DON’T PANIC!
Adapting Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds”
I have had the request lines open from the beginning. I always want recommendations for old time radio shows Madison should explore. While I have a long list of shows I have listened to over the years, there are plenty of great titles out there that I just never have run across or maybe have forgotten. From “The Adventures of the Thin Man,” “Challenge of the Yukon,” to “The Green Hornet” or “The Shadow,” I have been thrilled to dive into shows I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. And there is no better example of that than the Orson Welles and Mercury Theatre’s “War of the Worlds.”
Of COURSE I was aware of this show. The history of it was taught to me back in junior high. It is the one part of OTR that even if you aren’t familiar with the genre, you’ve heard of “War of the Worlds” because of the controversy surrounding the 1938 broadcast. (Our “Madison’s Mad Facts” releasing Oct 1oth will delve into all that). So this show, above all others, has been the one recommended to me the most. But I was hesitant at first to try it. How would Madison fit into that story? How could I do a new take on it after all of the different incarnations of it while still being true to the Welles’ version? Then I downloaded the Mercury Theater’s script and had an idea…
First, this is 2022. This is a podcast. So what if instead of a radio show being interrupted, we make it a PODCAST being interrupted? I immediately reached out to Patrick O’Riley of the “Vintage Video Podcast.” Patrick and I have been podcast friends on Twitter for some time, and he even did a voice for Madison in “The Saint.” So I asked if I could have permission to use his actual show for the opening of our War of the Worlds, and if he would be up to being our radio/podcast announcer. He was in!
Now, if you ARE familiar with the Orson Welles version, he told the story in various monologues by the characters who were being “interviewed.” Only the scene with “The Stranger” was actually a full scene. That came after the act break when we were in Professor Pierson’s inner monologues as he came to grips with the possibility of being the only human left on earth. So for Madison’s sake, I broke down those monologues and created full scenes filling out the content. Perhaps a little homage to my college theater days and my love of Tom Stoppard’s “Rosencranz and Guildenstern are Dead.” I created the scenes AROUND the established famous scenes. It was a challenge going so far off book for one of my adaptations, but a total blast! Madison, the golden age of Hollywood and MARTIANS? Yes, please!
In the end, I don’t see us as much as an adaptation of Orson Welles’ version as another branch of the War of the Worlds story. His took place in New Jersey and the east coast, close to his own home base in New York. The original H.G. Wells story was London and the outlying townships. Ours is the tale of what was happening in Los Angeles and Hollywood. I believe they all exist in the same universe. Hey, it’s sci-fi. Why not?
