War of the Worlds radio recording
Old Time Radio Theater
Howard Koch's radio adaptation of H. G. Well's "War of the Worlds" as performed by the Old Time Radio Theater of Frazier Park, CA. See us at http://www.oldtimeradiotheater.blogspot.com/
This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.
Chapters
| War of the Worlds | 56:20 |
| War of the Worlds | 56:20 |
Reviews
Disappointing
picfixer
Enthusiastic amateurs attempted to recreate Orsen Wells' radio version of "War of the Worlds, and while I'm sure the participants had a lot of fun, they did not succeed. To begin with, there were more amateurs than parts, so they just invented new characters and dialog. The stark, almost matter-of-fact realism that gave the original its impact is almost entirely missing from this "recreation." The cartoonish overacting of the "Carl Philips" part immediately eliminates any possibility of believability. As for period-piece accuracy, I'm sorry to say there were no female radio announcers in 1938, and the Army Air Corps certainly didn't have any female radio operators. I could go on, but you would probably think I was just nitpicking. The bottom line is this is a burlesque of the landmark Wells broadcast - not its recreation. By comparison, in the '80s there was an NPR updating of WOTW that got almost everything right, at least in spirit. It probably would be hard to find, but why bother since the Wells original is available on cassette tape and CD.
Worth a Listen
dreamcastle
While obviously a small theater groups unpolished recording of the Koch's original radio script available on Simply Scripts, it's not half bad. Yes, it's not Orson Welles and the original recording, but neither is the movie anything like the original broadcast. It is another version, just like all subsequent productions of Macbeth are not the same as the original. Still, this recording offers a nice version from an artful group of skilled and amateur actors who bring to life the radio play in a fresh way. Good sound, nice effects, and worth a listen if you appreciate the importance of people keeping old works of radio theater alive and breathing, instead of relegating them to the dustbin. Thumbs up for promoting the dying art of radio theater and making an enjoyable little production.
I am speechless
Bodryn
I am speechless. I have heard the original War of the Worlds recording on several occasions. I would love to hear it again. But to post this rather unrealistic version of the original radio play on Old Time Radio is rather like going to see a movie like the Blair Witch Project. I made that mistake, didn't want to make that kind of mistake again. This version should not even be on this website.
A Good Effort
Ampico
I applaud the group for attempting this project, but the original is so easily available, it makes listening to this one a little like going to Paris and skipping the Eiffel Tower because you've seen pictures of it.