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The Martians are Coming!
October 30 marks the 70th anniversary of the day that Orson Welles scared a nation in 1938. His realistic radio broadcast of "War of
the Worlds" was not planned as a hoax, and Welles had little idea of the havoc it would cause.
Orson Welles was only 23 years old when his Mercury Theater company decided to update H.G. Wells' 19th-century science fiction
novel War of the Worlds for national radio. Sunday evening in 1938 was prime-time in the golden age of radio, and millions of
Americans had their radios turned on. But most listeners missed the introduction that indicated that this was only a dramatization.
Perhaps as many as a million radio listeners believed that a real Martian invasion was underway. Panic broke out across the country.
In New Jersey, terrified civilians jammed highways seeking to escape the alien marauders. People begged police for gas masks to
save them from the toxic gas and asked electric companies to turn off the power so that the Martians wouldn't see their lights. One
woman ran into an Indianapolis church where evening services were being held and yelled, "New York has been destroyed! It's the
end of the world! Go home and prepare to die!"
When news of the real-life panic leaked into the CBS studio, Welles went on the air as himself to remind listeners that it was just
fiction.
The Federal Communications Commission investigated the program but found no law was broken. Networks did agree to be more
cautious in their programming in the future. Orson Welles feared that the controversy generated by "War of the Worlds" would ruin his
career. In fact, the publicity helped land him a contract with a Hollywood studio, and in 1941 he directed, wrote, produced, and starred
in Citizen Kane--a movie that many have called the greatest American film ever made.
Activity
The entertainment industry has both reflected American culture and created American culture through radio, television, the movies,
and now the Internet. Assign students research the impact of entertainment on our culture in the past.
Students should select one of the eras of entertainment from the past and create a report or presentation that cites at least three
resources and addresses the following essential questions for critical thinking:
- What was the major entertainment medium of this era and what were some significant examples of entertainment shows?
- Who were some of the entertainers who achieved fame in this era and what did they do?
- How did entertainment themes reflect the economics and culture of the era?
- How did entertainment and its "stars" help change the culture of the era?
- What examples of the cultural changes are still part of American culture today and why?
All pathfinders listed below are accessed first by clicking the Topics tab:
Pathfinder # 1: The Roaring '20s > Entertainment and Mass Culture
Pathfinder # 2: World War II > Impact of World War II on U.S. Society
Pathfinder # 3: Turbulent '60s > Rise of Rock and Roll
Pathfinder # 4: The Seventies > Popular Culture in the Seventies
Pathfinder # 5: The Clinton Years > Popular Culture
Use our custom ProQuest models for written or PowerPoint reports written and PowerPoint-style reports.
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