War of the Worlds

Most episodes of "The American Experience" are about giant events, such as wars, presidencies and the like. However, this one is much more pop culture-oriented and is lighter in spirit in some ways. It's all about Orson Welles and his very controversial "War of the Worlds" broadcast of 1938. While I've seen documentaries that talked about this before, this one is difference because it puts the event into the context of th evens of the day--including the Munich Crisis which just preceded the broadcast!

The story is told though interviews, photos, video and recreations of various folks who were scared by the broadcast as they talked about their fears. All in all, a fascinating show...especially when it rightfully points out that this stunt really did nothing but benefit Welles and his career! Well worth seeing.