# War of the worlds-Jeff Wayne-video? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 1, 2004, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-the-worlds-jeff-wayne-video/262540 "2004-09-01T05:08:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hammerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/73ab20/32.png) [@hammerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hammerbach)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-the-worlds-jeff-wayne-video/262540/1 "2004-09-01T05:08:55Z")
Mrs. H says she saw a video tape o this once, back in the early '80s. Anybody know anything about that? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![nonpolar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3da27b/32.png) [@nonpolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonpolar)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-the-worlds-jeff-wayne-video/262540/2 "2004-09-01T05:14:47Z")
Excellent music but never saw video. ---
**Author:** ![Abe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f1d935/32.png) [@Abe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abe)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-the-worlds-jeff-wayne-video/262540/3 "2004-09-01T07:01:24Z")
I have this record, and it’s great. I’ve never seen the movie, I was actually under the impression that this was a radio broadcast. I know it starred Richard Burton, and IMDB shows up no War of the Worlds for Richard Burton. it’s a work from 1976 I think. You can find the CD on Amazon, just search for War of the Worlds and Jeff Wayne, and listen to some of the tracks. Highly recommended and a lot of fun. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-the-worlds-jeff-wayne-video/262540/4 "2004-09-01T12:27:10Z")
> [@Abe](#): > > I have this record, and it’s great. I’ve never seen the movie, I was actually under the impression that this was a radio broadcast. I know it starred Richard Burton, and IMDB shows up no War of the Worlds for Richard Burton. it’s a work from 1976 I think. > > You can find the CD on Amazon, just search for War of the Worlds and Jeff Wayne, and listen to some of the tracks. Highly recommended and a lot of fun. There’s some serious misinformation there. \* War of the Worlds \* was, of course, first a novel by H.G. Wells published about the turn of the century, and considered a classic because it was the first time anyone had ever contemplated an invasion from outer space by a non-human race. (This was a startlingly original idea at the time, and not the mind-numbing cliche it is today.) It has been reprinted in dozens if not hundreds of editions. The novel was made into a radio program in the late ‘30’s that panicked hundreds of thousands of people across the United States who thought we were really under attack. This became known as the famous “Panic Broadcast.” The program was produced by and starred Orson Welles and was an episode of Welles’ highly respected Mercury Theater. Tapes and MP3’s of this program are easily available. George Pal produced a film version in the 1950’s, noted mostly for its special effects. (I think they stand up well even by today’s standards–excellent model work IMNSHO). The film was not very faithful to the novel. Richard Burton was not associated with this film in any way. A deplorable television series loosely based on the George Pal film was produced in the late 1960’s or early 1970’s. Unless you are really, really, really a hard core fan of the novel, it’s best to just leave this one alone. A rock opera based on Well’s novel was produced in the 1970’s with Richard Burton narrating much of the story and featured, among others, the Moody Blues. Nice piece of work, I think. A friend of mine has played it several times at his annual Halloween party. I know Classics Illustrated did a comic book version of the original novel. I seem to remember that Marvel did a comic book series based on the television show. Can anyone confirm this, or is my memory playing tricks on me? ---
**Author:** ![Abe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f1d935/32.png) [@Abe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abe)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-the-worlds-jeff-wayne-video/262540/5 "2004-09-01T15:15:19Z")
Heh, I know what _War of the Worlds_ is, I was referring specifically to Jeff Wayne’s production. I believed it was a serialized radio broadcast, from the 1970s (1974 I believe). I didn’t realize it was considered a Rock Opera, but that’s the one we are talking about, it does indeed feature one of the folks from Moody Blues. Good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-the-worlds-jeff-wayne-video/262540/6 "2004-09-01T18:05:00Z")
I’ve heard that Wayne wanted to make a movie of it back in 1978, but it feel through for some reason. Just recently, in the wake of spielberg’s annoucement, I’ve heard a rumor that a movie is going to be made, based off the album, and be animated. And as much as I’d love to see that(far more then anything speilberg will probably do to it), the only sources have been out of the way sites I’ve never heard of before. Which gives me very little hope. _Recently heard the Album for the first time and liked it_ ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-the-worlds-jeff-wayne-video/262540/7 "2004-09-01T21:55:19Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > A deplorable television series loosely based on the George Pal film was produced in the late 1960’s or early 1970’s. Unless you are really, really, really a hard core fan of the novel, it’s best to just leave this one alone. There was also another syndicated series of War of the Worlds in the late 80’s-90’s that had almost nothing to do with either the book or the moive. The idiotic premise of the series was that all us Earthlings just “forgot” about the initial invasion. The whole series was an excuse to show slimey skinny fingered staking alien hands reching out to grasp our hero/heroine. The only redeeming feature of this series is that its premise was so idotic and the producer’s defense of it so inane (“its sci-fi, we can do anythign we want”) that it inspired Micheal J. Stracynski to push harder to make Babylon 5. Oh, and the rock opera kicks ass, _Farewell Thunderchild_ makes me cry. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-the-worlds-jeff-wayne-video/262540/8 "2004-09-01T21:59:10Z")
War of the Worlds is on the iTunes store, if anyone cares. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-the-worlds-jeff-wayne-video/262540/9 "2004-09-01T22:48:59Z")
> [@Mr. Miskatonic](#): > > There was also another syndicated series of War of the Worlds in the late 80’s-90’s that had almost nothing to do with either the book or the moive. The idiotic premise of the series was that all us Earthlings just “forgot” about the initial invasion. The whole series was an excuse to show slimey skinny fingered staking alien hands reching out to grasp our hero/heroine. > > The only redeeming feature of this series is that its premise was so idotic and the producer’s defense of it so inane (“its sci-fi, we can do anythign we want”) that it inspired Micheal J. Stracynski to push harder to make Babylon 5. > > Oh, and the rock opera kicks ass, _Farewell Thunderchild_ makes me cry. That’s what I heard. The first season is rather X-files-ish in the way that they have to convince everyone that the martians are coming-disregarding the fact they destroyed half the world 30 years before. Apparently the 2nd season had little to do with the first. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-the-worlds-jeff-wayne-video/262540/10 "2004-09-01T23:22:14Z")
> [@Mr. Miskatonic](#): > > Oh, and the rock opera kicks ass, _Farewell Thunderchild_ makes me cry. Really? _Forever Autumn_ is the one that does that for me. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-the-worlds-jeff-wayne-video/262540/11 "2004-09-01T23:50:35Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > A deplorable television series loosely based on the George Pal film was produced in the late 1960’s or early 1970’s. Unless you are really, really, really a hard core fan of the novel, it’s best to just leave this one alone. > > A rock opera based on Well’s novel was produced in the 1970’s with Richard Burton narrating much of the story and featured, among others, the Moody Blues. Nice piece of work, I think. A friend of mine has played it several times at his annual Halloween party. > > I know Classics Illustrated did a comic book version of the original novel. I seem to remember that Marvel did a comic book series based on the television show. Can anyone confirm this, or is my memory playing tricks on me? 1. I am only aware of one “War Of The Worlds” TV series; it ran two seasons, in the late eighties and early nineties, and has been mentioned elsewhere in this thread. In the first season, everyone miraculously forgot about the invasion for some reason. In the second season, the aliens have successfully brought about a new dark age on Earth, but have not yet conquered it for some reason. This series was, as I recall, remarkably dumb. 2. Got the Jeff Wayne version on CD. It’s rather seventies-flavored, by today’s standards, but it’s not bad, and includes standout performances by Richard Burton, David Essex, and Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues! And yes, there was a video segment, as well as a PC game based on it; I have seen the video segment, but do not own it. I have never played the PC game, and do not own it; it was on sale for $5 at a used bookstore… but someone had taken the CD from the case! Didn’t quite feel like ponying up $5 for just the case… 3. Marvel Comics did a “War Of The Worlds” series in the early-to-mid-seventies, that postulated, “What would have happened if the Martians on Mars had figured out what went wrong, immunized themselves, and invaded again?” Well, actually, they’d have kicked our butts, even if they didn’t look much like the Martians described by Wells. Eventually, a sword-wielding human called Killraven arose and led the revolt; he was so popular, the book was eventually renamed after him. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-the-worlds-jeff-wayne-video/262540/12 "2004-09-02T03:18:30Z")
> [@Mr. Miskatonic](#): > > Oh, and the rock opera kicks ass, _Farewell Thunderchild_ makes me cry. That and _Brave new world_ are my favorites ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-the-worlds-jeff-wayne-video/262540/13 "2004-09-02T03:37:00Z")
> [@Master Wang-Ka](#): > > 1. Got the Jeff Wayne version on CD. It’s rather seventies-flavored, by today’s standards, but it’s not bad, and includes standout performances by Richard Burton, David Essex, and Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues! And yes, there was a video segment, as well as a PC game based on it; I have seen the video segment, but do not own it. I have never played the PC game, and do not own it; it was on sale for $5 at a used bookstore… but someone had taken the CD from the case! Didn’t quite feel like ponying up $5 for just the case… > . The game apparently an interesting mix. It used a remix of the album for the soundtrack and had you commanding eithe the British or Martian military in Britian in 1898. The graphics looked pretty good, with the tripods much bigger then the human weapons. The big thing was supposed to be that it had a dynamic campaign, which meant you could have battles all over Britain with no linear campaign. On the downside, this pretty much wiped out any storyline, and the game apparently suffered from a couple bugs. It doesn’t really matter. It’s hard the find the game anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-the-worlds-jeff-wayne-video/262540/14 "2004-09-02T03:41:20Z")
> [@HPL](#): > > That and _Brave new world_ are my favorites I performed that in my acting class several years ago. It’s a really fun song to sing and act to. But what really gets to me is when the preacher’s wife sing “No Nathaniel. Oh no Nathaniel, no.”