The buildings used in the 1939 World’s Fair were large
geometric structures that would seem wildly impractical, but very aesthetically
pleasing. Some buildings had no windows, while some others were made almost
exclusively with windows. Much of the production was very shiny. That might
lead people to be overly optimistic about the direction in which things were
headed. The country was still recovering from a very difficult economic time.
The realism of the radio broadcast of the War of the Worlds
was because it was very similar to any other broadcast that one might hear at
the time. They would have musical interludes while news was being gathered. As
they cut to the reporter at Princeton the audience has already assumed that
this is just like any other evening. Why would it possibly be a hoax? They made
the professor seem dubious of life on Mars, and that would be common of any
scientist at the time. There wasn’t any evidence to support a life on Mars
theory, so they probably would assume that there wasn’t any life. These “gas
explosions” that they mention make it seem as if there were observable events
that would be more convincing than just “we see some aliens.”
I’m sure that some people were given quite the shock by what
was being broadcasted. There was no real sensationalism in the voices of the
announcers at first, or at least no more than would be had from any other broadcast at
the time. The excitement rose as it would if there were people reacting to it. In fact they used sound clips of small crowds acting shocked and angry at the events.
The music that is added in at regular intervals feels very strange when you know it's a hoax, but if you didn't it would probably add very strong notes of realism.
Also the broadcasters were held to a slightly higher standard of
giving the correct information to the public. Radio was a medium untouched by
the hand of the hoaxer. The first time something fools people is much easier
than the second.
The music in the intervals of the broadcast of the "War of the Worlds" was, as you said, at first a strange nuisance as I listened to it for the first time. I just felt like it was taking away from the actual performance. However, when I listened to it again (as I had to listen to it for my communications class this week as well), it really dawned on me that the music was a very important part of the production. Placing yourself in the shoes of someone in the 1930's, in the earlier days of entertainment in radio, music was probably a large part of every day broadcasting. Not only was music used for entertainment, but I am guessing that music was a way of "soothing" and audience, or keeping them occupied, even if it seemed incredibly strange to do so in the middle of an "alien invasion" I am guessing it just added to the realism.
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