Mass Hysteria?

[reACTIONary]

15. Mass Hysteria over Mass Hysteria....

Last edited Sat May 8, 2021, 06:22 PM - Edit history (2)

Welles's "War of the Worlds" broadcast has become famous for supposedly tricking some of its listeners into believing that a Martian invasion was actually taking place due to the "breaking news" style of storytelling employed in the first half of the show. The illusion of realism was furthered because the Mercury Theatre on the Air was a sustaining program without commercial interruptions; the first break in the drama came after Martian war machines were described as devastating New York City. Popular legend holds that some of the radio audience may have been listening to The Chase and Sanborn Hour with Edgar Bergen and tuned in to "The War of the Worlds" during a musical interlude, thereby missing the clear introduction indicating that the show was a work of science fiction. However, contemporary research suggests that this happened only in rare instances.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds_(1938_radio_drama)

It never happened. But it made a good story.