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The Night That Panicked America

  • TV Movie
  • 1975
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
767
YOUR RATING
The Night That Panicked America (1975)
Drama

On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles's radio play "The War of the Worlds" accidentally provokes mass panic.On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles's radio play "The War of the Worlds" accidentally provokes mass panic.On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles's radio play "The War of the Worlds" accidentally provokes mass panic.

  • Director
    • Joseph Sargent
  • Writers
    • Nicholas Meyer
    • Anthony Wilson
    • Howard Koch
  • Stars
    • Vic Morrow
    • Cliff De Young
    • Michael Constantine
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    767
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Joseph Sargent
    • Writers
      • Nicholas Meyer
      • Anthony Wilson
      • Howard Koch
    • Stars
      • Vic Morrow
      • Cliff De Young
      • Michael Constantine
    • 25User reviews
    • 7Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 1 win & 3 nominations total

    Photos

    View Poster

    Top cast29

    Edit
    Vic Morrow
    Vic Morrow
    • Hank Muldoon
    Cliff De Young
    Cliff De Young
    • Stefan Grubowski
    • (as Cliff DeYoung)
    Michael Constantine
    Michael Constantine
    • Jess Wingate
    Walter McGinn
    Walter McGinn
    • Paul Stewart
    Eileen Brennan
    Eileen Brennan
    • Ann Muldoon
    Meredith Baxter
    Meredith Baxter
    • Linda Davis
    Tom Bosley
    Tom Bosley
    • Norman Smith
    Will Geer
    Will Geer
    • Reverend Davis
    Paul Shenar
    Paul Shenar
    • Orson Welles
    John Ritter
    John Ritter
    • Walter Wingate
    Granville Van Dusen
    Granville Van Dusen
    • Carl Phillips
    Burton Gilliam
    Burton Gilliam
    • Tex
    Joshua Bryant
    Joshua Bryant
    • Howard Koch
    Liam Dunn
    Liam Dunn
    • Charlie
    Shelley Morrison
    Shelley Morrison
    • Toni
    Walker Edmiston
    Walker Edmiston
    • Mercury Theatre Player
    Marcus J. Grapes
    • Mercury Theatre Player
    Art Hannes
    • Mercury Theatre Player
    • Director
      • Joseph Sargent
    • Writers
      • Nicholas Meyer
      • Anthony Wilson
      • Howard Koch
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      CBS, now the copyright holder to the telefilm, made numerous 'disclaimers' during the broadcast, which is why no one ever successfully sued the network or Welles, despite numerous lawsuits.
    • Goofs
      The announcer introducing the Mercury Theatre on the Air's production of "The War of the Worlds" names Orson Welles and Howard Koch as the writer. While Koch did write the script, he was not named in the introduction to the original broadcast.
    • Quotes

      Ora Nichols: [to her assistant, assessing the Mercury Theater's show] Looks like another big night for Charlie Mc Carthy.

    • Alternate versions
      Premiered om ABC-TV at two hours (with commercials). A subsequent network rebroadcast was cut to fit a ninety-minute time slot. Both versions later turned up in syndication.
    • Connections
      Featured in Familiar Faces: Return of the Top 13 Weirdest Halloween Specials (2017)
    • Soundtracks
      Moonlight and Shadows
      (uncredited)
      Music by Friedrich Hollaender

    User reviews25

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10

    Accurate recreation of Orson Welles' "War of the World's" radio program .

    This film was a very entertaining, and historically accurate recreation of Orson Welles' radio program "War of the Worlds", which was based loosely on H G Wells' novel of the same name. It is utterly amazing that so many people believed that this radio drama was real, and the film does an excellent job of dramatizing the reactions of several people who seriously believed that the Earth was being invaded by Martians. What amazes me even more is the fact that no one has made this excellent production available for sale on video. It surely is a marketable product.
    • mspang
    • Dec 11, 1998
    • Permalink

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 31, 1975 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Night the Martians Landed
    • Filming locations
      • 2nd Street Tunnel between Hill and Figueroa, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • The Culzean Corporation
      • Paramount Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 32 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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