The Night America Trembled is-as far as I know-the first dramatization of the events that happened during the radio broadcast of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds on October 30, 1938. Newsman Edward R. Murrow adds modern perspective to '50s audiences about subsequent events that make this Orson Welles production still seem frightening to anyone who didn't hear the beginning of the broadcast having switched from Bergin and McCarthy on NBC. I myself first heard this legendary show exactly 41 years after at age 11 and I couldn't believe how realistic it sounded. I'd like to point some flaws, however. First, the director of the radio play and Orson Welles are depicted as two different people when they were one and the same. Also, the sound of the Martians' opening their ship was visualized as the sound man manually spinning a bare record turntable when it was actually the opening of a jar. What makes this Studio One episode even more fascinating are the Westinghouse commercials with John Cameron Swazee for various nuclear products! Worth a look to see early performances of Warren Beatty, Ed Asner, Warren Oates, James Coburn, Vincent Gardenia, and, for Honeymooners fans, Frank Marth! Also, keep an eye out for The Night That Panicked America on various stations or cable channels around Halloween.
9 Reviews
Live Television Back-in-the-Day
mikhail08024 January 2009
This episode of "Studio One" can be great fun for fans of early television just by providing an early glimpse at some future stars. We relive what happened to the population in the Eastern U.S.A. on the night of Orson Welles radio broadcast of "The War of the Worlds." The show features really an epic cast of characters, with no one storyline dominating the proceedings.
We experience the effect the broadcast had on various elements of society, including a group of card-playing frat boys, some policemen and most poignantly, a young girl babysitting some children. The story itself can actually hold one's interest, but unfortunately the action comes to a halt when Ed Murrow steps in to put the story in context. He even at times seems ready to crack up or at least break a smile, especially when he cuts in on scenes of Martian-fearing citizens.
And how amazing is it that this was all done live, with no second chances for anyone either in front of or behind the cameras. This also gives the show and immediacy and more than a little nervous electricity. And much fun can be had by spotting all the familiar faces.
We experience the effect the broadcast had on various elements of society, including a group of card-playing frat boys, some policemen and most poignantly, a young girl babysitting some children. The story itself can actually hold one's interest, but unfortunately the action comes to a halt when Ed Murrow steps in to put the story in context. He even at times seems ready to crack up or at least break a smile, especially when he cuts in on scenes of Martian-fearing citizens.
And how amazing is it that this was all done live, with no second chances for anyone either in front of or behind the cameras. This also gives the show and immediacy and more than a little nervous electricity. And much fun can be had by spotting all the familiar faces.
Stardust Memories
wes-connors16 February 2009
"Another classic dramatic presentation brought to you by 'Studio One', originally a radio program brought out as an Emmy winning weekly television program shown on the CBS television network from 1948 to 1958.. This particular episode centers on the tale of the 1939 (sic, it was 1938) Halloween night radio broadcast of the Mercury Theater's 'The War of The Worlds'." (originally by H.G. Wells)
"Narrated by Edward R. Murrow, this program presented a dramatization of the studio end of the broadcast as well as audience reactions through vignettes. Guest stars abound in this episode (which opened the tenth season of this program), including Ed Asner, Vincent Gardenia, James Coburn, Warren Oates and a youthful Warren Beatty," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.
Alexander Scourby (as Phillips, the host) is a good substitute for the original Orson Welles, who should have been mentioned, at least. Mr. Welles was (along with John Houseman) largely responsible for "The Mercury Theatre on the Air". And, it was Welles' confident, convincing voice that helped throw listeners into a panic. (What did Welles do, turn down an interview with Edward R. Murrow?)
This teleplay does seem to capture the "moment" well, with a large cast performing necessarily small roles, given the actual running time. Don't overlook the uncredited John Astin, when perusing the cast; in his first appearance before a camera, Mr. Astin is as good as fellow débuting Jim Coburn. Warren Beatty and Warren Oates are ordinary college card players. Ed Asner has great hair. And, as always, Vincent Gardenia shows up any Tom, Dick, or Harry.
****** The Night America Trembled (9/9/57) Tom Donovan ~ Alexander Scourby, Vincent Gardenia, John Astin
"Narrated by Edward R. Murrow, this program presented a dramatization of the studio end of the broadcast as well as audience reactions through vignettes. Guest stars abound in this episode (which opened the tenth season of this program), including Ed Asner, Vincent Gardenia, James Coburn, Warren Oates and a youthful Warren Beatty," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.
Alexander Scourby (as Phillips, the host) is a good substitute for the original Orson Welles, who should have been mentioned, at least. Mr. Welles was (along with John Houseman) largely responsible for "The Mercury Theatre on the Air". And, it was Welles' confident, convincing voice that helped throw listeners into a panic. (What did Welles do, turn down an interview with Edward R. Murrow?)
This teleplay does seem to capture the "moment" well, with a large cast performing necessarily small roles, given the actual running time. Don't overlook the uncredited John Astin, when perusing the cast; in his first appearance before a camera, Mr. Astin is as good as fellow débuting Jim Coburn. Warren Beatty and Warren Oates are ordinary college card players. Ed Asner has great hair. And, as always, Vincent Gardenia shows up any Tom, Dick, or Harry.
****** The Night America Trembled (9/9/57) Tom Donovan ~ Alexander Scourby, Vincent Gardenia, John Astin
Example of good TV in the '50s.
michaelRokeefe16 April 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Studio One was a very good live TV series running from 1948 to 1958 on CBS. The Night America Trembled, directed by Tom Donovan, is a dramatization of events that happened during the Orson Wells presentation of War of the Worlds on October 30, 1938. The H.G. Wells chiller pretty well struck terror with faithful radio listeners...especially in the northeastern swath of states where it was most certain Martians had landed. This episode aired on September 9, 1957 with newsman Edward R. Murrow putting the night of fright into perspective for the '50s TV audience. This particular episode starred Alexander Scourby, Robert Blackburn and Casey Allen. Plus a look at early performances of James Coburn, Vincent Gardenia, Frank Marth, Warren Oates, Edward Asner, Warren Beatty and Fritz Weber. You have to remember that in 1938 America had a lot to be afraid of.
Highly Entertaining
dougdoepke5 May 2018
After seeing this dramatization, I'm really glad I wasn't around in 1938, otherwise I'd probably still be under the bed. Studio One was a prestigious TV hour for 9-years during the '50's. This hour shows why. In my little book it's an excellent recap of Orson Welles' 1938 radio drama "War of the Worlds", but really of its effect on an unsuspecting national audience. The camera goes back and forth from radio studio where the play's being performed to the mounting panic among audiences who took it as a real Martian invasion. After all, radio is "the theatre of the mind" and I can just imagine what listeners were imagining as the invasion updates poured forth.
The hour's really well produced with a cross-section of America's listeners reacting, from the necking couple, to the poker-playing buddies, to the frantic teen baby-sitter, and maybe most harried of all, the police stations trying to calm down a cascade of panicked callers. No one gets much screen time as the scenes switch around. After all, this is about a national audience, not a character study.
All in all, I really enjoyed seeing the inside of a radio station with the cast of players taking their cues. A number of stars are getting their start here, including Ed Asner with hair, James Coburn as a dad, along with Warren Beatty, Warren Oates, and John Astin, but look fast since the latter three aren't very recognizable. I guess my only gripe is the fashions that are out of my 1950's high-school yearbook, but that's just minor.
Anyway, I for one was highly entertained by this TV dramatization of an event that has since merged into national folklore. So catch it if you can. And, by the way, TCM would be wise to include a few showings if that's possible.
The hour's really well produced with a cross-section of America's listeners reacting, from the necking couple, to the poker-playing buddies, to the frantic teen baby-sitter, and maybe most harried of all, the police stations trying to calm down a cascade of panicked callers. No one gets much screen time as the scenes switch around. After all, this is about a national audience, not a character study.
All in all, I really enjoyed seeing the inside of a radio station with the cast of players taking their cues. A number of stars are getting their start here, including Ed Asner with hair, James Coburn as a dad, along with Warren Beatty, Warren Oates, and John Astin, but look fast since the latter three aren't very recognizable. I guess my only gripe is the fashions that are out of my 1950's high-school yearbook, but that's just minor.
Anyway, I for one was highly entertained by this TV dramatization of an event that has since merged into national folklore. So catch it if you can. And, by the way, TCM would be wise to include a few showings if that's possible.
Just another Sunday fun day.....
mark.waltz4 August 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Is it Nazi soldiers getting out of space ships? Or is it green men with tentacles from Mars? What inspired two blockbuster movies actually started with a radio broadcast, and the man behind it went on to be proclaimed as the youngest genius that the world had ever seen, turning American adults into paranoid children and proving, just as P.T. Barnum would declare, that there is a sucker born every minute.
This Studio One episode, made a few years after the first movie was made, documents the goings on of that day, building up from the preparation of the broadcast to the chaos that ensues because of how convincing it was. Even though New Jersey state police keep insisting to callers that it's just a radio play. Chaos ensues everywhere.
Some young hopefuls who later became movie and T.V. stars (including one future legend) are quite recognizable, although some of their parts are quite tiny. Radio history is rarely explored, but this episode is a nice view of one of the truly classic moments that would be a boy who cried wolf, just on the cusp of a real world war.
This Studio One episode, made a few years after the first movie was made, documents the goings on of that day, building up from the preparation of the broadcast to the chaos that ensues because of how convincing it was. Even though New Jersey state police keep insisting to callers that it's just a radio play. Chaos ensues everywhere.
Some young hopefuls who later became movie and T.V. stars (including one future legend) are quite recognizable, although some of their parts are quite tiny. Radio history is rarely explored, but this episode is a nice view of one of the truly classic moments that would be a boy who cried wolf, just on the cusp of a real world war.
It's okay...
planktonrules26 September 2010
This episode of "Studio One" begins with an introduction by Edward R. Murrow and he narrates throughout. He explains that the teleplay you are about to watch is a recreation of the broadcast by the Mercury Theater of "The War of the Worlds" and the panic that accompanied it--as some mistakenly thought it was NOT fiction but a broadcast concerning a real invasion from Mars!! Today it's hard to imagine people being that gullible, but some did take this broadcast way too seriously.
When the show began, the first thing I noticed is that everyone dressed and had haircuts straight from 1957--not when the broadcast occurred in 1938. While this is not the most important problem a teleplay could have, I did think it was a bit sloppy. As for the rest of the show, it was okay but that's about all. It does retell an interesting part of our history, but I don't think it did much for me one way or the other. Well made but not super-involving.
By the way, look closely at the extras in this episode. I noticed Warren Oates and Warren Beatty but there are others--such as James Coburn--all before they became famous.
When the show began, the first thing I noticed is that everyone dressed and had haircuts straight from 1957--not when the broadcast occurred in 1938. While this is not the most important problem a teleplay could have, I did think it was a bit sloppy. As for the rest of the show, it was okay but that's about all. It does retell an interesting part of our history, but I don't think it did much for me one way or the other. Well made but not super-involving.
By the way, look closely at the extras in this episode. I noticed Warren Oates and Warren Beatty but there are others--such as James Coburn--all before they became famous.
Drama episode from radio of "War of the Worlds"
SimonJack22 September 2019
The date was Oct. 30, 1938. Europe and Asia were on the brink of war. Americans kept a wary eye on the globe, hoping and praying that the New World would escape the horrors that loomed. But that night, CBS radio broadcast a radio drama based on the H.G. Wells novel, "The War of the Worlds." It was the 17th episode of The Mercury Theatre of the Air. Most CBS stations across the country broadcast the play, beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
Orson Wells produced and directed the drama. To make it more real, the drama was punctuated by a series of fake news updates. The Mercury Theatre ran without the usual commercial interruptions. That lent a further sense of reality to the broadcast. CBS announced the play and format in advance, and told the radio audience what to expect. But, later listeners tuned into the CBS stations after the play had begun. They had no way of knowing that the news flashes were not real, but part of the play. And in areas of the U.S. Northeast, panic ensued among a small portion of the public, who thought the earth had been invaded by Martians.
While the breadth of public panic, which was mostly in New Jersey and New York, has been disputed, the criticism and outcry of the press afterwards was widespread. And, the one undisputed result of the event was the skyrocketing of Orson Wells as an actor and broadcaster.
This 1957 television movie is a story of that famous night in 1938. It recreates the broadcast as it occurred, but intersperses snippets of various people who react on hearing the program. These were based on known or reported incidents involving people from that October night in 1938. One wonders if they had just waited one more night for the broadcast (Monday, Oct. 31) instead of the regular Sunday night broadcast. Would the public have thought differently about an invasion broadcast on Halloween night?
A notable aspect of this film is the inclusion of Edward R. Murrow as himself. In the early decades of the 20th century, Murrrow was the most well-known and listened to news broadcaster and commentator on radio. This is an interesting look at an event in broadcast history that many movie viewers may find interesting well into the 21st century.
Orson Wells produced and directed the drama. To make it more real, the drama was punctuated by a series of fake news updates. The Mercury Theatre ran without the usual commercial interruptions. That lent a further sense of reality to the broadcast. CBS announced the play and format in advance, and told the radio audience what to expect. But, later listeners tuned into the CBS stations after the play had begun. They had no way of knowing that the news flashes were not real, but part of the play. And in areas of the U.S. Northeast, panic ensued among a small portion of the public, who thought the earth had been invaded by Martians.
While the breadth of public panic, which was mostly in New Jersey and New York, has been disputed, the criticism and outcry of the press afterwards was widespread. And, the one undisputed result of the event was the skyrocketing of Orson Wells as an actor and broadcaster.
This 1957 television movie is a story of that famous night in 1938. It recreates the broadcast as it occurred, but intersperses snippets of various people who react on hearing the program. These were based on known or reported incidents involving people from that October night in 1938. One wonders if they had just waited one more night for the broadcast (Monday, Oct. 31) instead of the regular Sunday night broadcast. Would the public have thought differently about an invasion broadcast on Halloween night?
A notable aspect of this film is the inclusion of Edward R. Murrow as himself. In the early decades of the 20th century, Murrrow was the most well-known and listened to news broadcaster and commentator on radio. This is an interesting look at an event in broadcast history that many movie viewers may find interesting well into the 21st century.
A Few Interesting Things
Michael_Elliott5 March 2015
Studio One in Hollywood (1957)
"The Night America Trembled"
This episode in the series, narrated by Edward R. Murrow, takes a look back at October 30, 1938, which would seem like any ordinary day but it turns into mass chaos as Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre would end up putting on a version of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds and a panic would break out. This docu-drama takes a look at a group of people and how the radio broadcast effects their lives.
THE NIGHT America TREMBLED is a mildly entertaining movie but by the time it's over you really can't help but be somewhat disappointed or at least wish it was better. I think there was a pretty interesting idea here but sadly it just never comes across and some of this is probably due to there being too many characters and not enough time to fully build up their stories. There's a babysitter who begs for the kid's parents to come back after she hears of a martian attack. There's another group of men discussing Hitler in a bar when the story of the attack comes in. There's a cop answering phone calls from terrified people. None of these stories really add up to much as there's not any drama.
For fans of the true event this thing is still worth watching just as a curiosity. There are several familiar faces who pop up here including Vincent Gardenia, James Coburn and Edward Asner. This here adds another reason for film buffs to watch it. With that said, there's no question that there's some interesting things here for film buffs but sadly you can't help but think more could have been done. Remakes are a bad word to some but I think something really good could be created if someone decides to try this story again.
Episode: C+
"The Night America Trembled"
This episode in the series, narrated by Edward R. Murrow, takes a look back at October 30, 1938, which would seem like any ordinary day but it turns into mass chaos as Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre would end up putting on a version of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds and a panic would break out. This docu-drama takes a look at a group of people and how the radio broadcast effects their lives.
THE NIGHT America TREMBLED is a mildly entertaining movie but by the time it's over you really can't help but be somewhat disappointed or at least wish it was better. I think there was a pretty interesting idea here but sadly it just never comes across and some of this is probably due to there being too many characters and not enough time to fully build up their stories. There's a babysitter who begs for the kid's parents to come back after she hears of a martian attack. There's another group of men discussing Hitler in a bar when the story of the attack comes in. There's a cop answering phone calls from terrified people. None of these stories really add up to much as there's not any drama.
For fans of the true event this thing is still worth watching just as a curiosity. There are several familiar faces who pop up here including Vincent Gardenia, James Coburn and Edward Asner. This here adds another reason for film buffs to watch it. With that said, there's no question that there's some interesting things here for film buffs but sadly you can't help but think more could have been done. Remakes are a bad word to some but I think something really good could be created if someone decides to try this story again.
Episode: C+
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