Melanie Mosqueda
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Vincent Longo
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Film, Television, and Media / LSA
Program:
Authors:
Session: Session 4: 1:40 pm – 2:30 pm
Poster: 69
Abstract
Orson Welles, regarded as one of the most innovative filmmakers, producers, writers, etc. of all time broadcasted on October 30, 1938 a drama known as “War of the Worlds” on the radio depicting a martian invasion. This broadcast stirred a lot of commotion as many listeners tuned into what they thought was a “breaking news broadcast” only to discover that it was a hoax. This study dives deep into the many letters that were sent to Orson Welles from around the country describing their anger, confusion, and or amusement upon listening to the broadcast. Throughout this study, the letters have been digitized, transcribed, and made available to the public. This allows us to observe the impact of sensational media through the people’s reaction as it erupted into mass hysteria. These letters provide excellent insight to the changing landscape that was media in the 1940’s, especially as anxiety surrounding World War II arose. Popular culture and current scholars describe the reaction to “War of the Worlds” as panic but we argue that these accounts rely too much on sensational media, and that reactions were much more diverse.
