M y admiration for script writer Howard Koch increases every time I replay the broadcast. Except for the funereal pronouncements of Orsen Wells intoning the introductory words of H.G. Welles for the first two minutes of the broadcast, the story has been totally transformed into a masterpiece of dramatic tension. E arly in the program the unfolding events seem to be expertly handled by the broadcasters. This dramatic device is repeated a few seconds later to reinforce the feeling of helpless doom. Each disaster scene is concluded with a moment of awkard silence.
T here are moments of ironic humor in the broadcast.
Script writer Koch seemed to take particular delight in wiping out the Columbia Broadcasting System studios 38 minutes into the program. Nothing comparable has marked the history of television which has had a much longer period in which to establish creative landmarks. Hadley Cantril s research studies certainly show that it was the enlightened listener who attempted to verify what was going on by checking other stations on the dial, the newspaper program guides, and public safety organizations.