UFO History: November 25, 1957

November 25, 1957 is an interesting day in UFO history. While there was no definitive evidence produced, there were two separate incidents reported that have some similarities in substance, although they took place in different areas of the world. 

At roughly 2200, multiple soldiers around Eglin Air Force Base in Florida witnessed three objects in the sky. These objects were seen by multiple crew members of a USAF B-66 Destroyer and tracked by ground RADAR before disappearing. 

In 1957, these objects would not be drones and the civilian population would not have been able to have access to objects that could be both visibly seen and tracked on RADAR. 

Incredibly, later in the same evening people in Mogi Mirim, Brazil also encountered three unknown objects passing over their city. While the objects were present, the town saw power to all the lights in their city go out during the incident. 

It is completely possible that these two events are unrelated, but there are similarities as both have three unidentified objects. What do you think, are they related?

Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957)

This has been another long weekend between traveling to softball and taking Jill for her time in Virginia. Although I have been busy, I did find some time to relax and watch a few flicks as I countdown to the next episode of Twin Peaks: The Return. My latest entry was Invasion of the Saucer Men from 1957.

Plot/ A teenage couple accidentally awakens an alien after inadvertently hitting it with their car.

I decided to go back into the 1950s creature features with this one and I am glad I did. While this one is not the best of that era, it is an interesting entry that fits perfectly into the genre. If you love 1950s schlock cinema, this one is something that you should check out. Yes, the storyline is cliché and predictable, the special effects are laughable at best, and the combination of comedy, horror, and sci-fi do work well together within the landscape of the film. It is a fun flick to watch and a movie that does have some entertainment value. In the end, this movie should be seen once. While some viewers will hate it, if you love C-grade cinema and classic schlock, give it a shot.

Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)

As Thanksgiving draws near, I will finally have a chance to spend some extra time with the family relaxing a bit (and a couple extra days away from PIA). I will also have some extra time to finish up the first week of my Digital Literacy class. Going back to school into a creative writing program is going to be a challenge, but it is one I am looking forward to. However, talking about the digital world this week has made me more appreciative of the Sci-Fi / Horror classics of past generations, like my next selection the Roger Corman flick Attack of the Crab Monsters.  

Plot/ A group of scientists travel to a remote island to study the effects of nuclear weapons tests, only to get stranded when their airplane explodes. The team soon discovers that the island has been taken over by crabs that have mutated into enormous, intelligent monsters.

There is nothing like the cheesy schlockfest of the 1950s. Those Sci-Fi creature features must have been perfect to watch in a dark theatre. To me, this flick would be a perfect for that setting. Yes, the storyline is campy, the scripting uneven, and the acting all over the place, but it does not matter. The most impressive part is that even with a low budget and some laughable creations, this one is entertaining, bizarre, strange, and everything that you could ask for in this genre. In the end, the is one of Corman’s most memorable early flicks and one of the weirdest horror flicks of that era. If you have not seen it, check it out!

The Invisible Boy (1957)

 

 

Today was an awesome day with my class as we repaired a 1950s Admiral television set that I picked up at a local antique store for 10 bucks. It was amazing to see it actually turn on and not explode. Sure, it is heavy and a monster, but the quality of those electronics is remarkable. To totally test it, the class and I decided to watch a classic Sci-Fi flick to see the quality, and as a huge movie fan I just happened to have one in my desk, the 1957 entry, The Invisible Boy.

 

 

Plot/ A ten-year-old boy and Robby the Robot team up to prevent a Super Computer from controlling the Earth from a satellite.

 

 

This flick was definitely nowhere close to the quality of Forbidden Planet, but it was an interesting albeit strange movie. There was so much going on that it was hard to tell exactly what to focus on. Yes, it had the famous Robby the Robot, who took on almost multiple characters. It also covered a lot of the myriad of Sci-Fi clichés, from rogue computers to invisibility. Yes, it had everything including some subtle humor. Of course, as a classic B-Movie, it does have some flaws with the unreal storyline that is even more disjointed than many from the era. In the end, it is an entertaining flick and one worth watching if you catch it for free. Luckily, for me, it came with my anniversary edition of Forbidden Planet.