For nearly 20 years, Wellesnet has published numerous pieces on the War of the Worlds radio broadcast, which aired on the Columbia Broadcasting System on October 30, 1938.
The broadcast is perhaps Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre’s most famed radio production. (It was honored with a Retrospective Hugo Award by the World Science Fiction Society in 2014.)
Recollections by Welles; his eldest daughter, Chris Welles Feder; radio colleague Norman Corwin; and radio listeners have appeared on Wellesnet. There have also been numerous articles on projects it inspired, ranging from movies to a graphic novel.
The original CBS broadcast is available here on streaming audio, along with a transcript of the Howard Koch radio play and account of the press conferences following the broadcast
With the 82nd anniversary of the broadcast fast approaching, here are 10 links worth checking out:
• Streaming audio of the CBS radio broadcast
• Transcript of the Mercury Theatre On the Air broadcast of Oct. 30, 1938 written by Howard Koch
• Welles’ Halloween press conference; Radio Guide magazine, 1938
• Orson Welles’ Sketch Book 1955 on ‘The Martian Invasion’ – transcript and BBC video
• Chris Welles Feder reflects on her father’s famed broadcast
• Radio great Norman Corwin on ‘The War of the Worlds’
• National Archives: The FCC and ‘The War of the Worlds’
• ‘War of the Worlds’ — When Hugo honored Orson
• Video: AT&T operators recall ‘The War of the Worlds’
• ‘Broadcast Hysteria’ book utilizes nearly 1,400 letters sent after ‘War of the Worlds’ broadcast
By the way, a great way to celebrate The War of the Worlds anniversary this Halloween weekend may be visiting Indiana University’s Orson Welles on the Air website at https://orsonwelles.indiana.edu. The website has high quality recordings of Welles’ radio work
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