WOTW - Alternative version

[Wellesnet]

Thanks to Steve Scott for alerting us to this, an alternative version of the WAR OF THE WORLDS broadcast:

http://randsesotericotr.podbean.com/201 ... e-version/

[Roger Ryan]

That certainly is the cleanest version of WOTW I've heard; even with the degradation in sound towards the middle of the 78 RPM discs, it sounds better than the official versions most of the time. The material near the beginning of each disc sounds remarkable with Herrmann's score having a resonance I've not heard before.

[Wellesnet]

The site also includes a lot of interesting discussion and articles, including a link to a webpage discussing the tragedy of the other Martian broadcast, in Equador:

http://donmoore.tripod.com/south/ecuador/martians.html

[randyariddle]

Thanks for the link to my blog with the new recording of "War of the Worlds" I stumbled onto.

This "War of the Worlds" set is actually more interesting and significant than I originally thought. I'll be posting additional info later on my blog, but thought I would give the Wellesnet board an update.

It appears that the set I found is a "live" master recording, done direct to 78 rpm lacquers on the night of the broadcast from the CBS network lines.

When I first got the set, I thought it was a dub. I collect old time radio transcriptions and discs. Usually, networks would record a 16" disc of a broadcast and, if talent or a producer needed their own copy, they would arrange to get a dub made from the 16" master. In a few cases, they would contract with an outside firm to record an aircheck on 78 rpm discs. The 16" discs running at 33 1/3 rpm, of course, couldn't be played on amateur equipment.

What's unusual about this is that it appears that a 78 rpm set that was cut "live" during the broadcast, possibly at the same time as a 16" master that has been the origin for different copy discs and the versions in common circulation on lp, tape and in digital form.

With my set, there are several clues that indicate it's a "live" master - the sides "overlap" with material from one side to the next, there's no indication of secondary surface noise or internal side changes in the audio, and the side breaks don't match the 16" versions. The sound is much clearer and full-range than any of the other known 16" lacquers, which appear to be "dubs", that I've been able to audition.

This week, I corresponded with Lilly Library at Indiana, which has Welles's papers and original discs. They transferred the discs to tape some time ago and the preservationist who worked with the discs had some background that might solve the mystery of my set.

Welles had Harry Smith Recordings make 78 rpm lacquers of each of the Mercury broadcasts and those were donated to Lilly. There's no documentation that these were recorded "live" during the broadcasts, but the preservationists thinks they probably were.

The studio sent the discs to Welles in albums that collected sets of lacquers for three shows in one album set with the names of the shows on the albums. The album that was supposed to contain "War of the Worlds" instead had the lacquers for "Magnificent Ambersons", a later program in the series.

In another album, they found a set of lacquers for "War of the Worlds" cut by a different studio - Carnegie Hall Recording. These were dubs made during World War II on glass based discs. The preservationist listened to the tape they had of the set and confirmed that the side breaks matched the 16" masters, so that set was dubbed at a later time. The side breaks on the Lilly 78 rpm set do not match the set I found.

My lacquer set appears to have originated with Mercury actor Paul Stewart. So, my set of "War of the Worlds" might be the lacquers Welles got Harry Smith Recording to make of the program - perhaps they got misplaced or he loaned them to someone and Welles had another set cut a few years later, with Welles's original Harry Smith lacquers winding up with Paul Stewart.

I'm hoping to donate my set to an archives. Conceivably, if CBS's master still exists and they were to loan it to the archives, it could be digitally combined with the set I've found to do a full restoration of "War of the Worlds", taking the best-sounding segments of each "live" master lacquer.

I'll post a follow-up on my blog - I'm still digging and doing some research on the lacquers.

[Roger Ryan]

Thanks for posting that update, Randy.

[randyariddle]

Well, after some further digging and confirmation, it looks like Welles's lacquer set, cut by Harry Smith Recording, is accounted for in a private collection.

Unlike the lacquer set I found, this set has clean side breaks - the program stops, then picks up with the next bit of dialogue, music or effects on the same side. (In my set, all but two of the sides have overlapping material, with a bit of dialogue on one disc repeated on the next side.)

My conclusion is that the set was probably cut by a different engineer at the same time, perhaps at Harry Smith Recording. With the apparent connection to Paul Stewart and his role as Associate Producer of the Mercury series, I think this was either Stewart's personal "live" lacquer set for his own use or cut as a record for the Mercury Theater's files.

If anyone has alternate theories I'd like to hear them. I've done checking to see if others associated with Mercury, like Howard Koch or John Houseman, had discs cut of the programs or have lacquers in their archival collections, but I'm not seeing any.

[Le Chiffre]

Good luck on your project, Randy, and thanks for uploading your acetate, which despite some surface noise sounds very nice. I'd love to hear WOTW sound as pristine as MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY, RABBLE IN ARMS, and REBECCA sound on various commercial Welles collections .