Eighty-six years ago, Orson Welles broadcast the now-famous War of the Worlds (YouTube linked below). Is there a legal issue here?
It must be since I have it on this page. Yes, but it’s a minor one. Note, though, that the weird part is that the show was publicized before it aired. It shows that people’s gullibility has stayed the same. There was a similar episode on television in 1984.
Welles was a mere 23 when he made the broadcast. A notice was placed in the newspaper telling of the fictional invasion by Martians on our planet. Three times, once at the beginning of the program and twice toward the end, it was announced the story was nothing but fiction (note above)
There were headlines about panic and terror following, but there wasn’t much of either. It was a small audience. The show was up against the ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, and several affiliate stations ran local programming. You get bonus points if you know the name of Edgar’s dummy. Plus, I’ll know you’ve read this far.
There were lawsuits, none of which would likely have been successful, although I’ve read CBS did settle cases. For example, one listener sued CBS for $50,000, claiming it caused her “nervous shock,” but the lawsuit was dismissed. On the other hand, I’ve more than once thought a man’s claim was successful for a pair of shoes. The man claimed he had spent the money he had saved to buy shoes on a train ticket to escape the Martians. Reportedly, Welles paid for the man’s shoes.
The title of this is misleading. The broadcast did happen, and although there were lawsuits, not much came of it. Most were dismissed or thrown out of court.
For Welles, though, people started listening to his show. Still, his biggest triumph came three years later when he directed Citizen Kane, winning an Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay. The movie had other nominations, but none succeeded. Citizen Kane lost money, but some say it is the best film ever made.
Listen tonight and on YouTube to hear the show that “terrorized” America.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzC3Fg_rRJM&t=17s
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