War of the Worlds Newspaper Clippings

This 1970 ad from Springfield, Missouri sets up today's blog post!  Neat that KGBX rebroadcasted the infamous War of the Worlds on Halloween.  It probably brought back some frightful memories for original listeners.  So now let's gather around this Zenith radio ad and travel back to 1938 to look at some newspaper clippings about the infamous radio show that shocked America. 

I suppose people didn't look that close in their local newspaper but the show was previewed as these clippings prove. 

Even with newspaper previews and the intro from the original broadcast—which made it clear that it was a dramatization—people were still alarmed and frightened.  Now, let's take a look at some of the fallout with these newspaper articles.  

Amazing that this Pasadena theater played the broadcast. I wonder what kind of images were projected on the screen or if any.  Maybe the audience just sat in the darkened theater and listened.  

Here's a 1978 article that looks back.

If you've never listened to the original broadcast, go seek it out on YouTube and give it a listen.  Try to picture yourself as someone living in 1938.  You've been surviving the Great Depression and worrying about a possible world war.  Unlike today, your mind isn't filled with fantastic images from social media, movies and television.  Just sit on your sofa, dim the lights, and go back in time to 1938, when The War of the Worlds invaded the airwaves. 

On a much smaller scale, history was repeated but this time on Texas televison.  Check out this article from 1982.

Cauldron of Fun 1950s Style

Now this looks like a fun party! This 1955 photo is from the Pasadena Star News and don't you wish you could just step inside and hang out with these Halloween party people?       

 

Halloween Fast Food Newspaper Ads: Random Restaurants

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Peanuts History Rewritten: The Great Pumpkin Actually Arrived on October 21, 1959

It’s a known fact among comic historians that the first mention of the Great Pumpkin in a Peanuts comic strip was published on October 26, 1959. For decades, fans have pointed to that date as the official birth of this holiday legend. The idea became an overnight sensation, introducing readers to Linus’ unshakeable belief in a Santa-like figure for Halloween—a storyline that became an annual tradition and inspired a beloved animated television special. But wait... what if history has it wrong? I have made an amazing discovery that proves the Great Pumpkin actually made its world debut five days early, on October 21. Here is the proof in all its glory.

People in Vermont were the lucky ones to first read about the Great Pumpkin on Wednesday, October 21, 1959, when both The St. Albans Daily Messenger and the Burlington Daily News prematurely published this Peanuts strip.

This was actually the fourth Great Pumpkin strip in the story arc. While the rest of the country wouldn't officially read it until October 29, Vermont readers were visited by the Great Pumpkin early on October 21. For proof, here are the full funny pages for each newspaper.

Isn't that amazing! The next day on the 22nd, they ran the true first Great Pumpkin strip that was supposed to go out on the October 26.

Like a Ripley's Believe It or Not, now you can tell your friends that the Great Pumpkin actually made its debut five days early during the Halloween season of 1959.