Spooked: Chapters 5–7

by Gail Jarrow
In 1938, Orson Welles performed a radio version of H.G. Wells's science fiction novel The War of the Worlds — and inadvertently sparked panic among listeners who believed they were tuned in to a real news broadcast about an alien invasion. This award-winning book tells the story behind the broadcast and explores the effects of false information in the media.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–4, Chapters 5–7, Chapters 8–11, Dear Mr. Welles–Chapter 12, Dear FCC–Hoaxes
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. plausible
    apparently reasonable, valid, or truthful
    They didn’t grasp how plausible the idea was to some people.
  2. mayhem
    violent and needless disturbance
    Instead of destroying London and its suburbs, as the Martians did in the novel, Koch’s aliens would create mayhem in the New York City area.
  3. observatory
    a building equipped to view astronomical phenomena
    The town wasn’t far from Princeton University, which had an astronomical observatory.
  4. engaging
    attracting or delighting
    They doubted that American listeners would find the British story engaging, despite the updates.
  5. orchestrate
    plan and direct (a complex undertaking)
    Koch figured out how to orchestrate the battle in New Jersey, making "moves and countermoves between the invaders and the defenders.”
  6. dud
    an event that fails badly or is totally ineffectual
    The actors thought the show would be a dud.
  7. blunt
    characterized by directness in manner or speech
    Welles was blunt. It needs to be more thrilling. Beef up the eyewitness reports. Make the news bulletins seem real.
  8. spruce
    make neat, smart, or trim
    For the rest of the night, Houseman and Stewart labored over the script, adding details, sprucing up dialogue, and building suspense.
  9. loom
    hang over, as of something threatening, dark, or menacing
    Over at Koch’s apartment, he and Froelick made adjustments as their next deadline loomed.
  10. censor
    a person authorized to suppress unacceptable material
    The CBS censors expected to see the script by Friday afternoon.
  11. incorporate
    make into a whole or make part of a whole
    Paul Stewart took charge of the rehearsal that day, working with the sound engineer to incorporate sound effects and music with the actors’ voices.
  12. podium
    a platform raised above the surrounding level
    He took his position on a raised podium in the middle of the studio.
  13. fluctuate
    move or sway in a rising and falling or wavelike pattern
    They kept their heads steady and mouths aimed at the microphone so that the volume of their voices didn’t fluctuate.
  14. foreground
    the part of a scene that is near the viewer
    In the foreground, the sound effects team waits for the cue to use their equipment and discs containing prerecorded sounds.
  15. revolution
    a single complete turn
    They played some of the sounds from 78-rpm (revolutions per minute) acetate records.
  16. paraphernalia
    equipment consisting of miscellaneous articles
    They created others live using their collection of paraphernalia.
  17. frenzied
    excessively agitated
    As the afternoon sped by and the clock ticked down to airtime, Welles became more frenzied.
  18. disheveled
    in disarray; extremely disorderly
    Houseman portrayed his partner’s style: "Sweating, howling, disheveled, and singlehanded he wrestled with chaos and time.”
  19. fret
    worry unnecessarily or excessively
    Houseman watched the electric clock on the studio wall, fretting that Welles had slowed down the beginning of the program too much.
  20. tedious
    so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
    The weather report seemed tedious. The interview about science felt tiresome.
  21. turmoil
    violent agitation
    As the turmoil and yelling continued, the minutes slipped by.
  22. zeal
    a feeling of strong eagerness
    Welles had calmed down, and "a strange fever seemed to invade the studio—part childish mischief, part professional zeal.”
  23. rout
    an overwhelming defeat
    “It was the beginning of the rout of civilization, of the massacre of mankind."
    —H. G. Wells, The War of the Worlds
  24. incandescent
    emitting light as a result of being heated
    The announcer uses the same scientific words that H. G. Wells added to his novel: "incandescent gas” and "spectroscope."
  25. cavernous
    being or suggesting a large dark enclosed space
    His voice echoes as if he is in a cavernous room.
  26. conjecture
    a hypothesis that has been formed by speculating
    Orson Welles, as Pierson, speaks with authority. "Not canals, I can assure you,...although that’s the popular conjecture of those who imagine Mars to be inhabited.”
  27. condescending
    characteristic of those who treat others with arrogance
    His voice has a condescending edge.
  28. elapse
    pass by
    Actually, less than a minute has elapsed since Phillips “left" the Princeton Observatory.
  29. pandemonium
    a state of extreme confusion and disorder
    It’s pandemonium as the startled crowd reacts.
  30. din
    a loud, harsh, or strident noise
    A low-pitched hum breaks through the din, followed by an electronic beep, like a warning signal.
  31. carnage
    the savage and excessive killing of many people
    After the commander’s remarks, contact is established with Professor Pierson, who witnessed the carnage before finding shelter at a farmhouse.
  32. transmission
    communication by means of sent signals
    The transmission is full of static, apparently caused by the makeshift connection.
  33. makeshift
    done or made using whatever is available
    The transmission is full of static, apparently caused by the makeshift connection.
  34. vanguard
    the leading units moving at the head of an army
    “Ladies and gentlemen, I have a grave announcement to make. Incredible as it may seem...those strange beings who landed in the Jersey farmlands tonight are the vanguard of an invading army from the planet Mars.”
  35. distraught
    deeply agitated especially from emotion
    Distraught, he turned to Houseman. They had a problem. The world had gone mad.
Created on Wed May 01 13:27:17 EDT 2019 (updated Wed May 01 16:25:39 EDT 2019)

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