War of the Worlds (1938)

PSYCHIC: STUART JAMES FOY FROM THE UK TAKING PHOTOS AT THE MARTIAN LANDING SITE IN GROVERS MILL, NJ

   On October 30,1938, Orson Welles, with his Mercury Theatre broadcasted a realistic radio program adapted from the 1898 H.G. Wells novel, The War of the Worlds. The young Orson wanted to make his Halloween program seem like the invasion from Mars was real. To add to the strength of the program, he would interrupt a seemingly normal broadcast of music with breaking news bulletins about strange happenings at Grovers Mill. If a listener who by chance didn’t hear the start of the show, when it was announced that the proceeding was a radio drama, they would not know that the Martian invasion wasn’t real.

     Orson’s Martian invasion began at the small town of Grovers Mill, New Jersey which is just outside of Princeton.  H.G. Wells original story took place in England, but Orson moved it to New Jersey, perfect for an American audience.  The effect was amazing, as the program was rolling along, it caused mass hysteria in the listening audience, putting all police departments on high alert.  People leaving their homes, causing panic on the streets and what added to the panic was that Orson being the professional showman added tension by using real names of cities and streets.  I’m from Newark, NJ and the Martians were on Raymond Boulevard and South Street which happen to be in my old neighborhood.

     When it was all over, the broadcast made banner headlines of this mock invasion. As for the aftermath. Many felt duped falling for this so-called invasion and there was understandable anger from the public, now calling for tighter broadcast restrictions so this could never happen again.  On the positive side it made Orson Wells a star.

What we didn’t learn from this 1938 Halloween Martian invasion, is that today we sensationalize the news. Embellishing stories to get a wider audience and higher ratings which results in higher advertising revenue. Opinions about news stories which was never part of news programs, now dominates the broadcast.  And as it did in ’38 cause some hysteria from the public.

     I don’t want this to come across as being a moral lecture.  It’s just an observation of the way things are.  What was old, now is new.

     When dealing with paranormal subjects, including UFOs, you can see why a simple sighting is automatically blown out of proportion.  I was once asked by a television network who wanted a show about ghosts to investigate a home that was reported to be “haunted.”   I agreed and met the homeowner. My approach to an investigation as usual was low key. I was invited to walk around the house so I could get impressions.  I entered each room without saying a word.  I would occasionally make a comment of who lived in the room and the changes made to the room over the years, which was confirmed by the homeowner.  I felt things were going well, but not with the television people.  They said I was not animated enough.  No swinging of arms, no screaming, no mention of demons or ghosts.  What I said to the homeowner was right on, he and his wife were amazed at my accuracy and happy to hear what I had to say. Yes, there was an entity in the house, and it was her grandmother. She just wanted to visit and was happy to see the couple being happy. When it came time for me to leave, they were happy with the information I gave them but as for the TV people, NO SHOW FOR YOU!  It didn’t matter what I said. I wasn’t doing a dog and pony show for them. They wanted to shake up the viewing audience, like Orson’s War of the Worlds.  I wouldn’t do it.  I can live with that.