Saturday, June 4, 2016

PROJECT U.F.O. (1978) TV Guide Ad

Here's NBC's TV Guide advertisement for the premiere episode of legendary producer Jack Webb's Project U.F.O. (and if you remember the program being called anything else, you're mistaken. Trust me, we've investigated it exhaustively.)

I'm thinking of maybe publishing episode-by-episode capsule reviews of the show (and, possibly, The Fantastic Journey, as well). Is there any interest in that?

18 comments:

  1. Interested? I'd consider it a public service!
    I have vague memories of this show and would love to relive it. It helped get me on the path to blogging about UFOs.

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  2. Yes! Maybe I will watch along with you.

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  3. This one I can't remember, but Fantastic Journey I do. I even borrowed my mom's tuning fork to that I could recreate ....whatever that weapon was.

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  4. I remember this and Fantastic Journey. An episode by episode review would be interesting.

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    1. I'm only considering it because neither show is (yet) legally available on home video, and I thought folks might enjoy more coverage of these programs.

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  5. Never missed an episode of this show. I still remember seeing Jack Webb talk about this on the Johnny Carson show and being so excited to see it.

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  6. I don't remember this one, is it on DVD?

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    1. Not legally. If it was, I wouldn't be thinking of reviewing the episodes here.

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  7. It seems this show was know as Project Blue Book in Europe

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    1. People keep saying that, but no one can prove it, apparently. I'll stick to my guns: this show was NEVER called "Project Blue Book." Anywhere.

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    2. I always thought it was Project Bluebook too. I suspect it was because it really grabbed my interest that the Air Force actually looked into UFOs, so I remembered Project Blue rather than the actual show title.

      If anyone still thinks they saw it as Project Bluebook, there is an easy way to check. Go to your public library. They should have microfilm of your local newspaper. Go back and check the TV listings and see what it says.

      Alan

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    3. On wiki they say it was re-cut with a new title sequence and re-named, as not to be confused with the show UFO

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    4. Wiki contains user-submitted info and is not verified. It is renowned for its inaccuracies, especially in regard to pop culture.

      In the seven years that I've been running this blog, not a single person has ever provided any evidence - other than anecdotal - that the show was ever aired under any alternate title... and I've heard from SF fans from all over the world. Do you really think it likely that if the show was ever aired under the "Project: Blue Book" title there wouldn't be some evidence of it on the Internet somewhere? A video of the opening titles or print listing?

      No. Until someone shows me any - and I mean ANY - evidence at all to the contrary, I'll maintain that the show was always called "Project: U.F.O." ...everywhere.

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    5. Oh, and we've already gone over this exhaustively on the site several times before, so PLEASE, unless you have anything other than the same anecdotal stories and false memories to present, can we please let it drop? Thanks.

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  8. This series aired during my UFO fad in my late teens so I was real excited. Especially as a "Just the facts ma'am" Webb production.
    I thought the 1'st season was pretty cool and the model making just had some of the coolest looking spacecraft. As I remember they were bashed together from misc spacecraft kits. William Jordan as Major Gatling had the perfect persona for the role.
    I never saw most of the 2nd season. I took an intense dislike to the new lead Ed Winter right off the bat and just stopped watching.

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  9. I just wish they would give the show a legit DVD release, no matter what it's called. Count me in for another fine Space: 1970 review. Same with Fantastic Voyage, which I've never actually seen (and I've seen a lot).

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  10. "Ezekiel saw the wheel. This is the wheel he SAID he saw." I remember this show's opening vividly and I haven't seen it in over 35 years... It was one of the few shows that I liked that made it to a second season. Logan's Run didn't. Planet of the Apes didn't. (Yes I was a full fledged sci-fi geek in those days. Still am.)

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  11. The first thing I though when I saw your headline was, "Is that show anything like Project Blue Book?"--so put me down in the false memory camp.

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