The War of the Worlds — H. G. Wells, Orson Welles, Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise
The Martians seem impervious to almost any kind of human attack. They not only have the technology to build space ships, they have “heat rays” and they can travel remorselessly by “tripods,” or huge mechanical machines. They also use a mysterious killing black chemical fog that can penetrate gas masks.
They ignore the conventions of human society by murdering those who would like to discuss peace with them and by looking at people as a source of food.
The Martians run rampant in the English countryside, destroying London and demoralizing, but not completely destroying, human beings. The Martians even brought their own red weed to “invade” the native plant life of earth. Nothing seems to be able to stop them.
But something does, something that the Martians did not take into consideration, nor did people expect. Both Martians and their plants do not have resistance to disease. Lowly bacteria do what man could not do, and bring the Martians down.
H. G. Wells is considered by many to be the Father of science fiction. In this book, he predicts the coming of mechanical and chemical warfare that was to start in World War I and beyond. He explores the depths of human despair and the irony of salvation coming from unexpected sources. Wells’ imagery and themes have held up for over one hundred years.
Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater presented a pre-Halloween adaptation of The War of the Worlds on October 30, 1938 on CBS Radio in New York and affiliated stations. The play was almost scrapped prior to broadcast because it did not “read” right.
But, after some tinkering, the cast went ahead with the project. At the beginning of the broadcast, an announcer stated that the show to follow was an adaptation of H. G. Wells’ Martian story. Unfortunately, many people tuned in later after listening to the “Charlie McCarthy Show” and missed this important announcement.
Welles’ famous broadcast started out with a weather announcement and then switched to the “Meridian Room” in downtown New York and some pleasant music by “Ramon Raquello” and his orchestra. The music was interrupted by an announcement of a “special bulletin” from the “Intercontinental Radio News” announcing that some explosions were seen on the surface of Mars.
The broadcast then switched back to “Ramon Raquello.” The play continued to switch back and forth between announcements and music until the Martians landed and emerged from their spaceship on the “Wilmuth farm” in Grover’s Mill, New Jersey. The radio play then stayed with announcers and “people on site” until the end.
The action in this version took the Martians from New Jersey up to New York, where a lone broadcaster stood on top of the Broadcasting Building and described the invasion of New York City until the “black smoke” killed him. The broadcast included the sound of his falling body.
At this point, an announcer reminded the audience that they are listening to a dramatization of The War of the Worlds. But by now, some people listening to the broadcast were already panicking. People evacuated, some called their local police stations for reassurance, and others wrapped wet towels around their heads in hopes of protecting themselves from the Martian’s poisonous gas.
At the end of the program, Welles announced that it was a pre-Halloween “boo.” However, legitimate news reported on both the play and the resulting panic, and Welles and C.B.S. were forced to apologize for the broadcast.
Why did people fall for the “invasion?” Radio was in still in relatively new in 1938. For the first time, people were able to hear live voices of people far away in their homes. They were able to listen to President Franklin Roosevelt’s “Fireside Chats.” They heard a live broadcast of the crash of the Hindenberg in 1937.
It is said that Welles had the at least one of the actors listen to this broadcast to get the feel of how he wanted the play to be presented. And, during 1938, Hitler was moving Germany and Europe forward into what was to become World War II. The Munich Crisis, where England and Germany eventually agreed to force Czechoslovakia to turn the Sudetenland to Germany, was over.
Czechoslovakia evcauated the Sudentenland between October 1st and October 10th. This event, while taking place in another continent during a period of time when the United States was taking an isolationist stance, still contributed to the general anxiety of the times. The actors in the broadcast sounded realistic, the sound effects sounded realistic, and not everyone heard the disclaimers.
On June 29, Steven Spielberg’s much anticipated movie, “The War of the Worlds,” starring Tom Cruise, will be released. Spielberg’s adaptation will not be the first on the silver screen.
In 1953, Gene Barry and Ann Robinson starred in another version, which won an Academy Award for Best Special Effects. Both Barry and Robinson have cameos in the new movie. What will Spielberg’s film be like? That is truly a good question.
Tom Cruise plays the protagonist, a father living in a New Jersey blue collar neighborhood. The story apparently centers on Cruise’s character Ray and his efforts to protect his family from the invaders. There will be the tripods and the red weed from the original story, but the invaders will not be Martians.
Those involved in the project have been rather tight lipped about the script. With a budget of $128 million, Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise, is should be interesting. We will have to wait for the release to get the details.
