Guest blogger: Kenn Thomas

JFK & UFO--AND TV

THE REAL SCI-FI NIGHTMARE HAS YET TO BE FILMED 

By Kenn Thomas

Fred Lee Crisman witnessed the Maury Island UFO in 1947 and was later subpoenaed as part of the 1968 investigation of the JFK assassination. The prosecutor of that case, Jim Garrison, thought that Crisman was the infamous grassy knoll shooter, the actual trigger man. When Hollywood last turned its full attention to JFK, with Oliver Stone's 1991 movie, it was about that case, although Crisman's name never comes up in the film. Perhaps the UFO angle added a credibility burden to a movie already challenged on that score by many critics, although few people remember Maury Island. Garrison's case and the movie centered on the figure of Clay Shaw, the man Garrison felt he had the most on to bring to trial, and many peripheral figures fell by the wayside.

However, the director's cut of JFK includes scenes of Garrison attempting to show a photograph of Crisman to Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show. Carson would have none of it, of course, and cut to a commercial. Garrison had a well-known photo of three hobos being arrested in the railyard behind the grassy knoll. One of them Garrison suspected was Crisman--but that was as close as it got to letting a national television audience in on it.

Jim Garrison

Or was it? Garrison's appearance on the Tonight Show happened on January 31, 1968. Since the preceding January a television show about UFOs, conspiracies and covers-up had been appearing weekly on the ABC television network. The Invaders had as its premise the episodic adventures of a man who knew about a secret alien invasion trying to convince others of it, including the government. The protagonist, architect David Vincent, failed every time. 1967-68 was a time of heroes failing on TV. Another program called The Prisoner had a secret agent, played by the same actor who starred in the Secret Agent series years before, who failed to escape an island prison every episode.

Fred Crisman thought that the man in The Invaders was him. In correspondence with UFO investigator Gary Leslie from August 22, 1967, someone writing as Crisman's fellow Maury Island witness Harold Dahl had this to say: "There is a TV series running now that I swear is based in the main on the life of F. Lee Crisman. I know him better than any living man and I know of some of the incredible adventures he has passed through in the last twenty years. I do not mean that his life has been that of this TV hero on The Invaders show...but, there are parts of it that I swear were told to me years ago by Mr. Crisman...and I know of several that are too wild to be believed...even by the enlightened attitude of 1967." The real Harold Dahl had long stopped discussing Maury Island and UFOs after a visit from a Man In Black brought him to bad fortune, so many suspect that Crisman wrote this letter himself. Another such letter, signed "F. Lee" commented that Crisman had received "a copy of one of the current TV series "The Aliens' [sic]" suggesting the connection but that "it was my understanding that Mr. Crisman was not disturbed or angry." Again, the letter seems likely to have originated from Crisman.

Fred Crisman

The provenance of these letters supports the notion that Crisman was a con man and a publicity hound as his critics often claim. He disappeared into the military after Maury Island, however--a WWII vet reactivated for Korea--and otherwise had stayed out of the limelight prior to 1968. His assertions in these private letters happen at the same time Jim Garrison was coming after him as the grassy knoll killer, making it certainly not the best time to seek publicity. The CIA maintains claim on over 300 JFK assassination files that it says still would threaten national security if released. This even long after Oliver Stone's movie started an effort that resulted in the release of the majority of such files. A former Washington Post reporter is now suing for the release of these documents, which cover the anti-Castro Cuban milieu that Garrison thought Crisman belonged to, and to which obviously Crisman would not want to bring attention.

So the show business and saucer business connection is mixed up also with the parapolitics of the JFK assassination. Another mystery wrapped within an enigma. Did it exist anywhere other than in Fred Crisman's imagination? Quinn Martin Productions created The Invaders. Producer Quinn Martin rose through the TV ranks first working for Desi Arnez in The Untouchables, a "procedural" crime show like Dragnet only with violence. The best known Quinn Martin Production was a procedural called The FBI. After the death of a man named Mark Felt, now known as "Deep Throat" in Woodward and Bernstein's Watergate investigation, his job as a consultant to The FBI series became known. So it was true that spooks like him were connected to shows like that. That may seem like a weak argument but it was buttressed later when it was learned that Felt held a job with the real FBI in the late 1940s overseeing background checks for applicants at the Hanford nuclear plant in southeastern Washington state. Fred Crisman's job application at Hanford is among the documents on him recovered through Freedom of Information Act requests. So Mark Felt does have a documented connection to both the production company of The Invaders and to Fred Crisman.

The Dealey Plaza hobos

Crisman's story should be made into a movie itself, right? After all, the Maury Island incident involves a sighting of six saucers, one of which spewed a weird substance that fell on witnesses. The celebrated Kenneth Arnold was hired to investigate. Two Air Force investigators died in a fiery crash of their plane after loading it with samples of the weird substance given to them by Crisman. And Jim Garrison believed that Crisman shot from the grassy knoll at the behest of an aerospace military-industrial complex distraught over JFK's handling of the TFX, a tactical fighter. The TFX eventually was sold to Australia via a funding corridor that helped create Pine Gap, the downunder Area 51. Lee Harvey Oswald's life had many interconnects with the U2 spy plane, developed at the original Area 51. A better, more true-to-life science fiction story has yet to make it to the silver screen.

Kenn Thomas wrote JFK & UFO: Military-Industrial Conspiracy and Cover-Up from Maury Island to Dallas, recently published by Feral House. An excerpt can be found here: feralhouse.com/jfk-ufo/ Thomas can be reached via his web site at steamshovelpress.com Steamshovel Press also has a facebook account and page. Thomas has written a number of books on various conspiracy topics, including NASA, NAZIS & JFK and The Octopus: Secret Government and the Death of Danny Casolaro.

Superhero Pic Mania! Judge Dredd, Ghost Rider, and The Avengers!

Next year is shaping up to be another excellent year for superhero cinema, and lucky for you, I scour the web (mainly  CHUD.com because they are 100% awesome!) for new movie news daily. Tonight I came across some images from three of next year's biggest superhero films. Or well... images from next year's biggest superhero event film and two lesser comic book films that may please their respective fans and hopefully make up for past cinematic transgressions against said heroes. Anyway, here's the good stuff:

 THE AVENGERS

Some Assembly Required!

A CLOSER LOOK:

The Voluptuous Black Widow.

"I Am IR-ON MAN!"

HULK SMASH!

CAP-TAIN AM-ER-I-CA!

Ride the Lightning with THOR!

HAWKEYE! Where's the goofy purple costume?

 

NICK FURY gets the motherf*ckin' Avengers motherf*ckin' assembled!

So there's the good news. Now onto the bad. Here are some photos for the upcoming JUDGE DREDD and GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE. Behold the awfulness of Karl Urban in a majorly stripped-down Judge uniform:

Thousands of Dredd fans have that same look on their face...

Lastly here's a few pics from the next Ghost Rider, starring Nicholas Cage and Idris Elba:

Meh.

Cool! Heimdall's in this movie!

The shot of Ghost Rider is OK; I'm sure he'll look much cooler in action. As for Idris Elba being in this movie... I'm all for it. Regardless of how the hardcore Norse-lovin' fanboys felt about him play Heimdall in THOR, even they had to admit that he was great as the all-seeing gatekeeper of Asgard. I'm not sure who Idris will be playing, but I'm pretty positive he'll be totally bad ass!

A big thanks to CHUD.com for posting all of these pics; you guys rock! Be sure to visit them DAILY for news, reviews, and articles about film, comics, TV, and video games!

More blog posts and other goodies are coming soon so stay tuned b-movie fans!

'Cowboys and Aliens' writer alleges UFO cover-up

By Robbie Graham Silver Screen Saucers

Roberto Orci (right) with Alex Kurtzman

Roberto Orci - co-writer with Alex Kurtzman of Cowboys and Aliens, the first two Transformers movies and the TV series Fringe - stated his belief to the press yesterday that U.S. government secrecy surrounding the issue of extraterrestrial life is more than just science-fiction.

When asked by Hollywood news site The Wrap if aliens exist, Orci replied: “I think the evidence clearly indicates that the government's lying about what the hell’s going on.” The Wrap seems to think Orci was joking, however.

It is perhaps worth noting that Orci (along with his writing partner Alex Kurtzman) has worked closely with Super 8 director J.J. Abrams for over a decade on numerous national security-themed projects and in recent years has formed a hugely successful working relationship with self-proclaimed "UFOlogist" Steven Spielberg. Orci's Alias TV show was enthusiastically supported by the CIA and his alien-themed scripts for Transformers 1 and 2 were formed in collaboration with the Pentagon's Entertainment Liaison Office.

One would assume, then, that Orci at least will have given thoughtful consideration to the question of UFOs and government secrecy during the course of his career. Was his recent public statement on the issue a reflection of a genuine belief in a UFO cover-up? Or was it merely a neat but hollow soundbite for the red carpet press?

I'll be writing more about Orci, Kurtzman and Abrams here at Silver Screen Saucers in the coming weeks and months. Their thematic preoccupation and extensive professional interactions with the U.S. national security state are intriguing indeed...

Vault Empire Updates + New Underbelly episodes + Mortal Kombat Legacy: Episode 9!

I have yet to get my lazy ass in gear and type up some new content for The Casual Gaming Blog, Genre Watch, or The Vault itself, but that will be changing soon. In the meantime, here's some stuff to read from some of my fellow pop culture bloggers:

Beta Ray Blog

•  Avengers Trailer!
• The New DC: Where do We Go From Here?

 MMA Addict

• The rise of the UFC.
• The UFC depth chart. (MMA Mount.com)
• Finding the right man for the job.
•  Tito Ortiz Answered the Critics as well as Dana White's prayers.

Radiation-Scarred Reviews

• Forbidden Adventure (1935)

In Underbelly news: They are focusing heavily on Final Fantasy this month and have been out and about at the latest Wizard World con. Check out all their new videos below:








Lastly (for now), Machinima finally released the latest webisode of Mortal Kombat: Legacy onto Youtube. Wether you've seen the rest or not, it doesn't matter, because CYRAX and SEKTOR turn into bad-ass robo-ninjas in this episode. Prior eps have gone through brief intros (and backstories) for Mileena, Kitana, Johnny Cage, Raiden, Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Jax, Kano, and Sonya Blade, and they are pretty impressive to say the least. (Actual martial artists AND Hollywood actors?!) Check it out for yourself:



That's all I've got to share for now. Enjoy the vids, reviews, and articles, and prepare for new stuff very soon! Blog ya later b-movie fans!

'The Darkest Hour': story details, artwork revealed

By Robbie Graham Silver Screen Saucers

Artwork for The Darkest Hour. Source: Comingsoon.net

The post-apocalyptic alien-invasion movie The Darkest Hour began its publicity campaign in San Diego yesterday adjacent to Comic-Con. Crowds were shown the first trailer (expected online in the coming days), as well as stills and artwork for the movie.

Filmed on-location in Moscow, The Darkest Hour follows a group of survivors battling an invading extraterrestrial force which has already conquered most of the planet.

According to Comingsoon.net:

Artwork for The Darkest Hour. Source: Comingsoon.net

“The aliens of the film are electricity-based and tend to be invisible unless they're attacking. The one clue to knowing when they're approaching is that power returns to the immediate vicinity, leading the band of survivors to gather light bulbs to use as signals.

Though the aliens take control of the planet immediately, depleting the world's energy resources, a band of resistance fighters springs up, using scientific technology to combat the invaders. The group meets a Russian scientist (Dato Bakhtadze), who has devised a mobile form of a Faraday cage (a real-world device that prevents electricity from doing harm to an individual). In his apartment, he's even applied the principle to his cat and manages to build versions of the device for Russian freedom fighters to use in combat. (One piece of production art has a soldier on his horse, both making use of the device).

When the aliens do manage to attack, they literally shred people to pieces. Though all we see is yellow/orange energy, it's hinted that we'll learn a lot more about what the aliens look like and where they come from before the end of the film.”

The movie's story was co-written by Leslie Bohem, who wrote Spielberg's UFO miniseries, Taken (2002). It has also been revealed that the film will be released in conjunction with a spin-off comic book, which will show how the alien invasion/occupation unfolds on a global scale, beyond the confines of Moscow.

The Darkest Hour is due for release in 3D and 2D on December 23, 2011.

Ridley Scott talks 'Prometheus', first official image released

By Robbie Graham Silver Screen Saucers

The first official image from Ridley Scott's Prometheus (2012)

Ridley Scott has revealed more details about his forthcoming Alien prequel, Prometheus, which is inspired by the 'Ancient Astronaut' theory of UFOlogy. Speaking at the 2011 Comic-Con via satellite link-up from Iceland, Scott said of Prometheus:

"What I want to do is scare the living shit out of you. It shares one piece of DNA with the original Alien but that's all." It involves a space exploration mission that finds a "civilisation that is home to some very uncivilised behaviour."

Asked why he had not returned to the sci-fi genre since his 1982 classic, Blade Runner, Scott responded:

"I was too busy doing other movies and exploring other genres, so frankly I never thought about science fiction until I started to realise that there was something in the first of the Aliens that no one had ever asked the question about, and in the next three there was no exploration of that question, and I thought that could be the centre of what we’ve just completed. That said, that’s the only link to the original Alien. But in the last few minutes of the movie you’ll understand what I’m talking about."

Meanwhile, attending the Comic-Con event in person, Charlize Theron - the star of Prometheus - shed some light on the character she'll be playing:

"She’s very different from anything I’ve done. She’s a suit, essentially. She’s kind of the machine that runs the machine that takes this mission into space. At first she comes off very cold and frigid and like it’s about the economics for her – she’s not a scientist, not a believer, and she runs a very tight ship. But you can tell that she’s going to be a problem. What I love about Ridley is that we layered her: you think you know what she is but then you realise that she’s mysterious. Ridley had me lurk in corners all the time so she’d seem suspicious. But the really exciting thing is that in the third act you strip her to her skin and see what that’s really about."

Prometheus is scheduled for a June 2012 release.

Retro aliens for 'Men In Black 3'

By Robbie Graham Silver Screen Saucers

Men In Black 3 banner at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con. Picture credt: Collider.com

Legendary monster make-up artist Rick Baker made an appearance yesterday at the 2011 Comic-Con in San Diego where he spoke enthusiastically about about his latest alien creature designs for Barry Sonnenfeld's forthcoming Men In Black 3.

As parts of the movie are set in the past - 1969 to be precise - Baker has been able to indulge his passion for retro alien beasties. Baker told his Comic-Con audience:

Rick Baker (far left) supervises one of his alien creations during the
filming of Men In Black (1997)

“Right from the first movie, I was always saying to Barry [Sonnenfeld], ‘Let’s do aliens that look like aliens we’ve already seen... Let’s say that Paul Blaisdell, who did the effects for Invasion Of The Saucer Men, actually had a real encounter with an alien and tried to recreate it on film, so there are saucermen in the Men In Black headquarters. And let’s have E.T. in there, operating the phone.' Barry didn’t like any of those ideas, he thought they were stupid. But when Men In Black 3 came along and I heard about the time-travel element, I said, ‘Okay, it’s set in 2012, so we’ll have aliens that look like 2012 aliens in that part of the film. But when we go back to 1969, wouldn’t it be cool to have retro aliens? Big brains, bug eyes, stuff like that?’ I thought they should have a totally different, retro feel. And they agreed to it, thank God. So I got to make a whole bunch of cool stuff.”

Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Men In Black 3 has been a troubled shoot so far. It is tentatively scheduled for a May 2012 release.

For more details on this story, head on over to Empire.