Unravel the secretive threads woven between the real UFO incidents that inspired "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and the silver screen story we can't forget. We shed light on the concerted efforts by NASA and the Air Force to dismiss UFO sightings, and dive into the haunting true story of pilot Thomas Mantell, whose fatal pursuit of a mysterious flying object still stirs controversy. Our journey doesn't stop there; we pay tribute to Donald Kehoe and J. Allen Hynek, pioneers who challenged the silence surrounding extraterrestrial encounters and influenced generations of sky-watchers and skeptics alike.
As the eerie echoes of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" linger in the recesses of our minds, we beckon you to re-engage with the film, armed with newfound knowledge of its dark heritage. With each chilling anecdote and behind-the-scenes revelation, we stitch together the fabric of a narrative that has haunted the collective consciousness for decades. So, as you nestle into the night's embrace, take these stories with you, and let the whispers of the unknown be a reminder—the sky is vast, the truth is out there, and sometimes, reality is stranger than fiction.
Unravel the secretive threads woven between the real UFO incidents that inspired "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and the silver screen story we can't forget. We shed light on the concerted efforts by NASA and the Air Force to dismiss UFO sightings, and dive into the haunting true story of pilot Thomas Mantell, whose fatal pursuit of a mysterious flying object still stirs controversy. Our journey doesn't stop there; we pay tribute to Donald Kehoe and J. Allen Hynek, pioneers who challenged the silence surrounding extraterrestrial encounters and influenced generations of sky-watchers and skeptics alike.
As the eerie echoes of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" linger in the recesses of our minds, we beckon you to re-engage with the film, armed with newfound knowledge of its dark heritage. With each chilling anecdote and behind-the-scenes revelation, we stitch together the fabric of a narrative that has haunted the collective consciousness for decades. So, as you nestle into the night's embrace, take these stories with you, and let the whispers of the unknown be a reminder—the sky is vast, the truth is out there, and sometimes, reality is stranger than fiction.
Well, hello, my little creepies. Oh, yes, it's that time again. We talk about UFOs and Bigfoot, paranormal true crime and conspiracy stories and all things creepy. Yes, this is the Creepy Show. You can find us online at creepyshow and I'm your host, the Master of Creep.
Speaker 2:The real story behind Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Everyone remembers Close Encounters of the Third Kind, a movie written by and directed by Steven Spielberg in 1977, starring Richard Dreyfuss. What you may not know is that NASA and the Air Force decided to not cooperate on the film. In fact, they were totally against the release of this movie. Nasa reportedly sent Spielberg a 20-page letter telling him that releasing this movie was actually dangerous. Even though this was just a movie, the fact that the US government was trying to cover it up made a lot of people nervous.
Speaker 2:The military did everything it could to discourage anyone from claiming that UFOs were real. They usually ran a public campaign against anyone who seemed to have a credible sighting. If you saw a UFO, you must be crazy. Military pilots who saw UFOs would not report it because it would mean the end of their careers. On January 7, 1948, in Kentucky, a military base saw a UFO from the control tower. They dispatched three P-51 Mustangs to investigate. One of the pilots was Thomas Montel. He reported the craft at 15,000 feet and it was climbing fast. He followed the UFO up to 20,000 feet and it is assumed that Montel passed out and crashed. The United States Air Force later said that Montel was actually chasing the planet Venus, then later updated their report to a Skyhook weather balloon. Just another example of how the military dismisses an incident. You would think that a pilot would know the difference between a UFO and a planet or a weather balloon. I'm sure that the weather balloon wasn't traveling at 300 miles an hour. The military likes to keep its personnel under control.
Speaker 2:Now there's another person by the name of Donald Kehoe, but he was an exception. He was in the military, he was an aviator and he was convinced that flying saucers were real. Kehoe was retired from the military and was writing books and articles. And was writing books and articles. One of Kehoe's articles, flying Saucers Are Real, was published in the January 1950 issue of True Magazine. Kehoe wrote the most popular article in the history of True Magazine. Capitalizing on his success, kehoe turned the article into a book, the Flying Saucers Are Real, published in 1950. He sold more than 500,000 copies.
Speaker 2:In his book he claimed the Air Force knew flying saucers were real. They covered up the reports to avoid panic in the streets. Kehoe believed that the aliens did not seem hostile and that they have been surveilling the earth for more than 200 years. Kehoe wrote that their observations suddenly increased in 1947 following the series of A-bomb explosions in 1945. Of A-bomb explosions in 1945. Kehoe authored several war books about UFOs, flying Saucers from Outer Space. 1953, was the most impressive, based on interviews and official reports by the Air Force. The book included a report from Albert M Chopp, the Air Force Press Secretary in the Pentagon. Albert Chopp admitted that Kehoe was a responsible, accurate reporter. He further expressed approval for Kehoe's arguments in favor of continuing his research.
Speaker 2:In 1956, kehoe co-founded a group called the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomenon, known as NICAP. This was a well-known group with several high-ranking military personnel. Nicap attracted many people who were interested in UFOs. Kehoe was instrumental in increasing the awareness of the UFO phenomenon. Kehoe went on to appear on several television shows and documentaries concerning UFOs. Kehoe passed away in 1988 at the age of 91. Another member of NICAP was Roscoe Henry Hillencotter. He was the first director of the Central Intelligent Agency. He was the first director of the Central Intelligent Agency, the CIA. After his retirement from the United States Navy he was on the board of governors of the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomenon that is, nicap.
Speaker 2:A colleague of Donald Kehoe, joseph Allen Hynek developed the Close Encounter Classification System. Hynek was an American astronomer, a professor and a UFO investigator. He acted as a scientific advisor to UFO studies undertaken by the United States Air Force. He was on Project Sign, project Grunge and finally on Project Blue Book, but the government shut down Project Blue Buck in 1969. In 1972, hynek wrote the UFO Experience, a scientific inquiry. This is where Hynek came up with his Close Encounters classification.
Speaker 2:Close Encounters of the First Kind visual sightings of an unidentified flying object. Close Encounters of the Second Kind a UFO event in which a physical effect is alleged. Close encounters of the third kind UFO encounters in which an entity is present, and this includes humanoids, robots and humans who seem to be occupants or pilots of a UFO. Close encounters of the fourth kind a UFO event in which a human is abducted by a UFO or its occupants. Close encounters of the fifth kind a UFO event that involves direct communication between aliens and humans. Close encounter of the sixth kind death of a human or an animal associated with a UFO sighting. And finally, close Encounter of the Seventh Kind the creation of a human-alien hybrid, either by sexual reproduction or by artificial scientific methods.
Speaker 2:Spielberg hires Hynek. It was the term Close Encounters of the Third Kind that inspired director Steven Spielberg's smash hit Close Encounters of the Third Kind, released in late 1977. By then Hynek was a popular author and had the respect of the scientific community and had the respect of the scientific community. Spielberg reportedly paid Hynek $1,000 to use his phrase close encounters of the third kind plus $500 a day as a technical advisor for the film. While on the set, hynek was talking to Spielberg about making a Hitchcock-type cameo in the movie and Spielberg loved the idea. He found Hynek interacting with the aliens from the spaceship. So Hynek was actually in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Speaker 2:This movie started off with a very low budget but ended up spending $19.4 million, but it went on to make more than $300 million. Steve McQueen was Spielberg's first choice for the lead role. However, steve felt that he was not right for the role. He said he was unable to cry on cue. Other choices were Gene Hackman and Al Pacino, dustin Hoffman and Jack Nicholson. Richard Dreyfuss was finally chosen and the rest is history.
Speaker 2:Columbia Pictures experienced financial difficulties and would have most likely dropped the film if they knew the cost was going to be so high. At first, spielberg wanted to shoot the entire film on a soundstage, but quickly realized that using real locations would be better. The small extraterrestrials in the final scenes were played by 50 local 6-year-old girls in Mobile Alabama. Spielberg actually bought a house at 1613 Carlisle Drive East in Mobile Alabama for $35,000 so he could use and do whatever they wanted to in the movie. This was the house where Roy went a little crazy and built the Devil's Tower in the living room. Later they sold that same house for $50,000, after cleaning it up. Of course, the $15,000 profit went back into the budget of the film.
Speaker 2:Cary Guffey, a three-year-old, plays the little boy who is abducted by the alien in the movie. He had never acted before, so Spielberg figured out how to get a believable reaction to the aliens first approaching the house. How to get a believable reaction to the aliens first approaching the house. Spielberg slowly unwrapped a present for the young actor just off camera to make him smile. Guffrey even exclaims Toys, toys in the final take. Well, I hope you've enjoyed this walk down memory lane and if you get a chance, go and re-watch.
Speaker 1:Closewatch close encounters of the third kind with your new information. As the casket closes on another creepy episode, we bid you farewell to the shadows that danced upon your fears. Oh and thank you for joining us on this creepy journey into the unknown, where the darkness whispers secrets and the silence echoes within your soul. Find us online for some extra creepy content at creepyshow, and if you happen to make it through the night, don't forget to share this podcast with someone you want to terrorize. Good night, my little creepies. Sleep with one eye open, for the night is long and full of horror. Ha ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha you.