Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This is a great example of live television from the 1950s and one of the few surviving kinescopes of the long running CBS dramatic anthology series "Studio One" (1948-58). "The Night America Trembled" is a recreation of the Orson Welles/Mercury Theatre radio adaptation of H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds" broadcast of October 30, 1938. This early docudrama makes the most of its low budget thanks to a taut script, crisp direction and an incredible ensemble cast that included Ed Asner, Warren Beatty, James Coburn, Vincent Gardenia, Frank Marth, Warren Oates, Alexander Scourby and, in an uncredited role, John Astin. The production was hosted by famed CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow, who provides historical context for the show.
This release, by Alpha Video, is not the first time that "The Night America Trembled" has appeared on DVD. This episode has also appeared on the Canadian label VSC (Video Service Corp.) as part of their trio of "Studio One" DVD releases. Alpha's presentation is fairly solid for a live show from the 1950s. But those searching for Betty Furness and the original Westinghouse commercials will need the VSC version as this release eliminates almost all of the commercials, save for an opening reference to Westinghouse and a commercial near the end. Alpha rounds out this release with an episode of another early live anthology series "Lights Out," which had its origins in radio and focused its stories on the supernatural. Though rare to see, the episode "The Martian Eyes" is one of the murkiest looking television episodes that I've ever seen committed to DVD, and the script simply doesn't hold one's interest in the way that "The Night America Trembled" does. However, it's great to see Burgess Meredith in an early television role, along with veteran J. Pat O'Malley.
This DVD release will likely be of interest to those who appreciate vintage, live television. "Studio One" fans are better served by the releases from VSC, but if you're looking just for "The Night America Trembled," this release will do just fine. I'm giving **** for "The Night America Trembled" and ** for "The Martian Eyes."
Click Here to see more reviews about: Mars Invades The Earth: The Night America Trembled (1957) / The Martian Eyes from ""Lights Out"" (1950) (2006)
A horrific and dramatic recreation of the night Mars invaded earth via the infamous Mercury Theater ""War Of The Worlds"" broadcast / A terrifying episode from the classic TV horror series ""Lights Out.""
No comments:
Post a Comment