BW - EP129—013: Radio, Roswell And The Flying Saucer Craze—Conclusions And Looking Ahead To August

Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio Broadcasting

By 1955 radio’s days as America’s chief entertainment medium were over. However, while radio drama was dying out, UFO sightings were becoming more prevalent. Some were so outlandish they were hard to believe. Others were chillingly real. For example: On September 19th, 1961 Betty and Barney Hill had a widely known abduction experience. The Hills saw a huge flying disc while driving home one night on Route 3 in New Hampshire. They later awoke back in their car with missing time, something common for abductees. Hypnosis later revealed they were abducted and medically examined by small extraterrestrials. What added to the Hills’ credibility was the fact that both were afraid to tell their story. They were an interracial couple, and concerned it would hurt their credibility as they were active in the Civil Rights movement. Their experience was most certainly not for publicity. In recent years, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena has been verified by various world governments, and the public’s fascination with the mystery remains. Well, it’s a good thing that the subject of our next Breaking Walls episode knows how to get to the bottom of a hard-boiled mystery. Next time on Breaking Walls we head back to the Summer of 1947 as for the first time in a major series, Raymond Chandler’s famous detective Philip Marlowe signs on the air.