Guest blogger exclusive #9

The ninth instalment of the Silver Screen Saucers guest blogger series is a sort of whistle-stop tour of American UFOlogy by way of the movies, and our guide is Robert Barrow, a gentleman who on more than one occasion has been described justifiably as an unsung hero of UFOlogy.

Barrow’s six-decades-worth of memories are infused with all things UFOlogical – not least of all big and small screen UFO-themed entertainment products. Of particular interest to me are his recollections of seeing one of his self-penned UFO articles appear in Spielberg’s 1977 classic, Close Encounters of the Third Kind:

“I felt peculiarly rattled that my speculative article regarding the real UFO phenomenon had been subjugated into the realm of cinematic fantasy, creating a blurred image of something taken out of place… suddenly I saw my work transformed into pop art for the sake of theater popcorn munchers.”

And with that to whet your appetite, read on...