Orson Welles's ...War of the World

Once again we find ourselves looking at the works by Orson Welles. Because of his influential and fashion forward style, he has become one of the most influential artists of the 20 C. Starting with his broadway days, he then moved on to the radio before the previously mentioned big screen where he made is stake in history again. Although it was still developing when Welles decided to go on air, the effects he had on the radio were going to be a giant leap for the radio and rain as influence until the development of national television. (Still he has some influence on the tv because it started with soap operas.)

His claim to radio fame was is Halloween drama... The War of the Worlds. 

This 1938 thriller aired on halloween night as was one of the first full radio specials. This drama was such a new thing to the radio that no one new what to do with it. Movies had been out for a while, and talkies were just beginning to hit it big, when radio decided to use the audio and effects from movies...but now play them across the radio. There had certainly been other radio soaps before hand, but this was the first time that anybody had done it in a way were it was not just a talking drama, but it was an interactive narrative. It had cast members, a band playing music, and pit creating mood and certain sounds and screams to add to the audio effects. ANd boy did this revolutionary style of Dramatization have its impact.

This new style sent the North East and many parts of the country into a stampede of terror. No one had heard stories such as these, so they began to believe them. The way it interrupted braodcasts and took on the feel of a radio news caster was unbelievable. THe story is of aliens attacking the world, and a news reporter is coming in an out with what the aliens are doing to the area. Although announced as a syfi thriller at the beginning of the series, the new style of drama was catching many people off guard. Their was also the problem of people who tuned in after the opening credits, that began to think that this was an emergency broadcast.

This sent shockwaves of terror, and unfortunately people actually began to act as though there was an alien invasion occurring, and they had to leave or duck for cover. Mass hysteria broke out, and millions of people started to flee. Hundreds committed suicide because they would have rather died then be taken by the aliens. THis was one of the largest mass suicide events that the world has ever seen, all because of a new technology that allowed people to lay on the perception of reality during their performance.