I remember back in the 1960s and 1970s, friends and relatives would occasionally invite you over to view slides that were taken from various vacation spots. You went because it was the polite thing to do. I hated it as I recall squirming for the full duration of the viewing. These were the dreaded slide shows that usually held nothing of interest for you, but you sat through it wasting time that you could never reclaim.
I bring this up because of the current focus on the "Roswell" slides. The story of the slides coming into being is twisted and convoluted. Supposedly taken by either Bernerd or Hilda Ray, yet that is not certain. In fact nothing is certain concerning the two slides, not even what is depicted as the subject matter.
The two slides in question (alien, mummy, human deformity or whatever) were mounted in a slide format with the full intent to be shown. We may infer that at some given point in time that they were part of a slide presentation(s) and seen by others, otherwise why waste the time putting them in a slide format?
I suspect that these two slides were shown to quiet a few individuals back in the 1950s and 1960s. It may be a "fantastic" present day discovery for some, but I suspect that this was old news back in the day.
Is there any evidence that individuals in Midland, TX or Sedona, AZ were screaming about photographic proof of aliens, based on these slides back in the 1950s or 1960s? I've not come across such a notion.
That the two slides were in an envelope separated from the others may have been to avoid having them shown with the rest of the slides so as not to offend certain sensibilities, thus being shown only under certain circumstances depending on the audience.
In the 1950s, there was still a sense of decorum and the constitution of proper manners. Unlike today where anything goes especially if it has a certain degree of shock value. The two photos, as the rest, are remnants of a long ago social culture, but rest assured they were seen.
In addition: Who processed the slides?
ReplyDeleteAccording to Wikipedia (the second-most scholarly academic journal cited by fringe believers, right after YouTube), Kodachrome was processed by Kodak, almost exclusively, until 1954. It was a complicated procedure unlikely to have been done by amateurs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodachrome#Processing_of_Kodachrome_films
I imagine no records of these transactions would still exist, but someone processed them. I wonder if the sliders are looking for this person? They do have a genuine serviceman from 1947.
Terry,
ReplyDeleteSome had asked those questions a while back with no satisfactory answer. I agree that one would have had to take the roll of film to a professional processor.
If one took the time to have the two photos mounted in a slide format, they were meant to be shown. I have a hard time being convinced that the Rays or whoever, would have snapped a couple of shots of a government clandestine clean-up operation and had them professionally processed and formatted and then left hidden for decades with the intent that someday someone would stumble across them.
There is no logical conclusion other than they were meant to be shown then not 70 years later.
Hi Tim:
ReplyDeleteI was watching a film this evening by the brilliant Peter Medak, titled, The Krays (1990), and early in the timeframe in 1951 they were at a carnival outside of London and viewing a specimen of a siamese twin in a jar that was remarkably similar to the specimen/animation in the slides.
BTW: I accompanied Steve Greer to Monterrey, MX in 1995 where the locals convinced him to purchase an "exoskeleton of a diminutive ET found in a cave" for a considerable price that turned out to be a shark cranium. Von Daniken had encountered a similar situation years before.
Kind regards, Tom
Tom,
ReplyDeleteThe idea that the slides depict a "human" specimen as a public curiosity seems to be plausible. Can't help but noticed that you wrote "similar to the specimen/animation in the slides." I'm curious about the term "animation."
LOL...how was it that the "exoskeleton of the ET" was determined to be a shark cranium? I've not heard this story before, but sounds interesting.
Kind regards,
Tim
Tim; For decades, professional and serious amateurs used Kodachrome positive slide film (the exact film used for Hollywood movies) because of its superior quality. The slides were often viewed on light tables and in handheld viewers, but the slide projector was certainly a common household item and the family or vacation slide show a common affair.
ReplyDelete"Hey, that mummy looks like a space alien!" (g)
Every roll of consumer Kodachrome was sold as "color slide film." And every one I ever saw, even in professional studios, had been developed, cut and mounted as a matter of routine by Kodak developers--whatever its intended presentation, or, as with many boxes of mine, never seen by others. Merely being slides does not mean they were presented.
But yes, the two slides were more than likely seen many times and no one ever thought anything more than "mummified child" curiosity as presented.
Just sayin'...
Best!
Zoam,
ReplyDeleteHere's a possible sceario:
Hilda and Berned Ray showing friends and family the recent summer of 1947 vacation slides.
Hilda: "Bernerd and I had quite a lovely time vacationing in the SouthWest. Here is Bernerd at the Grand Canyon... it was larger than I expected...I mean the canyon of course."
Bernerd: "Now Hilda..."
Hilda: "Here is Bernerd at an abandon pueblo, at an old Spanish Mission, standing next to Ike...Bernerd is that not Milton in the photo instead of you?, and here is Bernerd standing next to dead dead extraterrestrial aliens near this dreadful little town called Roswell...damn it Bernerd, that slide is a little blurry my dear."
Bernard: "Didn't have much time dear...those soldiers had guns..."
Hilda: "Bernerd, that looks like a weather balloon near those little guys."
Bernerd: "Didn't have time to notice, this fellow, Dr. Gee said we had to get the hell out of there, right quick!"
Hilda: "Oh, he did seem like a friendly gentleman...and here is a photo of Bernerd playing golf with..."