Solid Book with a Misleading Title

Saucer Movies:  A UFOlogical History of the Cinema.  Paul Meehan. 1998, Scarecrow Press.

             This is big book with a big concept starts out with a lie.  It’s not just about “Saucer Movies.”  It aims to list, with brief commentary, movies about space and contact with alien life.  So it talks about a lot more than “saucer” films.

            Otherwise Meehan provides a fine list, with brief (sometimes not-so-brief) summaries of storylines.

            There are a few nagging goofs which made the book irritating, mostly spelling inconsistencies.  On page 4, Meehan correctly refers to abduction researcher David Jacobs.  But later in the same paragraph, the name is misspelled “Jacob.”

            One of Meehan’s recurring topics is considering whether movie treatments of aliens and UFOs influenced ensuing reports of “real” encounters.  And, versa, whether contactee or sighting news made it onto the big screen.

            There’s a big slip-up in the chapter “Invasion (1945-1959)” when Meehan wonders if the Kelly, KY cabin siege by bulletproof diminutive humanoids influenced the film Invasion of the Saucer Men.  Good question … except the movie was released in 1959.  Then he summarizes the Kelly incident, which happened in 1965.  He says, “This was one of the early occupant cases to receive media attention, and may have provided some of the inspiration for Invasion of the Saucer Men” (page 72).  One problem … How can a 1965 alien encounter have “inspired” a movie from 1959?

            On page 74 we have a misspelling of composer Paul Sawtell’s name as “Swatell.”  Then we are informed that, in The Creeping Unknown, Brian Donlevy played “the hard-changing rocket scientist Dr Bernard Quatermass.”  I bet he met “hard-charging.”

            On page 198, in his survey of 1941, Meehan calls actor Slim Pickens (1919-1983) as Slim “Pickins.”

            On page 226 Meehan writes that Steven Spielberg was “adverse” to making sequels to E.T. or CE3K.  Of course, the correct word is “averse.”

            On page 248, in the chapter “The Abduction Scenario (1985-1993),” Meehan goes on a misspelling spree.  He miffs on Kim Basinger’s name thrice, calling her “Bassinger.”  A paragraph later he talks about Walter Koenig’s Star Trek character “Chekhov.”

            In the chapter “Science Fiction (1994-1997),” Meehan makes another nomenclature error when discussing the film Contact.  On page 194 he correctly introduces Tom Skerritt as Dr David Drumlin, but on pages 195-196 this character is misnamed “Drummond” five times.

            I make my case, gentlebeings:  Human proofreaders are best!

             Friends, if you like the topic of film’s treatment of space exploration and alien contact, this is a good reference book for who and where and when.  But it’s about much more than “saucers.”

            See you Monday!