On this day in music history - Long Road Out of Eden, by the Eagles (2007):

The album Long Road Out of Eden,

by the Eagles,

was released on October 30, 2007.

On this day in movie history - The Hidden (1987):

The Hidden

directed by Jack Sholder,

written by Bob Hunt,

was released in the United States on October 30, 1987.
Music by Michael Convertino.

Cast:

Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Nouri, Claudia Christian, Clarence Felder, Clu Gulager, Ed O’Ross, William Boyett, Richard Brooks, Larry Cedar, Katherine Cannon, John McCann, Chris Mulkey, Lin Shaye, James Luisi, Frank Renzulli, Duane Davis, Kristen Clayton, Whitney Reis, Joey Sagal, Jeff Levine, Mark Morante, Jill Friedman, Rick Lieberman, Joseph Whipp, Donald Willis, Beau Gibson, Joe Perce, Jason Edwards, Joy N. Houck Jr., Mary Petrie, Joey Aresco, Judy Kerr, Luce Morgan, Richard B. Whitaker, Michael Yama, Charlene White, Marc Siegler, Jack McGee, Steve Eastin, Ted White, Loren Haynes, Rachel Todd, Buckley Norris, Lenna Robinson, Cate Caplin, Joe Gilbride, Deke Anderson, Wren T. Brown, Alan Marcus, Mark Phelan, Danny Trejo, Branscombe Richmond, Charles Edward Smith, Lew Hopson, Doug Collins, Bob K. Cummings, Alonzo Brown Jr., Rick Diamond, Charlie Skeen, Robert Brown, Chris Wentzel, Jake (the Dog), Kris Gilpin, Michael Joiner, Robert Shaye.

On this day in radio history - The War of the Worlds (1938 radio broadcast & book):

The War of the Worlds

directed by Orson Welles,

originally broadcast on CBS Radio, on October 30, 1938.
A one-hour dramatization, based on the novel by H. G. Wells.
Written by Howard Koch.
Produced by Orson Welles and John Houseman.
Broadcast from 8 – 9 p.m. (ET)
Announced by Dan Seymour.
Hosted by the radio series: The Mercury Theatre on the Air.
Narrated by Orson Welles.
Cast: Orson Welles, Frank Readick, Kenny Delmar, Ray Collins.

-------------------------

Recommended reading:

Dead Air: The Night That Orson Welles Terrified America

By William Elliott Hazelgrove.

Published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Published 2024.

Hardcover.

ISBN-10: 1538187167

ISBN-13: 978-1538187166

Description:

A "granular history" (Wall Street Journal) of the greatest hoax in radio history and the panic that followed, which Publishers Weekly calls "a rollicking portrait of a director on the cusp of greatness" and Booklist, in a starred review, says, "Hazelgrove’s feverishly focused retelling of the broadcast as well as the fallout makes for a propulsive read as a study of both a cultural moment of mass hysteria and the singular voice at its root.”

On a warm Halloween Eve, October 30, 1938, during a broadcast of H G. Wells’ War of the Worlds, a twenty-three-year-old Orson Welles held his hands up for radio silence in the CBS studio in New York City while millions of people ran out into the night screaming, grabbed shotguns, drove off in cars, and hid in basements, attics, or anywhere they could find to get away from Martians intent on exterminating the human race. As Welles held up his hands to his fellow actors, musicians, and sound technicians, he turned six seconds of radio silence – dead air – into absolute horror, changing the way the world would view media forever, and making himself one of the most famous men in America.

In Dead Air: The Night that Orson Welles Terrified America, Willliam Elliot Hazelgrove illustrates for the first time how Orson Welles’ broadcast caused massive panic in the United States, convincing listeners across the nation that the end of the World had arrived and even leading military and government officials to become involved. Using newspaper accounts of the broadcast, Hazelgrove shows the true, staggering effect that Welles’ opera of panic had on the nation. Beginning with Welles’ incredible rise from a young man who lost his parents early to a child prodigy of the stage, Dead Air introduces a Welles who threw his Hail Mary with War of the Worlds, knowing full well that obscurity and fame are two sides of the same coin. Hazelgrove demonstrates that Welles’ knew he had one shot to grab the limelight before it forever passed him by – and he made it count.

In this fine-grained account, historian Hazelgrove (Writing Gatsby) chronicles the mass hysteria that accompanied Orson Welles's infamous 1938 radio adaptation of H.G. Wells's The War of the Worlds. Hazelgrove presents Welles as an actor of immense ambition and preternatural talent, noting that by age 22, he had put on headline-grabbing plays (the government shut down his 1937 production of The Cradle Will Rock, fearing its pro-labor themes would be incendiary) and traveled around New York City in a faux ambulance to move more quickly between his numerous radio and theatrical commitments. The author recounts the rushed scriptwriting process for War of the Worlds and offers a play-by-play of the broadcast, but he lavishes the most attention on the havoc Welles wreaked. Contemporaneous news accounts reported college students fighting to telephone their parents, diners rushing out of restaurants without paying their bills, families fleeing to nearby mountains to escape the aliens' poisonous gas, and even one woman's attempted suicide. Hazelgrove largely brushes aside contemporary scholarship questioning whether the hysteria's scope matched the sensational news reports, but he persuasively shows how the incident reignited elitist fears that "Americans were essentially gullible morons" and earned Welles the national recognition he'd yearned for. It's a rollicking portrait of a director on the cusp of greatness. – Publishers Weekly.

Orson Welles may be best known for his film Citizen Kane, but a much earlier outing in his career led to the opportunity to make such an artistically ambitious undertaking. Hazelgrove charts Welles' rise from a hectic childhood to the anointed genius of stage, radio, and, eventually, film. But it was the night before Halloween in 1938 when Welles' bombastic radioplay rendition of H.G Wells' War of the Worlds, styled as a breaking-news report, caused an uproar. Arriving at a nexus point when Americans began not only to rely on the relatively new invention of radio for entertainment but also as a trusted news source, the radioplay brought many who were listening to the brink of madness, wholly believing that aliens had actually touched down in a New Jersey town. Suicides, car accidents, and general unrest swept the country, and, at show's end, Welles could only wonder if his career (and even freedom) was over too. Hazelgrove's feverishly focused retelling of the broadcast as well as the fallout makes for a propulsive read as a study of both a cultural moment of mass hysteria and the singular voice at its root. – Booklist, Starred Review.

William Elliott Hazelgrove's richly anecdotal "Dead Air" is the story of Welles's landmark October 1938 radio broadcast and the nationwide panic that resulted. Welles's "you are there" adaptation, crafted to imitate a breaking-news bulletin, sent a tremor of panic into listeners across the country who believed it to be a real report of a flying-saucer invasion. Mr. Hazelgrove has scoured regional newspapers of the time to provide a ground-level view of the hysteria that Welles's radio drama instilled—on the night before Halloween, no less. – Wall Street Journal.

"A fantastical tale about Martians coming to earth and incinerating humans with heat ray guns - up to 12 million people tuned in and were convinced aliens were exterminating the human race." – Daily Mail UK.

"The book highlights what made Welles' production particularly powerful, airing at a time when millions remained unemployed from the Great Depression and the nation was on edge about the threat of Nazi Germany. He details how Welles took advantage of those fears, including using an actor who sounded like Franklin D. Roosevelt for a part in his broadcast.

"A bottled-up sense of panic was in the air and people could almost smell the fear," he writes. "Orson Welles would open that bottle and let the fear run wild." – Associated Press.

"A convincing portrait of the artist as a young man—defiant, reckless, ruthless, and teeming with talent and ambition—Dead Air packs delights worthy of its subject." – New York Journal of Books.

Born on this day – Ed Lauter:

Ed Lauter

Actor

Comedian

October 30, 1938 – October 16, 2013

Born on this day – Michael Winner:

Michael Winner

Director

Writer

October 30, 1935 – January 21, 2013

Credits:

Burke and Hare (2010); Hotel Babylon (2009); Shelf Life (2000); Parting Shots (1998); I, Camcorder (1995); Calliope (1994); Decadence (1994); Dirty Weekend (1993); For the Greater Good (1991); Bullseye! (1990); A Chorus of Disapproval (1989); Appointment with Death (1988); Death Wish 3 (1985); Claudia (1985); Scream for Help (1984); The Wicked Lady (1983); Death Wish II (1982); Firepower (1979); The Big Sleep (1978); The Sentinel (1977); Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976); Death Wish (1974); The Stone Killer (1973); Scorpio (1973); The Mechanic (1972); Chato's Land (1972); The Nightcomers (1971); Lawman (1971); The Games (1970); Hannibal Brooks (1969); A Little of What You Fancy (1968); I'll Never Forget What's'isname (1967); The Jokers (1967); You Must Be Joking! (1965); The Girl-Getters (1964); West 11 (1963); The Cool Mikado (1963); Play It Cool (1962); Behave Yourself (1962); The Cool Mikado (1963); Haunted England (1961); Old Mac (1961); Some Like It Cool (1961); Murder on the Campus (1961); Girls Girls Girls! (1961); Climb Up the Wall (1960); Shoot to Kill (1960); Watch the Birdie (1959); Danger, Women at Work (1959); Floating Fortress (1959); Man with a Gun (1958); The Square (1957).

Born on this day – Johanna von Koczian:

Johanna von Koczian

Actress

Writer

October 30, 1933 – February 10, 2024

Born on this day – Louis Malle:

Louis Malle

Director

Writer

Producer

October 30, 1932 – November 23, 1995

Born on this day – Jane Randolph:

Jane Randolph

Actress

October 30, 1914 – May 4, 2009

Credits:

A History of Horror with Mark Gatiss (2010); A Sporting Chance (1945); Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948); Bambi (1942); Carioca Serenaders (1941); Cat People (1942); Century of Cinema (1995); Cinemassacre's Monster Madness (2007–2011); Compression (2023); Dive Bomber (1941); Fast Company (1946); Fool's Gold (1946); Highways by Night (1942); In the Meantime, Darling (1944); Jealousy (1945); Manpower (1941); One Foot in Heaven (1941); Open Secret (1948); Railroaded! (1947); That Lady (1955); The Curse of the Cat People (1944); The Falcon Strikes Back (1943); The Falcon's Brother (1942); The Front Page (1945); The Male Animal (1942); The Mysterious Mr. M (1946); T-Men (1947).

Born on this day – Ruth Hussey:

Ruth Hussey

Actress

October 30, 1911 – April 19, 2005

Credits:

AFI Life Achievement Award (1980); Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1956); All-Star Party for 'Dutch' Reagan (1985); Amazing World of Radio (2018); And God Created Woman (1988); Another Thin Man (1939); Bedside Manner (1945); Big City (1937); Blackmail (1939); Celanese Theatre (1951); Climax! (1955–1957); Family Theatre (1951–1952); Fast and Furious (1939); Flight Command (1940); Footlights Theater (1953); Free and Easy (1941); General Electric Theater (1953–1954); H.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941); Here's Hollywood (1962); Hold That Kiss (1938); Honolulu (1939); I, Jane Doe (1948); Insight (1961); Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre (1955); Joyful Hour (1960); Judge Hardy's Children (1938); Louisa (1950); Lux Video Theatre (1950–1957); Madame X (1937); Maisie (1939); Man-Proof (1938); Marcus Welby, M.D. (1971); Marie Antoinette (1938); Marine Raiders (1944); Married Bachelor (1941); MGM Parade (1955); Mr. Music (1950); My Darling Daughters' Anniversary (1973); Nash Airflyte Theatre (1950); Northwest Passage (1940); Our Wife (1941); Pierre of the Plains (1942); Playwrights '56 (1956); Producers' Showcase (1955); Pulitzer Prize Playhouse (1950); Rich Man, Poor Girl (1938); Science Fiction Theatre (1955–1956); Shower of Stars (1955); Showtime, U.S.A. (1951); Soaring Stars (1942); Spring Madness (1938); Stars and Stripes Forever (1952); Studio 57 (1956 / 1957); Studio One (1954); Susan and God (1940); Tender Comrade (1943); Tennessee Johnson (1942); That's My Boy (1951); The Christophers (1955–1960); The Easter Seal Teleparade of Stars (1955); The Elgin Hour (1954); The Eyes Have It (1949); The Facts of Life (1960); The Ford Television Theatre (1953); The Great Gatsby (1949); The Jimmy Stewart Show (1972); The Lady Wants Mink (1953); The Miracle of Sound (1940); The New Perry Mason (1973); The Philadelphia Story (1940); The Red Skelton Hour (1956–1958); The Resurrection of Broncho Billy (1970); The Revlon Mirror Theater (1953); The Uninvited (1944); The Women (1939); Time Out for Murder (1938); Vacation Playhouse (1963); Valentine's Day (1965); Within the Law (1939); Woman of the North Country (1952); Your Play Time (1954).

Born on this day – Ruth Gordon:

Ruth Gordon

Actress

Writer

October 30, 1896 – August 28, 1985

Credits:

100 Years at the Movies (1994); A Double Life (1947); A History of Horror with Mark Gatiss (2010); Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940); Action in the North Atlantic (1943); Adam's Rib (1949 / 1973); American Masters (1987 / 2011); Any Which Way You Can (1980); Blithe Spirit (1966); Boardwalk (1979); Boffo! Tinseltown's Bombs and Blockbusters (2006); Camille (1915); Cineficción Radio (2020); Columbo (1977); Delta Pi (1984); Donahue (1975); Don't Go to Sleep (1982); Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940); Edge of Darkness (1943); Emergency! (1976); Every Which Way But Loose (1978); Film '80 (1980); Flip (1971); Good Morning America (1976–1979); Hal (2018); Hardhat and Legs (1980); Harold and Maude (1971); Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust (2004); Information Please: Series 1, No. 8 (1940); Information Please: Series 2, No. 2 (1940); Inside Daisy Clover (1965); Isn't It Shocking? (1973); Jimmy the Kid (1982); Kojak (1975); Late Night with David Letterman (1982); Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby (1976); Looks Familiar (1980); Lord Love a Duck (1966); Madame Butterfly (1915); Maxie (1985); Medical Story (1975); Mia and Roman (1968); My Bodyguard (1980); Natalie - A Tribute to a Very Special Lady (1982); Newhart (1983–1984); Night of 100 Stars (1982); Night of 100 Stars II (1985); Over 21 (1945); Pat and Mike (1952); Patti Smith, la poésie du punk (2022); Perfect Gentlemen (1978); Person to Person (1959); RHEMA: Combine Man (1984); Rhoda (1975); Rosemary's Baby (1968); Rosemary's Baby: A Retrospective (2000); Rosie! (1967); Saturday Night Live (1977); Scavenger Hunt (1979); Sex at 24 Frames Per Second (2003); Subaru BRAT Superbowl TV Comemrcial with Ruth Gordon (1982); Taxi (1979); That Was the Year That Was – 1976 (1976); That's Entertainment, Part II (1976); That's Life (1979); The 38th Annual Academy Awards (1966); The 41st Annual Academy Awards (1969); The 6th People's Choice Awards (1980); The 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008); The Actress (1953); The Alcoa Hour (1957); The Big Bus (1976); The David Frost Show (1969–1971); The Dick Cavett Show (1969–1978); The DuPont Show of the Month (1960); The Ed Sullivan Show (1956); The Film Society of Lincoln Center Tribute to George Cukor (1978); The Ford Theatre Hour (1948); The Great Houdini (1976); The Joey Bishop Show (1969); The John Davidson Show (1982); The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002); The Love Boat (1977); The Marrying Kind (1952); The Matchmaker (1954); The Merv Griffin Show (1970–1980); The Mike Douglas Show (1971–1980); The Movies (2019); The Prince of Central Park (1977); The Prudential Family Playhouse (1950); The Secret World of the Very Young (1984); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1969–1977); The Trouble with Spies (1987); The Whirl of Life (1915); This Is Your Life (1971); Tom Cottle: Up Close (1983); Two-Faced Woman (1941); Voyage of the Rock Aliens (1984); Welcome to the Basement (2015); What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? (1969); Where's Poppa? (1970).

Recommended reading - Golden Age Whodunits (2024):

Golden Age Whodunits

Edited by Otto Penzler.

Short story anthology.

Published by American Mystery Classics.

Published 2024.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 1613165420

ISBN-13: 978-1613165423

Description:

Depending on who you ask, the term "whodunit" was first coined sometime around 1930, but the literary form predates that name by several decades. Still, it was in the years between the two World Wars--the so-called "Golden Age" of mystery fiction--that the style flourished. Short mysteries were published far and wide by a variety of authors, not just those primarily associated with the genre. They appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, Cosmopolitan, The New Yorker, and other high-end periodicals that still exist today. These tales were, in short, among the most popular diversions in literature and were of the highest caliber.

Fifteen puzzling tales from the masters of the mystery genre Depending on who you ask, the term “whodunit” was first coined sometime around 1930, but the literary form predates that name by several decades. Still, it was in the years between the two World Wars – the so-called “Golden Age” of mystery fiction – that the style flourished. Short mysteries were published far and wide by a variety of authors, not just those primarily associated with the genre. They appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, Cosmopolitan, The New Yorker, and other high-end periodicals that still exist today. These tales were, in short, among the most popular diversions in literature and were of the highest caliber.

In this volume, Edgar Award–winning anthologist Otto Penzler collects some of the finest American whodunits of the era, including household names and welcome rediscoveries. F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ellery Queen, and Mary Roberts Rinehart are all included, as are Ring Lardner, Melville Davisson Post, and Helen Reilly. The result is a cross section of the whodunit tale in the years that made it a staple in mystery fiction.

"Stellar . . . there’s not a weak link in the bunch. For classic mystery fans, this is a must." – Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW.

"Guaranteed to make Americans prouder of their country than any episode in its recent political history." – Kirkus.

"You simply can’t go wrong with any anthology that has [Otto Penzler’s] name on it." – Parade Magazine.

"Penzler’s depth of knowledge of the genre is in full evidence in this volume . . . This anthology is sure to contain something to surprise even the most diehard mystery fan." – Toronto Star.

Caitlin Flanagan, on writing:

If you're a writer, you just keep following the path -

keep going deeper and deeper into the things that interest you.

- Caitlin Flanagan.