Waging The War of the Worlds

The 1938 Orson Welles broadcast of The War of the Worlds was a landmark in the history of entertainment, sparking a public hysteria in America and a series of subsequent broadcasts around the world that elicited similar responses. This book examines the historic broadcast in-depth. It covers all aspects of the phenomenon including fascination with Mars; H.G. Wells' novel; Orson Welles and the making of the broadcast; initial reactions and the resulting "fog of war;" anxieties underlying the panic; and the aftermath. Chapters also look at later broadcasts in the United States, Latin America, Brazil and Portugal, and address the likelihood that a similar panic could happen again. The original script of the 1938 The War of the Worlds radio broadcast, written by Howard Koch, is included.