# H.G. Wells and Orson Welles together **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 31, 2006, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/h-g-wells-and-orson-welles-together/370903 "2006-08-31T12:00:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/h-g-wells-and-orson-welles-together/370903/1 "2006-08-31T12:00:04Z")
I just heard a remarkable radio interview – Orson Welles and H.G. Welles together on the air in San Antonio, Texas, almost precisely two years after the infamous “War of the Worlds” broadcast(!!) I didn’t even know such a thing existed. Fascinating bit of cultural history. They discuss the event, inevitably comparing it to tthe war against Hitler that the U.S. was not yet directly involved in. I was not aware that Hitler brought up the panic in the U.S. that followed in his Munich address, or that parade floats featuring the event appeared in Nazi parades. H.G. Wells asks Orson about his upcoming production, which Orson Welles hopes will “make a big noise” because of its innovative techniques. It’s called “Citizen Kane”. The IMDB site claims that: > [@](#): > > H.G. Wells was driving through San Antonio, Texas and stopped to ask the way. The person he happened to ask was none other than Orson Welles who had recently broadcast “The War of the Worlds” on the radio. They got on well and spent the day together. [http://uk.imdb.com/name/nm0000080/bio](http://uk.imdb.com/name/nm0000080/bio) This is contradicted by the broadcast itself, which says that they first met at the studio. I can’t get any links to the recording, but you can search for it if you include “San Antonio” in your search line to distinguish it from all the other “War of the World” chaff. Apparently it was station KTSA on Oct. 29, 1940. I have it on a CD/DVD set from Millcreek Entertainment. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/h-g-wells-and-orson-welles-together/370903/2 "2006-08-31T12:26:22Z")
That’s really interesting! The things you learn, eh? The truly sad thing, though, is that whenever I think of Orson Welles, the first thing that comes to mind is not _Citizen Kane_, but his appearances (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) in _The Critic_- more specifically, the line “Rosebud… Yes, Rosebud Frozen Peas! They’re full of country goodness and green peaness. Wait, that’s terrible. I Quit!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/h-g-wells-and-orson-welles-together/370903/3 "2006-08-31T17:22:43Z")
I’m sure the conversation was deep. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/h-g-wells-and-orson-welles-together/370903/4 "2006-08-31T18:14:59Z")
[QUOTE=Martini Enfield] The truly sad thing, though, is that whenever I think of Orson Welles, the first thing that comes to mind is not _Citizen Kane_, but his appearances (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) in _The Critic_- more specifically, the line “Rosebud… Yes, Rosebud Frozen Peas! They’re full of country goodness and green peaness. Wait, that’s terrible. I Quit!” 😃 [/QUOTE] I could have sworn that was from Animaniacs. One of my favourite bits too - LeMarche nails the voice. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/h-g-wells-and-orson-welles-together/370903/5 "2006-08-31T18:50:37Z")
What did the Nazis find so interesting about the War of the Worlds panic? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/h-g-wells-and-orson-welles-together/370903/6 "2006-08-31T18:57:22Z")
[QUOTE=adam yax] I could have sworn that was from Animaniacs. One of my favourite bits too - LeMarche nails the voice. [/QUOTE] Nope, it’s The Critic. They did that a couple of times. What you might be thinking of is something from Pinky and the Brain. They parodied of a famous incident where Welles was reading for a fish sticks commercial and complaining that the ad copy sucked. The audio is on the Web. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/h-g-wells-and-orson-welles-together/370903/7 "2006-08-31T19:15:54Z")
> [@](#): > > What did the Nazis find so interesting about the War of the Worlds panic? It supposedly showed the degeneracy and disorganization of the Allies. Actually, there had been a similar radio panic in Britain a couple of years earlier , although in that case the fictional incidents were more prosaic and believable – riots in the streets of London, buildings getting blown up. Kinda like what’s depicted in V for Vendetta. And, IIRC, it went out on the BBC. Despite the use of what ought to be obvious joke names and departments, people didn’t catch on, and took it seriously. But nobody seems to remember that one so well. Not even the Nazis. Many years later there was yet another radio panic in South America. I think it may have been a War of the Worlds broadcast, too. Obviously, the lessons learned weren’t being disseminated far and wide. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/h-g-wells-and-orson-welles-together/370903/8 "2006-08-31T23:22:00Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] It supposedly showed the degeneracy and disorganization of the Allies. Actually, there had been a similar radio panic in Britain a couple of years earlier , although in that case the fictional incidents were more prosaic and believable – riots in the streets of London, buildings getting blown up. Kinda like what’s depicted in V for Vendetta. And, IIRC, it went out on the BBC. Despite the use of what ought to be obvious joke names and departments, people didn’t catch on, and took it seriously. But nobody seems to remember that one so well. Not even the Nazis. [/quote] Ooh, I’ve got a recording of that! It begins: > [@London radio hoax](#): > > “This is Clive Bubblefroth reporting for the BBC. Panic is gripping London today, following a mysterious explosion in the building housing the Ministry of Silly Walks. Silly Walks Minister Lord Hacksplatter has gone missing, and his personal secretary, Sir Christopher Robin Belchleigh-Fartingsworth is sitting in the shadow of Nelson’s column, his head between his knees, alternately sobbing, and muttering about his grandmothers collection of postal cards depicting the Crystal Palace. Occasionally, he bursts into song, rendering a creditable version of _Dona e Mobile_ from Verdi’s _Rigoletto_.” Okay, no I don’t, really. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/h-g-wells-and-orson-welles-together/370903/9 "2006-09-01T00:45:39Z")
Good look to anyone looking for this “Munich speech” by Hitler in which he brings up the _War of the Worlds_ panic. I couldn’t find it, just a few secondary references to such a speech. ---
**Author:** ![Alistair\_McCello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58956e/32.png) [@Alistair\_McCello](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alistair_McCello)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/h-g-wells-and-orson-welles-together/370903/10 "2006-09-01T01:03:30Z")
[For anyone who doesn’t want to take all that effort to search on their own…](http://sounds.mercurytheatre.info/mercury/401028.mp3) ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/h-g-wells-and-orson-welles-together/370903/11 "2006-09-01T07:39:12Z")
[QUOTE=Marley23] Nope, it’s The Critic. They did that a couple of times. What you might be thinking of is something from Pinky and the Brain. They parodied of a famous incident where Welles was reading for a fish sticks commercial and complaining that the ad copy sucked. The audio is on the Web. [/QUOTE] It’s even better raw! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Alistair\_McCello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58956e/32.png) [@Alistair\_McCello](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alistair_McCello)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/h-g-wells-and-orson-welles-together/370903/12 "2006-09-01T13:04:04Z")
> [@Martini Enfield](#): > > It’s even better raw! It’s even better when you’re dead! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/h-g-wells-and-orson-welles-together/370903/13 "2006-09-02T14:49:01Z")
[QUOTE=Alistair McCello] It’s even better when you’re dead! 😃 [/QUOTE] But are they still country fresh and full of green peaness? 😃