Posted on 10/31/2001 2:48:00 AM PST by mikewats
[Following is a reprint of the original thread, exactly as it was posted on Free Republic on the evening of October 30, 1938]
BREAKING!!! HYDROGEN GAS EXPLOSIONS OCCURRING ON MARS!
Said to be taking place at “regular intervals” and headed toward the Earth at “high velocity.” Just reported on CBS.
1 posted on 10/30/38 5:06 PM Pacific by Old Dealer
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What in the world is Hitler up to now?
2 posted on 10/30/38 5:08 PM Pacific by Anti Bolshevik
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I’m listening to the Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy program, no news bulletins yet.
How the heck could the explosions be happening regularly, unless it was a man-made source? I don’t like the sound of this.
3 posted on 10/30/38 5:09 PM Pacific by Go Boston Bees
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This CBS fella is interviewing a Princeton professor who says that the odds of there being life on Mars are a thousand to one. But he says he can’t account for the gas bursts being “regular.”
4 posted on 10/30/38 5:11 PM Pacific by Old Dealer
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But he says he can’t account for the gas bursts being “regular.”
(Insert bean-eating or Feen-A-Mint joke here)
5 posted on 10/30/38 5:14 PM Pacific by Spike
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BULLETIN ON CBS - BIG METEOR JUST HIT NJ NEAR TOWN OF GROVERS MILL.
6 posted on 10/30/38 5:14 PM Pacific by Sentimental Gentleman
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ITS NOT A METEOR!!!! NOT A METEOR!!!!!! THERE’S A SPACE MONSTER INSIDE COMING OUT NOW!!!!! LIVE REPORT ON CBS!!
7 posted on 10/30/38 5:15 PM Pacific by Dewey in ‘40
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You guys sure this dope is on the level? I’m listening to a local station in Pittsburgh, and they’re broadcasting one of their usual Sunday night shows, “Opera Without Music.” I twirled the dial around a minute ago, and didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary.
8 posted on 10/30/38 5:17 PM Pacific by Amazon Andy
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I don’t know what the H-*-L-L is going on, but apparently a news correspondent was reporting live from the scene of the meteor that hit NJ. Suddenly this “heat ray” was turned loose and people were burned to death. Then the correspondent was cut off. This is the scariest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.
Still don’t understand why there haven’t been any bulletins about this on Mutual, or the Red or Blue networks.
9 posted on 10/30/38 5:18 PM Pacific by Old Dealer
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Still don’t understand why there haven’t been any bulletins about this on Mutual, or the Red or Blue networks.
It could be that Roosevelt's henchmen were able to suppress the news on the other networks, but for some reason, CBS insisted on reporting it. CBS may get in trouble over this.
10 posted on 10/30/38 5:20 PM Pacific by 8X3R
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ITS ON THE RADIO NOW THESE ARE MARTIANS!!! THIS IS A MARTIAN ATTACK!! NEW JERSEY UNDER MARTIAL LAW!! THEY’VE WIPED OUT THOUSANDS OF OUR SOLDIERS!!! OH GOD IS THIS THE END OF THE WORLD!!!!!
11 posted on 10/30/38 5:23 PM Pacific by Miltown Mel
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Relax folks, I just checked the radio listings in the paper. THIS IS ONLY A PLAY...IT’S NOT REALLY HAPPENING.
12 posted on 10/30/38 5:24 PM Pacific by GOP for Me
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THIS IS ONLY A PLAY...IT’S NOT REALLY HAPPENING.
Move along, folks. Nothing to see here, nothing out the ordinary. Go about your business and pretend that everything’s alright...
13 posted on 10/30/38 5:26 PM Pacific by Liberty Bill
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I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ve heard enough. I’m grabbing my kerosene-powered laptop and lamming out of here as far as my Hupmobile will carry me. God bless everybody.
14 posted on 10/30/38 5:26 PM Pacific by Old Dealer
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NATIONAL EMERGENCY announced -- the Secretary of the Interior says on the radio we’re at war with Mars. Where's FDR and why isn't he making the speech?????? This is terrible!!!!!!!
15 posted on 10/30/38 5:28 PM Pacific by Cap Spaulding
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Where's FDR and why isn't he making the speech??????
Weird! They introduced the “Secretary of the Interior”, but it sounded just like Roosevelt. I bet it really was him. Sounds like more government monkey-shines to me. We’re not going to win a war with Mars by being cute.
16 posted on 10/30/38 5:30 PM Pacific by Edward G. Rob’emSome
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People, let’s get ahold of ourselves. I think we’re being taken in by a prankster. I live in Princeton, NJ and there’s absolutely nothing out of the ordinary here. Except for some pretty anxious people milling around.
17 posted on 10/30/38 5:31 PM Pacific by Prof Forrester
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RADIO REPORT - “POISONOUS SMOKE” BLANKETING NEWARK, NEW JERSEY. EVACUATE IF YOU CAN
18 posted on 10/30/38 5:31 PM Pacific by Lucky Strike
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NEW YORK BEING WIPED OUT BY MARTIAN INVADERS!!!!!!!!! “THIS MAY BE THE LAST BROADCAST” MARTIAN CYLINDERS LANDING IN BUFFALO, CHICAGO, ST LOUIS. “THIS IS THE END NOW” WE NEED TO PRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
19 posted on 10/30/38 5:33 PM Pacific by Annie Warbucks
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“THIS MAY BE THE LAST BROADCAST” MARTIAN CYLINDERS LANDING IN BUFFALO, CHICAGO, ST LOUIS. “THIS IS THE END NOW”
Demoralizing, defeatist, pro-Martian slanted reporting. Just another typical day at CBS.
20 posted on 10/30/38 5:34 PM Pacific by Kaltenborn Again
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When we conquer Mars, do we have to share it with the British and French? Or can we keep their portion as payment for the World War debts they’ve welched on?
21 posted on 10/30/38 5:34 PM Pacific by Mr. Long
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Okay, everybody can calm down. They just had an announcement on CBS. I’m typing it as best as I can remember –
“You are listening to a CBS Mercury theater in a dramatization of the War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells starring Orson Wells (sp?)”
I.e., IT’S ONLY A RADIO PLAY. Some joke! Somebody should get his b*tt kicked over this!
22 posted on 10/30/38 5:36 PM Pacific by One Widdle Fishie
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Maybe there aren't any Martians, but does that mean it’s “only a radio play”? Surely CBS knew this would scare people to death. I bet it’s an experiment by Stalin’s commissars in controlling the masses through radio terror. All done with Roosevelt’s knowledge and consent, of course.
23 posted on 10/30/38 5:39 PM Pacific by Coughlinite Warrior
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The New Deal crowd has plenty of good reason to frighten people. It’s no accident this “radio scare” happened just before the congressional elections. Folks have had enough of FDR’s court-packing plan and socialist shenanigans, and the Republicans stand to win big. Unless, of course, the Roosevelt gang starts a panic so they have an excuse to cancel the voting.
24 posted on 10/30/38 5:40 PM Pacific by Martin Barton
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BIG sigh of relief!
25 posted on 10/30/38 5:40 PM Pacific by Rudy VallGal
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I don’t buy the notion that somebody did this on purpose. If people seriously believe a fairy tale about Martians attacking Earth, it’s their own fault, I say.
What REALLY scares me is the chance that Roosevelt might run for a third term in 1940. He’s broken so many precedents and grabbed so much power, I wouldn’t put it past him to defy the two-term tradition. Anybody else think he might do this?
26 posted on 10/30/38 5:43 PM Pacific by Jitterbugged
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FDR wouldn’t dare run for a third term, because he knows that Thomas Dewey or Bob Taft will clean his clock if he does. On the other hand, if a big war breaks out by ‘40, all bets are off.
27 posted on 10/30/38 5:46 PM Pacific by Rhett Butler's Butler
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Only thing I know for sure is that we’ll never hear from this “Orson Welles” guy ever again. I can’t believe anybody will ever let him near a microphone after this.
28 posted on 10/30/38 5:51 PM Pacific by Mr. Cleo
"I’m grabbing my kerosene-powered laptop ..."
;-)
My favorite is Kaltenborn Again !!!
Used to listen to his news reports on the radio about the war as a child...
"...and to all the ships at sea" was the ending of the broadcasts.
I see that CBS is as dependable as always for getting to the truth and not causing unnecessary panic...
Where's FDR and why isn't he making the speech?????? This is terrible!!!!!!!
Some presidents handle moments like these well, while others do not...
DON'T BE FOOLED!
This is just how JOHN WHORFIN is disguising his invasion by way of the EIGHTH DIMENSION!
(However, if you get a shot at the IPO of YOYODYNE PROPULSION SYSTEMS, remember: they are a growing excited company...)
Mark W.
FYI, here's the link to: The Banzai Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Strategic Information
Mark W.
Leni
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A confession -- the reference to the Pittsburgh station broadcasting "Opera Without Music" is directly lifted from Rupert Holmes' classic, and dearly departed, TV show on American Movie Classics, "Remember WENN." It was one of the best tributes ever to the glory of old-time radio.
And if you'd like to hear a twist on "War of the Worlds," check out a GREAT re-adaptation online at www.reelradio.com. It was produced by Buffalo station WKBW in 1971, showing how the Martian invasion would have been covered by a top 40 music/news station of that time. To hear the Real Audio stream, search for WKBW and click on the link.
But be warned: if you're familiar with the sound of 1960s-70s AM radio, this will scare you half to death. It's even more f-f-frightening than the Welles version.
;>)
Eaker
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