American Experience

History Series / 15 Seasons

American Experience, TV's most-watched history series, brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today.

52m 54s

JFK on the Enemy: The Red Threat

2m 44s

Kennedy believed his first diplomatic meeting with Nikita Khrushchev would be a lesson in compromise. But when it was clear the Soviet premier was unwilling to negotiate over Berlin and more than willing to talk casually about nuclear weapons, Kennedy told him "it's going to be a very cold winter." Kennedy left uneasy.

JFK's First Lady: Jackie and the White House

2m 59s

Raising more than a million dollars for the project, Jackie Kennedy set out to restore the White House and make it a center of art and culture. She debuted her project in a television special called "A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy." When the show producer showed John Kennedy clips of the film, he looked on in adoration.

A Grave Announcement

22s

Shortly after 8 p.m. on the Halloween Eve, 1938, the voice of a panicked radio announcer broke in with a news bulletin reporting strange explosions taking place on the planet Mars, followed minutes later by a report that Martians had landed in the tiny town of Grovers Mill, New Jersey. "War of the Worlds" premieres October 29, 2013 at 9pm ET on PBS.

Orson Welles' Best Performance

32s

After the "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast, CBS execs hastily convened a press conference for Orson Welles. It "was one of Welles great performances as an actor. And he knew that his whole career was on the line here," said Media Historian Paul Heyer. Welles had to sound sincere in his apology, which he may not necessarily have been, according to co-producer John Houseman.

Radios by the Millions

29s

During the height of the Great Depression, radios were being purchased by the millions. By 1938, nearly 80% of American homes had a radio. People were willing to forego many modern technological conveniences, but the radio remained a lifeline for the American public.

War of the Worlds Chapter 1

7m 16s

On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles gave the nation a Halloween scare with his radio broadcast of an adaptation of H.G. Wells' 1898 novel, "The War of the Worlds." Watch chapter 1 of War of the Worlds, premiering on PBS October 29, 2013 at 9/8c.

Making War of the Worlds

2m 59s

Actors, antique radios, and the greatest prank of all times. Go behind the scenes with the producers of War of the Worlds on filming the letters sent to Orson Welles and CBS Radio after the 1938 broadcast.

The Power of Propaganda

18s

Many Americans could not fathom that some people heard War of the Worlds and actually believed that Martians had landed in New Jersey. Time and again, newspapers blamed the listener. To journalist Dorothy Thompson, who applauded Welles in her widely-read column, the episode cleverly proved the power of propaganda. Watch this video to hear what she wrote in her column.

Orson Welles' Press Conference

23s

Orson Welles could not imagine how anyone could believe that Martians had really landed in New Jersey. At the CBS press conference the day following his "War of the Worlds" broadcast, Welles was asked whether he believed he had taken advantage of the public. "I can't imagine an invasion from Mars would find ready acceptance," responded Welles.

The Mic Went Dead

1m 5s

The War of the Worlds has become the one most legendary radio broadcasts in history. Twenty-three year old Orson Welles directed the famous radio drama on October 30, 1938, the night before Halloween referred to as "Mischief Night." Throughout the program, which would come to be known as "The Panic Broadcast," ten actors and a 27 piece orchestra eagerly awaited his direction.

War of the Worlds: Outtakes

1m 18s

To bring freshness to the story behind Orson Welles' famous broadcast, producers used letters written by listeners right after hearing War of the Worlds. Actors delivered monologues of parts of these letters as if they were archival interviews - you can see it in the film. Here, actors have some fun at the end of the day describing what it's like to play a character from the 1930s.

There Was No Stopping Orson Welles

26s

At one point during Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" broadcast, CBS network executives ordered an identifying station break to tell listeners that it was only a play. By that time, however, there was no stopping Orson Welles.

Fear and the Great Depression

18s

By the time of the "War of the Worlds" broadcast in 1938, U.S. citizens had been suffering through the Great Depression for nearly ten years. In his 1933 inaugural address, FDR recognized that the dominant mood of the country in the 1930s was not anger or resentment at the capitalist system but in fact was shame and fear.

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE's 25th Anniversary

2m 59s

On October 4, 1988, PBS broadcast The American Experience’s first documentary, "The Great San Francisco Earthquake." Twenty-five years and nearly 300 films later, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE has grown to become the country’s most-watched history series, setting the standard for intelligent, critical, and compelling, and critical view of America's history.

Coming this Fall

3m

Watch a short video about what is coming to American Experience during our 25th anniversary season this October and November, with a message from Executive Producer Mark Samels. The season kicks off with "War of the Worlds" on October 29, followed by "JFK" on November 11 & 12.

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