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UFO (1956 film)
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Wikipedia article
'UFO' (full title: 'Unidentified Flying Objects: The True Story of Flying Saucers') is a 1956 semi-documentary about the development of the UFO phenomenon in the United States. Clips from the documentary have often been used in other UFO documentaries and television episodes related to UFOs.[http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/17362/Unidentified-Flying-Objects/articles.html Article at 'Turner Classic Movies'] accessed 19 May 2013
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.
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 Kenneth Arnold UFO sighting, the Mantell UFO incident, and the Gorman Dogfight. It then traces the development of UFOs as both a popular fad and a serious concern for the US Air Force. The history of Project Sign, the first Air Force study of the UFO phenomenon, is discussed.
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. 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. Chop interviews a German rocket scientist (formerly of Penemunde's V2 program) working for Americans; the scientist lends credence to the possibility of UFOs exist.
By 1952 Chop has moved to Washington, D.C., where he is the press spokesman for Project Blue Book. The documentary analyzes two famous pieces of UFO footage: the Mariana UFO Incident of 1950, in which the manager of the Great Falls, Montana minor-league baseball team claimed to have filmed two UFOs flying over the local baseball stadium, and the 1952 UFO film taken near the Great Salt Lake in Utah by a US Navy photographer, Delbert Newhouse. The documentary concludes with the famous 1952 Washington, D.C. UFO incident, in which Albert Chop played a central role. The documentary recreates Chop's experiences during the incident, and at the end of the documentary Chop states his belief that UFOs are a "real", physical phenomenon of unknown origin.
Cast
Willis Sperry ... Himself
Nicholas Mariana ... Himself
Delbert Newhouse ... Himself
Wendell Swanson ... Himself
General John A. Samford ... Himself
Tom Towers ... Albert M. (Al) Chop, US 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, US Air Force
Stan Gordon ... Reporter
Marie Kenna ... Mrs. Albert Chop
Harry Morgan ... "Red Dog 1" (voice)
Robert Phillips ... Captain Edward Ruppelt, Project Blue Book Supervisor
William Solomon ... Scientist, formerly of V2 program at Penemunde, German.
Olan Soule ... Narrator
Trivia
Actor Harry Morgan, who would later become famous for his role as Colonel Sherman T. Potter on the television series 'M*A*S*H', and for his role as Detective Bill Gannon on the television series "Dragnet 1967", portrays the voice of Air Force pilot "Red Dog One" during scenes describing the 1952 Washington, D.C. UFO incident. On "Dragnet 1967" Harry Morgan played Sgt. Joe Friday's (Jack Webb) partner. Jack Webb was the producer and narrator for the 1978 television series "Project U.F.O.", which recreated the real-life Project Bluebook.
See also
*UFOs: Past, Present, and Future, a similar film from 1976
References
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