1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:03,560 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you should know, a production of five 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:12,720 Speaker 1: Heart Radios How Stuff Works. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:16,160 Speaker 1: I'm Josh Clark. There's Charles w Chuck Bryan over there. 4 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:20,800 Speaker 1: It's just the two of us batching it up without Jerry. 5 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:26,920 Speaker 1: Oh man, I think Jerry's inclusion, we're still batching it up. 6 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:30,800 Speaker 1: How do you mean? I mean, does she really ruin 7 00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:38,120 Speaker 1: the batch scene for us? Sure? She's very maternal and judge, Yeah, 8 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 1: you were headed down a kind road for a second. 9 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:47,920 Speaker 1: I was with Jerry. That doesn't sound like me. So 10 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:50,080 Speaker 1: for all of you who are just tuning into the 11 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: first time, welcome, this is stuff you should know. To 12 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 1: everybody else who's tuning in for the multiple times, Welcome, 13 00:00:57,920 --> 00:00:59,920 Speaker 1: this is stuff you should know. Yeah, we never do that. 14 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 1: Some shows do that what they welcome new listeners, Yeah, 15 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:05,840 Speaker 1: and kind of say what they do. And I mean 16 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:10,320 Speaker 1: we've literally never done that. That's fine, that's lame. Hi, 17 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:12,880 Speaker 1: which who does that? Any friends of ours? Yeah? I 18 00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:15,919 Speaker 1: mean the guys on the Flop House, they've been podcasting 19 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 1: as long as we have. In every single episode they 20 00:01:18,360 --> 00:01:21,319 Speaker 1: say who they are and what they do. No, okay, 21 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:23,759 Speaker 1: well do you want to do that this one time. Well, 22 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 1: I'm Chuck Bryant and this is Josh Clark, and uh, 23 00:01:26,959 --> 00:01:29,560 Speaker 1: this is a podcast where we explain things in a 24 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 1: lighthearted and fun and sometimes even funny way. I disagree 25 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 1: with all of that. Oh boy, So what we're gonna 26 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:41,280 Speaker 1: talk about today, because I think we need to talk 27 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 1: about this one in a slightly somber tone. Chuck, it's 28 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 1: a blemish in the history of America really if you 29 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:51,480 Speaker 1: think about it. Well, yeah, and you know what, I've 30 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: never actually had listened to it until this week, same here, 31 00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:58,320 Speaker 1: and it was It's a lot of fun to actually 32 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 1: listen to. I would recommend it, Yeah, especially in a 33 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 1: dark room, um, where that's all you're concentrating on, not 34 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:07,840 Speaker 1: like a second screen kind of thing, like where you're 35 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:11,560 Speaker 1: really listening to this radio play. Put yourself there a 36 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 1: little bit like what it must have been like and 37 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 1: well not And that's when the book came out. Yeah, 38 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 1: but in ninety eight, I mean what forty years later, 39 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:23,799 Speaker 1: Just in that forty years stretch, I mean, think about 40 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:31,359 Speaker 1: the difference between nine eight and not ridiculously different periods. 41 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:36,320 Speaker 1: It's exactly. Oh it's gone downhill, um, And don't think 42 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:38,960 Speaker 1: they had nothing to do with Reagan's election in nineteen eighty. 43 00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:44,760 Speaker 1: But the difference between eight and nineteen thirty eight are 44 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 1: it's just like two different worlds, man um, two different worlds, 45 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:53,600 Speaker 1: common War of the So I guess we should start 46 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 1: with the book written by the great H. G. Wells. Um. 47 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:02,600 Speaker 1: It was the very first an invasion story to hit 48 00:03:02,639 --> 00:03:06,360 Speaker 1: the bookshelves, and that's a pretty remarkable thing. It was 49 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:10,360 Speaker 1: a serialized thing at first, and magazines and Pearson's in 50 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:13,480 Speaker 1: the in the UK, and then Cosmo here in the US, 51 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:18,480 Speaker 1: and then they finally slapped all those serialized versions together 52 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 1: into a book and it sold pretty well. Yeah, it's 53 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:24,080 Speaker 1: never been on a print since that first edition in 54 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 1: that's pretty respectable. I expect that as much for our 55 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:31,200 Speaker 1: book as well. Yeah, I'm sure it'll be still being 56 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 1: published in forty years or a hundred years, a hundred 57 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:39,880 Speaker 1: and forty years. Yeah, well let's hope. Um. So in 58 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 1: this book, and like you said, first alien invasion story 59 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:46,560 Speaker 1: ever published, which is you know, just the fact that 60 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:49,840 Speaker 1: this is a completely new premise, new conceit made it, 61 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 1: you know, kind of scary. But in the book, um, H. G. 62 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:59,080 Speaker 1: Wells describes like this, this alien invasion. Um. And part 63 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: of the thing that was so scary about it, at 64 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: least at the time, from what I can gather, is 65 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 1: that it was about like the breakdown of society. And 66 00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:10,840 Speaker 1: we're talking like Victorian era England society, where like rigid 67 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:14,880 Speaker 1: social rules and customs and Morey's and and guidance for 68 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:18,280 Speaker 1: all behavior at all times was like the norm. So 69 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:21,760 Speaker 1: the idea of that breaking down was scary on in 70 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 1: and of itself. I think that made the book kind 71 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:28,039 Speaker 1: of scary to contemporary readers. Would that be right readers 72 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:30,719 Speaker 1: back then? Um? And that was one big theme that 73 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:33,359 Speaker 1: Well has explored. Another one that he explored in that 74 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:37,240 Speaker 1: at least I think whoever wrote the Encyclopedia Britannica article 75 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:41,320 Speaker 1: on it said that the main point of this, the 76 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:47,280 Speaker 1: main subtext was um, learning how humans dominion over animals 77 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:50,800 Speaker 1: can be, you know, cruel and thoughtless, because all of 78 00:04:50,839 --> 00:04:53,760 Speaker 1: a sudden, with these alien invaders who were just wiping 79 00:04:53,839 --> 00:04:57,160 Speaker 1: us off the map, Um, we were the we were like, 80 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:01,960 Speaker 1: you know, domesticated animals to them. Yeah, so the shoe 81 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 1: was on the other hoof, And uh, sure it caused 82 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:08,680 Speaker 1: or at least it was intended to cause people to 83 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:11,800 Speaker 1: take kind of a hard look at a pre animal 84 00:05:11,839 --> 00:05:14,640 Speaker 1: farm to make sort of a social statement about how 85 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:18,479 Speaker 1: we treated animals. And so that was if you flash 86 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:24,480 Speaker 1: forward to Orson Welles in his Mercury Theater version, he uh, 87 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:26,479 Speaker 1: this is you know, like you said, we're right in 88 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:30,640 Speaker 1: the middle or we're in the Great Depression and we're 89 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:33,840 Speaker 1: headed towards war and it's sort of an uneasy feeling 90 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:37,240 Speaker 1: in the United States as a whole. So he thought, 91 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:41,080 Speaker 1: perfect time to go in there, put a fresh coat 92 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:44,440 Speaker 1: of paint on this thing and scare the bijebas out 93 00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:47,280 Speaker 1: of the American public by doing really something that they 94 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:50,920 Speaker 1: had never heard before, which was sort of a verite 95 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:55,440 Speaker 1: style production. Yeah, and I mean it's it's easy to 96 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:58,400 Speaker 1: overlook today, but radio is still rather new at the 97 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:03,560 Speaker 1: time in it was like, you know, cutting edge technological 98 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:08,000 Speaker 1: medium and it was not fully defined. So the idea 99 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:14,120 Speaker 1: of um creating this I guess hoax broadcast is the 100 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:19,039 Speaker 1: best you can call it. Um, this fictionalized version that 101 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:22,120 Speaker 1: was what would you call it? Man, I hate that 102 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:26,400 Speaker 1: word so much. It's really taken on a bad tang 103 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:30,040 Speaker 1: here lately. Uh. Yeah, I mean, it's it's verity. It's 104 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 1: it's uh, you know, of a faux documentary style thing 105 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:38,840 Speaker 1: that no one had ever heard, Like, there's no way 106 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 1: when people heard this they would think, oh, this is 107 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:44,839 Speaker 1: you know, I know Christopher Guests, this is sort of 108 00:06:44,839 --> 00:06:47,920 Speaker 1: a scary version. I've seen Blair Witch. I know what's 109 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:51,960 Speaker 1: going on here. I recognize Lenny from Laverne and Shirley anywhere. 110 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:55,120 Speaker 1: I know it's not real. So they were they weren't 111 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:59,040 Speaker 1: prepared for this in when orson well, as he was 112 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:02,120 Speaker 1: already a big name in radio as the voice of 113 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:05,560 Speaker 1: the Shadow, which was big hit, and his Mercury Theater 114 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:08,640 Speaker 1: was pretty pretty well respected at the time. It's yeah, 115 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:11,200 Speaker 1: it's like a live stage theater. So they'd only had 116 00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 1: this show for a few months by the time October 117 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:17,600 Speaker 1: rolled around. UM. But their whole jam was they were 118 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:21,760 Speaker 1: on CBS, and CBS had them do our long radio 119 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:26,920 Speaker 1: adaptations of classic UM like novels like Treasure Island they 120 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:29,720 Speaker 1: did around the world in eighty days. And so since 121 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:32,080 Speaker 1: it was October, they wanted to do something spooky around 122 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 1: Halloween something, so they decided yeah. So so they were like, well, 123 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:38,760 Speaker 1: what's the most boring scary book there is? And they said, 124 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:41,440 Speaker 1: h G wells wore the world, so they decided to 125 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:45,800 Speaker 1: adapt it. Yeah, so they got together, they're rehearsing. We'll 126 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:47,440 Speaker 1: talk a little bit more about that in a sec. 127 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:51,680 Speaker 1: But there wasn't a strong feeling among the cast and 128 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:54,520 Speaker 1: crew and the production group that I thought it was 129 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:58,440 Speaker 1: gonna be awesome because I think probably because they had 130 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:00,640 Speaker 1: never done anything like this. They had never heard anything 131 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:03,480 Speaker 1: like this, and they thought, is this even gonna be 132 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:06,920 Speaker 1: any good? And a couple of different sources in the 133 00:08:06,920 --> 00:08:10,400 Speaker 1: production went to a radio critic ahead of time, it's like, 134 00:08:10,480 --> 00:08:12,920 Speaker 1: thanks a lot, and they said, by the way, this 135 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:17,080 Speaker 1: is going to be a real stinker, they said, Apparently 136 00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:20,280 Speaker 1: two different people in the in the production said that 137 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:22,840 Speaker 1: this will put everyone to sleep. And I don't I 138 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:26,280 Speaker 1: don't have the impression that it's strictly because they didn't 139 00:08:26,280 --> 00:08:29,040 Speaker 1: have any frame of reference to judge it against, because 140 00:08:29,160 --> 00:08:31,720 Speaker 1: no one had done this before. From what I can gather, 141 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:35,440 Speaker 1: the originally it was going to be really bad and 142 00:08:35,480 --> 00:08:38,600 Speaker 1: really terrible, and the production and the cast and crew 143 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:42,440 Speaker 1: knew this. They knew that they were marching towards embarrassment. 144 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:46,679 Speaker 1: Um with the the early versions of the of the script. Yeah, 145 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:49,960 Speaker 1: so orson he's sort of distracted. He's got a stage 146 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:53,720 Speaker 1: production going on. He's got his partner in his group, 147 00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:56,719 Speaker 1: John the Great John Houseman, Uh you all know from 148 00:08:56,720 --> 00:08:59,760 Speaker 1: the Paper Chase, kind of a legendary actor. He was 149 00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:03,080 Speaker 1: his one of his original partners, and he got together 150 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:06,440 Speaker 1: with Howard Is it catch? I never know if it's 151 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:09,360 Speaker 1: going to be a colt or a coke, doesn't matter, 152 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:13,040 Speaker 1: all right, koc h and he was the writer who 153 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:15,640 Speaker 1: was adapting the novel, and they were like, we gotta 154 00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:18,040 Speaker 1: make this thing better. And one thing I think we 155 00:09:18,080 --> 00:09:20,240 Speaker 1: can do. This was Houseman talking, I'm not gonna do 156 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:24,680 Speaker 1: a John Houseman, but everyone knows how he sounds. Right. 157 00:09:24,679 --> 00:09:27,080 Speaker 1: When I came across John Houseman being involved, was like, 158 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:30,080 Speaker 1: I can't wait. I don't even remember. I mean, he 159 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:32,560 Speaker 1: was just very serious and sort of all I can 160 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:35,280 Speaker 1: think of his Paper Chase. And what was the TV 161 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:38,560 Speaker 1: commercial was it? I want to say it was like 162 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:41,760 Speaker 1: Schwaberry Lynch. I think it might have been Merrill Lynch 163 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:44,080 Speaker 1: maybe I don't know. But one of those finance firms 164 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:46,760 Speaker 1: he did he voiced for, well, yeah. He was very 165 00:09:46,760 --> 00:09:50,320 Speaker 1: famous for having a very high pitched, squeaky falsetto voice, 166 00:09:50,920 --> 00:09:53,320 Speaker 1: and he talked very very fast, and actually I know 167 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:55,640 Speaker 1: who it was. It was FedEx and Duncan Donuts. He 168 00:09:55,720 --> 00:09:58,520 Speaker 1: was well known for it, right, he was the time 169 00:09:58,559 --> 00:10:02,160 Speaker 1: to make the donuts guy right with the must so 170 00:10:02,320 --> 00:10:06,600 Speaker 1: houseman and uh, Cotch Coke went in there and he said, 171 00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:08,280 Speaker 1: one of the things we should do, probably to make 172 00:10:08,320 --> 00:10:11,400 Speaker 1: this a little more scary and a little more believable 173 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:16,000 Speaker 1: that it's an actual broadcast is you know, time passes 174 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:18,640 Speaker 1: in the book and we can't do that here, so 175 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:20,440 Speaker 1: let's just get rid of all that stuff so it 176 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:24,000 Speaker 1: gives the appearance that it's going down right now. Yeah, 177 00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:28,000 Speaker 1: that was enormously a huge change. Um. And I don't 178 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:30,040 Speaker 1: know if he did that too to help the pacing 179 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:33,120 Speaker 1: move a little faster or what, um, but that was 180 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:36,880 Speaker 1: that would pan out to be a really important difference 181 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:40,520 Speaker 1: in the original script that um Howard Kay turned in 182 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:43,840 Speaker 1: uh and the one that they ended up doing. And 183 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:47,640 Speaker 1: then even beyond that, some of the other changes came 184 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:51,800 Speaker 1: just hours before broadcast, because apparently, if you worked with 185 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:54,440 Speaker 1: Wars and Wells, you should be on the lookout for 186 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:56,040 Speaker 1: him to come in at the last minute and be 187 00:10:56,080 --> 00:10:58,120 Speaker 1: like all the stuff we've been practicing for a week 188 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:01,400 Speaker 1: or two, forget all of that. We're we're doing this instead. 189 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:03,960 Speaker 1: And part of that, from what I can tell, is 190 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:06,079 Speaker 1: that he was trying to shake up the act or 191 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:09,280 Speaker 1: shake them out of whatever complacency they'd worked themselves into 192 00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:13,559 Speaker 1: with rehearsal and to get this raw, more terrified performance. 193 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:17,199 Speaker 1: And apparently it worked. I mean, I can't imagine I 194 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:19,200 Speaker 1: didn't hear any rehearsals or anything like that. I would 195 00:11:19,200 --> 00:11:21,839 Speaker 1: have loved to have compared, you know, the week before too, 196 00:11:22,440 --> 00:11:26,920 Speaker 1: you know, the actual broadcast. But everyone delivered these really great, um, 197 00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:32,160 Speaker 1: really great performances, and they really nailed by showtime, um 198 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:34,120 Speaker 1: the realism in a lot of ways, not just in 199 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:39,280 Speaker 1: the performances, um, but also in just little details like 200 00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:41,760 Speaker 1: they you know, they were they were doing a a 201 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:46,600 Speaker 1: mock radio program, which we'll talk about a little more 202 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:49,160 Speaker 1: in detail in a second, but they were they were 203 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:52,240 Speaker 1: pretending to have news bulletins breaking, so they were they 204 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:55,199 Speaker 1: were doing the things that news bulletins did. And one 205 00:11:55,200 --> 00:11:58,600 Speaker 1: of the things that stuck out to me was one 206 00:11:58,640 --> 00:12:01,360 Speaker 1: of the eyewitnesses, so it's an actor, but one of 207 00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:04,040 Speaker 1: the eyewitnesses is like being interviewed by a news reporter 208 00:12:04,120 --> 00:12:06,080 Speaker 1: on the scene and they started to talk, and the 209 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:08,679 Speaker 1: news reporter goes, can you can you speak loud? Speak 210 00:12:08,720 --> 00:12:11,440 Speaker 1: more loudly and move into the microphone please, and that 211 00:12:11,640 --> 00:12:14,640 Speaker 1: the I think the actor actually says, how's that? And 212 00:12:14,640 --> 00:12:16,880 Speaker 1: the guy repeats himself, and then the actress to repeat 213 00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:19,719 Speaker 1: himself what he was originally saying. So it has like 214 00:12:19,960 --> 00:12:24,839 Speaker 1: that veneer of you know, authenticity, just from little details 215 00:12:24,920 --> 00:12:27,560 Speaker 1: like that that, you know, really it stood out to 216 00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:29,200 Speaker 1: me when I was listening for him. But if you're 217 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:31,360 Speaker 1: if you're not listening for him, you you just it 218 00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:34,000 Speaker 1: makes you buy into the whole thing that much more. Yeah, 219 00:12:34,040 --> 00:12:37,040 Speaker 1: And the other big change that Wells brought along was 220 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:41,440 Speaker 1: stretching out the first two halves of the thing such 221 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:45,760 Speaker 1: that it went past it went forty minutes, and radio 222 00:12:45,840 --> 00:12:49,120 Speaker 1: at the time, every thirty minutes, like on the half hour, 223 00:12:49,679 --> 00:12:52,240 Speaker 1: they would check in with the station I D check 224 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:57,880 Speaker 1: and listeners, even though radio was new, were well honed 225 00:12:58,320 --> 00:13:01,520 Speaker 1: to this station break every thirty minute, And so when 226 00:13:01,559 --> 00:13:04,920 Speaker 1: ten minutes passed, the half hour go by and there 227 00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:07,679 Speaker 1: ain't and there ain't no station break. That really makes 228 00:13:07,679 --> 00:13:10,360 Speaker 1: people kind of buy in to what they're listening to 229 00:13:10,559 --> 00:13:12,920 Speaker 1: is possibly real. Uh. And then you add to the 230 00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:15,920 Speaker 1: fact that there were no sponsors for this show. Yeah, 231 00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:22,640 Speaker 1: so they weren't cutting to a Casper or or me, 232 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:25,120 Speaker 1: me and these ads all of a sudden, I can 233 00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:28,680 Speaker 1: remember any sponsor. Can you imagine John Houseman saying made 234 00:13:28,679 --> 00:13:33,560 Speaker 1: with modal? No, I thought it'd be made with modal. Yeah, 235 00:13:33,559 --> 00:13:36,160 Speaker 1: that's right, that's a much better Houseman. I had something 236 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:38,440 Speaker 1: in my threat. Uh. So, yeah, there were no sponsors. 237 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:42,520 Speaker 1: So basically it really came across as something that was 238 00:13:42,559 --> 00:13:46,760 Speaker 1: super super realistic sounding. Right, So all that is to 239 00:13:46,800 --> 00:13:50,080 Speaker 1: say that they had really by the time this broadcast 240 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:55,600 Speaker 1: aired eight p m. On Sunday, October eight, they they 241 00:13:55,640 --> 00:13:58,440 Speaker 1: were not going to be the laughing stock and this 242 00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:00,040 Speaker 1: is not going to be embarrassing. It was going to 243 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:03,320 Speaker 1: be pretty awesome. Actually, should we take a break, I 244 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:05,680 Speaker 1: think so, Chuck, and then we'll come back and we 245 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:40,240 Speaker 1: will reveal the broadcast after this. Okay, so we've reached showtime. 246 00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:45,760 Speaker 1: Air time a p m. Sunday, October, Mercury Theater on 247 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:49,320 Speaker 1: the Air began broadcasting its adaptation of H. G. Wells 248 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:51,680 Speaker 1: War of the World, and at the very beginning, it's 249 00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:54,440 Speaker 1: introduced as much there's an announcer who says that I 250 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:58,040 Speaker 1: think this loss is probably to time somewhat because everyone 251 00:14:58,120 --> 00:15:00,600 Speaker 1: probably thinks that they just tried to trick everyone. But no, 252 00:15:00,760 --> 00:15:04,520 Speaker 1: they actually introduced it as what they're doing. You know 253 00:15:04,560 --> 00:15:07,160 Speaker 1: that this is a radio place at one year in 254 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:11,040 Speaker 1: the future, right right, And yeah, Orson Welles. So it's 255 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:13,560 Speaker 1: introduced by an announcer. Orson Wells comes in does the 256 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:18,480 Speaker 1: introductory essay, and then they did something really smart and interesting, 257 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:24,040 Speaker 1: especially for the time. They went to a musical program 258 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:27,400 Speaker 1: that was supposedly being broadcast from the Murdian Room in 259 00:15:27,480 --> 00:15:31,120 Speaker 1: the Hotel Park Plaza. So if you were just tuning 260 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:34,160 Speaker 1: in right then, you would have no idea that this 261 00:15:34,240 --> 00:15:36,800 Speaker 1: was Mercury Theater on the air. You would have no 262 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:39,400 Speaker 1: idea that this was a teleplay. You would think that 263 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:43,120 Speaker 1: you were listening to UM something that was pretty regularly broadcast, 264 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:45,760 Speaker 1: which was live music at some like ballroom in a 265 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:48,560 Speaker 1: hotel somewhere in New York. UM that they set up 266 00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:51,000 Speaker 1: like a radio transmitter to transmit out over the radio. 267 00:15:51,160 --> 00:15:53,600 Speaker 1: That was pretty frequent. But this was part of the 268 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:59,560 Speaker 1: show paused. It is right right exactly so, but that 269 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:01,160 Speaker 1: was a huge which part of the show because that 270 00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:04,960 Speaker 1: lilled um listeners into kind of complacency, and listeners who 271 00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:07,080 Speaker 1: tuned in late and missed that introduction thought that this 272 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:10,440 Speaker 1: is what they were listening to. And then the first 273 00:16:10,440 --> 00:16:14,720 Speaker 1: news bulletin hits, yeah, and that's where things start to 274 00:16:14,720 --> 00:16:17,560 Speaker 1: get really interesting. They break in, you know, one of 275 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:22,160 Speaker 1: these interrupt your previously scheduled programs kind of things, and 276 00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:25,680 Speaker 1: they come in and with these bulletin's, but they're not 277 00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:29,240 Speaker 1: super long at first because they treat it kind of 278 00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:31,080 Speaker 1: how it would be in real life. It's just sort 279 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:35,080 Speaker 1: of a breaking story. Something's going together. It was fairly obtuse, 280 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:38,640 Speaker 1: and they didn't like, you know, say, Martians are attacking 281 00:16:38,680 --> 00:16:41,600 Speaker 1: us right now everyone from the get go, I sort 282 00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:43,280 Speaker 1: of left it up to the listener to kind of 283 00:16:43,280 --> 00:16:45,240 Speaker 1: piece it together a little by little. They would go 284 00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:48,160 Speaker 1: back to the Meridian room for a bit, and it 285 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:51,360 Speaker 1: wasn't for very long, but because you know, they couldn't 286 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:53,600 Speaker 1: waste too much time, but it was long enough. It 287 00:16:53,640 --> 00:16:55,160 Speaker 1: wasn't for like ten seconds. They did it for like 288 00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:57,360 Speaker 1: a minute a minute and a half. Right. It made 289 00:16:57,360 --> 00:16:59,440 Speaker 1: it seem right then, like that was what you were 290 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:01,520 Speaker 1: listening to, that that was the program and the bulletin 291 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:05,240 Speaker 1: was in fact the bulletin rather than the opposite being true. Yeah. 292 00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:08,000 Speaker 1: So eventually you start to piece together what's going on, 293 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:13,159 Speaker 1: and you have, uh, this attack in New Jersey of 294 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:17,760 Speaker 1: all places, and uh, Princeton University they had like a 295 00:17:17,800 --> 00:17:21,560 Speaker 1: Princeton astronomer on. They have government officials and they kind 296 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:25,000 Speaker 1: of dole it out a little by little until about 297 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:28,840 Speaker 1: the seventeen minutes seventeen and a half minute mark, and 298 00:17:28,880 --> 00:17:32,040 Speaker 1: then that's when it really kind of gets, uh, super 299 00:17:32,080 --> 00:17:34,880 Speaker 1: scary and people really see the full picture of what's 300 00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:37,960 Speaker 1: going on. So Chuck, um, I feel like we should 301 00:17:37,960 --> 00:17:39,640 Speaker 1: read a little bit of the script. There's this one 302 00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:42,639 Speaker 1: part starting about the seventeen thirty minute market think you 303 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:45,440 Speaker 1: said where they um as I like to say, they 304 00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:47,399 Speaker 1: tore the lid off the sucker. Do you want to 305 00:17:47,440 --> 00:17:54,080 Speaker 1: be announcer or Phillips? I'll be the announcer, okay, but 306 00:17:54,200 --> 00:17:56,879 Speaker 1: I want you to do Phillips as Sammy Davis jor. 307 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:02,600 Speaker 1: So here's the announcer. Wait, hold on, I'm getting on 308 00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:09,720 Speaker 1: my tap shoes. Okay you're ready, Canny man, I'm not 309 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:12,760 Speaker 1: gonna do it that way. Okay, So let me give 310 00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:15,120 Speaker 1: you a little bit of background real quick. So these 311 00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:17,920 Speaker 1: news bulletins up to this point of basically said there's 312 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:20,360 Speaker 1: some weird thing that landed they thought was a meteorite 313 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:24,160 Speaker 1: at first, that landed in Grover's Mill, New Jersey. Um. 314 00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:27,119 Speaker 1: And then later bulletin said that, oh, actually there's some 315 00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:31,960 Speaker 1: weird tentacle like weird things emerging from this thing we 316 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:34,479 Speaker 1: thought was a meteor Right. So now we're back at 317 00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:38,359 Speaker 1: Grover's Mill. So I'm the announcer. We are bringing you 318 00:18:38,480 --> 00:18:41,200 Speaker 1: and I witness account of what's happening on the Wilmouth 319 00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:44,359 Speaker 1: Farm Grover's Mill, New Jersey. And that was kind of 320 00:18:44,359 --> 00:18:46,560 Speaker 1: like they were breaking in to let you know that. 321 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:48,600 Speaker 1: And then they go back to more piano for some reason. 322 00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:51,800 Speaker 1: And then we now return you to Carl Phillips at 323 00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:55,240 Speaker 1: Grover's Mill. Lady, ladies and gentlemen. Am I on on, 324 00:18:55,359 --> 00:18:57,919 Speaker 1: ladies and gentlemen. Here, I am back up a stone 325 00:18:57,920 --> 00:19:01,040 Speaker 1: wall that adjoins Mr. Willmas Garden. From here I get 326 00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:03,600 Speaker 1: a sweep of the whole scene. I'll give you every 327 00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:06,120 Speaker 1: detail as long as I can talk, as long as 328 00:19:06,119 --> 00:19:08,680 Speaker 1: I can see. More State police have arrived. They're drawing 329 00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:11,040 Speaker 1: up a cordon in front of the pit, about thirty 330 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:13,200 Speaker 1: of them. No need to push the crowd back now 331 00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:16,200 Speaker 1: they're willing to keep their distance. The captain is conferring 332 00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:19,840 Speaker 1: with someone we we can't quite see who. Oh, yes, 333 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:22,680 Speaker 1: I believe it's a professor Pearson. Yes it is. Now 334 00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:26,720 Speaker 1: they've parted. The professor moves around one side, studying the object. Well. 335 00:19:26,920 --> 00:19:29,639 Speaker 1: The captain and two policemen advance with something in their hands. 336 00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:31,560 Speaker 1: I can see it now. It's a it's a white 337 00:19:31,560 --> 00:19:34,600 Speaker 1: handkerchief tied to a pole, a flag of truce. If 338 00:19:34,640 --> 00:19:38,000 Speaker 1: those creatures know what that means, what anything means? Wait, 339 00:19:38,359 --> 00:19:49,120 Speaker 1: something's happening. You can cut in any time. Who can 340 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:56,040 Speaker 1: take a rainbow? Wait? Sorry, hump shape is rising out 341 00:19:56,080 --> 00:19:58,080 Speaker 1: of the pit. I can make out a small beam 342 00:19:58,119 --> 00:20:00,640 Speaker 1: of light against a mirror. What's that? There's jet there's 343 00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:03,240 Speaker 1: a jet flame springing from the mirror and at leaps 344 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:06,040 Speaker 1: right at the advancing men. It strikes them head on. 345 00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:10,800 Speaker 1: Good lord, they're turning into flame. Oh god, oh my god. 346 00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:17,680 Speaker 1: Now the whole field's caught fire, the woods, the barns, 347 00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:20,560 Speaker 1: the gas tanks, the automobiles, and spreading everywhere. It's coming 348 00:20:20,600 --> 00:20:28,760 Speaker 1: this way, about twenty yards to my right, very nice 349 00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:35,080 Speaker 1: and scene that was great, Chuck so Um they they 350 00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:38,199 Speaker 1: you mentioned, or I should say Phillips. The reporter on 351 00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:41,920 Speaker 1: the scene mentioned Professor Pearson, and he's this he ends 352 00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:45,320 Speaker 1: up being the main character and he's uh, he's an 353 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:47,880 Speaker 1: interview he's in a Stromer's interviewed earlier on and he's 354 00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:50,879 Speaker 1: on the scene as it happens. Um, and the the 355 00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:53,720 Speaker 1: program just keeps going like that, like there's another there's 356 00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:58,360 Speaker 1: a main announcer. Um, who I played? I thought rather well, Um, 357 00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:01,000 Speaker 1: thank you, and it seemed to you by the future 358 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:03,119 Speaker 1: as a fully artist, if I may say so, thank 359 00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:05,240 Speaker 1: you very much. I've been practicing. You want to hear 360 00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:09,359 Speaker 1: my machine gun? I've been doing that one since I 361 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:12,359 Speaker 1: was like six. All right, how about walking through the forest? 362 00:21:16,920 --> 00:21:18,920 Speaker 1: All right now, how about a good punch to the face. 363 00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:24,760 Speaker 1: Oh wow, that was good, Thank you. Probably punched myself 364 00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:28,959 Speaker 1: in the thing. I'm dedicated. That's how dedicated to the 365 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:34,440 Speaker 1: art of fully so. Um. The announcer just keeps bringing 366 00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:36,399 Speaker 1: in more and more news as this thing goes on 367 00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:39,080 Speaker 1: and unfolds of like, now, these things aren't just in 368 00:21:39,080 --> 00:21:42,560 Speaker 1: New Jersey there in Chicago. They're like out West they're 369 00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:46,359 Speaker 1: they're starting to invade everywhere, and they're killing people left 370 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:49,000 Speaker 1: and right. That you said there was a government official 371 00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:51,679 Speaker 1: that reads a statement is actually that they say that 372 00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:54,080 Speaker 1: it's the Secretary of the Interior, which I thought was 373 00:21:54,119 --> 00:21:58,359 Speaker 1: particularly genius because I mean, probably not that many people 374 00:21:58,359 --> 00:22:03,119 Speaker 1: were familiar with the Secretary of the Interior, Harold x Um, 375 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:07,000 Speaker 1: but they had him sound like FDR so that they 376 00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:11,560 Speaker 1: would kind of play on everyone's um, I guess unconscious 377 00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:14,040 Speaker 1: or I'm sure there were people who are like the 378 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:16,399 Speaker 1: sounds just like FDR, but at the very least, it 379 00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:19,919 Speaker 1: would kind of evoke that government authority, the reality of 380 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:24,479 Speaker 1: like a government figure, you know. Yeah. So meanwhile, on 381 00:22:24,600 --> 00:22:29,520 Speaker 1: the other stations, there's one that's running opposite, which is 382 00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:32,520 Speaker 1: a really really popular radio show at the time, um 383 00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:36,639 Speaker 1: probably the most popular, Chasing Sandborn Hour, which had the 384 00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:41,880 Speaker 1: very very famous ventriloquist Edgar Bergen in his dummy Charlie McCarthy, 385 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:44,480 Speaker 1: and we talked about that on our ventilla Quism episode. 386 00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:48,920 Speaker 1: Remember that they started out on radio, which is hysterical. 387 00:22:49,080 --> 00:22:52,199 Speaker 1: I don't even know why they would even bother with 388 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:54,119 Speaker 1: the dummy part. Just do too. You wouldn't even know 389 00:22:55,359 --> 00:22:57,160 Speaker 1: that's what he did. You wouldn't even have to wear 390 00:22:57,200 --> 00:23:04,640 Speaker 1: pants around and your spaghetti stained under shirt and yeah, 391 00:23:04,880 --> 00:23:08,199 Speaker 1: naked from the waist down, maybe some socks, doing a 392 00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:10,879 Speaker 1: couple of voices. Here's your contract Edgar Bergin, What do 393 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:14,560 Speaker 1: you think about that? Charlie Dart get me started, Like 394 00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:17,480 Speaker 1: that's it. I could be a famous vintiloquist on the radio. 395 00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:19,840 Speaker 1: You just you just did it. I think I think 396 00:23:19,840 --> 00:23:22,879 Speaker 1: Hollywood's gonna come with Collin. But the real sort of 397 00:23:22,920 --> 00:23:28,000 Speaker 1: interesting um factoid here, I think is that people were 398 00:23:28,080 --> 00:23:30,520 Speaker 1: channel surfing back then when you cut to commercial, just 399 00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:33,679 Speaker 1: like we used to do when we didn't have pause 400 00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:38,040 Speaker 1: buttons and fast forward buttons. And what is this pause button? 401 00:23:38,119 --> 00:23:40,480 Speaker 1: You keep mentioning? I've never heard of this. You've never 402 00:23:40,520 --> 00:23:44,639 Speaker 1: paused television? No, wow, you you need I don't believe 403 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:48,600 Speaker 1: I've ever paused anything in my life. It's funny. We 404 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:51,400 Speaker 1: were Emily and I've been watching that German sci fi 405 00:23:51,520 --> 00:23:57,760 Speaker 1: series Dark, which is very challenging to follow, and uh, 406 00:23:57,800 --> 00:23:59,879 Speaker 1: there's a lot of rewinding like wait, wait, who was 407 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:01,520 Speaker 1: at what did they just say? And we rewind it 408 00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:03,320 Speaker 1: a bit and do that again, and or you know, 409 00:24:03,359 --> 00:24:04,920 Speaker 1: of course I got to go the bathroom. Let me 410 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:07,880 Speaker 1: depose it. And I was thinking about how, not too 411 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:11,520 Speaker 1: long ago, you just if you missed something, you missed it. 412 00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:14,000 Speaker 1: You just paid the count or you paid yourself on 413 00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:17,359 Speaker 1: the couch. Yeah, there was no clear like, let me 414 00:24:17,359 --> 00:24:19,440 Speaker 1: go back and clear this up. It's like, what did 415 00:24:19,440 --> 00:24:21,520 Speaker 1: he say? I have no idea. I guess we'll never know. 416 00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:25,800 Speaker 1: There's no internet. I guess I should probably stop watching 417 00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:28,119 Speaker 1: this show altogether. You go walk up to the VCR 418 00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:31,840 Speaker 1: in President Jack. But at any rate, back then, let's 419 00:24:31,840 --> 00:24:35,120 Speaker 1: say Charlie McCarthy goes to break and no word from 420 00:24:35,119 --> 00:24:38,760 Speaker 1: Mark Banser and they flip it over to war the 421 00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:42,080 Speaker 1: world's at this point in the broadcast when the s 422 00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:45,080 Speaker 1: is hitting the fan and it's going to scare the 423 00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:48,439 Speaker 1: pants off of people in well, yeah, even more than 424 00:24:48,480 --> 00:24:52,240 Speaker 1: I think that they would have dialed over even before that, 425 00:24:52,320 --> 00:24:54,919 Speaker 1: so they might have caught like a news bulletin and 426 00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:58,120 Speaker 1: then maybe some of that music from the Meridian Room. Um, 427 00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:00,440 Speaker 1: so I really would have caught them. And there were 428 00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:03,480 Speaker 1: supposedly a substantial number of people who did dial over, 429 00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:06,920 Speaker 1: and we're like, wait, wait, what what is going on here? 430 00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:12,000 Speaker 1: And now we come to the reaction the response, because 431 00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:17,440 Speaker 1: if you picked up the paper the next day in America, um, 432 00:25:17,480 --> 00:25:20,080 Speaker 1: just about anywhere in any major city, you're going to 433 00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:24,119 Speaker 1: find huge, blaring headlines like the one that the New 434 00:25:24,160 --> 00:25:28,560 Speaker 1: York Daily News printed in tall, bold letters. Fake radio 435 00:25:28,680 --> 00:25:34,159 Speaker 1: war stirs terror through the US. Yeah, stories of of 436 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:38,720 Speaker 1: shock and hysteria, stories of people taking their own life, 437 00:25:39,240 --> 00:25:42,880 Speaker 1: stories of people dying from heart attacks. The ape sat 438 00:25:42,880 --> 00:25:45,119 Speaker 1: a man in Pittsburgh found his wife with poison in 439 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:48,359 Speaker 1: her hand and said, I'm gonna I'd rather die this 440 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:52,080 Speaker 1: way than like that. And you know, talking to Wells 441 00:25:52,200 --> 00:25:57,760 Speaker 1: afterward in the aftermath of this, he apologizes publicly says 442 00:25:57,760 --> 00:26:01,119 Speaker 1: they didn't intend to do this. Uh, we had we 443 00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:03,359 Speaker 1: didn't know what was going to cause a panic. And 444 00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:05,680 Speaker 1: then you know, if you look over the years more interviews, 445 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:08,680 Speaker 1: it's sort of seems like Wells is a little more like, 446 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:11,440 Speaker 1: you know, we thought it would be pretty fun to 447 00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:13,560 Speaker 1: scare people, and I didn't know if it was going 448 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:15,800 Speaker 1: to cause a panic, but we definitely intended it to 449 00:26:15,880 --> 00:26:20,960 Speaker 1: have this effect on people, whereas houseman in Cotch, We're like, no, 450 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:23,360 Speaker 1: we really didn't mean it. Um. So it was sort 451 00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:26,400 Speaker 1: of conflicting reports from the production on what they thought 452 00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:30,160 Speaker 1: was going to be the result, right, Um. And I've 453 00:26:30,160 --> 00:26:33,160 Speaker 1: read an interview with John Landis, the great director who 454 00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:36,040 Speaker 1: um worked with Wells on a project that never got 455 00:26:36,080 --> 00:26:38,240 Speaker 1: made towards the end of wells life, and he didn't 456 00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:40,080 Speaker 1: say that. Wells admitted to him that he meant to, 457 00:26:40,200 --> 00:26:42,680 Speaker 1: but he got to know him enough that he was like, yes, 458 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:46,680 Speaker 1: if you watched this, this initial press conference where he's 459 00:26:46,680 --> 00:26:50,960 Speaker 1: apologizing because the whole country was ripped apart in chaos 460 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:54,080 Speaker 1: and we're running wild in the streets and like nearly 461 00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:59,440 Speaker 1: rioted because of his broadcast, he's not at all. He's 462 00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:03,080 Speaker 1: he's just as happy as a lark that this all happened, 463 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:06,560 Speaker 1: even though he's pretending to apologize. And he said that 464 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:10,240 Speaker 1: was just this resource And Wells, did you just say apologize. 465 00:27:11,440 --> 00:27:14,400 Speaker 1: It's a it's a new version I'm testing out. I 466 00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:17,760 Speaker 1: like it. It's it's good. Kind of yeah, it's it's 467 00:27:17,800 --> 00:27:21,879 Speaker 1: at least as good as apologize. So this was just 468 00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:24,000 Speaker 1: a couple of days in the news cycle. It wasn't 469 00:27:24,080 --> 00:27:26,439 Speaker 1: the biggest deal in the world, even though it was 470 00:27:26,440 --> 00:27:31,480 Speaker 1: fairly sensational. Uh. Story writing for for a newspapers. UH. 471 00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:33,399 Speaker 1: And it might have just gone that way had it 472 00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:38,600 Speaker 1: not been for a Princeton University social psychologist a couple 473 00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:43,560 Speaker 1: of years later named Hadley Cantrell, and Cantrell released a 474 00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:48,560 Speaker 1: book on the real effects of this thing and basically 475 00:27:48,560 --> 00:27:51,440 Speaker 1: said that you know, people were praying, crying, they were 476 00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:55,600 Speaker 1: frantically trying to escape death from the Martians. Six million 477 00:27:55,600 --> 00:27:58,320 Speaker 1: people listen to this thing, and at least when six 478 00:27:58,359 --> 00:28:01,280 Speaker 1: of them were frightened or disturbed, and I have the 479 00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:06,120 Speaker 1: evidence right here. Yeah, And the evidence that he had 480 00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:09,679 Speaker 1: was based on a series of interviews with a hundred 481 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:12,119 Speaker 1: and thirty five people. Almost all of them were in 482 00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:15,760 Speaker 1: New Jersey, which remember that's where the crux of the 483 00:28:15,800 --> 00:28:19,359 Speaker 1: invasion and destruction being described took place, because Grover's Mill, 484 00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:23,160 Speaker 1: New Jersey is actually a real town in Jersey. Um, 485 00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:25,800 Speaker 1: so he went to Jersey because he was in Princeton. 486 00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:29,320 Speaker 1: So he went where he was and interviewed a hundred 487 00:28:29,359 --> 00:28:32,360 Speaker 1: and thirty five people, and he said, were you scared 488 00:28:32,760 --> 00:28:36,919 Speaker 1: by this broadcast? And the participant would say yes, and 489 00:28:36,960 --> 00:28:39,200 Speaker 1: he'd say you're in my study. And he'd ask the 490 00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:42,480 Speaker 1: next one, were you scared? Were you scared by this broadcast? 491 00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:45,000 Speaker 1: And they'd say no, he'd be like, you're not in 492 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:48,160 Speaker 1: the study. And so yeah, he said in the in 493 00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:51,160 Speaker 1: the methodology that he selected a hundred out of the 494 00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:53,840 Speaker 1: hundred and thirty five because they had been scared by 495 00:28:53,840 --> 00:28:57,360 Speaker 1: the broadcast. And so he took this these interviews of 496 00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:00,440 Speaker 1: people in New Jersey and he extrapola did it to 497 00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:04,000 Speaker 1: the rest of the country, and he said, yep, this 498 00:29:04,080 --> 00:29:06,520 Speaker 1: is this is real. This is a really great example 499 00:29:06,680 --> 00:29:12,040 Speaker 1: of people, um being fooled into into terror and panic. 500 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:16,120 Speaker 1: And you know the responses when this happens, like we 501 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:19,040 Speaker 1: saw after the World were the World's broadcast, people will 502 00:29:19,120 --> 00:29:21,840 Speaker 1: run out into the street, they will flee the city, 503 00:29:22,040 --> 00:29:24,560 Speaker 1: they will um call their friends and neighbors, they will 504 00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:28,280 Speaker 1: um they may attempt suicide, they may die of a 505 00:29:28,320 --> 00:29:32,320 Speaker 1: heart attack. Like the New York Times UM reported, uh 506 00:29:32,760 --> 00:29:35,200 Speaker 1: twenty or so people in New York alone needed to 507 00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:38,640 Speaker 1: be treated for for shock and hysteria. This is what 508 00:29:38,800 --> 00:29:43,760 Speaker 1: happens when somebody toys with the public trust and UM yeah, 509 00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:47,920 Speaker 1: it's pretty nuts. The end That was what That was 510 00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:51,880 Speaker 1: the end of Hedley's Headley's book, right, Uh, yeah, not 511 00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:55,960 Speaker 1: the end of this episode. So this is what this 512 00:29:56,160 --> 00:30:00,240 Speaker 1: specific study is. What if you've ever taken um asked 513 00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:05,360 Speaker 1: media or communications college class, you've probably studied War of 514 00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:09,400 Speaker 1: the World's largely because of this study. Basically, it might 515 00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:11,920 Speaker 1: have just come and gone if it weren't for this 516 00:30:12,480 --> 00:30:15,840 Speaker 1: um this academic paper that we're put out and all 517 00:30:15,880 --> 00:30:19,000 Speaker 1: of a sudden, for decades and decades, it's reported on 518 00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:23,479 Speaker 1: as like a cautionary tale almost of responsibility and media, 519 00:30:23,840 --> 00:30:27,560 Speaker 1: even fictional media. And you know, as recently as two 520 00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:32,000 Speaker 1: thousand thirteen, PBS American Experienced documentary said this was the case. 521 00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:34,280 Speaker 1: Our old pals at Radio Lab in two thousand and 522 00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:37,360 Speaker 1: eight did an episode about this where that was the case. 523 00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:41,240 Speaker 1: But there were a few problems with this paper. Beyond 524 00:30:42,240 --> 00:30:47,200 Speaker 1: the supremely bad methodology behind just getting scared New Jersey 525 00:30:47,240 --> 00:30:50,600 Speaker 1: people to go in there and and give their report. 526 00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:54,160 Speaker 1: Was they found up that we they ended up finding 527 00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:57,320 Speaker 1: real ratings for this thing, and not a ton of 528 00:30:57,360 --> 00:31:00,719 Speaker 1: people even heard it. It turns out, uh so, so 529 00:31:00,920 --> 00:31:04,200 Speaker 1: his six million estimate was way off, way way way off. 530 00:31:04,720 --> 00:31:07,400 Speaker 1: And they did a survey during the program that said 531 00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:10,800 Speaker 1: two percent of respondents said that they were listening in 532 00:31:10,840 --> 00:31:14,360 Speaker 1: some markets, like big cities like Boston even preempted this 533 00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:19,240 Speaker 1: thing for local programming. So it wasn't a ton of people, 534 00:31:19,400 --> 00:31:22,360 Speaker 1: It wasn't a ton of people being scared and like, uh, 535 00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:26,360 Speaker 1: just literally losing their minds with fear and panic and 536 00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:30,840 Speaker 1: things swing so far the other way that it the 537 00:31:30,920 --> 00:31:34,240 Speaker 1: narrative became, you know what, no one was really scared 538 00:31:34,280 --> 00:31:37,480 Speaker 1: at all, And what newspapers really did was they put 539 00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:41,000 Speaker 1: out hit pieces on a competing medium like radio and 540 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:44,920 Speaker 1: how you shouldn't trust it anymore. So so what happened 541 00:31:44,960 --> 00:31:49,000 Speaker 1: over the last within some time within the century, but 542 00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:53,520 Speaker 1: sometime in the two thousand tens, the the myth that 543 00:31:53,600 --> 00:31:56,680 Speaker 1: America lost its mind went bonkers and ran wild in 544 00:31:56,720 --> 00:31:58,920 Speaker 1: the street because they were panicked by the War of 545 00:31:58,960 --> 00:32:02,680 Speaker 1: the World's broadcast was shown to be a myth that 546 00:32:02,760 --> 00:32:07,880 Speaker 1: it didn't happen, and that was the new understanding for 547 00:32:07,960 --> 00:32:11,520 Speaker 1: a little while, um, just a few years, until another 548 00:32:11,600 --> 00:32:16,520 Speaker 1: guy came along and said, you know what, Um, they're 549 00:32:16,560 --> 00:32:20,080 Speaker 1: actually both both are right and both are wrong in 550 00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:22,280 Speaker 1: a lot of ways. Should we take a break and 551 00:32:22,320 --> 00:32:25,120 Speaker 1: talk about the truth always being somewhere in the middle? 552 00:32:25,840 --> 00:32:57,840 Speaker 1: Mm hmm, all right, I said, the truth is always 553 00:32:57,880 --> 00:33:00,800 Speaker 1: somewhere in between. That's not always the case with everything 554 00:33:00,800 --> 00:33:05,160 Speaker 1: in life obviously, but that's that's a saying for a reason. Uh, 555 00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:08,320 Speaker 1: And that's definitely seems to be the case. Uh, in 556 00:33:08,360 --> 00:33:12,800 Speaker 1: this case with a gentleman named a Brad Schwartz, he's 557 00:33:12,840 --> 00:33:17,080 Speaker 1: a probably the leading War of the World scholar. And 558 00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:21,400 Speaker 1: he went back and he went and investigated the letters 559 00:33:21,440 --> 00:33:23,880 Speaker 1: and the cables that that came in. Uh. They were 560 00:33:23,880 --> 00:33:26,800 Speaker 1: at the University of Michigan Archives, and these are the 561 00:33:26,880 --> 00:33:30,040 Speaker 1: letters that actually came in two Wells and the Mercury 562 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:33,400 Speaker 1: Theater in the days after the broadcast. And what he contends, 563 00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:36,239 Speaker 1: and I agree, is that this is what you need 564 00:33:36,280 --> 00:33:38,920 Speaker 1: to be reading, is what people were really thinking at 565 00:33:38,920 --> 00:33:41,920 Speaker 1: the time, that weren't just cherry picked in the town 566 00:33:41,960 --> 00:33:44,840 Speaker 1: where that got attacked in New Jersey, who were obviously 567 00:33:44,840 --> 00:33:46,400 Speaker 1: they were going to be freaked out more than anyone 568 00:33:46,440 --> 00:33:49,360 Speaker 1: in the country. Right. So one of the things that 569 00:33:49,400 --> 00:33:52,560 Speaker 1: he points out is, you know, everybody been, you know, 570 00:33:52,640 --> 00:33:55,480 Speaker 1: since around two thousand ten or maybe a little earlier. 571 00:33:55,800 --> 00:33:59,640 Speaker 1: Everyone had been wailing on Hadley can't traill Um for 572 00:33:59,760 --> 00:34:06,480 Speaker 1: his terrible, terrible methodology. Um, but they the revisionists were 573 00:34:06,600 --> 00:34:08,879 Speaker 1: also kind of doing the same thing. They were making 574 00:34:08,880 --> 00:34:12,320 Speaker 1: all sorts of suppositions, like the idea that the newspapers 575 00:34:12,760 --> 00:34:19,160 Speaker 1: had basically conspired to target radio its rival to show 576 00:34:19,239 --> 00:34:21,720 Speaker 1: how irresponsible it was and how it shouldn't be trusted 577 00:34:21,760 --> 00:34:23,880 Speaker 1: with the news, that it's really newspapers that should be 578 00:34:23,880 --> 00:34:25,840 Speaker 1: handling the news. And maybe you can listen to a 579 00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:28,719 Speaker 1: little or fanny on on the radio, but that's about it. 580 00:34:29,080 --> 00:34:31,719 Speaker 1: That that was all supposition. That was as much supposition 581 00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:36,440 Speaker 1: as um Hadley can trill extrapolated his findings in New 582 00:34:36,520 --> 00:34:39,200 Speaker 1: Jersey to the rest of the country. UM. And a 583 00:34:39,320 --> 00:34:41,919 Speaker 1: Brad Schwartz. One of the reasons I think he's doing 584 00:34:41,920 --> 00:34:44,880 Speaker 1: a good jobs because he's he's saying no where. If 585 00:34:44,920 --> 00:34:48,080 Speaker 1: you actually sit down and read these letters and these 586 00:34:48,120 --> 00:34:50,239 Speaker 1: cables that were coming in in the days after, they 587 00:34:50,280 --> 00:34:54,640 Speaker 1: really probably paint the most accurate picture anyone's ever found 588 00:34:54,719 --> 00:34:58,600 Speaker 1: to this to this point of how it was actually received. 589 00:34:58,640 --> 00:35:03,120 Speaker 1: Like you can see almost in real time at the time, Um, 590 00:35:03,200 --> 00:35:05,920 Speaker 1: what people were saying about this by in their letters 591 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:09,640 Speaker 1: to orson wells into the Mercury Theater on the air. Yeah, 592 00:35:09,680 --> 00:35:12,359 Speaker 1: and and it was a range of feelings. It was 593 00:35:12,440 --> 00:35:15,680 Speaker 1: everything from people who said, you know what, we knew 594 00:35:15,719 --> 00:35:19,080 Speaker 1: it wasn't real, but it was really scary and super awesome. 595 00:35:20,080 --> 00:35:21,840 Speaker 1: I don't know if they said things like super awesome. 596 00:35:22,440 --> 00:35:25,440 Speaker 1: He said that a number of people wrote in who 597 00:35:25,920 --> 00:35:29,560 Speaker 1: actually um made fun of the people who fell for 598 00:35:29,640 --> 00:35:32,920 Speaker 1: it and said that you know, they're they're gullible, their 599 00:35:33,080 --> 00:35:35,600 Speaker 1: their rubes, and one writer even said they should be 600 00:35:35,640 --> 00:35:39,560 Speaker 1: sterilized and disenfranchised. Yeah, because they'd shown that in an 601 00:35:39,600 --> 00:35:42,840 Speaker 1: actual emergency they were undependable. They would just run around 602 00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:45,759 Speaker 1: like chickens with their heads cut off in the streets. Yeah. 603 00:35:45,840 --> 00:35:48,799 Speaker 1: And Swartz sort of draws a line between what was 604 00:35:48,840 --> 00:35:52,000 Speaker 1: going on back then to us today with this whole 605 00:35:52,040 --> 00:35:56,080 Speaker 1: fake news hoax garbage that we have to listen to 606 00:35:56,280 --> 00:36:00,400 Speaker 1: day in and day out, and uh basically said, this 607 00:36:00,440 --> 00:36:03,919 Speaker 1: was the first viral phenomenon in media. Was the World 608 00:36:03,920 --> 00:36:06,479 Speaker 1: of the World's broadcast, and it was a mixed bag. 609 00:36:06,600 --> 00:36:09,440 Speaker 1: Some people loved it, some people did think it was 610 00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:12,879 Speaker 1: real and panicked, but it certainly was not this widespread 611 00:36:13,719 --> 00:36:16,719 Speaker 1: panic across the country like you were talking about. Yeah, 612 00:36:16,719 --> 00:36:19,239 Speaker 1: he said, less than a chord of the letters described 613 00:36:19,280 --> 00:36:22,520 Speaker 1: what he would consider panic, but even most of those 614 00:36:22,560 --> 00:36:25,000 Speaker 1: weren't actually angry when they were writing the letter. A 615 00:36:25,040 --> 00:36:28,359 Speaker 1: lot of them were thrilled. But he he did right. 616 00:36:28,600 --> 00:36:32,120 Speaker 1: But he did say, um that, yes, there are cases 617 00:36:32,160 --> 00:36:36,160 Speaker 1: that you see in these letters and cables, Um that 618 00:36:36,160 --> 00:36:40,520 Speaker 1: that described people panicking. So that did happen in some cases. 619 00:36:40,800 --> 00:36:44,440 Speaker 1: Most of it seems to have been isolated in New Jersey. 620 00:36:45,160 --> 00:36:49,280 Speaker 1: So if Hadley ken Trill had not extrapolated his findings 621 00:36:49,560 --> 00:36:52,880 Speaker 1: and had you know, interviewed more people who had different 622 00:36:52,920 --> 00:36:54,920 Speaker 1: reactions to the broadcast. But if it had just been 623 00:36:54,960 --> 00:36:58,960 Speaker 1: like an investigation into the reaction in New Jersey, that 624 00:36:59,120 --> 00:37:02,280 Speaker 1: study or that look would have been much more useful. 625 00:37:02,640 --> 00:37:04,640 Speaker 1: But the fact is he just screwed the screwed the 626 00:37:04,680 --> 00:37:09,080 Speaker 1: methodology up so badly that it's it's basically useless. But 627 00:37:09,840 --> 00:37:13,840 Speaker 1: he wasn't. He didn't make up the panic that he described. 628 00:37:13,880 --> 00:37:17,200 Speaker 1: Necessarily may have exaggerated it, who knows, but it did. 629 00:37:17,640 --> 00:37:20,200 Speaker 1: It does seem to have actually happened in some cases, 630 00:37:20,239 --> 00:37:24,400 Speaker 1: but it was sporadic, few and far between, certainly not organized, 631 00:37:24,440 --> 00:37:26,920 Speaker 1: and certainly not seen across the rest of the country 632 00:37:26,960 --> 00:37:30,200 Speaker 1: like it was reported on by the papers the next day. Yeah, 633 00:37:30,239 --> 00:37:31,960 Speaker 1: which sort of leads us to the story of the 634 00:37:32,239 --> 00:37:37,839 Speaker 1: poor pulses of Manhattan. This Manhattan couple Um, they did 635 00:37:37,880 --> 00:37:41,799 Speaker 1: fall for it. They were very scared. Apparently, as the 636 00:37:41,840 --> 00:37:45,240 Speaker 1: story goes, they got their last six dollars together and 637 00:37:45,520 --> 00:37:47,040 Speaker 1: got on a train to get the heck out of 638 00:37:47,080 --> 00:37:51,240 Speaker 1: New York m assuming not going west into New Jersey, 639 00:37:51,719 --> 00:37:55,440 Speaker 1: they went north towards Connecticut. Um, got as far as 640 00:37:55,440 --> 00:37:58,200 Speaker 1: they could on what little money they had. Get off 641 00:37:58,239 --> 00:38:00,879 Speaker 1: the train, and you know, there's a bunch of other 642 00:38:00,920 --> 00:38:03,520 Speaker 1: passengers that they're telling, you know, they're warning everybody of 643 00:38:03,560 --> 00:38:08,560 Speaker 1: what's happened. And this one guy there goes over and 644 00:38:08,640 --> 00:38:10,960 Speaker 1: gets there. And I just pictured this in the movie. 645 00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:13,040 Speaker 1: It's like, no one's listening to this guy. And he 646 00:38:13,440 --> 00:38:16,480 Speaker 1: picks up the newspaper basically the TV guide to the 647 00:38:16,560 --> 00:38:20,600 Speaker 1: Dunkin Donuts. He says, hey, guys, it says right here 648 00:38:21,400 --> 00:38:23,480 Speaker 1: were the world's broadcast is supposed to be on at 649 00:38:23,480 --> 00:38:26,360 Speaker 1: that hour. Um, Like, it just says right here in 650 00:38:26,400 --> 00:38:31,000 Speaker 1: the newspaper. It's a it's a radio play. Everyone no one, everyone, 651 00:38:31,239 --> 00:38:34,320 Speaker 1: no one, nobody, Okay. And then he just goes and 652 00:38:34,360 --> 00:38:37,279 Speaker 1: gets on the train and leaves. But they feel bad 653 00:38:37,320 --> 00:38:40,040 Speaker 1: for them that the other people that were you know, 654 00:38:40,080 --> 00:38:42,879 Speaker 1: that had gathered together, they loaned them or gave them 655 00:38:42,880 --> 00:38:45,399 Speaker 1: I guess some money, and she chipped in and got 656 00:38:45,440 --> 00:38:49,160 Speaker 1: them back to New York City. And then later Estelle 657 00:38:49,239 --> 00:38:53,320 Speaker 1: Pauls wrote a fifteen page letter the next day to 658 00:38:53,440 --> 00:38:58,080 Speaker 1: Orson Wells that was very admiring and said how thrilled 659 00:38:58,120 --> 00:39:04,759 Speaker 1: she was, but he imagine what else I know? Hell 660 00:39:04,800 --> 00:39:07,359 Speaker 1: of a story, I think, is what which she has 661 00:39:07,440 --> 00:39:10,359 Speaker 1: kept over and over and over all. Right, So, um 662 00:39:10,840 --> 00:39:13,640 Speaker 1: so that was one of the letters that Abrad Schwartz 663 00:39:13,680 --> 00:39:17,600 Speaker 1: turned up in that trove, and like it very clearly 664 00:39:17,640 --> 00:39:20,080 Speaker 1: describes a couple panicking because they mistook the War of 665 00:39:20,080 --> 00:39:24,120 Speaker 1: the World's broadcast. But again, um, this was not like 666 00:39:24,360 --> 00:39:28,880 Speaker 1: across the nation like the papers reported, and Schwartz actually 667 00:39:28,920 --> 00:39:32,840 Speaker 1: explains to the papers basically, um, as a combination of 668 00:39:32,880 --> 00:39:35,959 Speaker 1: a couple of things. One is a bias. I can't 669 00:39:36,000 --> 00:39:40,600 Speaker 1: tell if it's selection bias, volunteer bias, or confirmation bias, 670 00:39:40,600 --> 00:39:44,840 Speaker 1: but the biases as follows. If you're in a newsroom 671 00:39:44,960 --> 00:39:46,839 Speaker 1: and all of a sudden, your phone starts ringing off 672 00:39:46,840 --> 00:39:50,280 Speaker 1: the hook, and you're getting a hundred and fifty percent 673 00:39:50,400 --> 00:39:52,600 Speaker 1: more calls that night, and all of them are people 674 00:39:52,640 --> 00:39:55,640 Speaker 1: asking about this Martian invasion and what's going on? And 675 00:39:55,760 --> 00:39:57,799 Speaker 1: is this real or is this a hoax? Or have 676 00:39:57,920 --> 00:40:00,560 Speaker 1: you guys heard anything about this? And some of those 677 00:40:00,560 --> 00:40:03,080 Speaker 1: calls are even from the local police who are also 678 00:40:03,200 --> 00:40:05,759 Speaker 1: getting similar calls, and now they're calling you to find out. 679 00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:09,240 Speaker 1: Then it seems like there's a lot of people calling 680 00:40:09,600 --> 00:40:12,520 Speaker 1: and freaking out about this Martian thing. But if you 681 00:40:12,560 --> 00:40:15,080 Speaker 1: step back, if you zoom out and look at that 682 00:40:15,200 --> 00:40:17,799 Speaker 1: number of people that actually called the newsroom, it's just 683 00:40:17,880 --> 00:40:22,160 Speaker 1: this minute fraction of the population of whatever town it is. Um, 684 00:40:22,280 --> 00:40:24,279 Speaker 1: So it wasn't a bunch of people freaking out, But 685 00:40:24,320 --> 00:40:26,120 Speaker 1: to the people answering the phone in the newsroom who 686 00:40:26,120 --> 00:40:28,720 Speaker 1: are getting swamped with calls, way more calls than usual, 687 00:40:29,080 --> 00:40:33,040 Speaker 1: it did seem like that. So that, combined with anecdotal 688 00:40:33,120 --> 00:40:37,080 Speaker 1: reports that no one followed up followed up on from 689 00:40:37,120 --> 00:40:40,799 Speaker 1: the wire services that people were attempting suicide or having 690 00:40:40,800 --> 00:40:44,320 Speaker 1: heart attacks or whatever, that just being reported and related 691 00:40:44,320 --> 00:40:48,040 Speaker 1: as fact, led everybody to believe that this was actually 692 00:40:48,080 --> 00:40:50,880 Speaker 1: happening out there in the country, that people were running. 693 00:40:50,880 --> 00:40:52,839 Speaker 1: Well maybe not my town, because I stuck my head 694 00:40:52,840 --> 00:40:54,480 Speaker 1: outside of the news room and I didn't see anything, 695 00:40:54,480 --> 00:40:56,960 Speaker 1: but I hear they're going crazy in Chicago, right now 696 00:40:57,040 --> 00:41:00,640 Speaker 1: or I hear they're really going nuts in Milwaukee or whatever. Um. 697 00:41:00,680 --> 00:41:03,600 Speaker 1: And that's how it got reported, and that's what everyone 698 00:41:03,680 --> 00:41:06,680 Speaker 1: thought happened. People who lived through this thought that this 699 00:41:06,760 --> 00:41:09,120 Speaker 1: happened the next day. Orson Welles thought his career was 700 00:41:09,160 --> 00:41:12,240 Speaker 1: in jeopardy the next day because he accidentally made America 701 00:41:12,360 --> 00:41:15,960 Speaker 1: go berserk. And that's how that myth began, and that's 702 00:41:15,960 --> 00:41:19,880 Speaker 1: how it stood. And and A Brad Schworts basically traced 703 00:41:19,920 --> 00:41:25,880 Speaker 1: it back to lazy, lazy reporting. So myth busted thanks 704 00:41:25,920 --> 00:41:30,640 Speaker 1: to A. Brad Schwartz and US and US for sure, 705 00:41:30,680 --> 00:41:33,640 Speaker 1: I'm glad you included us. So there's an interesting footnote 706 00:41:33,640 --> 00:41:36,120 Speaker 1: here though, because this actually did kind of play out 707 00:41:36,160 --> 00:41:40,920 Speaker 1: that way, um eight years later and night was eight 708 00:41:41,000 --> 00:41:47,720 Speaker 1: years later, Yeah, in Ecuador. So this is in Quito, Ecuador. 709 00:41:47,840 --> 00:41:53,160 Speaker 1: These broadcasters recreate the Orson Wells radio play, um, and 710 00:41:53,200 --> 00:41:56,000 Speaker 1: they did a version that went a lot further than 711 00:41:56,120 --> 00:41:59,239 Speaker 1: his did and got other radio stations to join in 712 00:41:59,280 --> 00:42:01,880 Speaker 1: and add to their warding, which really pretty brilliant move 713 00:42:01,960 --> 00:42:04,440 Speaker 1: there to increase like you turned the station and it's 714 00:42:04,520 --> 00:42:08,360 Speaker 1: happening over there too. And this really did scare people. 715 00:42:08,520 --> 00:42:12,200 Speaker 1: They really did take to the streets and panic. Uh 716 00:42:12,280 --> 00:42:14,839 Speaker 1: there was you know, public panic going on. And then 717 00:42:14,920 --> 00:42:17,760 Speaker 1: the crowd finds out that it's fiction and they get 718 00:42:17,840 --> 00:42:21,280 Speaker 1: angry and actually turned into an angry mob and burned 719 00:42:21,320 --> 00:42:24,840 Speaker 1: down the local newspaper building that had the radio station 720 00:42:24,880 --> 00:42:29,080 Speaker 1: inside of it, killing six people. Yeah, six people died, 721 00:42:29,120 --> 00:42:31,920 Speaker 1: fifteen people were injured, Like they knew that the staff 722 00:42:32,000 --> 00:42:33,759 Speaker 1: was in that building, and they set the building on 723 00:42:33,800 --> 00:42:35,919 Speaker 1: fire to try and kill them. A bunch of people 724 00:42:36,000 --> 00:42:38,360 Speaker 1: escaped out the back, but a lot of people didn't escape, 725 00:42:38,719 --> 00:42:42,600 Speaker 1: and the two people who were responsible for the broadcast, 726 00:42:42,960 --> 00:42:48,680 Speaker 1: including UM, Ecuador's most beloved and trusted presenter, UM, were 727 00:42:48,719 --> 00:42:54,360 Speaker 1: indicted for it. Like they're more safer basically, yeah, exactly, Um, 728 00:42:54,640 --> 00:42:57,120 Speaker 1: and they were. They were indicted for their role in this. 729 00:42:57,560 --> 00:43:00,160 Speaker 1: Like people died because of it. And this actually does 730 00:43:00,200 --> 00:43:05,239 Speaker 1: seem to have happened in Ecuador. Amazing. Yeah, So there 731 00:43:05,239 --> 00:43:08,319 Speaker 1: you go. The idea that America fell into chaos and 732 00:43:08,400 --> 00:43:12,839 Speaker 1: panic after the war the world's broadcast is largely myth. 733 00:43:13,560 --> 00:43:17,280 Speaker 1: Go forth and spread the gospel everybody, unless you're in Ecuador, 734 00:43:17,320 --> 00:43:20,759 Speaker 1: and then you're like, no, it's actually happened here. Uh. 735 00:43:20,840 --> 00:43:22,759 Speaker 1: And since I said that, actually happened here, I think, 736 00:43:22,840 --> 00:43:27,799 Speaker 1: Chuck is time for the listener mail. So this is 737 00:43:28,080 --> 00:43:31,800 Speaker 1: uh from Tom in the UK. Did you see this email? 738 00:43:32,680 --> 00:43:35,920 Speaker 1: I don't think so. It's great. It's one long sentence 739 00:43:36,760 --> 00:43:39,839 Speaker 1: and I'm gonna try and read it. And how I 740 00:43:39,880 --> 00:43:45,560 Speaker 1: think Tom speaks as as Tom from the UK, because 741 00:43:45,640 --> 00:43:47,520 Speaker 1: just the way he wrote it, I think Tom probably 742 00:43:47,520 --> 00:43:50,359 Speaker 1: talks a little bit like this. This isn't Tom from 743 00:43:50,400 --> 00:43:53,160 Speaker 1: the UK who was our tour manager when we did 744 00:43:53,200 --> 00:43:56,640 Speaker 1: our UK tour? Is it now? Well? Shout out to 745 00:43:56,680 --> 00:43:59,440 Speaker 1: that Tom. This is an engineer and this is what 746 00:43:59,520 --> 00:44:04,600 Speaker 1: he all right, Sup, Josh and Chuck, Tom engineer from 747 00:44:04,600 --> 00:44:07,600 Speaker 1: the UK, Stoke on Trent, big fan of the show. 748 00:44:08,000 --> 00:44:10,600 Speaker 1: Been binging for about two years and got through all 749 00:44:10,640 --> 00:44:14,240 Speaker 1: of them, all of you lot, even Jerry have got 750 00:44:14,239 --> 00:44:16,640 Speaker 1: me through a lot these last couple of years, and 751 00:44:16,680 --> 00:44:19,680 Speaker 1: I put a few people onto your podcast. Wanted to 752 00:44:19,760 --> 00:44:22,960 Speaker 1: email you lot for a while and finally managed to 753 00:44:23,000 --> 00:44:25,840 Speaker 1: get round to emailing a load of things to people 754 00:44:26,200 --> 00:44:30,600 Speaker 1: about stuff that really doesn't matter. Emailed the TV show 755 00:44:30,680 --> 00:44:33,800 Speaker 1: about one of their actors, a part of a particle 756 00:44:33,920 --> 00:44:37,759 Speaker 1: physicist about using a light year of lead as a 757 00:44:37,800 --> 00:44:42,400 Speaker 1: frame of reference. The company super Noodles for the excellent 758 00:44:42,480 --> 00:44:46,080 Speaker 1: job they've done with their super noodle part, but I'm 759 00:44:46,080 --> 00:44:49,200 Speaker 1: not much for the pas And I just wanted to say, 760 00:44:49,800 --> 00:44:52,760 Speaker 1: I know you like the Japanese mayo, but you really 761 00:44:52,800 --> 00:44:56,000 Speaker 1: need to try the Polish mayo. Spot on all the 762 00:44:56,080 --> 00:45:00,520 Speaker 1: best Tom boil Boy Tom now is great And Chuck, 763 00:45:00,760 --> 00:45:05,080 Speaker 1: that was a fantastic stoke on trent accent, the most 764 00:45:05,120 --> 00:45:08,840 Speaker 1: accurate I've ever heard and the first Tom that was 765 00:45:08,880 --> 00:45:10,920 Speaker 1: a great email. And you're right, Chuck, I love that 766 00:45:10,960 --> 00:45:12,839 Speaker 1: email so much. I had so much fun. You were 767 00:45:12,920 --> 00:45:16,280 Speaker 1: right to choose that one. UM. So thanks Tom, thanks 768 00:45:16,280 --> 00:45:19,040 Speaker 1: for writing in. Thank you for including us in your 769 00:45:19,040 --> 00:45:23,120 Speaker 1: list of people you harass via email. Um, and keep listening, okay, 770 00:45:23,200 --> 00:45:26,080 Speaker 1: and keep writing in. Maybe we'll make this a regular thing, Chuck, 771 00:45:26,360 --> 00:45:29,640 Speaker 1: I would that yep. So Tom right in again. Uh 772 00:45:29,719 --> 00:45:32,640 Speaker 1: And if you want to write into we want to 773 00:45:32,680 --> 00:45:34,560 Speaker 1: hear from you, you can send us an email to 774 00:45:34,760 --> 00:45:41,360 Speaker 1: Stuff podcast at iHeart radio dot com. Stuff you Should 775 00:45:41,360 --> 00:45:43,600 Speaker 1: Know is a production of iHeart Radio's How Stuff Works. 776 00:45:43,880 --> 00:45:46,120 Speaker 1: For more podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the iHeart 777 00:45:46,200 --> 00:45:48,719 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 778 00:45:48,719 --> 00:45:49,400 Speaker 1: favorite shows.