Mercury theatre on the air 38 10 30 war of the worlds. Wells classic novel tells the story of a martian invasion of earth. If you are subscribed to our newsletter you will have free access to these great audio downloads. The war of the worlds is an episode of the american radio drama anthology series the mercury theatre on the air. Imagine having one of them lovely things with its heat ray wide and free. Built in the english edwardian baroque architecture style, it was initially known as the kings theatre. The company produced theatrical presentations, radio programs and motion pictures. Orson welles the war of the worlds mercury theatre on. Orson welles dramatic anthology series mercury theatre on the air, infamous for its halloween broadcast of war of the worlds, found a sponsor and became campbell playhouse in december 1938. Broadcast from new yorks mercury theatre in 1938, this infamous radio play.
The war of the worlds mercury theatre on the air by orson. Mercury theatre the war of the worlds october 30, 1938. War of the worlds browse all war of the worlds audio book. The columbia broadcasting system and its affiliated stations present orson welles and the mercury theatre on the air in the war of the worlds by h. Welles, war of the worlds, orson welles, scifi, drama, old time radio, otr orson welles mercury theatre broadcast of h. As the broadcast played out, press and media sources began to report stories of a mass panic amongst american citizens.
The mercury theatre on the air by orson welles on free. Mercury theatre on the air, orson welles war of the worlds. At the time, realaudio was pretty much the only streaming format that anyone could handle. Best known for his stage productions of voodoo macbeth, cradle will rock and julius caesar. It was a shortlived summer radio series sponsored by pabst blue ribbon, on friday evenings at 10 p. It was performed as a halloween episode of the series on october 30, 1938 and aired. The finest radio drama of the 1930s was the mercury theatre on the air, a show featuring the acclaimed new york drama company founded by orson welles and john houseman. The war of the worlds audiobook free download one of the bestloved works by mercury theatre on the air, this popular, renowned radio audiobook is now available for free download from spotify, deezer, and in high quality from audible as well. Orson welles the war of the worlds mercury theatre on the. Wellesnet is dedicated to the memory of orson welles may 6, 1915october 10, 1985. It was performed as a halloween episode of the series on october 30, 1938, and aired over the columbia broadcasting system radio network. Truly, war of the worlds has proven itself so durable that it has been able to fit itself into any historical context. The weekly hourlong show presented classic literary works performed by welless celebrated mercury theatre repertory company, with music composed or arranged by bernard herrmann. This week and by request we showcase orson welles famous mercury theatre company broadcast of the war of the worlds, famous for panicking listeners across the united states for its realistic sounding reporting of an alien invasion that begins.
The night that panicked america is an adaption of the famous war of the worlds broadcast of october 30, 1938. Mercury theater 17 war of the worlds mercury theater. Orson welles was in the classic film, citizen kane 1941, three years later. This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title the war of the worlds. The war of the worlds, mercury theatre on the air, 1938. The war of the worlds is an episode of the american radio drama anthology series the mercury theatre on the air directed and narrated by actor and future filmmaker orson welles as an adaptation of h. The night that panicked america tv movie 1975 imdb. The program continued to feature the charismatic and fiery welles as both a host and an actor. The mercury also released promptbooks and phonographic recordings of four shakespeare works for use in schools. We can do more together, shout louder together, be stronger together, go further together. In 1938, orson welles produced a radio version of the 1898 book the war of the worlds by h.
Following the recent government announcement regarding covid19, our mercury tickets box office is now closed to the public, and the majority of our operations are taking place remotely while our team work safely from home. Onesmedias box set of war of the worlds is by far the best package that i have ever seen. Im watching this on october 30, 2000, the 62nd anniversary of the actual broadcast. The cds and dvds are high quality, the sound and pictures are excellent. These audio stories will tell you about the history of the art form, and then give you the tools to record your own by using what you find around your house. These were performed by actors from welles celebrated mercury theatre repertory company, with music composed or arranged by bernard herrmann. The war of the worlds 1938 radio drama, a 1938 episode of orson welless cbs radio series the mercury theatre on the air. It was built in 1910 by the architect edward bartley and is the oldest surviving theatre in auckland. War of the worlds browse all war of the worlds audio.
War of the worlds original radio broadcast mercury theater. The war of the worlds is an episode of the american radio drama anthology series the. Orson welles and his mercury theatre present war of the worlds, and half of america run. To this day im very hooked on those books and this radio show.
The original october 30, 1938 broadcast, lux radio theatre presents the war of the worlds february 8, 1955, the war of the worlds the original. Listen to your favorite songs from the war of the worlds mercury theatre on the air by orson welles now. Originally performed by orson welles and his mercury theatre of the air, war of the worlds is truly the mother of all space invasions, offering a rare combination of chills, thrills and great literature. Then, of course, there is the motion picture, the war of the worlds 1953, which is a film version of the cbs mercury theater on the air script, by howard koch, paul stewart and john houseman, originally a novel, the war of the worlds by h. Orson welles had one of his writers, howard koch, rewrite the story of war of the worlds.
Welles and the mercury theatre on the air in the war of the worlds by h. The mercury theatre is a theatre in auckland, new zealand, located on mercury lane, off karangahape road. The war of the worlds was an episode of the american radio drama anthology series mercury theatre on the air. One of the most memorable programs in broadcast history, the halloween eve 1938 broadcast of the war of the worlds set off a nationwide panic thats almost unimaginable today. A 30yearold nicholas meyer wrote the excellent screenplay and supervised the production of this madefortv movie, making sure it was done in an. The original concept for this site was a streaming archive of mercury theatre radio shows. The night before, welles and his mercury theatre on the air had performed a radio adaptation of h. Wells only produced one episode of the american radio drama anthology series the mercury theatre on the air. The war of the worlds original 1938 radio adaptaion h. So i made all the shows realaudio format, and set them up to stream off my server. The mercury theater on the air original 1938 radio broadcast of h. Orson welles mercury theatre radio production topic 22,472 views.
Wells story at an all time high, i want to briefly go over some of the notable audio versions of war of the worlds and make note of the musthaves that everyone should hear. The mercury theatre on the air the finest radio drama of the 1930s was the mercury theatre on the air, a show featuring the acclaimed new york drama company founded by orson welles and john houseman. The war of the worlds mercury theatre on the air by orson welles. The war of the worlds is truly the mother of all space invasions, offering a rare combination of chills, thrills and great literature. After a string of live theatrical productions, in 1938 the mercury theatre progressed into their bestknown period as the mercury theatre on the air, a cbs radio series that included one of the most notable and infamous radio broadcasts of all time, the war of the worlds, broadcast on october 30, 1938. Originally directed by orson welles and performed by his mercury theatre of the air, the war of the worlds is an adaptation of h. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Presented by the mercury theatre on the air and its creatve genius, orson welles, the drama based on h.
Orson welles war of the worlds radio broadcast 1938. The mercury theatre on the air produced some of the most extraordinary radio to ever hit the airwaves. Welless direction and acting, bernard herrmanns visionary scores and the likes of joseph cotten and agnes moorehead in supporting roles, combined to produce. Mercury theatre on the air war of the worlds 10301938. On october 30th, 1938, orson welles and the mercury theatre on the air broadcast an adaption of h. In an attempt to bring the piece up to date, the story was told through a series of eerily realistic news reports, utilising sound effects and, at one. All eighteen surviving broadcasts from the mercury theatre on the air, free to listen to and download.
After the war of the worlds radio broadcast, photographers lay in wait for welles at the allnight rehearsal for dantons death at the mercury theatre october 31, 1938 a production of georg buchner 1835 play dantons death, about the french revolution, was the next mercury stage production. Jun 01, 2010 the war of the worlds was an episode of the american radio drama anthology series mercury theatre on the air. Feb 11, 2015 provided to youtube by tunecore mercury theatre the war of the worlds october 30, 1938 orson welles orson welles the ultimate collection. Recordings of the mercury theatre on the air, the 1930s radio show created by orson welles. War of the worlds remains vibrantly alive in the american consciousness. What radio listeners heard that night was an adaptation, by orson welless mercury theater group, of a science fiction novel written 40 years earlier. Mar 05, 20 this is orson welles adaptation of the wellknown book, war of the worlds by h. Welless direction and acting, bernard herrmanns visionary scores and the likes of joseph cotten and agnes moorehead in supporting roles, combined to produce electrifying renditions of established classics. The infamous war of the worlds radio broadcast was a. This episode was produced as the halloween episode. The making of the war of the worlds broadcast, written, produced, directed, and narrated by joe bevilacqua in this 1988 documentary, awardwinning npr producer joe bevilacqua looks at how the landmark broadcast came about and examines its impact on broadcast history.
After a series of acclaimed stage productions, the mercury theatre progressed into its most popular incarnation as the mercury theatre on the air. The radio series included one of the most notable and infamous radio broadcasts of all time, the war of the worlds, broadcast on october 30, 1938. In its brief run, it featured an impressive array of talents, including agnes moorehead, bernard herrmann, and george coulouris. The mercury theatre on the air, a radio series created by orson welles, presented adaptations of classic literary works.
Oct 30, 2017 the mercury theater on the air original 1938 radio broadcast of h. Wells, the seventeenth in its weekly series of dramatic broadcasts featuring orson welles and the mercury theatre on the air. Welles, orson the war of the worlds the definitive 80th. The onehour program began with the theme music for the mercury theatre on the air and an. The war of the worlds original 1938 radio adaptaion. Wells, orson welles, the mercury theatre on the air. It says download options however, and i cant seem to donwload it just starts playing it. The mercury theatre on the air by orson welles on free audio. Stream ad free with amazon music unlimited on mobile, desktop, and tablet. The mercury theatre on the air listen and download. Orson welles popular dramatic anthology of short stories, as well as comedy and variety abound, with a sprinkling of popular singers. Tonight the columbia broadcasting system and its affiliated stations coasttocoast have brought you the war of the worlds, by h. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. These were performed by actors from welles celebrated mercury theatre repertory company, with music composed or arranged by bernard.
Wells novel, and directed and narrated by orson welles, the radio dramas realistic portrayal of a martian invasion caused considerable alarm across the u. War of the worlds original radio broadcast mercury theater 1938. Welles, orson the war of the worlds the definitive. This audio recording captures the mercury theatre production of war of the worlds. The night that panicked america 1975 tv movie docudrama on 1938 war of the worlds radio drama broadcast by orson welles and the mercury theatre ontheair. The weekly hourlong show presented classic literary works performed by welless celebrated mercury theatre repertory company, with. Later, as an afterthought, i made them available for download as well.
Welless interpretation of hugos epic tale, which inspired cbs to commission the mercury theatre. The war of the worlds the mercury theatre on the air. The mercury theatre was an independent repertory theatre company founded in new york city in 1937 by orson welles and producer john houseman. The mercury theatre on the air first known as first person singular is a radio series of live radio dramas created by orson welles. Check out mercury theatre the war of the worlds october 30, 1938 by orson welles on amazon music. The night that panicked america 1975 tv movie docudrama on 1938 war of the worlds radio drama broadcast by orson welles and the mercury theatre on the air. Orson welles and his mercury theatre present war of the worlds, and half of america run for their lives. The mercury summer theatre of the air 1946 is a cbs radio drama series produced, directed by and starring orson welles. Mercury theatre theme up full, then down announcer.
Orson welles war of the worlds radio broadcast 1938 complete broadcast. Great box packaging and a real bonus is getting the lux theatre reproduction of the historical orson welless classic. The mercury theatre and josef weinberger are joining forces once again, following their successful partnership on the 2018 mercury weinberger playwriting prize, to discover a new cohort of talent by engaging with aspiring writers and creatives during these uncertain times. Welles war of the worlds, in which an invading army of creatures from the planet mars devastates the earth with its terrible destructive machines. Mercury theatre 19381030 the war of the worlds orson. War of the worlds 1938 radio broadcast with orson welles. The war of the worlds, the time machine, and, of course, the invisible man.
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