"BLUE" JIMMY: OCCULT RESEARCHER
BLIND DOG OZZY: NEUROTIC CHIHUAHUA
"BLUE" JIMMY: "No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own ... " Thus begins the first chapter of H.G. Wells' proto-science fiction classic "War Of The Worlds" which was first serialized in magazine form in 1897 and then published in book form in 1898. One of the first novels to detail an invasion of the Earth by those that were other than human, it set the tone for early science fiction before the terms alien, extraterrestrial, flying saucer or UFO were ever used. H.G Wells was was a man and writer far ahead of his time in many respects and whole books have been written on his extraordinary life apart from his written works. However, this article will focus on the Halloween Eve 1938 radio drama broadcast over the CBS radio network which shall we say ... caused a few chills.
BLIND DOG OZZY: That's what people want on Halloween!
"BLUE" JIMMY: The broadcast was directed and narrated by writer, actor, director, producer Orson Welles and was part of a radio show known as The Mercury Theater On The
Air which people of my parent's generation would tell you was a radio show among many which would have adults and children gathered 'round the radio for entertainment in the days before television, internet or ...
BLIND DOG OZZY ... Inter-anything!
"BLUE" JIMMY: On that night in the interim period between the worst part of The Great Depression and the start of World War II, Orson Welles and a cast of about a dozen radio actors and a studio orchestra reenacted a piece of 19th century literature with no advertisements and only a few breaks which convinced a good chunk of the United States that an actual Martian invasion had taken place.
BLIND DOG OZZY: It could happen!
"BLUE" JIMMY: Although accounts of the incident have become mythologized and exaggerated, there was genuine panic. People took to the streets, contacted their local authorities and flooded the CBS studio with calls. Police invaded the New York CBS studio and tried to shut down operations. There were a few breaks to announce that it was a fictional drama but many people who just tuned in missed the joke and the "this just in" news bulletin format of the show which interrupted normal programming fooled a lot of folks who were having Sunday dinner.
BLIND DOG OZZY: Roast beef and a Martian ray gun up yer a**!
"BLUE" JIMMY: The lowdown is, you can forgive ordinary stiffs for not recognizing the plot of a novel written in the 1800's being played out in a Halloween radio drama but there are other factors to consider. On the verge of World War II, people wanted to believe that an invasion by somebody was imminent. But you also have to consider that neither producer John Houseman or director/narrator Orson Welles intended to deceive the public. Newspapers, including the New York Times, had announced the the drama beforehand and there were the aforementioned breaks during the actual broadcast telling the listeners what they were tuned into.
BLIND DOG OZZY: People just wanted to believe!
"BLUE" JIMMY: Could mass hysteria like this happen in our current Information Age? Yes. The "War Of The Worlds" broadcast was a fluke. Imagine if someone somewhere made a focused effort to deceive the public using fake news, hacking, the Internet, social media and computer-generated phenomena in the sky or elsewhere? If anything, our ADD society is more vulnerable to this type of deception than that Halloween Eve in 1938. Think about it ...
BLIND DOG OZZY: ... THEY could make you think you were Dorothy in the Land Of Oz! Hope you had a Happy Halloween!!!
"BLUE" JIMMY: Sake's Alive!
BLIND DOG OZZY: Wow! Wow!
bluejames61@hotmail.com
BLIND DOG OZZY: That's what people want on Halloween!
"BLUE" JIMMY: The broadcast was directed and narrated by writer, actor, director, producer Orson Welles and was part of a radio show known as The Mercury Theater On The
Air which people of my parent's generation would tell you was a radio show among many which would have adults and children gathered 'round the radio for entertainment in the days before television, internet or ...
BLIND DOG OZZY ... Inter-anything!
"BLUE" JIMMY: On that night in the interim period between the worst part of The Great Depression and the start of World War II, Orson Welles and a cast of about a dozen radio actors and a studio orchestra reenacted a piece of 19th century literature with no advertisements and only a few breaks which convinced a good chunk of the United States that an actual Martian invasion had taken place.
BLIND DOG OZZY: It could happen!
"BLUE" JIMMY: Although accounts of the incident have become mythologized and exaggerated, there was genuine panic. People took to the streets, contacted their local authorities and flooded the CBS studio with calls. Police invaded the New York CBS studio and tried to shut down operations. There were a few breaks to announce that it was a fictional drama but many people who just tuned in missed the joke and the "this just in" news bulletin format of the show which interrupted normal programming fooled a lot of folks who were having Sunday dinner.
BLIND DOG OZZY: Roast beef and a Martian ray gun up yer a**!
"BLUE" JIMMY: The lowdown is, you can forgive ordinary stiffs for not recognizing the plot of a novel written in the 1800's being played out in a Halloween radio drama but there are other factors to consider. On the verge of World War II, people wanted to believe that an invasion by somebody was imminent. But you also have to consider that neither producer John Houseman or director/narrator Orson Welles intended to deceive the public. Newspapers, including the New York Times, had announced the the drama beforehand and there were the aforementioned breaks during the actual broadcast telling the listeners what they were tuned into.
BLIND DOG OZZY: People just wanted to believe!
"BLUE" JIMMY: Could mass hysteria like this happen in our current Information Age? Yes. The "War Of The Worlds" broadcast was a fluke. Imagine if someone somewhere made a focused effort to deceive the public using fake news, hacking, the Internet, social media and computer-generated phenomena in the sky or elsewhere? If anything, our ADD society is more vulnerable to this type of deception than that Halloween Eve in 1938. Think about it ...
BLIND DOG OZZY: ... THEY could make you think you were Dorothy in the Land Of Oz! Hope you had a Happy Halloween!!!
"BLUE" JIMMY: Sake's Alive!
BLIND DOG OZZY: Wow! Wow!
bluejames61@hotmail.com
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