THE NIGHT AMERICA TREMBLED / Studio One - CBS - 1957

Welp, here's our last Halloween Countdown of 2014... Whew!! I saved this one for the last day, it's an episode from STUDIO ONE that is a recreation of the broadcast by the Mercury Theatre of THE WAR OF THE WORLDS and the panic that followed because some listeners thought it was an actual invasion from Mars! Oh yeah, Happy Halloween Everbloody!!

Eegah!! sent over a little sound clip from this program for our approval, sooooo, you can push the big red 'GO' button over by our air raid siren, NOW, Rufus The Gnat!.. Here's a taste of... THE NIGHT AMERICA TREMBLED!

Our story begins with an introduction by Edward R. Murrow and his cigarette, as heard in the sound clip, he also narrates throughout the hour program.

The Mercury Theatre warms up before they go live, as also heard in the sound clip.

At the bar, it's all in your face politics and talk about the rise of Hitler in Europe.

Here's a shot from the newsroom with John Astin in his very first acting role!! Man, we love John as Gomez Addams, they could have never cast a better actor than him for that part, and, he's still working today!!

And, in this scene, there are Warren Oates and Warren Beatty (on the right) playing cards before the radio program starts. This is Oates third acting credit and Beatty's second credit!

If you didn't hear the intro to the show where they announce that it' a reenactment of H. G. Well's story of a Marian invasion, a listener may get the bejesus scared out of them!

Blogger The Gremlin has screwed up my photos once again, when will the insanity end?!!

Here are some of the actors in the middle of the show, that's Ed Asner there on the left.

Back at the newsroom, the editor keeps getting calls from panicked citizens!

This babysitter, played by Susan Hallaran, is really getting creeped out with the parents gone out to dinner!

And, this scared couple riding in their car just after they decide to get married!

The babysitter can't take it anymore, she calls the parents and begs them to come home!

Some of my favorite parts involves these policemen trying to deal with the non-stop calls from freaked out citizens!

By the time the play is ending, the producer's worried about all the potential law suits!

The parents get home just as the program ends, it was just a play, the babysitter feels a lot better now! And, there's James Coburn as the dad in his very first acting role!

This poor guy tells the police that he was so panicked that he drove hundreds of miles away and is now stranded without any money!

Tune in tomorrow when things will be back to normal!.. Normal?!