MovieChat Forums > The Night That Panicked America (1975) Discussion > Would love to see this again

Would love to see this again

posted 17 years ago by nafana
10 replies | jump to latest

I remember watching this movie when it came out thirty years ago (gee I’m getting old). It was of particular interest to me because I was working in radio at the time and always had a fascination with old time radio. I remember one particular scene where to get the sound of the door of the Martian spaceship opening Welles had the sound engineer slowly unscrew the lid of a mason jar in a toilet bowl in the men's restroom. (Now a days this would be done with a digital synthesizer) I would love to see this movie again and can’t understand why it's never shown on AMC or TCM or available on DVD or VHS. It was sure better than a lot of the crap that is.

[–] crittercat 17 years ago

Actually, it was the sound engineer, himself, who found the best way to do the sound of the Martian cylinder unscrewing -- it was a pickle jar, by the way.

Come blog with me: http://blufftoninthedriftless.blogspot.com/

[–] jeepsdude 15 years ago

Actually, it was the sound engineer HERself who devised the sound. Ora Wilcox ran the sound department at CBS in the 1930s.

[–] crittercat 15 years ago

Actually, Ora NICHOLS was one of three sound engineers assigned to the Mercury Theater on the Air. It was James Rogan or Ray Kremer who came up with the specific sound effect to simulate the unscrewing of the Martian cylinder.

Come blog with me: http://blufftoninthedriftless.blogspot.com/

[–] rexb-2 16 years ago

Check out the thread here called "Re: Night That Panicked America Copy" about getting a DVD copy of a VHS recording.

[–] rock_slabfist 16 years ago

There is also a bittorrent thread on this. I have approximately 36% downloaded in 8 hrs and it looks as though there are two seeders.

I don't advocate using BT, but why should someone pay $20 to a bootlegger when they probably got it the same way.

[–] zerobeat 16 years ago

Wow, after reading nafana's post I thought I had written it last year because that's almost verbatim the post I was going to make! I too remember vividly the scene that followed the microphone cable down the hall into the washroom showing the guy slowing opening the jar in the toilet bowl to get that porcelain reverb. I saw this in grade 9 in 1975. I eventually got into audio (sound designer on various tv shows and movies for example) and ALWAYS think about this cool movie.

I'd love to show it to my students (I teach audio for film part-time), or at least an edited version that shows the stuff happening at the Mercury Theatre.

[–] mdilley1 16 years ago

To me the end of this movie was most memorable. As the camera panned toward the night sky, the sounds in the background were of Hitler rabble-rousing; the announcer said something like, "The broadcast was over but the nightmare was just beginning." That sent shivers down my back and still does because I think it is a powerful piece of writing. As with the others here, I, too, would like to see this again.

[–] prometheeus 16 years ago

I managed to record this some 15 years ago from a local station. I'm surprised that it hasn't been released yet. Paul Shenar nailed his part as Orson. If anyone wants to get a copy send me a private message.

Happy Halloween

[–] jazzcat320 15 years ago

Search YouTube...I watched it in nine segments. It was a decent recording uploaded to YouTube.

[–] 15 years ago

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