IMDb > The Night That Panicked America (1975) (TV)

The Night That Panicked America (1975) (TV) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   298 votes
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Director:
Joseph Sargent
Writers:
Howard Koch (play)
Nicholas Meyer (screenplay)
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Night That Panicked America on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
31 October 1975 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama more
Plot:
True story: Orson Welles puts on a radio version of an H.G. Wells novel, and people who miss the beginning think Martians are invading the Earth. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Won Primetime Emmy. Another 3 nominations more
User Comments:
A cautionary tale about the power media more (15 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Vic Morrow ... Hank Muldoon

Cliff De Young ... Stefan Grubowski

Michael Constantine ... Jess Wingate
Walter McGinn ... Paul Stewart
Eileen Brennan ... Ann Muldoon

Meredith Baxter ... Linda Davis
Tom Bosley ... Norman Smith
Will Geer ... Reverend Davis
Paul Shenar ... Orson Welles

John Ritter ... Walter Wingate

Granville Van Dusen ... Carl Phillips
Burton Gilliam ... Tex
Joshua Bryant ... Howard Koch
Liam Dunn ... Charlie

Shelley Morrison ... Toni
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Additional Details

Runtime:
92 min | USA:120 min (including commercials)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The film is set on Sunday 30th October 1938, airdate of "The Mercury Theatre on the Air"'s famous Halloween broadcast of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds on CBS from New York. more
Quotes:
Ora Nichols: [to her assistant, assessing the Mercury Theater's show] Looks like another big night for Charlie Mc Carthy. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) more

FAQ

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful.
A cautionary tale about the power media, 30 March 2007
10/10
Author: nitalouise from New Jersey

As the line between entertainment and news becomes increasingly blurred, this important film cautions us about the media's power over our lives. I was lucky enough to get a copy of this recently and am using it in a Western Studies class to teach my high school students about the role of radio in the Modern Age. Both FDR and Hitler understood very well how to use the radio, and this concept is even more relevant today in our age of sound bites and podcasts. More than ever, we need to teach our children how to wade through the information tidal wave that swamps them daily. This film serves as a powerful reminder that we must be far more discerning about what we read and hear, regardless of the source.

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Message Boards

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
You can watch this movie on you tube! dajulad
Would love to see this again nafana
'The Night America Trembled' shootr2
VHS on EBAY redskys
Sure would like to know motherhen718
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Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits IMDb Drama section
IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

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