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 The Night That Panicked America (TV) More at IMDbPro »

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13 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
EXCELLENT PRODUCTION AS SEEN BY ONE WHO WAS IN RADIO, 1 July 2001
9/10
Author: Babe Hardy (OPomeroy@msn.com) from Baltimore, MD, USA

As a former Radio Drama performer during Radio's hey-day, I can vouch for the accuracy of this production. Paul Stewart, who was the associate producer of the broadcast, was technical advisor for the film as well as John Houseman (The Tom Bosley part), un billed in the credits. The use of the Zerotope Studios in New York also added to the authenticity of the production. Another un billed performance is the actress who played Ora Nichols, the only woman SFX engineer in radio and head of the CBS Sound Department in the 1930's. The story of the voice sounding like Roosevelt is true, and that was done by Art Carney, a member of the Mercury Players. Many of the things they did in that production, brought back memories to this old trooper of the radio airwaves. The reaction stories were well done and also taken from actual experiences.

How fortunate that I was able to make a Video Copy of this film. So Sorry that it is not available on Video Tape. I have viewed it every Halloween night since 1975, and still get chills from the production. Paul Shanar was Welles in this film!

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11 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
Accurate recreation of Orson Welles' "War of the World's" radio program ., 12 December 1998
9/10
Author: Mike Spangler (mspang4434@aol.com) from Baltimore/Washington DC Area

This film was a very entertaining, and historically accurate recreation of Orson Welles' radio program "War of the Worlds", which was based loosely on H G Wells' novel of the same name. It is utterly amazing that so many people believed that this radio drama was real, and the film does an excellent job of dramatizing the reactions of several people who seriously believed that the Earth was being invaded by Martians. What amazes me even more is the fact that no one has made this excellent production available for sale on video. It surely is a marketable product.

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10 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
What a Great Movie!, 30 October 2000
Author: Ed in St. Louis (spanishlake@yahoo.com) from United States

"The Night That Panicked America" is an adaption of the famous War of the Worlds broadcast of October 30, 1938. I'm watching this on October 30, 2000, the 62nd anniversary of the actual broadcast. A 30-year-old Nicholas Meyer wrote the excellent screenplay and supervised the production of this made-for-TV movie, making sure it was done in an historically detailed and accurate way. I am very, very impressed by this production, and I doubt that it could have been done any better. The movie usually shows up on the Sci-Fi Channel around Halloween. Look for many future youthful stars such as Meredith Baxter, John Ritter, and Casey Kasem.

This is a must for anyone interested in the career of Orson Welles. Paul Shenar, who played the role of Welles in this production, is much too old for the role but his voice is close to the beautiful voice of Welles.

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8 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
It's not on DvD or Video?, 31 October 1999
Author: Kai-18 from A Radio Station

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.

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6 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
America Scared, 20 September 2003
Author: Brian Washington (Sargebri@att.net) from Los Angeles, California

This film was an excellent look at the perhaps one of the most notorious instances of mass hysteria ever. This film made me interested in the actual play and I think that this was pretty much an accurate portrayal of the event. Also, the little stories of how people were affected by the broadcast and what they went through as the story unfolded. The one story that I felt really conveyed what happened was the one featuring Vic Morrow and Eileen Brennan as the couple on the brink of divorce who forget their differences and are brought back together because of the broadcast. If anyone wants a good example of a good TV movie, this is it.

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6 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Convincing true life story, 2 July 2001
8/10
Author: phantom110 from Oregon

This was a very good movie. The acting was good, not too cheesy and not to serious. The characters were a bit shallow, but the movie rightfully paid more attention to the broadcast and the reactions, not character's motives.

Great job by Paul Shenar as Orson Welles, and honorable mentions to both De Young and Bosley. Watch it if you can find it!

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4 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
I liked this one, 24 August 2006
10/10
Author: darthvader1961 from United States

I am not generally a fan of movies made for television, but "The Night America Panicked" is a clear Exception. I was fourteen years old when I watched it with my mother who boasted a firsthand experience of the original Orson Welles broadcast of "War of the Worlds," and the resulting mayhem. She had told the story to me many times when I was younger and it was interesting to see it recreated. My mom was so impressed with the late Paul Shenar's enthusiastic portrayal of Orson Welles that she became a lifelong fan. I became of fan of Orson Welles and I loved "Citizen Kane" as well as the humor behind Citizen Kane's promotional trailer (the girls are here for the purpose of ballyhoo). Like other fans, I would like to see this movie preserved on DVD. I would buy it so I could watch it again.

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2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
The Night That Panicked America Is One Of The Finest Made For TV Movies, 22 January 2005
10/10
Author: dreamt_learnt (dreamt_learnt@msn.com) from Iowa

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

The Night that Panicked America is one of the finest made for television movies that I have ever seen.I was so impressed with this movie the first time that I saw it way back in the early 1970s on television.This movie is riveting from the very start to the very end.This movie is based on the 1938 Halloween radio broadcast by Orson Welles and his radio crew of H.G. Welles' The War of The Worlds.In the very beginning it was stated that it was based on a fictional story by H.G. Welles,but people panicked like crazy. They really thought that the martians had invaded our planet.I have always wondered if I might have believed it too.I have never heard the original radio broadcast, I would like to.Orson Welles was a genius in everything that he did.This movie was fast paced, and I love that aspect. You could just feel the tension building.The cast of this movie was excellent. Vic Morrow, Eileen Brennan,Will Geer,Cliff De Young,Tom Bosley, and a very young Meredith Baxter.I love the married couple that Vic Morrow and Eilenn Brennan play.They have several children, and Vic Morrow the husband wants to leave,because he feels like he is trapped in the marriage.After he and his wife realize that the martians really have not invaded the earth, and that everything is normal, you get the feeling that they decide to stay together after all.The ending of the movie is my favorite part.In the very end it is said that a real menace is coming on the horizon.The real menace and terror to the entire world is named Adolph Hitler.I give this movie the highest recommendation!I have this movie on VHS tape.

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2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Excellent recreation of the War of the Worlds radio broadcast of 1930?, 4 June 1999
Author: Edward W. Gildner (edg3610@aol.com) from San Angelo, Texas

This film was an excellent portrayal of the radio broadcast and the actor who played Orson Wells did an excellent job. The sound effects at the radio station was unbelievable accurate as to the sound of an alien space craft both landing and the sound of the hatch coming off, very scare as was suppose to happen especially back in the 30's. The acting to go along with the radio broadcast was out of sight. This was a very entertaining movie and i wish it was also available on video as stated by Mike Spangler, if that is not possible than it should be made available to be shown on TV again, so people could record it as I did some years ago, but have a very poor copy of. If this is available to be replayed on TV, than this Halloween should be appropriate to re-broadcast this fine movie

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3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
A cautionary tale about the power media, 30 March 2007
10/10
Author: nitalouise from New Jersey

As the line between entertainment and news becomes increasingly blurred, this important film cautions us about the media's power over our lives. I was lucky enough to get a copy of this recently and am using it in a Western Studies class to teach my high school students about the role of radio in the Modern Age. Both FDR and Hitler understood very well how to use the radio, and this concept is even more relevant today in our age of sound bites and podcasts. More than ever, we need to teach our children how to wade through the information tidal wave that swamps them daily. This film serves as a powerful reminder that we must be far more discerning about what we read and hear, regardless of the source.

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