The Mercury Theatre on the Air production of The War of the Worlds became legendary after its broadcast more than eight decades ago on October 30, 1938.
Working from a script by Howard Koch and Anne Froelick, which was based on the H.G. Wells novel about a Martian invasion, Orson Welles and company created a sci-fi classic for the Columbia Broadcasting System.
Unfortunately, there were no honors for the best in science fiction at the time.
The prestigious Hugo Awards — named for Amazing Stories founder-publisher Hugo Gernsback — were not established until 15 years later. They have been presented annually since 1955.
Unable to perfect time travel (yet), the World Science Fiction Society in the mid 1990s introduced its Retrospective Hugo Awards to honor the best in sci-fi produced prior 1953.
At the 72nd World Science Fiction Convention (also known as Loncon 3) in August 2014, the Retro Hugo Awards of 1939 were presented. Honoring works created during 1938, the ceremony was held on the first night of the five-day convention at ExCeL in London.
The War of the Worlds broadcast was chosen as the “Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form – 1938” by society voters.
Welles faced tough competition — himself.
Four of the five nominated productions in that category were CBS radio programs produced under Welles’ direction — the most Hugo nominations for one person in a single category in a given year.
The five nominees were:
The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. Written by Howard Koch & Anne Froelick; directed by Orson Welles (The Mercury Theatre on the Air, CBS)
R. U. R. by Karel Čapek. Produced by Jan Bussell (BBC)
Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne. Written and directed by Orson Welles (The Mercury Theatre on the Air, CBS)
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Written and directed by Orson Welles (The Campbell Playhouse, CBS)
Dracula by Bram Stoker. Written by Orson Welles and John Houseman; directed by Orson Welles (The Mercury Theatre on the Air, CBS)
Coming 29 years after Welles’ death, the trophy for the posthumous honor was bestowed upon his youngest daughter, Beatrice. The War of the Worlds honor was shared with writers Koch and Froelick.
The 1939 Retro Hugo Award, designed by Marina Gélineau, featured Hugo’s signature chrome-plated rocketship beside an art deco white skyscraper. Gélineau had previously designed the 2011 Hugo base.
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