The Night That Panicked America (TV 1975)

A dramatization of the Oct. 30, 1938 mass panic that Orson Welles' radio play, "The War of the Worlds" accidentally provoked.

Director:

Joseph Sargent

Writers:

Howard Koch (play), Nicholas Meyer (screenplay),

Stars:

Vic Morrow, Cliff De Young, Michael Constantine

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vic Morrow	...	Hank Muldoon
Cliff De Young	...	Stefan Grubowski
Michael Constantine	...	Jess Wingate
Walter McGinn	...	Paul Stewart
Eileen Brennan	...	Ann Muldoon
Meredith Baxter	...	Linda Davis
Tom Bosley	...	Norman Smith
Will Geer	...	Reverend Davis
Paul Shenar	...	Orson Welles
John Ritter	...	Walter Wingate
Granville Van Dusen	...	Carl Phillips
Burton Gilliam	...	Tex
Joshua Bryant	...	Howard Koch
Liam Dunn	...	Charlie
Shelley Morrison	...	Toni

Storyline

The true story of the night that Orson Welles broadcast his version of 'H.G. Welles' ' classic ''The War of the Worlds'' on the radio. Designed to be as realistic as possible, many people were fooled into thinking that an alien invasion was actually taking place.

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Plot Keywords:

radio | radio show | 1930s | mass hysteria | radio broadcasting | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 October 1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

La nuit qui terrifia l'Amérique

Filming Locations:

2nd Street Tunnel between Hill and Figueroa, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Television, The Culzean Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min 120 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Actually CBS made numerous 'disclaimers' during the broadcast, which is why no one ever successfully sued to network or Welles, despite numerous lawsuits.

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Quotes

Ora Nichols: [to her assistant, assessing the Mercury Theater's show] Looks like another big night for Charlie Mc Carthy.

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Connections

Referenced in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)

User Reviews

It's not on DvD or Video?

This is a great movie. If it's ever on TV, I suggest watching it. Personally I don't usually like TV movies but this is an exception. Very good with interesting situations and likable characters. It's hard to beleive something like this once happened but it's allm true. Orson Wells must have gotten into a lot of trouble after that one. It's a shame it's not on DvD. Watch it on Halloween or the Night before.