Thinking back on October 31, 1938 - a very fateful day in the course of both Orson Welles and radio - I often wonder how a stunt like that might come off today, with our artificial world of CGI and computers and history that already foretells the outcome of such an event.
In this post 911 world (a very real -yet- still almost unbelievable event) we remain a people who believe (and want to believe!) the impossible. Drama is drama no matter if it is real or imagined. The world that surrounds us make us game for make-believe or real tragedies to enthrall and scare us. We go to movies for just that purpose.
In 1938, the world was on the brink of a very terrible (and in many ways, unbelievable) war and every night these people would hear of Hitler and his Nazis, the Japanese, the Spaniards, the Greeks and on and on and on - world war was a match light away from happening. Though America's stance was to stay out of it, I have a feeling that most intelligent people knew there would be a "Pearl Harbor" event - which was much like our 911 happenings.
Welles did not deserve to be crucified in the newspaper as he clearly was. While he apologized for the outcome and the panic, he seemed to make no apologies for the drama. "You don't play murder in soft words." And he was right.
Welles was a scapegoat for the people's fear about what was happening in Europe. That seems all too clear now.
©Jimbo 2010/2011
No comments:
Post a Comment
Let me know what you think of this post or this site! It only take a few seconds and I'd really appreciate your comments...