Caption: Orson Welles (1915--1985), 1937 Mar01---young Orson.

Orson Welles was, of course, a film director and yours truly remembers him as a frequent guest and guest host on The Tonight Show in the 1970s or so.

Welles' 1938 "The War of Worlds radio play" provoked a real Martian invasion scare---it was a radio play, NOT a hoax, but it was done in a you-are-there fashion---heck it was Oct30, the day before Halloween---on the other hand, Welles was a bit of wag.

Welles transferred the setting from England to Grover's Mill, New Jersey. yours truly guesses a Martian invasion of New Jersey just seemed more likely.

By the by, Welles was NO relation to the author of The War of the Worlds (1898), H. G. Wells (1866--1946), but it's plausible that their homonymous surnames suggested the "The War of Worlds radio play" to Welles.

See Orson Welles videos below:

Orson Welles videos (i.e., Orson Welles (1915--1985) videos):

1. 'Attack By Mars' Panic; Orson Wells Speaks 1938/10/31 | 1:28: A bit sluggish, but it's fun to see young Orson. He's less glib than he learnt to be later years as when guest hosting The Tonight Show in the 1970s or so. Orson's denying there was hoax---but the press conference was on Halloween. Too long and dull for the classroom.
2. Orson shmoozes about Winston Churchill | 2:52: When Orson was more adept at speaking to ex tempore.

Credit/Permission: Carl Van Vechten (1880--1964), 1937 (uploaded to Wikipedia by User:Dbenzhuser, 2005) / Public domain.
Image link: Wikipedia: File:Orson Welles 1937.jpg.
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