'War of the Worlds' caused mass hysteria in 1938. NJ farm celebrating the Martian landing

Chris Jordan, Asbury Park Press
·3 min read

Looking for a little out-of-this-world fun before Halloween? A “War of the Worlds” 85th anniversary “broadcast bash” will take place Sunday, Oct. 29, on a farm in the Grovers Mill section of West Windsor.

The community was made famous on Oct. 30, 1938, when Orson Welles depicted it as the site of a Martian landing during a broadcast of H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds" on a Halloween episode of the radio series "The Mercury Theatre on the Air."

The broadcast caused mass hysteria across America. It’s been estimated that of the 6 million people who heard the broadcast, 1.2 million believed Earth actually was being invaded.

Orson Welles frightened people across the country during his 1938 broadcast of H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds."
Orson Welles frightened people across the country during his 1938 broadcast of H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds."

“The broadcast is such a unique part of our history in West Windsor and makes the perfect backdrop to any Halloween happening,” said West Windsor Arts executive director Aylin Green in a statement. “Even after so many years, we are still captivated by the story of how a work of theater in the form of a ‘fake’ broadcast became a local phenomenon and a national media event.”

The format of the faux show was music by Ramon Raquello and his Orchestra in the Park Plaza Hotel in Manhattan, interspersed by simulated news bulletins beginning with a report of explosions on Mars. That led to the Martians landing in Grovers Mill. A water tower, which still stands behind a home near Van Nest Park, was mistaken by locals for a Martian spaceship.

Once in Grovers Mill, the Martians spread forth, hitting Plainsboro, Jamesburg, Basking Ridge, Watchung and Morristown before taking New York City.

“Why did some radio listeners not recognize that they were listening to a dramatic reading of a play, and was there really mass hysteria?” Green said. “It’s fun to celebrate this famous event (that never happened) about aliens landing in West Windsor, but it also makes you think about the importance of media literacy, a topic that resonates today.”

The Oct. 31, 1938, front page of the (Louisville, Kentucky) Courier-Journal the morning after Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" broadcast.
The Oct. 31, 1938, front page of the (Louisville, Kentucky) Courier-Journal the morning after Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" broadcast.

More: Now on the radio, music and TV star Tony Orlando is going into the NJ Hall of Fame

More: UFOs in New Jersey: What has been spotted above the Shore?

The bash, presented by West Windsor Arts and the Historical Society of West Windsor, runs from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at 50 Southfield Road in West Windsor. Tickets are $10, $5 for kids ages 3 to 17.

A. Brad Schwartz, author of “Broadcast Hysteria: Orson Welles’s War of the Worlds and the Art of Fake News,” will speak at the event. The Ragtime Relics will perform, and artist Robert Hummel will give a painting demonstration.

There will also be Halloween-themed arts and crafts, candy and prizes for best costumes. A new mascot, a small Martian sculpture, will be unveiled.

Go: “War of the Worlds” 85th anniversary “broadcast bash,” 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29, 50 Southfield Road, Grovers Mill section of West Windsor, $10, $5 for kids ages 3 to 17; westwindsorarts.org/event/broadcast-bash-85th.

Subscribe to app.com for the latest on New Jersey entertainment scene.

Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: War of the Worlds 85th anniversary bash recalls Martian madness