Still basking in the glow of a recent Making of the War of the Worlds for Japanese TV and with hopes that Steven Spielberg or Tom Cruise or both may make a return to Bayonne for the premier of the film at the newly opened Frank Family Theater in South Cove Mall, Bayonne has picked up the theme that has made it world famous.
Several residents have expressed the hope that Spielberg and Cruise will help share the joy the making of the film in Bayonne has brought – not to mention a significant increase in interest for development after the movie’s filming.
Since Spielberg and Cruise came, Bayonne has acquired its own movie theater again, the first theater here in more than three decades. The Theater is expected to have its own local preimer of the Spielberg/Cruise film.
In anticipation of the June 29 release of Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds and the fact that a significant part of the movie was filmed in Bayonne, the Bayonne Town Center Corporation will be holding a War of the Worlds night as part of its Movies under the Stars program.
On June 24 at 9 p.m. visitors to city hall parking lot #3 at West 22nd Street and Del Monte Drive will be treated to the 1953 War of the Worlds movie. Prior to the movie there will be a reenactment of the 1939 Orson Wells radio drama – both based on the 1898 novel by H.G. Wells.
The radio drama will be presented by Radioland Theatre of Hoboken, a group that performed the same reenactment at the 60th Anniversary of the original radio broadcast at Grover’s Corners in 1989.
Spielberg’s version of War of the Worlds was inspired by this script after he purchased one of the original 1939 scripts.
Although these events are free, the public is asked to bring lawn chairs. Those with high hopes for a special appearance by either of the new films’ superstars, might bring an extra lawnchair. Or perhaps, Spielberg might bring the War of the Worlds director’s chair he used in making the movie.
