UFO (1956 film)
UFO Unidentified Flying Objects | |
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Directed by | Winston Jones |
Written by | Francis Martin |
Produced by | |
Starring | Tom Towers |
Narrated by |
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Cinematography | Howard A. Anderson |
Edited by | Chester W. Schaeffer |
Music by | Ernest Gold |
Production company | |
Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
UFO (full title: Unidentified Flying Objects: The True Story of Flying Saucers)
Origins and plot
In 1952 Hollywood producer Clarence Greene saw an unusual object twisting in the sky. He decided to report the sighting, and contacted US Air Force public information officer Albert M. Chop, who was in charge of answering UFO questions from reporters and the public. Intrigued by his experience, Greene decided to film a documentary movie about the UFO phenomenon. When Chop told Greene about the existence of film footage of UFOs, Greene obtained the footage for analysis and display in his documentary.[3]
The film begins with a statement about its genre:
"Many times in the history of our civilization the introduction of a new thought has brought skepticism, even ridicule. Despite this, there always has remained the duty and inalienable right to tell the people the truth. The Motion Picture you are about to see is true. It is not fiction. Much of the information in it has never been told. You will see it here for the first time."
The documentary starts in 1947, with the first widely publicized UFO sightings in the United States, including recreations of the
The documentary then focuses upon protagonist Albert M. Chop, who is assigned as the public information officer at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, in the late 1940s. In that position he is required to answer numerous news media queries about UFO sightings and what the Air Force knows about them. Chop interviews a German rocket scientist (formerly of Peenemünde's V-2 rocket program) now working for America; the scientist lends credence to the possibility that UFOs exist. Although he is initially portrayed as a UFO debunker, Chop gradually changes his views as the movie progresses, and he comes to believe that UFOs are unknown, and possibly extraterrestrial, aircraft.
By 1952 Chop has moved to Washington, D.C., where he is the press spokesman for
Cast
Willis Sperry ... Himself.
Nicholas Mariana ... Himself.
Delbert Newhouse ... Himself.
Wendell Swanson ... Himself.
U.S. Air Force General John A. Samford ... Himself.
Tom Towers ... Albert M. (Al) Chop, U.S. Air Force press officer.
Floyd Burton ... Major Dewey Fournet, Project Blue Book's liaison at the Pentagon.
Gene Coughlan ... Editor, Dayton Daily News
Bert Freed ... Colonel, U.S. Air Force.
Stan Gordon ... Reporter.
Marie Kenna ... Mrs. Albert Chop.
Harry Morgan ... "Air Force 216/Air Force 162" and "Red Dog One" (Voice).
William Solomon ... German scientist, formerly of Penemunde V-2 rocket program.
Olan Soule ... Narrator.
Trivia
Actor
See also
- The Report On Unidentified Flying Objects, a similar book also from 1956
- UFOs: Past, Present, and Future, a similar film from 1976
References
- ^ "'Flying Saucers' Picture Booked". Los Angeles Times. Apr 28, 1956. p. 13.
- ^ a b Article at Turner Classic Movies accessed 19 May 2013
- ^ Richard Dyer MacCann (May 1, 1956). "'Flying Saucers' and Papagos: Hollywood Letter". Christian Science Monitor. p. 7.
- ^ Richard L. Coe. (June 1, 1956). "Even Sincerity Has Pitfalls". The Washington Post and Times-Herald. p. 44.
- ^ A.H. WEILER (June 13, 1956). "Screen: 'Saucer' Story: Quasi-Documentary on 'Flying Objects' Bows". New York Times. p. 45.
External links
- UFO at IMDb
- UFO at the TCM Movie Database
- Full film at the Internet Archive