War of the Worlds slideshow

“War of the Worlds” Radio Broadcast : 

“War of the Worlds” Radio Broadcast Based on H.G. Well’s War of the Worlds Performed live on Oct. 30, 1938 (the night before Halloween) Done by Orson Welles and CBS’s Mercury Theater Mostly (primarily the first half) took the form of realistic-sounding news segments that interrupted “normal” programming You can listen to the broadcast here

The broadcast also caused “panic”…: 

The broadcast also caused “panic”… Supposedly thousands to millions (depending on whose account you read) thought that the broadcast was true—that there was really an invasion from Mars.

Ever since, it’s become an archetypical example of mass panic, cited in articles, books, and documentaries…: 

Ever since, it’s become an archetypical example of mass panic, cited in articles, books, and documentaries…

Here are some clips from a 1957 TV documentary called “The Night America Trembled”: 

Here are some clips from a 1957 TV documentary called “The Night America Trembled”

And here’s the man himself…: 

And here’s the man himself…

Before you too believe Orson, a few things to consider…: 

Before you too believe Orson, a few things to consider… While Welles was known before the 1938 broadcast, he became an international celebrity after… And that career (and the mythology that accompanied it) wouldn’t have existed if people (including Orson) hadn’t believed in the power of his performance… His entire career was based on the blurring of fiction and reality (including the broadcast)… So, is he the most reliable authority here? Finally, the point he was trying to make about the radio required a panic (or the belief that one happened) to be convincing…

So was the “panic” real?: 

So was the “panic” real? Recall earlier examples of mass panic that you’ve seen questioned… Initial claims about listeners’ reactions were based entirely on poorly documented newspaper accounts… Which often talked about the power of the mass media… But is the mass media the best place to go for an unbiased view of the power of mass media? Remember claims about panic at early film screenings (e.g., audience members paid to faint or scream to help advertise the film)

Panic over Myth or the Myth of a Panic?: 

Panic over Myth or the Myth of a Panic? Maybe the panic happened and maybe it didn’t… The interesting question is why have so many people believed in it, despite uncertain evidence? Like Welles, was it in their interests to believe?

Readings: 

Readings For this lesson, please read the following sources: “Radio Listeners in Panic, Taking War Drama as Fact,” New York Times , 31 October 1938, 1, 4 Alice V. Keliher , “Radio ‘War’ Fear Stirs Educators,” New York Times , 6 November 1938, 60 Marshall Andrews, “Monsters of Mars on a Meteor Stampede Radiotic America,” Washington Post , 31 October 1938, X1 Dorothy M. White, et al., “Reactions to the Radio Panic,” Washington Post , 31 October 1938, X10 Guy Kimball Horton, “More about the Radio Panic,” Washington Post , 4 November 1938, 10 Hadley Cantril , The Invasion from Mars , chapters 2, 4, 5, 7, and 9 Kimball Young, Review of The Invasion from Mars, American Sociological Review 6 (1941): 743-745 Robert E. Bartholomew, “The Martian Panic Sixty Years Later: What Have We Learned?” Skeptical Inquirer , Nov/Dec 1998, 40-43 Barry Glassner , “Final Thoughts: The Martians Aren’t Coming,” in The Culture of Fear (Basic Books, 1999), pp. 205-210 G. Joseph Wolfe, “’War of the Worlds’ and the Editors,” Journalism Quarterly 57 (1980): 39-44 Jackie Orr, “The Martians in the Machine: Panic Theory and Theaters of War,” in Panic Diaries (Duke, 2006), pp. 35-77

Your First Assignment:: 

Your F irst Assignment: In order to understand the aftermath of the War of the Worlds broadcast, we need to have a clear sense of what the landscape looked like . After all, maps are important. One of the reasons the show was so evocative was that Welles used real place names. I don’t want you to map out parts of New Jersey, however. In our first class exercise we’re going to be creating a social map around the broadcast. Who in 1938 and since has interpreted the reactions of listeners? Why were they called to do this? What were their motivations? We’re going to create this map with an online tool called Mind42 , which allows us to collaborate on a schematic. You’ll all be invited to participate. Your contribution will be listing one party that you’ve discovered either from the readings or on your own that has interpreted what happened after Welles’ broadcast, what they claimed, and why they did so. For more detailed info, check out the lesson description here .