The Resource Broadcast hysteria : Orson Welles's War of the Worlds and the art of fake news, A. Brad Schwartz
Broadcast hysteria : Orson Welles's War of the Worlds and the art of fake news, A. Brad Schwartz
Resource Information
The item Broadcast hysteria : Orson Welles's War of the Worlds and the art of fake news, A. Brad Schwartz represents a specific, individual, material embodiment of a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in Hamilton-Wenham Public Library.This item is available to borrow from 1 library branch.
Resource Information
The item Broadcast hysteria : Orson Welles's War of the Worlds and the art of fake news, A. Brad Schwartz represents a specific, individual, material embodiment of a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in Hamilton-Wenham Public Library.
This item is available to borrow from 1 library branch.
- Summary
- On the evening of October 30, 1938, radio listeners across the United States heard a startling report of a meteor strike in the New Jersey countryside. With sirens blaring in the background, announcers in the field described mysterious creatures, terrifying war machines, and thick clouds of poison gas moving toward New York City. As the invading force approached Manhattan, some listeners sat transfixed, while others ran to alert neighbors or to call the police. Some even fled their homes. But the hair-raising broadcast was not a real news bulletin-it was Orson Welles's adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic The War of the Worlds. In Broadcast Hysteria, A. Brad Schwartz boldly retells the story of Welles's famed radio play and its impact. Did it really spawn a "wave of mass hysteria, " as The New York Times reported? Schwartz is the first to examine the hundreds of letters sent to Orson Welles himself in the days after the broadcast, and his findings challenge the conventional wisdom. Few listeners believed an actual attack was under way. But even so, Schwartz shows that Welles's broadcast became a major scandal, prompting a different kind of mass panic as Americans debated the bewitching power of the radio and the country's vulnerability in a time of crisis. When the debate was over, American broadcasting had changed for good, but not for the better. As Schwartz tells this story, we observe how an atmosphere of natural disaster and impending war permitted broadcasters to create shared live national experiences for the first time. We follow Orson Welles's rise to fame and watch his manic energy and artistic genius at work in the play's hurried yet innovative production. And we trace the present-day popularity of "fake news" back to its source in Welles's show and its many imitators. Schwartz's original research, gifted storytelling, and thoughtful analysis make Broadcast Hysteria a groundbreaking new look at a crucial but little-understood episode in American history
- Language
- eng
- Edition
- First edition.
- Extent
- 337 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates
- Contents
-
- Introduction
- Journalism and showmanship
- Winged Mercury
- Martians of the mind's eye
- Yours in terror
- Public frightener no. 1
- Air racketeers
- The public interest
- The story of the century
- A matter of psychology
- The horror man
- Conclusion
- Isbn
- 9780809031610
- Label
- Broadcast hysteria : Orson Welles's War of the Worlds and the art of fake news
- Title
- Broadcast hysteria
- Title remainder
- Orson Welles's War of the Worlds and the art of fake news
- Statement of responsibility
- A. Brad Schwartz
- Subject
-
- Mass media and public opinion
- Radio broadcasting -- United States -- History -- 20th century
- Science fiction radio programs -- Psychological aspects
- Broadcast journalism -- United States -- History -- 20th century
- Welles, Orson, 1915-1985 -- Criticism and interpretation
- Welles, Orson, 1915-1985 -- Influence
- War of the worlds (Radio program) -- Influence
- Hoaxes in mass media
- Language
- eng
- Summary
- On the evening of October 30, 1938, radio listeners across the United States heard a startling report of a meteor strike in the New Jersey countryside. With sirens blaring in the background, announcers in the field described mysterious creatures, terrifying war machines, and thick clouds of poison gas moving toward New York City. As the invading force approached Manhattan, some listeners sat transfixed, while others ran to alert neighbors or to call the police. Some even fled their homes. But the hair-raising broadcast was not a real news bulletin-it was Orson Welles's adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic The War of the Worlds. In Broadcast Hysteria, A. Brad Schwartz boldly retells the story of Welles's famed radio play and its impact. Did it really spawn a "wave of mass hysteria, " as The New York Times reported? Schwartz is the first to examine the hundreds of letters sent to Orson Welles himself in the days after the broadcast, and his findings challenge the conventional wisdom. Few listeners believed an actual attack was under way. But even so, Schwartz shows that Welles's broadcast became a major scandal, prompting a different kind of mass panic as Americans debated the bewitching power of the radio and the country's vulnerability in a time of crisis. When the debate was over, American broadcasting had changed for good, but not for the better. As Schwartz tells this story, we observe how an atmosphere of natural disaster and impending war permitted broadcasters to create shared live national experiences for the first time. We follow Orson Welles's rise to fame and watch his manic energy and artistic genius at work in the play's hurried yet innovative production. And we trace the present-day popularity of "fake news" back to its source in Welles's show and its many imitators. Schwartz's original research, gifted storytelling, and thoughtful analysis make Broadcast Hysteria a groundbreaking new look at a crucial but little-understood episode in American history
- Cataloging source
- DLC
- http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
- Schwartz, A. Brad
- Dewey number
- 791.44/72
- Illustrations
-
- illustrations
- plates
- Index
- index present
- LC call number
- PN1991.77.W3
- LC item number
- S48 2015
- Literary form
- non fiction
- Nature of contents
- bibliography
- http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
-
- Welles, Orson
- Welles, Orson
- Science fiction radio programs
- Mass media and public opinion
- Hoaxes in mass media
- Radio broadcasting
- Broadcast journalism
- Label
- Broadcast hysteria : Orson Welles's War of the Worlds and the art of fake news, A. Brad Schwartz
- Bibliography note
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 237-317) and index
- Carrier category
- volume
- Carrier category code
-
- nc
- Carrier MARC source
- rdacarrier
- Content category
- text
- Content type code
-
- txt
- Content type MARC source
- rdacontent
- Contents
- Introduction -- Journalism and showmanship -- Winged Mercury -- Martians of the mind's eye -- Yours in terror -- Public frightener no. 1 -- Air racketeers -- The public interest -- The story of the century -- A matter of psychology -- The horror man -- Conclusion
- Control code
- 1591987
- Dimensions
- 24 cm
- Edition
- First edition.
- Extent
- 337 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates
- Isbn
- 9780809031610
- Lccn
- 2014040510
- Media category
- unmediated
- Media MARC source
- rdamedia
- Media type code
-
- n
- Other physical details
- illustrations
- System control number
-
- (Sirsi) 1591987
- (OCoLC)895030504
- Label
- Broadcast hysteria : Orson Welles's War of the Worlds and the art of fake news, A. Brad Schwartz
- Bibliography note
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 237-317) and index
- Carrier category
- volume
- Carrier category code
-
- nc
- Carrier MARC source
- rdacarrier
- Content category
- text
- Content type code
-
- txt
- Content type MARC source
- rdacontent
- Contents
- Introduction -- Journalism and showmanship -- Winged Mercury -- Martians of the mind's eye -- Yours in terror -- Public frightener no. 1 -- Air racketeers -- The public interest -- The story of the century -- A matter of psychology -- The horror man -- Conclusion
- Control code
- 1591987
- Dimensions
- 24 cm
- Edition
- First edition.
- Extent
- 337 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates
- Isbn
- 9780809031610
- Lccn
- 2014040510
- Media category
- unmediated
- Media MARC source
- rdamedia
- Media type code
-
- n
- Other physical details
- illustrations
- System control number
-
- (Sirsi) 1591987
- (OCoLC)895030504
Subject
- Mass media and public opinion
- Radio broadcasting -- United States -- History -- 20th century
- Science fiction radio programs -- Psychological aspects
- Broadcast journalism -- United States -- History -- 20th century
- Welles, Orson, 1915-1985 -- Criticism and interpretation
- Welles, Orson, 1915-1985 -- Influence
- War of the worlds (Radio program) -- Influence
- Hoaxes in mass media
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<div class="citation" vocab="http://schema.org/"><i class="fa fa-external-link-square fa-fw"></i> Data from <span resource="http://link.hwlibrary.org/portal/Broadcast-hysteria--Orson-Welless-War-of-the/9Q0agngZS4k/" typeof="Book http://bibfra.me/vocab/lite/Item"><span property="name http://bibfra.me/vocab/lite/label"><a href="http://link.hwlibrary.org/portal/Broadcast-hysteria--Orson-Welless-War-of-the/9Q0agngZS4k/">Broadcast hysteria : Orson Welles's War of the Worlds and the art of fake news, A. Brad Schwartz</a></span> - <span property="potentialAction" typeOf="OrganizeAction"><span property="agent" typeof="LibrarySystem http://library.link/vocab/LibrarySystem" resource="http://link.hwlibrary.org/"><span property="name http://bibfra.me/vocab/lite/label"><a property="url" href="http://link.hwlibrary.org/">Hamilton-Wenham Public Library</a></span></span></span></span></div>