Today’s movie is a
drama with a scene that happens on October 30. Watch it tonight and enjoy.
THE NIGHT THAT
PANICKED AMERICA
On October 30, 1938 [the entire
film] Orson Welles’s Mercury Theater radio show prepares to broadcast an
adaptation of H.G. Wells’s “The War of the Worlds”. They pick the small town of Grover’s Mills, New Jersey as the
site of the fictional invasion. In Grover’s Mills Walter Wingate is milking his
cows, but he wants to get into the fight against Hitler by joining the Canadian
armed forces if necessary. His father Jess is opposed to this. In Newark, Hank Muldoon is preparing to
leave his wife. In Oak Park Illinois, the minister father of Linda Davis
refuses to give her permission to marry Stefan Grubowski, a Catholic. On Nob
Hill the Matlocks are having a party.
Orson Welles arrives at the studio and the broadcast begins. On Nob Hill
they change the station just in time to hear the first simulated news
broadcast. The Nob Hill party guests and the Wingates hear report of Martians
landing in Grover’s Mills. The Muldoons also hear this broadcast and while the
servants on Nob Hill know it is just a radio broadcast don’t tell their bosses.
The radio reports the Martians attack the crowd. The Wingates grab their
shotguns and go Martian hunting. The show reports the Martians have killed
7,000 troops. Some people start to panic and flee. Stefan returns and gets Linda, but her father refuses to go.
People start calling the station in panic. They broadcast a disclaimer, but
many people don’t hear it. Jess Wingate and his neighbors mistake a water tower
for a Martian. Orson Welles goes on air and announces it is just a radio
program. Rev. Davis, still believing the invasion is real marries Stefan and
his daughter. Mr. Muldoon decides to
stay with his family.
An amusing, if over hyped film.
It’s interesting enough to keep you entertained for an hour and a half. It will
never be a classic, but it does serve as a warning about the gullibility of
some people.
Orson Welles: The Road to
Xanadu by Simon Callow (Viking, New York, 1995) at page 401 and the film at
01:50 to 01:51 give the date of the broadcast
Awards – The film won the
Outstanding Acievement in Film Sound Editing for a Special Program Emmy. It was
also nominated for the Outstanding Achievement in Film Editing for
Entertainment Programming for a Special and Outstanding Writing in a Special
Program - Drama or Comedy - Original Teleplay Emmys at the 28th Primetime Emmy
Awards.
Screenplay - Nicholas Meyer and
Anthony Wilson
Producer - Joseph Sargent
Director - Joseph Sargent
Runtime – 1 hour 32 minutes
Released - October 31, 1975
Starring –
Vic Morrow as Hank Muldoon
Eileen Brennan as Ann Muldoon
Meredith Baxter as Linda Davis
Tom Bosley as Norman Smith
Will Geer as Reverend Davis
Paul Shenar as Orson Welles
John Ritter as Walter Wingate
Michael Constantine as Jess Wingate
Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014
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