Rare Orson Welles WAR OF THE WORLDS Interview Resurfaces

In 1938, the Great Depression ravaged America, the world was on the brink of war, and Superman debuted. And on the night before Halloween that year, another event occurred that sent America into pure panic. This was Orson Welles’ dramatized radio broadcast of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds , which sent listeners into a tailspin, actually believing that Martians were invading Earth. This widespread panic catapulted Welles to nationwide fame, and three years later, his debut film Citizen Kane would arrive. Via Laughing Squid , a video of a rare 1955 BBC interview Welles gave about his 1939 Mercury Theater on the Air performance surfaced. And he explains how his radio broadcast became a true moment in history.

So how did so many people actually believe that Martians were invading?