What year was the war of the worlds on radio by Orson wells?

Answer 1

It was on Sunday the 30th October 1938.

Radio Listeners in Panic, Taking War Drama as Fact

Many Flee Homes to Escape 'Gas Raid From Mars'--Phone Calls Swamp Police at Broadcast of Wells Fantasy

This article appeared in the New York Times on Oct. 31, 1938.
A wave of mass hysteria seized thousands of radio listeners between 8:15 and 9:30 o'clock last night when a broadcast of a dramatization of H. G. Wells's fantasy, "The War of the Worlds," led thousands to believe that an interplanetary conflict had started with invading Martians spreading wide death and destruction in New Jersey and New York.

The broadcast, which disrupted households, interrupted religious services, created traffic jams and clogged communications systems, was made by Orson Welles, who as the radio character, "The Shadow," used to give "the creeps" to countless child listeners. This time at least a score of adults required medical treatment for shock and hysteria.

In Newark, in a single block at Heddon Terrace and Hawthorne Avenue, more than twenty families rushed out of their houses with wet handkerchiefs and towels over their faces to flee from what they believed was to be a gas raid. Some began moving household furniture.

Throughout New York families left their homes, some to flee to near-by parks. Thousands of persons called the police, newspapers and radio stations here and in other cities of the United States and Canada seeking advice on protective measures against the raids.

The program was produced by Mr. Welles and the Mercury Theatre on the Air over station WABC and the Columbia Broadcasting System's coast-to-coast network, from 8 to 9 o'clock.

The radio play, as presented, was to simulate a regular radio program with a "break-in" for the material of the play. The radio listeners, apparently, missed or did not listen to the introduction, which was: "The Columbia Broadcasting System and its affiliated stations present Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre on the Air in 'The War of the Worlds' by H. G. Wells."


Full article see link below

http://members.aol.com/jeff1070/wotw.html

For full text of the original Book One "the coming of the Martians" and Two "the earth under the Martians"

http://www.fourmilab.ch/etexts/www/warworlds/warw.html

Answer 2

October 30, 1938 radio broadcast of H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds,

Answer 3

1938.

Many interesting things about this year.

There had not been remote broadcasts commonly used on radio, the way that reporters now go to the scene of the story. Technology in 1938 did not allow reporters to go to breaking stories.

But in this production we hear the reporter at the scene, getting the attention of the audience.

Also, Hitler was beginning his rampage in Europe, increasing fears of invasion in the US. Radio audience (who missed intro to the show because many of them had just switched to it when another more popular show had gone to commercial) was already afraid of invasion, and here came the Martians.

AND--there was an actor in the Mercury Theater group who did a dead-on impersonation of FDR. He is identified as some other government official, not the president, in this production, but the audience by that time was disorganized and did not pay attention to his identification. They only heard what they thought was the President, talking about the US being invaded by Martians.

There was a TV movie / docudrama in the mid to late 1970's made about this broadcast, if you want to see a reproduction of it.

Answer 4

1937

Answer 5

1938 AD.