“You’re not trying to tell me you really believe there’s a flying saucer.”
Reports have been coming in about a flying saucer zipping around the world. The US believes that the Russians are aware of it and looking for it. Intelligence officials find out that Soviet spies are swarming over parts of Alaska looking for it. The US sends Mike Trent (Mikel Conrad) to Alaska to check it out. Not only is Trent a US operative he is also a native of Alaska and with a cover story he should be able to blend in.
Mike’s cover is that he is a renowned playboy suffering from a nervous breakdown. Another agent Vee Langley (Pat Garrison) is to play his nurse. They plan to use Trent’s family’s hunting lodge as their base while they investigate. At the cabin they are met by the new caretaker Hans (Hantz von Teuffen).
Trent skips down to Juneau to supposedly to find out information about the flying saucer. He gets drunk and when Vee shows up he’s with a lovely bar fly named Nanette (Virginia Hewitt). Eventually Trent gets a clue to something going on at Twin Lakes. He heads that way. He finds the saucer and heads back to the cabin.
In the meantime, US intelligence finds out that the flying saucer is the invention of an American scientist named Dr. Laughton (Roy Engel). He’s been trying to sell it to an American airplane manufacturer. They thought he was nuts. But Laughton’s assistant Turner (Denver Pyle) has other plans. Behind his back he plans on making a deal with the Russians.
“The Flying Saucer” was released in 1950 and was directed, produced, written and stars Mikel Conrad. Its only distinction is that it is the world’s very first UFO movie. Mikel Conrad claimed that he managed to secure footage of a real flying saucer that would wow audiences the world over. In September 1949 he told the Ohio Journal Herald, “I have scenes of the saucer landing, taking off, flying and doing tricks.” Not long after that he became the subject of an Air Force investigation.
Files released under the Freedom of Information Act show that an agent from the Air Force was sent to interrogate Conrad and to attend the first private screening of his completed film. Conrad’s story was quickly revealed as a marketing scam to promote the movie. It does show, however, that the government was quite interested in UFOs and those that claimed to have film of them.
For the most part the movie is Conrad smoking cigarettes, brooding and hitting on Langley’s character. Another part is the scenery of Alaska, which is quite beautiful, but the movie is supposed to be about flying saucers. Yes, there is a flying saucer, but no aliens. It’s also a nice looking flying saucer. All 45 seconds or so that it was on screen. I don’t have a problem with low budget movies or bad special effects. In fact, I love them. And I have nothing against Alaska or chain smoking for that matter. Use to do that myself. What I have a problem with is a flying saucer movie without a flying saucer. There are complaints about the saucer looking like so much Reynolds Wrap. It’s nice to know someone managed to garner that considering how quickly it flashed on the screen. I would have welcomed views of silver wrapped cardboard cutouts dangling on strings.
In the end, if you are looking for an espionage movie or even a travelogue for Alaska it should suit your purpose. But, if you are looking for a flying saucer movie, this is not the best choice.