In Montana in June of 1947, Kenneth Arnold was flying out of Chehalis, Washington. He observed and reported seeing several objects in the sky. He described them as being saucer shaped. Reporters picked up the story and reported it across the country. After the initial report, dozens of new reports came in from across the United States of similar sightings. The age of the UFO had begun.
In January of 1948, Kentucky State Police reported seeing a flying saucer over the Fort Knox military base. Four observation planes that were already in the area were sent to check things out. One plane crashes and pilot Mantell dies in the crash. Many outlandish reasons were reported by newspapers as to the reason for the crash. The military believes he may have suffered from hypoxia, passed out and crashed. No official reason was given. The news reports got the public up-in-arms wanting to know what the objects were. The government initiates a study into the UFO phenomena called Project Sign. Witnesses to any sightings were interviewed and reports taken. In January 1950 the project was closed.
Albert Chop (Tom Towers), a former reporter fresh out of the service, gets a job with the military as a public information press officer for the Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. Another sighting in Sioux City, Iowa prompts more questions from reporters. Chop learns that the investigation into the UFO sightings was reopened as Project Grudge. Sightings continue but explanations are few. Articles in Life and Look magazines once again brought flying saucers front and center.
Chop is transferred to Washington D.C. and becomes the press spokesperson for Project Blue Book. When motion pictures of flying saucers in Montana in 1950 and Utah in 1952 are discovered, the Air Force analyzes the films to try to determine what they are. Chop ends up getting a firsthand look at the phenomena in 1952 when flying saucers are seen and tracked flying over Washington D.C.
“Unidentified Flying Objects: The True Story of Flying Saucers” was released in 1956 and was directed by Winston Jones. It is an American quasi-documentary.
It is a slow and ambling film, almost boring at times. Acting is spotty, mostly because a lot of the people in it are not actors but real people that experienced sightings or were part of the actual investigations. Most of the actors are narrators that relay information during the film. It’s not really spoiling anything if I say that they didn’t come face to face with any aliens. Is the documentary true? You tell me, does your government tell you everything?
The film does include the actual films made of the Montana and Utah sightings. Unfortunately, you aren’t going to be able to see any more than the Air Force did. The monotony is punctuated by narration from several voice actors such as Marvin Miller, Olan Soule and Les Tremayne.
UFOs are no longer called UFO’s. They are now UAPs or Unidentified Aerial phenomena. The purpose of the change was to get away from the stigma of UFO meaning aliens. The public hasn’t embraced the name change all that much.