THE RADIO BROADCAST THAT SHOCKED AMERICA

Practical jokes are centuries old. Edgar Allan Poe pulled one off in a newspaper article about a daredevil balloonist who got blown off course in South Carolina and ended up in England three days later. Speaking of England, the folks across the pond have endured a good many as well, such as the story that claimed that Communists had taken over London. These and other examples of the "fake news" from yesteryear are discussed in the editorial for the November 19, 1938 issue of RADIO GUIDE. However, the main feature is concerned with one of the most infamous hoaxes in history: Orson Welles' live broadcast of martians invading Earth. Not only was it convincing, but it sent America into a countrywide panic.

The show was adapted from the science-fiction novel, THE WAR OF THE WORLDS by H. G. Wells first published in 1898. Like the book, it was also written as a first-person account, and scriptwriter Howard Koch imitated the first-person point of view to give what would be a live broadcast the element of verisimilitude.

Along with a few other actors, the 23-year-old Welles read his script over the airwaves of CBS Radio's "The Mercury Theatre on the Air" program on the evening of October 30, 1938. Before the show was over, panic had already spread and it took an apology from Wells the next morning to calm down a frightened populace. Moreover, in a likely move to avoid personal criticism and distance himself from the event, H. G. Wells himself was reported as saying he did not give his permission for his story to be used in a "news bulletin" format that would incite fear and panic.

Welles the morning after with the press.

So, just how convincing was this mother of all hoaxes? Read on, as the article discusses the incident, as well as Wells describing his thoughts on the hoodwinking of not only a radio audience, but an entire country. Also included is the complete script of the show.

[Thanks to Mr. Steve Green, our man in the U.K. for supplying WoM with this fantastic historical artifact.]

THIS IS SUSPENSE!

If actors thought they had tough work in Hollywood, they had no idea what it took to do a radio show in New York. Before television came and wiped out the industry, radio was king for decades and any family that could afford one, had one. A regular program could be found on any imaginable topic, including dramas, mysteries, Westerns, comedy, horror-- you name it, they had a show for it.

One of the most popular programs during the Golden Age of Radio (1920s-1950s) was SUSPENSE, a weekly drama from CBS Radio. It ran for over 900 episodes from June 17, 1942 until September 30, 1962. SUSPENSE was a high-quality production that featured a long list of popular Hollywood stars, including Orson Welles, James Stewart, Bette Davis and Cary Grant. The soundtrack was composed by Bernard "Psycho" Herrmann, who also scored a number of Hammer Films.

One of the most popular episodes was "Sorry, Wrong Number", broadcast on May 25, 1943 and starred Agnes Moorehead. It was re-broadcast seven more times over the years and Moorehead returned for each of them. The script was written by Lucille Fletcher, a Hollywood screenwriter, music librarian and copy editor. She was also the wife of Bernard Herrmann.

The pages below were generously supplied by "our man in the U.K.", journalist Steve Green.

Download and listen to over 400 remastered episodes of SUSPENSE HERE.

RADIO ALBUM (Winter 1949):

Here's a human interest feature on a young Orson Welles from RADIO ALBUM #1 (Spring 1942):

THE STRANGE HISTORY OF 'FRANKENSTEIN'

Say what you will, but Boris Karloff is Frankenstein, whether he's called that, "the monster" or otherwise, it's Karloff's lab-created creature that we see in our mind's eye when the name is mentioned. The marvelously talented Jack Pierce is responsible for the iconic visage that will remain indelible in horror cinema imagery for all time.

By the time the 1930s rolled around, Karloff's private life was being more publicized as a result of his increasing popularity, and in some ways was just as interesting as the characters he played.

This article by veteran journalist Walter Ramsey was published in the February 1933 issue of the Hollywood movie fan magazine, MODERN SCREEN. The scan was furnished by "Our Man in the UK", journalist Steve Green, for which I was grateful to receive as my own scan is in a lower resolution and not as legible. Thank you, Mr. Green.

You will find that this is only the first part of the article which covers his early life and years in Canada before he moved to the United States and Hollywood. My low-quality scan and the fact that I only have the first part are the reasons why I never posted it in the first place. So far, the second part has proved to be elusive except for a copy currently for sale on eBay--but that takes a bit of cash. 

Walter Ramsey was a prolific writer and staffer for a number of Hollywood fan magazines in the 30s and 40s, including MOTION PICTURE, TALKING SCREEN and MOVIE MIRROR. He is notable for having interviewed and written articles on Clark Gable, Bette Davis, Jean Harlow, Lyle Talbot, Constance Bennett and many more.

He began a new series of articles for MOVIE MIRROR (May 1935) featuring interesting individuals living and working in Hollywood who weren't celebrities.

The topic of one article was a person who was an early--and maybe the first--to give guided tours of the stars homes.

After World War II, Ramsey was discharged from the Navy and went straight back to Hollywood to work as the managing editor of media for the heavily-promoted Ideal Movie Group, a division of the Ideal Women's Group that published a trio of film fan magazines.

MESSAGES FROM THE DARK SIDE

Journalist Steve Green has shared two more articles he wrote a while back for THE DARK SIDE, a leading horror mag in England. First is an in-depth profile of the lovely Hammer Glamour actress Jenny Hanley, who starred in SCARS OF DRACULA (1970). Then he gives his opinion in a DVD review of Peter Straub's film adaptation of GHOST STORY.

Thanks a ton, Steve for the insightful pieces. Any more of these and I'll have to start calling you my UK Correspondent!

The Dark Side #190, February 2018.

The Dark Side #172, January 2016.

Jenny Hanley interview (2017):

Visit Steve Green's site HERE.

THE LIFE AND CAREER OF A MASTER OF MENACE

It occurred to me that out of over 6,00 posts, I only have one on the outré British actor Tod Slaughter. Known as one of the last performing barnstormers, he starred in a string of 30's and 40's horror/mystery movies, including THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET, THE FACE AT THE WINDOW, HORROR MANIACS and others.

A Blu-ray boxed set of eight Tod Slaughter films is currently available from various online retailers.

Following is a concise, informative article covering the life and career of Mr. Murder himself written by Steve Green, a journalist and editor based in England. It appeared in the UK newsstand magazine, YOURS RETRO #71 (February 2024). A good piece to acquaint or re-acquaint yourself with a criminally (no pun intended) overlooked master of menace.

You can visit Steve's site HERE.