War of the Worlds + Notes

War of the Worlds

ORSON WELLES:                                                                                                                                                                       We know now that in the early years of the twentieth century this world was being watched closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own. We know now that as human beings busied themselves about their various concerns they were studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might analyse the small creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. With infinite Confidence people went to and fro over the earth about their little affairs, serene in the assurance of their control over this little spinning fragment of solar driftwood which by chance or design man has inherited out of the dark mystery of Time and Space. Yet across an immense gulf, minds that to our minds as ours are to the beasts in the jungle, intellects vast, cool and un-sympathetic, looked upon this earth with envious eyes and slowly and surely drew their plans against us. In the thirty-ninth year of the twentieth century came the great disillusionment. It was near the end of October. Business was better.   The war scare was over. More men were back at work and sales were picking up. On this particular evening, October 30, the Crosley service estimated that thirty-two million people were listening in on radios.

ANNOUNCER THREE:                                                                                                                                                              Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. From the Meridian Room in the Park Plaza in New York City, we bring you the music of Ramón Raquello and his orchestra. With a touch of the Spanish.                      Ramón Raquello leads off with "La Cumparsita."

(MUSIC: SPANISH THEME SONG [A TANGO] . . . FADES)

SFX 1 (LA CUMPARISTA)   PLAYS FOR 14 SECONDS 

ANNOUNCHER TWO: Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt our program of dance music to bring you a special bulletin from the Intercontinental Radio News.    At twenty minutes before eight, central time, Professor Farrell of the Mount Jennings Observatory, Chicago, Illinois, reports observing several explosions of incandescent gas, occurring at regular intervals on the planet Mars. The spectroscope indicates the gas to be hydrogen and moving towards the earth with enormous velocity. Professor Pierson of the Observatory at Princeton confirms Farrell's observation, and describes the phenomenon as (quote) like a jet of blue flame shot from a gun. We now return you to the music of Ramón Raquello, playing for you in the Meridian Room of the Park Plaza Hotel, situated in downtown New York. (Music)

SFX 1 (LA COMPARISTA)  PLAYS FOR 7 SECONDS 

ANNOUNCER THREE: Ladies and gentlemen, following on the news given in our bulletin a moment ago, the Government Meteorological Bureau has requested the large observatories of the country to keep an astronomical watch on any further disturbances occurring on the planet Mars. Due to the unusual nature of this occurrence, we have arranged an interview with noted astronomer. Professor Pierson, who will give us his views on the event. in a few moments we will take you to the Princeton Observatory at Princeton, New Jersey. We return you until then to the music of Ramón Raquello and his orchestra.

SFX 1 (LA CUMPARISTA)  PLAYS FOR A FEW 3 SECONDS THEN SLOWLY FADES 

ANNOUNCER TWO: We are now ready to take you to the Princeton Observatory at Princeton where Carl Phillips, or commentator, will interview Professor Richard Pierson, famous astronomer. We take you now to Princeton, New Jersey.

PHILLIPS: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is Carl Phillips, speaking to you from the observatory at Princeton. I am standing in a large semi-circular room, pitch black except for an oblong split in the ceiling. Through this opening I can see a sprinkling of stars that cast a kind of frosty glow over the intricate mechanism of the huge telescope. Professor Pierson stands directly above me on a small platform, peering through a giant lens. I ask you to be patient during any delay that may arise during our interview, Professor Pierson may be interrupted by telephone or other communications. During this period he is in constant touch with the astronomical centres of the world . . . Professor, may I begin our questions?

PIERSON: Of course At any time, Mr. Phillips.

PHILLIPS: Professor, would you please tell our audience exactly what you see as you observe the planet Mars through your telescope?

PIERSON: Nothing unusual at the moment, Mr. Phillips. A red disk swimming in a blue sea.  . Transverse stripes are across the disk. Quite distinct now because Mars happens to be the point nearest the earth, Approximately forty million miles away, in opposition, as we call it.

PHILLIPS: What do these transverse stripes signify, Professor Pierson?

PIERSON: Not canals, I can assure you, Mr. Phillips, although that's the popular conjecture of those who imagine Mars to be inhabited. From a scientific viewpoint the stripes are merely the result of atmospheric conditions peculiar to the planet.                  

 PHILLIPS: Then you're quite convinced that living intelligence as we know it does not exist on Mars?

PIERSON: As a scientist I believe there are no living creatures on mars, I'd say the chances against it are a thousand to one.

PHILLIPS: And yet how do you account for those gas eruptions occurring on the surface of the planet at regular intervals?      

PIERSON: Mr. Phillips, I cannot account for it. 

(slight pause)

(off mike) Thank you     

 PHILLIPS: Just a moment, ladies and gentlemen, someone has just handed Professor Pierson a message. Professor, may I read the message to the listening audience?  

PIERSON: Certainly, Mr. Phillips     

PHILLIPS: Ladies and gentlemen, I shall read you a wire addressed to Professor Pierson from Dr. Gray of the National History Museum, New York. "9:15 P. M. eastern standard time. Seismograph registered shock of almost earthquake intensity occurring within a radius of twenty miles of Princeton. Please investigate. Signed, Lloyd Gray, Chief of Astronomical Division" . . . Professor, could this possibly have something to do with the disturbances on Mars?

PIERSON: Hardly, Mr. Phillips. This is probably a meteorite of unusual size and its arrival at this particular time is merely a coincidence. However, we shall conduct a search, as soon as daylight permits.        

 PHILLIPS: Thank you, Professor. Ladies and gentlemen, we've been speaking to you from the observatory at Princeton, bringing you a special interview with Professor Pierson, noted astronomer, We are returning you now to our New York studio.                             

ANNOUNCER THREE: Ladies and gentlemen, here is the latest bulletin from the Intercontinental Radio News. Toronto, Canada: Professor Morse of McGill University reports observing a total of three explosions on the planet Mars, between the hours of 7:45 P. M. and 9:20 P. M. This confirms earlier reports received from American observatories. Now, nearer home, comes a special announcement from Trenton, New Jersey. It is reported that at 8:50 P. M. a huge, flaming object, believed to be a meteorite, fell on a farm in the neighborhood of Grovers Mill, New Jersey, twenty-two miles from Trenton. The flash in the sky was visible within a radius of several hundred miles and the noise of the impact was heard as far north as Elizabeth. We have dispatched a special mobile unit to the scene, and will have our commentator, Carl Phillips, give you a word description as soon as he can reach there from Princeton. 

SFX 2 (CROWD NOISE AND POLICE SIRENS)   PLAYS FOR 15 SECONDS THEN FADES SLOWLY (CROWD NOISES . . . POLICE SIRENS)

PHILLIPS: Ladies and gentlemen, this is Carl Phillips again, at the Wilmuth farm, Grovers Mill, New Jersey. Professor Pierson and myself made the eleven miles from Princeton in ten minutes. Well, I . . I hardly know where to begin. Well, I just got here. I haven't had a chance to look around yet. I guess that's it. Yes, I guess that's the . . . thing, directly in front of me, half buried in a vast pit. The ground is covered with splinters of a tree it must have struck on its way down. What I can see of the . . . object itself doesn't look very much like a meteor, at least not the meteors I've seen. It looks more like a huge cylinder. It has a diameter of . . . what would you say, Professor Pierson?

PIERSON (OFF-MIKE): What's that?

PHILLIPS: What would you say . . . what is the diameter?

PIERSON: About thirty yards, it must have struck with terrific force, but the metal on the sheath is ... well, I've never seen anything like it.

PHILLIPS: The color is sort of yellowish-white… Curious spectators now are pressing close to the object in spite of the efforts of the police to keep them back. They're getting in front of my line of vision. Would you mind standing to one side, please?                                                                                     / While the policemen are pushing the crowd back, here's Mr. Wilmuth, owner of the farm here. Mr. Wilmuth, would you please tell the radio audience as much as you remember of this rather unusual visitor that dropped in your backyard? Step closer, please. 

WILMUTH: Well, I was listenin' to the radio. 

PHILLIPS: Closer and louder please.

WILMUTH: Pardon me!

PHILLIPS: Louder, please, and closer.

WILMUTH: Yes, sir -- while I was listening to the radio and kinda drowsin', that Professor fellow was talkin' about Mars, so I was half dozin' and half . . .

PHILLIPS: Yes, yes, Mr. Wilmuth. Then what happened?

WILMUTH: As I was sayin', I was listenin' to the radio kinda halfways . . .

PHILLIPS: Yes, Mr. Wilmuth, and then you saw something?

WILMUTH: Not first off. I heard something.

PHILLIPS: And what did you hear?

WILMUTH: A hissing sound. Like this: sssssss . . . kinda like a fourt' of July rocket.

PHILLIPS: Then what?

WILMUTH: Turned my head out the window and would have swore I was to sleep and dreamin.'

PHILLIPS: Yes?

WILMUTH: I seen a kinda greenish streak and then zingo! Somethin' smacked the ground. Knocked me clear out of my chair!

PHILLIPS: Well, were you frightened, Mr. Wilmuth?

WILMUTH: Well, I -- I ain't quite sure. I reckon I -- I was kinda riled.

PHILLIPS: Thank you, Mr. Wilmuth. Thank you.

WILMUTH: Want me to tell you some more?

PHILLIPS: No . . . That's quite all right, that's plenty.  /

PHILLIPS: Ladies and gentlemen, I wish I could convey the atmosphere of this . . . fantastic scene. Police are trying to rope off the roadway leading to the farm. But it's no use. They're breaking right through. Cars' headlights throw an enormous spot on the pit where the object's half buried. Some of the more daring souls are now venturing near the edge. 

(FAINT HUMMING SOUND ) 

One man wants to touch the thing! … Now, there's something I haven't mentioned in all this excitement, but now it's becoming more distinct. Perhaps you've caught it already on your radio, It's a curious humming sound that seems to come from inside the object. I'll move the microphone nearer. (PAUSE) 

SFX 3 (HUMMING/SCRAPING MACHINE NOISE) PLAY FOR 5 SECONDS THEN FADE

Now we're not more then twenty-five feet away. Can you hear it now? Oh, Professor Pierson!

PIERSON: Yes, Mr. Phillips?

PHILLIPS: Can you tell us the meaning of that scraping noise inside the thing?

PIERSON: Possibly the unequal cooling of its surface.

PHILLIPS: Do you still think it's a meteor, Professor?

PIERSON: I don't know what to think. The metal casing is definitely extraterrestrial . . . not found on this earth. Friction with the earth's atmosphere usually tears holes in a meteorite. This thing is smooth and, as you can see, of cylindrical shape.

PHILLIPS: Something's happening! This is terrific! This end of the thing is beginning to flake off! The top is beginning to rotate like a screw! The thing must be hollow!

SFX 4  (HEAVY OBJECT HITTING THE GROUND) (SUDDENLY THE CLANKING SOUND OF A HUGE PIECE OF FALLING METAL)

PHILLIPS: This is the most terrifying thing I have ever witnessed . . . Wait a minute! Someone's crawling out of the hollow top. Someone or . . . something. I can see peering out of that black hole two luminous disks . . are they eyes? It might be a face. It might be . . .

SFX 5 (CROWD SOUND)                                                                                                                                         

(SHOUT OF AWE FROM THE CROWD)

PHILLIPS: Good heavens, something's wriggling out of the shadow like a gray snake. Now it's another one, and another. They look like tentacles to me. There, I can see the thing's body. It's large, large as a bear and it glistens like wet leather. But that face, it . . . Ladies and gentlemen, it's indescribable. I can hardly force myself to keep looking at it. The eyes are black and gleam like a serpent. The mouth is V-shaped with saliva dripping from its rimless lips that seem to quiver and pulsate. The monster or whatever it is can hardly move. It seems weighed down by . . . possibly gravity or something. The thing's raising up. The crowd falls back now. They've seen plenty. This is the most extraordinary experience. I can't find words . . . I'll pull this microphone with me as I talk. I'll have to stop the description until I can take a new position. Hold on, will you please, I'll be right back in a minute.

(pause)

PHILLIPS: Ladies and gentlemen (Am I on?). Ladies and gentlemen, here I am, back of a stone wall that adjoins Mr. Wilmuth's garden. From here I see the whole scene. I'll give you every detail as long as I can talk. About thirty More state police have arrived They're drawing up a cordon in front of the pit, a. No need to push the crowd back they're keeping their distance. The captain is conferring with someone. I believe it's Professor Pierson. Yes, it is. The Professor moves around one side, studying the object, while the captain and two policemen advance with something in their hands. I can see it now. It's a white handkerchief tied to a pole . . . a flag of truce. If those creatures know what that means . . . Wait! Something's happening!

SFX 6 (HISSING SOUND) (HISSING SOUND FOLLOWED BY A HUMMING THAT INCREASES IN INTENSITY)

SFX 3 (HUMMING MACHINE NOISE) CUT SUDDENLY AFTER PHILLIPS SAYS “ TO MY RIGHT”       

PHILLIPS: A humped shape is rising out of the pit. I can make out a small beam of light against a mirror. What's that? There's a jet of flame springing from the mirror, and it leaps right at the advancing men. It strikes them head on! Good Lord, they're turning into flame!

SFX 7 (SCARED CROWD)  CUT SUDENLY AFTER PHILLIPS SAYS “TO MY RIGHT” SAME TIME AS SFX 3   (SCREAMS AND UNEARTHLY SHRIEKS)

PHILLIPS: Now the whole field's caught fire. (EXPLOSION) The woods . . . the barns . . . the gas tanks of automobiles . . . it's spreading everywhere. It's coming this way. About twenty yards to my right . . 

(CRASH OF MICROPHONE ... THEN DEAD SILENCE)

ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, due to circumstances beyond our control, we are unable to continue the broadcast from Grovers Mill. Evidently there's some difficulty with our field transmission. However, we will return to that point at the earliest opportunity. In the meantime, we have a late bulletin from San Diego, California. Professor Indellkoffer, speaking at a dinner of the California Astronomical Society, expressed the opinion that the explosions on Mars are undoubtedly nothing more than severe volcanic disturbances on the surface of the planet. 

(slight pause)   

(of mike)  Thank you 

Ladies and gentlemen, I have just been handed a message that came in from Grovers Mill by telephone… At least forty people, including six state troopers lie dead in a field east of the village of Grovers Mill, their bodies burned and distorted beyond all possible recognition. Another brief statement has been released informing us that the charred body of Carl Phillips has been identified among them. 

 WAR OF THE WORLDS  SFX LOG

SFX1: La Cumparista (tango music)

SFX2: crowd noise and police siren

SFX3: humming, machine like sound

SFX4: a thud, heavy object hitting the ground

SFX5:  crowd sound; shouting/gasping in horror/awe

SFX6: hissing sound (like steam)

SFX7:  scared crowd /screams 

Notes:

Not just reading, acting !

More upper class vocal tone.

Use a Jazz type radio voice to get the tone of the piece set.