In WWl, for the first time ever,
nations combined to fjght nations, using the crude weapons of the day.
WWll involved every continent. Science provided new tools of war.
These reached an unparalleled peak in their capacity for destruction.
Now, fought with the terrible weapons of super-science,
menacing every creature on Earth, comes...
No one would have believed, in the middle of the 20th century,
human affairs were being closely watched by a greater intelligence.
Yet, across the gulf of space, on the planet Mars,
intellects vast and unsympathetic regarded our Earth enviously,
slowly and surely drawing their plans against us.
Mars is more than 140 million miles from the sun.
For centuries it has been in the last stages of exhaustion.
At night, temperatures drop far below zero, even at its equator.
The inhabitants of this dying planet looked across space with instruments
of which we have scarcely dreamed,
searching for another world to which they could migrate.
They could not go to Pluto, outermost of all planets,
and so cold that its atmosphere lies frozen on its surface.
They couldn't use Neptune or Uranus, twin worlds in eternal night,
both surrounded by an atmosphere of methane gas and ammonia vapour.
They considered Saturn, attractive with its moons and rings,
but its temperature is close to 270 degrees below zero,
and ice lies 15,000 miles deep on its surface.
Their nearest world was Jupiter, with giant cliffs of lava and ice,
with hydrogen flaming at the tops.
The atmosphere is awful. Thousands of pounds to the square inch.
They couldn't go there, nor to Mercury, nearest planet to the sun.
It has no air. The temperature at its equator is that of molten lead.
Of all the worlds the life forms on Mars could see and study,
only our own Earth was green with vegetation, bright with water,
and possessed a cloudy atmosphere eloquent of fertility.
It did not occur to mankind that a swift fate might be hanging over us.
Or that from the blackness of outer space we were being scrutinised.
Till the time we drew close to Mars' orbit, during a pleasant summer...
- Is that a fireball or something? - Boy, that's big
(EXPLOSION SOUNDS)
- I wonder where it hit? - Probably halfway to Pomona
I'm gonna see Who's coming?
This is Pine Summit I got a smoke
- 160/30 - Azimuth: 160 degrees, 30 minutes
Big? I bet it's as big as anything that ever lit in California
Better get something over there It's started a blaze already
Number Three to DO
- D.O. to Number Three, come in. - We're getting this under control
Okay, send the tanker in, but you stand by until that thing cools off.
- Someone ought to check on it - There's scientists fishing nearby.
They probably saw it come down. I'll tell them. What's it look like?
It's too hot to get near enough for a good look, but it's enormous
I got a message for you You're the guys from Pacific Tech, ain't you?
- Looks like the fishing was good - Have some?
Well, I might just do that
It's about that meteor
They say it's a whopper
They phoned us up on the summit I thought you might be interested
- About 10 miles from here - It didn't come down like a meteor
That's right It came down in spurts
You fellows figure it out You're scientists
It's big as a house and red-hot
- I'll borrow your car and take a look - We ought to get back
- I'll fly Bilder back down in your plane - Okay, the insurance is paid up
- Light? - No, I'll smoke it later
Did you watch it come down? I saw it from my window
Harold, look here a minute
Step over a little Smile
It must have skidded along the gully
Then the loose earth shook down over it
- I guess most of it's buried - That's 12 feet thick
They run heavy They won't be able to haul this one away to no museum
A good attraction for Sunday drivers
Better than a lion farm or snake pit We won't have to feed it
- We can sell tamales and hot dogs - Ice cream, cold drinks, souvenirs
- We should put up picnic tables - Then they'd bring their own lunch
- Gonna dig for gold, Buck? - You think you're kidding?
It'll be like having a gold mine in your own back yard
I'm gonna get a closer look at it
- That's it over there - It's still pretty darned hot
- Be careful, Buck - Watch it
- Did you see it come down? - Yes, I was fishing in the hills
- That's a lot of tackle - The others flew back in my plane
Why didn't it make a bigger crater?
It hit sideways and skidded in That's what I think
A scientist's coming, he'll tell us
- Ever hear of Clayton Forrester? - What's that fellow trying to do?
He's top man in astro and nuclear physics He knows all about meteors
- You seem to know all about him - I did a thesis on modern scientists
- Did it do you any good? - Sure, I got my degree
- Say, do you have a match? - No, I'm sorry I don't smoke
They had Forrester on the cover of Time You have to rate to get that
- He isn't that good - You don't even know him!
- I do know him, slightly - What's he like?
Well, he's like
You don't look like yourself in that get-up, but I'm happy to meet you
Sylvia Van Buren I teach library science at USC
- I didn't know how to stop you - You didn't wear glasses in Time
They're for long distance To look at something close, I take them off
- You could fry eggs on that thing - The sand is keeping the heat in
Uncle, Dr Forrester Dr Matthew Collins is the pastor here
- Well, how do you do? - How do you do, sir?
Hey, you!
What have you got in here? It's ticking like a bomb
This is a Geiger counter for detecting radioactivity
- It's that meteor - It's radioactive?
Yes It's difficult to account for a reaction like that
- Look at it It's going crazy! - Maybe we should keep people away
I'll post a few deputies
That meteor is either very light, which is unheard of, or it's hollow
If it were heavy and solid, it would have made a tremendous crater
I'll wait around until it cools off Is there a place I could clean up?
- I'd like you to stay at my house - Thank you
It won't be cool for 24 hours What do people do here on a Saturday?
- Not much of anything - There's a square dance tonight
Allemande left and the ladies star Gents walk around, but not too far
Allemande left and the gentlemen star Ladies walk around, but not too far
First and third balance and swing Promenade the outside ring
Three quarters round the outside ring Through that couple and not too far
Meet in the centre with right hand star Swing your corner with left hand round
Let's take another look at it
- It's almost cold now - We might as well go home
- No sense staying out here - Let's go
Hey, it's moving!
- It's a bomb! - It didn't go off last night
- Maybe it's gonna go off now - It's a sneak attack Let's go
Wait a minute
Bombs don't unscrew
It's no meteor That's for sure
Darnedest thing I ever saw, the way that's unscrewing
- Thank you, Doctor Having fun? - You know what I was thinking?
The energy from one square dance could send the meteor back home
- Must be somebody in there - Who? Where do they come from?
I read that Mars is near Earth now It happens every 20 years, they say
Men from Mars
- What do you think? - Maybe these are not men, like us
Everything human doesn't have to look like you and me
If it's men from Mars, we ought to let them know we're friendly
- No, you don't know what it is - We'd be the first to make contact
We'd be in all the papers
We could walk out there with a white flag
I got an old sugar sack in my car
What are we going to say to them?
"Welcome to California"
Come on
(PULSATING ELECTRONIC NOISE)
We're friends!
Open up!
- How will they understand us? - We'll talk in sign language
Everybody understands that the white flag means we want to be friends
- Hey there, open up! - Come on out, we're friends!
- We welcome you! - We're friends!
No smooching in the dark, folks
- Any candles around? - All the lights in town are out
- Somebody found some candles - I like it in the dark
Call the electric company and see what happened
- Hey, the phone's gone dead - The phone isn't on the same circuit
What are they saying? Something's wrong with my hearing aid
We play "Good Night Ladies" at midnight, anyway It's near that now
- My watch has stopped - I've got the time
- Mine's stopped, too - Mine ain't working What is this?
They've all stopped at the same time
There's only one explanation for a thing like this Do you have a pin?
See that? My watch is magnetised
That's what knocked the phones out, too
- But everyone's watches all together? - Do you have a pocket compass?
- The needle isn't pointing north - It's pointing toward the meteor
(POLICE SIRENS) Let me through!
- What's going on? - I don't know any more than you do
Look at the fire out there!
The power lines are down That explains why the lights went out
- Hey, look at the cars! - Where are the three men you left?
Look there!
People in town started to follow us Don't let them come near here
(PULSATING ELECTRONIC NOISE)
Get under cover!
- What is that gizmo? - A machine from another planet
We'd better get word to the authorities Look!
Sheriff, you'd better get word to the military You'll need them
Get moving On the double
Take cover along the riverbed Get those 30s over here
The area is controlled by Marines The gully is surrounded
Here is Prof McPherson of Canada
Is it true you've had reports of landings in other places? Canada?
Not in Canada yet, but in Bordeaux, France Some in Spain
There's supposed to be one down in Italy
We're trying to locate the second meteor that landed here at midnight
- Do you think they come from Mars? - Dr Forrester?
It's possible It seems certain they're from some other planet
If they are Martians, what would they look like? Bigger? Smaller?
As to Martians, our heavier air would oppress them.
You think they'd breathe like us. What about hearts and blood?
If they are Martians, with hearts, they'd beat at a slower rate.
Their senses could be quite different from ours.
They may be able to smell colours.
It is possible that they would have more than one brain.
- Two? Three? Just think of that! - It's only speculation.
What about these meteor machines?
They're probably controlled by jets, navigated with a gyroscope system.
Thank you, Doctor Colonel, can you tell us anything about this plane?
It'll drop a flare Then Air Force cameramen will get pictures
There's been a lot of mysterious activity around the machine
Lights and dust, as if they're digging themselves out There it comes again!
If it keeps up, it'll be a guide for the plane
(AIRBORNE AIRCRAFT SOUNDS)
The pilot's just blipped his motor That means he's dropped the flare
We'll be the first men on Earth to get a real look at these invaders from space
They're after the plane with their rays!
Jump for it!
Here we are
Hey, they cut me off! They got my truck!
They'll come out of the gully soon Our defences have to be ready
- You'll need plenty of reinforcements - We'll get them
- The troops are certainly moving in - You sent word to the 6th Army?
No, Col Heffner's in charge
(SQUEALING CAR BRAKES)
You never know where you'll wind up when you go to a square dance
- That's D-24 - Correct
Locate your observation post on this hill
Position your recoilless 75s back here Carbon Canyon
I want your battery here In daylight you may be exposed Be ready to pull out
- But you'll get first crack at them - Suits me, sir
Heffner Half-tracks? Okay
Get in back of Hill Three
If it's a moving target, follow up from there Over and out
They've located that second meteor
There's one, there's the other We're right between them
- So is the town - I warned them to prepare to evacuate
Everyone has been alerted
- Gen Mann, I was told to expect you - I'm here to report back, not interfere
Clayton Forrester, I haven't seen you since Oak Ridge
This is Pastor Collins, Sheriff Bogany, head of local control
- Miss Van Buren - Would you care for some coffee?
Gen Mann's in charge of intelligence for the Pacific area
You've certainly got them surrounded
- They've neutralised communications? - Not all The field phones are okay
A cylinder reported by Huntington Beach That's a job for the Navy
- Any news from abroad? - We're in touch with their militaries
They're coming down all over Santiago has two cylinders
They're outside London They're in Naples
We've got them between here and Fresno Two on Long Island
- They're coming down at random - No
According to information from foreign sources, they have some kind of plan
What it is isn't clear yet, because once they begin to move,
no more news comes out of that area
We've had reports of destruction, massacre
"Town south of Bordeaux wiped out by ray"
"Local reports say nothing remains" What do you make of that?
- All we've seen is their heat ray - Our newest weapons will stop them
From the data, and that picture the Air Force took tonight,
this is the original pilot ship
Its observations guided the others down
One lands, then two, making groups of three joined magnetically
My orders are not to go into action unless they move out of the gully
This is the only place we have them contained
What happens here will be a guide to other operations
When it starts, and a defence pattern develops, I'll report to Washington
- You've deployed your forces well - We'll blast them right off Earth
They'll probably move at dawn
There's something moving in the gully
(PULSATING ELECTRONIC SOUND)
Look at it
Beings from another world
- Is it a flying machine? - No
It's supported from the ground by rays Probably some form of magnetic flux
This is amazing!
They must keep the opposing poles in balance and lift the machine
Stand by to fire
All command posts, stand by to fire
- But Colonel, shooting's no good - It's always been a good persuader
Shouldn't you try communicating with them first, then shoot, if you have to?
Target as indicated
We should try to make them understand we mean them no harm
There's another machine coming out!
They are living creatures
They're not human They're an advanced civilisation
If they're more advanced than us, they should be nearer the Creator
No real attempt has been made to communicate with them
Let's go back inside, Uncle Matthew
I've done all I can in there You go back Sylvia
I like that Dr Forrester He's a good man
Attention all batteries: Prepare for volley fire
Who's that?
What is he doing?
- Uncle! Stop him! - It's too late He's too far away
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil
It's seen him
Thou anointest my head with oil My cup runneth over
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever
- Let 'em have it! - Fire!
The shells can't get through They've put up an electromagnetic covering
That skeleton beam must be what they used to wipe out the French city
Cut across their lines of magnetic force and any object will cease to exist
Take my word for it, General This defence is useless against them
You'd better let Washington know Fast
Hold them as long as you can
(SCREAMS OF AGONY)
Order all command posts to pull back north of the tunnel bunker
Everybody out of here! The Air Force will take care of these babies now
Dr Forrester, get out of here Everybody out
- Can't you go higher? - The air will be full of jets in a minute
Read all about the Martian invasion They're in New York and Miami
Fighting outside Los Angeles Read all about it
(POLICE SIRENS)
- Hold it right there, General - What do you think of the situation?
- Do you believe we can hold them? - Sorry, I've no time
Break it up
The way he's hedging, maybe we didn't hold them I've heard news
Australia, India Nobody's stopped them yet
- If the city must be evacuated - Many have already moved out
- We've mobilised cars and buses - The Red Cross is standing by
The enemy is 30 miles outside Los Angeles
Not in full force yet, but developing It can happen any minute
- Washington is on the line, sir - General Mann
I'd say our effective losses were 60% men, 90% material
The jets went in but none came out
Bombers were knocked out of the sky, and their bombs did nothing
Their electronic umbrella is quite impenetrable
Forrester thinks they generate atomic force without the screening we use
Very well, sir Get me the fastest plane we've got
Now I'll make a statement to those reporters
All right, the general will see you now
We heard Forrester was out with you What does he think about this?
- Ask him He's back at Pacific Tech - No, he's not He hasn't shown up
Wake up
Let's get moving
- Are you all right? - It's that machine!
It's gone We're south-west of Corona
There must have been another cylinder down here They cleared everyone out
There's a farmhouse out there Let's find something to eat
We're doing all right I almost forgot when I ate last
That looks good Mostly I get my meals in coffee shops and restaurants
- Don't you live at home? - No, on campus I haven't any family
I come from a big one There's nine of us, all in Minnesota Except me
I have no close folks My parents died when I was a kid
A big family must be fun It must make you feel you belong to something
It does Maybe that's why I feel lost right now
We'll get out safely Don't worry
They murder everything that moves
If they're mortal, they have mortal weaknesses They'll be stopped
I haven't been close enough to them for any real observation
I feel like I did once when I was small Awful scared and lonesome
I'd wandered off I've forgotten why
The family and whole crowds of neighbours were hunting for me
They found me in a church I was afraid to go in anyplace else
I stayed by that door, praying for the one who loved me best to find me
- It was Uncle Matthew who found me - I liked him
He liked you Oh, I could bawl my head off
But you won't, you're not the kind You're tired You've been up all night
You crashed in a plane, slept in a ditch You want to know something?
It doesn't show on you at all
(AIRBORNE AIRCRAFT SOUNDS)
(LOUD EXPLOSIONS)
Get down!
- How long was I out? - Hours I've been so scared!
They're right outside Several of them came down together
(PULSATING SPACESHIP SOUNDS)
There's a machine standing right alongside of us
An electronic eye Like a television camera
It's looking for us
Maybe they're not too sure we're here
They could be as curious about us as we are about them
Maybe they want to take us alive
It's pulling out
Can't we get out of here?
(S YLVIA GASPS)
- Something moved out there - There's nothing there now
- It was one of them! - What was it like?
- I couldn't see much in the dark - I've got to get a good look at them
- They've blocked it! - It's blocked here, too
They've pushed earth all around the outside
Here, this is the way up to the attic
Look out!
(MARS ALIEN SCREAMS)
Your scarf
It's wet
Blood
(S YLVIA SCREAMS)
Stop it Stop it!
(S YLVIA SOBS)
We've got to make a run for it Come on!
The Martians had calculated their descent with amazing perfection.
As more of their cylinders came from the mysterious depths of space,
their war machines, awesome in their power and complexity,
created a wave of fear throughout the world.
Governments tried to coordinate their defences with those of other nations.
The government of India met in a railroad coach,
while millions streamed for the imagined safety of the Himalayas.
The Finnish, Turkish, Chinese and Bolivians worked and fought furiously.
Every effort against their other-world antagonists ended in the same rout.
As the Martians burned fjelds and forests, and cities fell before them,
people were driven from their homes. The stream of flight became a torrent.
It became a giant stampede, without order or goal.
It was the beginning of the rout of civilisation, the massacre of humanity.
A great silence fell over half of Europe, as all communication was disrupted.
When the last wire photo out of Paris reached the exiled French Cabinet,
they hit upon the idea of usingjets as couriers.
Carrying extra fuel instead of weapons,
they maintained contact with North Africa, the US and especially England.
The Martians plainly knew the strategic significance of the British Isles.
The people of Britain met the invaders magnificently, but it was unavailing.
As the Martians swept toward London, the British Cabinet stayed in session,
coordinating every item of information that could be gathered,
passing it on to the UN in New York, and from there to Washington,
the only remaining unassailed strategic point.
It's vital to prevent the Martian machines from linking up
Once they do, they adopt an extraordinary military tactic
They form a crescent, anchor it at one end
and sweep on until they've cleared a quadrant
Then they anchor the opposite end and reverse direction
They slash across country, wiping out everything that's trying to evade them
That's why communications are cut once they begin moving
- Montreal's blacked out Nothing - Same thing as on the Pacific coast
- Anything from them yet? - Still nothing from San Francisco
- Here's that Los Angeles picture, sir - This is a sonic radar picture
It shows details of the Martian nest outside Los Angeles
Their machines appear as round blobs
Newly fallen cylinders are elongated
There are three cylinders to each group, three machines to each cylinder
All right, I've seen enough
Only one thing will stop them We've held back because of the radiation
Now there's no choice Washington will confirm an order to use the atom bomb
Our first target will be the initial landing place outside LA
Have Pacific Tech monitor the drop I'll have the area cleared all around
We can still hit them before dark We'll blast them all over the world
- We've been looking all over for you - We walked half-way from Corona
This is Miss Van Buren Dr Grotzman, Dr Pryor, James, Bilderbeck
- What's this about the A-bomb? - We're going in right after it
- What's that? - An electronic eye
They modelled it after their own eye They use it the way we use a periscope
- It'll tell us about their metals - We can find out about their optics
- Very interesting - And this the blood of a Martian
I don't remember ever seeing blood crystals as anaemic as these
They may be mental giants,
but by our standards, physically, they must be very primitive
Everything about them seems to be in threes
Their eyes have three lenses, three pupils Strong light shocks them
Sunlight on Mars is approximately half as strong as we get it
Add their clouds and dust, it amounts to no more than our twilight
Now, if you'll step over here, please
We've rigged the epidiascope to reflect whatever the Martian lens picks up
Move in a little Thank you
There's how the Martians see us
Evidently there's a shift in their spectrum
Their colour absorption must be different from ours
Let's see why they were so curious about you, Miss Van Buren
- Time we got started, gentlemen - Let's go
- Let's make an analysis of their blood - It might give us something
You can get all the Martian blood you want after the plane drops the bomb
The Flying Wing is going to carry it
Tower, this is Flying Wing, ready for take-off
Flying Wing, this is the tower. Clear for take-off.
Wish us luck
The target is the nest of Martian machines in the Puente Hills,
where more cylinders came down last evening
A plane will pinpoint the target from six miles up
This bomb is ten times more powerful than anything previously used
It's the latest thing in nuclear fission
Nothing like it has ever been exploded before We're going to be pretty close,
but there are observers in a forward bunker who will be a lot nearer than us
The whole world is waiting This will decide the fate of civilisation
Whether we live or die may depend on what happens here
Attention! Four minutes to bomb time.
There must be a couple of million people behind us in the hills,
waiting to find out whether they can go home again
All around the world, people have been driven from their homes
Direct cable communication is being maintained with Washington,
but there's no radio at all Not even with the bomber that's coming over
All radio is dead,
which means that these recordings are for the sake of future history, if any
Future history, he said
Yes, if any
Bilderbeck's calculated how long we have until they take over the world
If the A-bomb fails, the Martians can conquer Earth in six days
The same number of days it took to create it
Attention! Two minutes to bomb time. Prepare to take shelter.
If you have no goggles, turn away.
Remember, the heat flash and concussion that follow are dangerous.
50 seconds.
There's the plane
40 seconds.
We've sighted the plane, sir
- 30 seconds. - Look Look!
They're using those protective blisters again
Attention! Stand by.
15 seconds.
10 seconds 9, 8, 7, 6
5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Hello? What can you see?
There's something moving!
They haven't even been touched!
It didn't stop them Guns, tanks, bombs, they're like toys against them!
It'll end only one way We're beaten
No Not yet
Washington ordered all cities in danger of attack evacuated if the bomb fails
They'll be moving on Los Angeles now We'll fight them back to the mountains
Our best hope lies in what you people can develop to help us
Six days, you said Six days
They'll stamp the city flat
We'll establish a base laboratory in the Rocky Mountains
- We'll search out their weaknesses - A forlorn hope
- But there is a chance - We may get a lead from the blood
- By some biological approach? - We can't beat their machines
We've got to beat them.
Everybody listen carefully!
The Martians are coming this way. We must evacuate.
Take food, water and extra clothing.
All highways have been marked to lead you to welfare centres in the hills.
Keep them rolling!
Come on!
- Gratzman, did you get those biotics? - No, I thought you had them
I'll get them You get in the school bus Sylvia will drive you
Let me up I'll give you $500 for your place I'll make it $1,000
Money's no good anymore!
Here comes another truck!
Throw that guy off there!
Stop, you fools!
You fools!
- Quick, we've got to stop them! - The law's no good here now
- The thieves stayed behind - It's like this all over
They must be stopped The instruments!
Hold it a minute!
We've got to have those instruments They're our only chance!
Did they grab the trucks ahead of me? Did you see the Pacific Tech people?
I don't know There's fighting all over
- Did they get the school bus? - If they saw it, they took it
You can't buy a ride for love or money!
(DISTANT EXPLOSIONS)
Gratzman! Bilderbeck!
Sylvia!
- Hey, you better get out of here! - I'm looking for Pacific Tech people
- There's nobody left around here now - We could have stopped them
The mob stole the trucks and smashed everything They cut their own throats!
He's nuts Come on, jump in
Hurry up Jump in!
There was a girl with them If I could find her
- She's kind of lost - You look kind of lost yourself
- But I think I know where she'll be - It's your last chance to get out of here
(CHURCH CHORUS SINGS)
We humbly beseech Thy divine guidance, O Lord
Deliver us from the fear which has come upon us
From the evil that grows ever nearer
From the terror that soon will knock
upon the very door of this, Thy house
O Lord, we pray Thee
Grant us the miracle of Thy divine intervention
(CHURCH ORGAN PLAYS)
Don't go, son Stay with us
No, I'm looking for someone She'll be in a church, near the door
- Forrester! - DuPrey, Bilderbeck! Are you?
- Where are the others? - We don't know where they are
I got knocked under our truck
DuPrey pulled me out
- What happened to Sylvia? - We never did see her again
In our peril we plead Succour and comfort us in this hour
Please, God
Sylvia!
- Here! Here! - Sylvia!
Let me through! Please!
It's quiet Maybe they've gone away
(SUDDEN LOUD CRASHING SOUND)
Something's happening to them
It's dead
We were all praying for a miracle
(RINGING CHURCH BELLS)
The Martians had no resistance to the bacteria in our atmosphere.
Once they breathed our air, germs harmless to us began to kill them.
The end came swiftly. All over the world, their machines stopped and fell.
After all that men could do had failed,
the Martians were destroyed and humanity saved
by the littlest things which God in His wisdom had put upon this earth.
(CHURCH WORSHIPPERS SING)