Discover The Fall of the City, the 1937 radio drama that inspired Orson Welles’ famous War of the Worlds broadcast, in War of the Worlds Week – The Fall of the City. Host Matt kicks off the 2024 edition of his week-long celebration of one of pop culture’s most legendary radio moments by presenting the full Columbia Workshop performance of The Fall of the City from CBS Radio, preceded by background on why it matters to War of the Worlds history.
The Fall of the City was written by Archibald MacLeish as part of the Columbia Workshop’s open call for experimental radio works, and it was directed and produced by Irving Reis, who created the Columbia Workshop. Presented as a live news broadcast, it reports on a city gripped by growing panic after a strange, unexpected event. Sound familiar? A 22-year-old Orson Welles plays the main announcer, making this a direct link to the 1938 War of the Worlds.
In this episode:
- How The Fall of the City works as a fake radio broadcast and why it foreshadowed War of the Worlds
- Behind-the-scenes production facts, including the Seventh Regiment Armory in Manhattan, 200 extras for the crowd noise, and a soundproof booth built for Welles
- How crowds of 10,000 were created using pre-recorded rehearsal audio played from four spots in the armory
- Why the New York Times named it one of 1937’s outstanding broadcasts and why it was added to the National Recording Registry in 2005
- The complete performance, which Matt keeps on his Halloween playlist nearly every year
Whether you love War of the Worlds, old-time radio, or spooky Halloween listening, this episode is a perfect way to hear the history behind the legend. It is part of the larger Halloween celebration at Neusaz.com.
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