Hangar 18 (film)
| Hangar 18 | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | James L. Conway |
| Produced by | Charles E. Sellier Jr. |
| Written by | Thomas C. Chapman James L. Conway |
| Starring | Darren McGavin Robert Vaughn Gary Collins James Hampton Pamela Bellwood |
| Music by | Andrew Belling John Cacavas |
| Cinematography | Paul Hipp |
| Editing by | Michael Spence |
| Distributed by | Sunn Classic Pictures |
| Release date(s) | July 1980 |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Hangar 18 is a 1980 science fiction film that was released to capitalize on the UFO interest of the era. The film itself carries ties to Area 51, as well as ufology. Although it flopped (reportedly earning a gross of only $6 million), it tantalized those who saw government cover-ups of UFOs (such as the Roswell incident). In May 1989, Hangar 18 was featured in an episode of the movie-mocking television show Mystery Science Theater 3000[1] during the KTMA era.
The picture was released by Sunn Classic Pictures, an independent U.S.-based film distributor whose library is now owned by Paramount Pictures, notable for presenting what TV Guide called "...awful big-screen 'documentaries' [like] In Search of Noah's Ark and In Search of Historic Jesus".[2]
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Hangar 18 involves a U.F.O. cover-up following an incident aboard the space shuttle. The orbiter is launching a satellite, which collides with an unidentified object passing close by. The space collision kills a fellow astronaut who was in the bay at that time; however, the entire incident is witnessed by astronauts Price and Bancroff.
Upon returning to Earth, both men slowly investigate what they know happened in space — and which the government authorities try their best to hide. The damaged spacecraft however, has been recovered after it is observed making a controlled landing in the Arizona desert. Although the aliens on board die, the government technicians begin their foray into trying to understand the extremely delicate processes which operate the complex ship. On board the craft, the technician team makes three discoveries. The first is an unknown woman in some sort of stasis, who later awakens in the back of an ambulance screaming (leading moviegoers to believe she may have been an abductee). The second is the fact that symbols found on certain control panels are the same as symbols which reside here on Earth, albeit in ancient places. The third is the fact that the aliens have been here before—as the team discovers some type of surveillance footage noting power installations, military installations, and major cities worldwide.
Meanwhile, with their persistence in trying to uncover the truth, both Bancroff and Price are marked for death by the government. In an escape from agents, Bancroff manages to get away, but Price is killed. All is not lost, as Bancroft finally manages to make his way to Hangar 18 — the namesake hangar of the movie where the alien craft is being disclosed and studied.
In an attempt to cut their losses and maintain secrecy, government agents remote control a jet filled with explosives into the hangar—a desperate move aimed at killing off all involved in the on site cover-up. After the explosion, an announcement is presented in the form of a news bulletin regarding the sudden explosion of the hangar, and a congressional hearing scheduled to hear evidence concerning the activities in Hangar 18; it is revealed that Bancroft and the small team of scientists survived the explosion, due to being inside the alien ship when the plane hit. They have also discovered that the ship contains plans for the alien invasion of earth.
[edit] Cast
- Gary Collins as Steve Bancroft
- James Hampton as Lew Price
- Robert Vaughn as Gordon Cain
- Pamela Bellwood as Dr. Sarah Michaels
- Philip Abbott as Lt. General Frank Morrison
- Tom Hallick as Phil Cameron
- William Schallert as Professor Mills
- Darren McGavin as NASA Deputy Director Harry Forbes
- Cliff Osmond as Sheriff Duane Barlow
- Stuart Pankin as Sam Tate
- H.M. Wynant as Flight Director
[edit] Production
Parts of the movie were filmed in Midland and Big Spring, Texas.
[edit] Reception
When the film was released The New York Times film critic Vincent Canby dismissed the film, writing, "Hangar 18 is the sort of melodrama that pretends to be skeptical, but requires that everyone watching it be profoundly gullible...It stars ...Robert Vaughn as the ruthless and fatally unimaginative White House Chief of Staff...In the supporting cast is Debra Macfarlane, who plays a beautiful female specimen found aboard the saucer, a young woman who looks amazingly like a Hollywood starlet. But then, I guess, she is. The flying saucer itself looks like an oversized toy that might have been made in Taiwan."[3]
[edit] Reference
- ^ Hangar 18 at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ TV Guide, film review. Last accessed: February 19, 2011.
- ^ Canby, Vincent The New York Times, film review, January 10, 1981. Last accessed: February 19, 2011.
[edit] External links
- Hangar 18 at the Internet Movie Database
- Hangar 18 film at Google Video
- Hangar 18 film trailer at You Tube
- Hangar 18 at Manor on Movies
