Scattered reviews of "U.F.O." rarely fail to mention the stiffness of the acting or the slow progression of plot, and if some reviewers were unhappy with the "plodding" action, the experience was no less frustrating for those movie participants who disagreed with producer Clarence Greene's insistence that dramatic effect take a back seat to authenticity and credulity. Tom Towers was chief amongst them (see no. 8).
Yes, Towers admits (no. 9), "U.F.O." was his movie debut, and his anecdote about director John Ford as it related to Tom's attempt to tell another actor how to play a role (no. 10) is a priceless addition to his recollections. In the years following the motion picture, he made no specific attempts to remain current on the UFO issue (no. 10).
Regarding section no. 16, I was looking for any additional comments. In the next (no. 17), I mentioned photos and United Artists' procedures for renting out the motion picture. To my surprise, Towers added a few comments relating to his disdain for the studio system. Yes, that's Tom in the familiar newspaper-in-bed photo from the movie, and in his role as Al Chop he awakens to news of the first UFO sightings over Washington in 1952. When the strange objects appeared over D.C. a week later, officials went on high alert and a defining moment in the government's UFO investigation was reached.
