EVEN DeepER Blurting!: DBNS: Grist for the (Grover's) Mill

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DBNS: Grist for the (Grover's) Mill

Posted by Kenneth Morgan on 10/30/2009, 10:49 pm

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've been pretty remiss in posting DBNS articles of late, due to a variety of factors. I hope to be back on track from now on, though. Hope this hasn't been a problem. Anyway...

Once again, Kenneth Morgan waits for the Martians to show up in his backyard.
*****
Quite a while back, I wrote a review of a TV-movie called “The Night That Panicked America”, about Orson Welles’ infamous “War of the Worlds” broadcast and how it affected…well, panicked some of its listeners (hence the title). Well, in doing research for the article, I was surprised to find out that this wasn’t the first time a TV docudrama had been made on the subject. (Yup, I don’t know everything after all.) Some time ago, I unexpectedly got a copy of this earlier production. So, since I’m not one to waste an idea for an article, I figured I’d write about it. Besides, given today’s date, it seems like a pretty obvious choice, right?

Thus, our subject for today: “The Night America Trembled”, originally broadcast on the anthology program “Studio One” over CBS on September 9th, 1957.

Like the similarly-titled later movie, this production features a re-creation of the Mercury Theater radio show, working from the original script, with Alexander Scourby as the lead. Meanwhile, it also features fictional segments about some of the people listening. Like a group of regular guys in a New Jersey bar, arguing over that guy in Germany called Hitler, or a bunch of college students playing a friendly game of poker. There are Mary & Bob, a couple of young sweethearts out on a date, and Millie, a teenage babysitter doing her homework, as well as a few others. And all of them figure that this Sunday night in late October will be pretty quiet. Then, they start hearing reports on the radio about odd things going on at Grover’s Mill…

Like I wrote, this is pretty much the same type of story as was presented in the other movie. Beyond the differences in the fictional stories presented, the main point of interest for “The Night America Trembled” is that it was presented on live TV. As someone who has worked on live television many times (though not in live drama), I can tell you that it’s not at all easy to do well. This production, though, succeeds, with an interesting script, some good performances, and a good technical presentation with few glitches that I could notice.

As someone who has read extensively about “War of the Worlds”, and listened to it many times, I was able to note a number of things TNAT (sorry, I’m too lazy to type it out) got right and wrong in their reenactment, particularly in comparison with TNTPA. For example, the earlier one accurately omits an on-air scriptwriting credit for Howard W. Koch and plays the correct music (from the “Park Plaza Hotel”) early on. On the other hand, the later one correctly shows the way they made the sound of the Martian cylinder opening (the pickle jar next to the microphone in the toilet), as well as actually featuring Orson Welles. (Oddly, perhaps to avoid a legal hassle, TNAT doesn’t refer to Welles at all, presenting the program’s director and host as two separate, unnamed characters.) Also, neither one mentions John Houseman’s role in preparing the script and producing the program. So, I guess I’ll have to keep waiting for a more accurate presentation.

I guess the most interesting aspect of TNAT is who’s in it. As you watch it, you notice a number of familiar faces. When Millie, you see that the father of her charge is played by James Coburn. One of the guys in the bar is played by Vincent Gardenia. Two of the poker players are, respectively, Warren Oates and Warren Beatty. One of the Mercury Theater actors is played by Ed Asner, while a newspaper reporter is an uncredited John Astin. And the whole show is hosted and narrated by none other than Edward R. Murrow. That’s a pretty good cast right there, and they all do well, along with the rest of the actors.

As I noted in my TNTPA review, it was difficult for me to get a copy of that movie, as it was rarely broadcast nowadays and hadn’t been commercially released. So, I had to resort to an Ebay auction of a dub of someone’s personal recording. (I’m pretty sure that’s sort-of legal.) For TNAT, it’s a different story. My copy is a commercial DVD from a company specializing in public domain material. As a result, it’s probably fairly easy to locate from multiple sources. An interesting note: my copy includes previews of upcoming “Studio One” productions and a brief proto-infomercial about sponsor Westinghouse featuring John Cameron Swayze. (No, he doesn’t try to destroy a wristwatch.) Be advised that this program may be packaged under a different title; my copy has a DVD cover proclaiming “MARS INVADES THE EARTH!”, with artwork that reflects absolutely nothing about the story.

All in all, I’d say “The Night America Trembled” is definitely worth a look, both as a bit of TV history and as an actual drama. And I also recommend listening to the Orson Welles original; it’s still effective over 70 years later. In fact, I listened to it again earlier tonight.

Well, that’s about it for this one. Of course, there are any number of other productions inspired by “War of the Worlds” that I could write about. There are at least two “Doctor Who” stories, a ‘Pinky and the Brain” segment, several remakes, and I suppose “Buckaroo Banzai” would count. Theoretically, I could base Halloween articles on this subject for maybe the next decade.

Think I could pull it off?

CONNECTIONS NOTE: Clint Kimbrough (Bob) appeared in the previously-reviewed “Von Richtofen and Brown”, while Vincent Gardenia was in the previously-reviewed “Cold Turkey”. And Frank Marth, who plays one of the Mercury Theater cast, appeared as the lead USAF guy in the MSTed “Marooned” (a.k.a. “Space Travelers”).

TRIVIA NOTE: One of the “Studio One” previews is for a two-part drama called “Mutiny on the Shark”, set aboard a nuclear submarine. And the star of that show? None other than Richard Basehart! (Does Gypsy have a copy of that show?)

Oh, and before I forget…BOO!!!