Oct. 30, 1938. The Spanish Orchestra in the Park Plaza, in New York City, is interrupted in the middle of a tango for a news broadcast.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt our program of dance music to bring you a special bulletin from the Intercontinental Radio News..."
Although announcements of the special broadcast were made prior to its airing, those who had not heard them reacted in a way that shook the whole country.
Tonight, 70 years after "The War of the Worlds" broadcast, the Department of Telecommunications at Ball State University commemorates the event by transmitting a replica of the drama through the Indiana Public Radio stations and WCRD, the radio station on campus.
Brian Eckstein, production manager for IPR said that despite the difficulty in organizing the crew, he was excited about the production.
"It's been a difficult undertaking, but it has also been a lot of fun, because this is a throwback for us to the 1930s, when this show originally aired," he said. "So we are trying to use authentic sound effects and we are trying to make this as authentic to the original broadcast 70 years ago as possible."
The historic broadcast recreation will be staged in Pruis Hall so students, faculty and the Muncie community have the opportunity to witness the production.
Matthew Hooper, graduate assistant for the Ball State Symphony Orchestra, will be the director of the music ensemble that will play for the broadcast.
He said the stage would to be separated into three sections. One side will be designated to the sound effects, the center will be where the actors do the voicing and the orchestra will play on the other side of the stage.
"Sometimes when it is broadcast they use pre-recorded music," Hooper said. "But in this case it is going to be all live music and it is also arranged especially for this occasion by another student."
Senior composition major Ayriole Frost provided the compositions and musical arrangements for the production.
Brian Boswell, instructor of telecommunications and director for the War of the Worlds production, said he wanted to do sound effects manually to create a more realistic feel to the production.
"Back in those days, producers would do most of the sound effects manually," he said. "And today, if we were to do this without an audience, then it would really easy to do just by having a computer standing by and hitting buttons. So we thought we would create it the same way they did in that time."
The cast will include the voices of Roy Budd, Gary Demaree, Rodney Richey, Ann Johnson (artist FB Fogg), Robby Tompkins and Marty Grubbs.
The pre-program, 30 minutes before the broadcast, includes speakers Mike Gerhard, who will talk about the impact of the panic broadcast on the nation and Dave Smith, who will talk about Orson Welles' career, as well as the presentation of a commemorative award to Trent Tomlinson, son of Bill Tomlinson, who was one of the founders of Ball State's telecommunications department.
Bill Tomlinson was at CBS studios in New York during the 1938 broadcast. He brought an original script to Ball State and showed it to many students.
Nancy Carlson, associate professor of telecommunications and producer of the War of the Worlds had the idea of simulating the panic broadcast. She said she had always been curious about the production of radio dramas, which are now extinct.
Carlson also said she encouraged students to watch the live production, instead of just tuning the radio tonight.
"Anybody can listen to the broadcast on the radio," she said. "But very seldom in your lives will you have the opportunity to see radio drama unfolding onstage."
War of WorldsWhen: TodayTime: 8 p.m.Where: Pruis HallCost: $5 for students and children, $10 for adultsStations: 92.1 FM, 89.5 FM, 90.9 FM, 91.7 FM, 91.1 FM, WCRD (91.3 FM)
History"The War of the Worlds" was adapted from H.G. Wells' novel to a radio broadcast on Oct. 20, 1938. Millions of radio listeners who missed announcements about the special program believed Martians were really attacking the country. It has been exactly 70 years since the first invasion.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
