and there anyone on the air in there anyone - x2l you are listening to a CBS presentation of Orson Welles and the 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 bye HG Wells starring Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater on the air as 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 a small island of daylight cut off by the black smoke from the rest of the 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 for the lonely derelict two pencils these words on the back of some astronomical notes bearing the signature of Richard Pierson looked down at my blackened hat try to connect them with a professor who lives at Princeton and who on the night of October 20th glimpsed through his telescope an orange splash of light on a distant planet 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 do days exist without calendars this time past when I know 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 kitchen and an orange not to spoil to swallow keep watch at the window kind of time I catch sight of a Martian above the black smoke smoke still holds 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 cornice is huge metal legs nearly brush against the house saw stirred by terror I fall asleep morning morning Sun streams in the window black cloud of gas is lifted and the scorched Meadows to the north look as though a black snowstorm it passed over them I adventure from the house I make my way to a road no traffic here in their wrecked car baggage overturned a 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 yes that's right all my pockets just 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 shared the same emotion the joy of finding another living being or Shaun North I find dead cows in a brackish field and beyond charred ruins with daring silo main standing guard over the wasteland like a lighthouse deserted by the sea it's tried the silo purchase a weathercock the arrow points north all right next day I come to a city city vaguely familiar and its contours yet it's building strangely dwarfed and leveled off as if a giant had sliced off its highest ours with a capricious sweep of his end reach the outskirts I found Newark Newark under mala shhhht 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 mean a step towards in it rose up and 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 Grover's mill there's no food here this is my 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 do you hear something just then no only a bird a live bird yeah you get to know that birds have shadows these days hey we're in the open here let's crawl in his doorway here and talk have you seen any Martians nah they gone over to New York night the sky's alive with their lights just as if people were still living in it by daylight you can't see him five days ago a couple of them carried something big across the flats from the airport I think they're learning how to fly fly yeah fly hmm well it's all over with humanity stranger still you and I two of us left yeah they got themselves in solid they wrecked the greatest country in the world those green stars they're probably fallen somewhere every night they've only lost one machine there isn't anything to do we're done we're licked where were you you're in a uniform 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 huh what'll they do to us I set it all out right now we're caught as we wanted a Martian only has 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 things they haven't begun on us yet because not they gun all it's happened so far is because we don't have sense enough to keep quiet bothering them with guns and such stuff and losing our heads and rushing off in crowds instead of our rushing around blind we gotta fix ourselves up fix ourselves up according to the way things are now cities nations civilization progress but if they're so what is there to live for well there won't be any more concerts for a million years or so and no nice little 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 gonna 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 man as men we're finished we don't know enough we got to learn plenty before you got a chance we've got to live and keep free what we learned see I've thought it all out see don't tell me the wrist 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 you 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 they used to run run off to work I've seen hundreds of them running to catch their commuters train in the morning afraid that you can if they didn't running back at night afraid they wouldn't be in time for dinner lives insured in a little invested in case of accidents yeah sundae's worried about the hereafter martians 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 quite you've thought it all out haven't you sure you bet I have that isn't all these Martians are gonna make pet sasame train him to do tricks who knows get sentimental over the pet boy who grew up and had to be killed yeah and some maybe they'll train to hunt us it's impossible yes they will there's men who do it flatly one of them ever comes after me by the meantime you and I and others like us where are we to live from the Martian zone the earth I got it all figured out live underground I've been thinking about the sewers under New York they're miles and miles up the main ones they're big enough for anybody and there's cellars faults underground storerooms railway tunnels subways you begin to see her we'll get a bunch of strong men together no weakness that rubbish out as you rent me to go all right if you a chance didn't you won't quarrel about that go on you got to make safe places for us to stay at 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 the Martians may not be so much we have to learn before just imagine this four or five of their own fighting machines 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 eevee in our time she imagine having one of them lovely things with the feet way wide and free we turn it on Martians we turn it on men we bring everybody down on their knees that's your plan yeah you me you Morris we don't the world I see hey hey what's the matter not to your world by stranger while after parting with the 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 ominous smell from the gratings of the cellars of some of the houses I wandered up through the 30s and 40s stood alone on Times Square caught sight of a lean dog running down 7th Avenue with a piece of dark brown meat in his jaws and pack of starving mongrels at his heels made a wide circle around as though he feared I might prove a fresh competitor walked up Broadway in the direction of that that strange powder passed silent shop windows displaying their mute wares to empty sidewalks past the Capitol Theater silent dark fast a shooting gallery where a row of empty guns faced an 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 insane idea I I rushed recklessly across Columbus Circle and into the Parker I climbed a small hill above the pond at 60th Street and from there I could see standing in silent roll 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 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 later when their bodies were examined in laboratories it was found that they were killed by the future effective and disease bacteria against which their systems were unprepared lain after all man's defenses had failed by the 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 in my mind of life spreading slowly from this little seed bed of the solar system throughout the inanimate vastness 'as of sidereal space but the remote dream may be may be that the destruction of the Martians is only a reprieve to them and not to us the future ordained Guerette a strange it now seems to sit in my peaceful study Princeton writing down this last chapter of the record begun at a deserted farm and 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 or the dissemble parts of a chinma Sheena kept on public view strange when I recall the time when I first saw its Bryton clean cuts hard and silent under the dawn of that last great day ah 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 soap all your windows and steal 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 learn tonight that grinning glowing globular invader of your living room is an inhabitant of the funk in 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 broadcasts 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 Broadcasting System

Channel: David Webb

Views: 2,968,571

Rating: 4.8709955 out of 5

Keywords: Orson, Welles, War, Of, The, Worlds, Radio, Broadcast, 1938, Complete, Broadcast., story, aliens, fake, invasion, news, entertainment, sifi, classic, radio, space, ufo, Orson Welles (Author), The War Of The Worlds (Adaptation), Alien

Id: Xs0K4ApWl4g

Length: 57min 2sec (3422 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 16 2010

Reddit Comments

[u/onlyheretorhymebaby]

I’ve actually heard that it did NOT cause a mass panic. It’s just the way they retold it through history. Like during the broadcast, there might have been a handful of people actually frightened. But then after they told the story as “EVERYONE thought the world was ending because of this whacky radio fellas story!” And that’s just not the case. Makes for a better story though I guess.

[u/vivnsam]

One of the biggest hoaxes of the modern age; this did not cause any kind of mass panic. Welles was REALLY good at promotion and somehow was able to color the history of this to make him look even more impressive.

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/history/2013/10/orson_welles_war_of_the_worlds_panic_myth_the_infamous_radio_broadcast_did.html

[u/fotbuwl]

The re-creation of this with musical backing has to be my favourite albums.

[u/Wingser]

If any of you have never listened to this, I recommend it. It's really fun! The college radio station in my town plays it every single year on Halloween night. Good times. =)

[u/[deleted]]

Gets reposted every other day and isn't even True. Gtfo

[u/Beeftech67]

It's a great reading, but no it didn't cause mass panic, no we don't use only 10% of brains, and no your cousin didn't eat a Kentucky fried rat.