![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Today I came across several people drawing analogies between the recent Aquateen Lite-Brite panic in Boston and the 1938 War of the Worlds broadcast; which is very accurate, since the Mercury Theatre production wasn't a deliberate scare hoax either.
I've listed to a recording of WotW many times; it starts with an announcement that tonight's show will be an adaptation of WotW; there's an ad break midway through during which they mention a couple of times that it's an adaptaion of WotW; and the entire second half is an entirely conventional radio drama with characters dialoguing and monologuing. About the only way someone could have panicked at this would be if they'd channel-surfed, come across one of the "omg something just blew up!" faux-news reports in the first half (which are very well done); and then fled in a panic without sticking around to hear any further details - which I guess is what a few people did.
The idea that Welles planned this all as a publicity stunt is largely due to his improvised bit at the end where he basically says "uh, they tell me a bunch of you have been phoning in because you thought this was really happening, and uh, I meant to do that." In later years I think Welles did like to take credit for having fooled everybody - but the structure of the show doesn't suggest that that was his original intent.
I've listed to a recording of WotW many times; it starts with an announcement that tonight's show will be an adaptation of WotW; there's an ad break midway through during which they mention a couple of times that it's an adaptaion of WotW; and the entire second half is an entirely conventional radio drama with characters dialoguing and monologuing. About the only way someone could have panicked at this would be if they'd channel-surfed, come across one of the "omg something just blew up!" faux-news reports in the first half (which are very well done); and then fled in a panic without sticking around to hear any further details - which I guess is what a few people did.
The idea that Welles planned this all as a publicity stunt is largely due to his improvised bit at the end where he basically says "uh, they tell me a bunch of you have been phoning in because you thought this was really happening, and uh, I meant to do that." In later years I think Welles did like to take credit for having fooled everybody - but the structure of the show doesn't suggest that that was his original intent.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-02-02 06:57 pm (UTC)From:Fortunately, so far the judge involved in the case seems to think the whole thing is completely overblown.
no subject
Date: 2007-02-03 04:51 am (UTC)From:green_trilobite reminds me that John Houseman was also in trouble for WotW at the time.