SiriusXM listeners will hear “The War of the Worlds,” the classic radio drama performed by Orson Welles that caused panic and convinced listeners 75 years ago that Martians had landed in Grovers Mill, NJ, and the United States was being attacked.
“The War of the Worlds” will air on Wednesday, October 30, at 8 p.m. ET, via satellite on Radio Classics, channel 82. “The War of the Worlds” will also be rebroadcast on Halloween at 10 p.m. ET and Friday, November 1, at 12 a.m. ET.
Following the broadcast of “The War of the Worlds,” SiriusXM listeners will also hear “War of the Welles,” a new audio documentary that explores Welles and the original Mercury Theatre on the Air broadcast of October 30, 1938. “War of the Welles” is a celebration of the achievement by Welles and the Mercury Theatre in creating “The War of the Worlds.” The new documentary by R.H. Green is introduced by “Star Trek” actor George Takei and is a production of John Rabe for Southern California Public Radio.
Meanwhile, soundstudiesblog.com has plans for something special on October 30. The site will post links to various ways to listen and respond to the play, as well as a link to a broadcast they are producing at whrwfm.org that will feature comments from a scholars, followed by the original broadcast. The WHRW program gets underway at 7 p.m. ET with the 1938 broadcast beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
Remember, fans can always listen to “The War of the Worlds” broadcast and other performances by Welles and the Mercury Theatre at the Wellesnet radio page.
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