The Great Falls Mariana UFO Film of 1950

On August 15, 1950, Nicholas Mariana, general manager of the Great Falls baseball team, captured one of the earliest and most controversial UFO films in history. Using his 16mm camera, Mariana filmed two bright circular objects moving in formation across the Montana sky. The case became a source of lasting controversy when Mariana claimed that the initial 35 frames - which he said showed the objects most clearly as disc-shaped - were removed by the Air Force before the film was returned to him.

The Witness

Nicholas Mariana

Who he was:

• General manager, Great Falls Electrics baseball team
• Respected local businessman
• Amateur photographer
• No history of fabrication
• Maintained account throughout life

Credibility Factors

Why his account matters:

• Professional position
• Community standing
• Owned suitable camera equipment
• No apparent motive for hoax
• Consistent testimony over decades

The Sighting

Time and Location

The circumstances:

• Date: August 15, 1950
• Time: 11:25 AM
• Location: Great Falls, Montana
• Clear daylight conditions
• Good visibility

Initial Observation

What Mariana saw:

• Two bright circular objects
• Silvery appearance
• Moving across sky
• Flying in formation
• Unusual flight characteristics

The Film

Equipment Used

His camera:

• 16mm motion picture camera
• Standard amateur equipment
• Color film (some accounts)
• Adequate for distance filming
• Captured approximately 16 seconds

What He Filmed

The footage showed:

• Two bright objects
• Circular or disc-shaped
• Moving in formation
• Smooth, controlled flight
• Against clear sky

The Missing Frames Controversy

Mariana’s claim:

• Submitted film to Air Force
• Initial 35 frames removed
• Those frames showed objects most clearly
• Showed disc shape definitively
• Returned film incomplete

Air Force Analysis

Initial Investigation

What happened:

• Film submitted for analysis
• U.S. Air Force examined
• Navy Photo Interpretation Center reviewed
• Multiple expert analyses
• Years of study

Official Explanation

The Air Force concluded:

• Objects were reflections
• Two F-94 jets in area
• Sunlight reflecting off aircraft
• Conventional explanation offered
• Case resolved officially

Problems with Explanation

Why Mariana disputed this:

• Timing didn’t match jet positions
• Objects moved differently than jets
• Appearance didn’t match aircraft
• Missing frames would have proven it
• Maintained objection throughout life

Robertson Panel Review

1953 Examination

The CIA panel:

• Reviewed Great Falls film
• Along with Tremonton, Utah film
• Part of comprehensive assessment
• Evaluated as evidence
• Could not definitively explain

Their Assessment

Panel conclusions:

• Interesting footage
• Some anomalies noted
• Aircraft reflection possible
• But not conclusive
• Remained somewhat ambiguous

Analysis

What the Film Shows

Visible characteristics:

• Two bright points of light
• Moving in formation
• Steady, controlled motion
• Appear circular
• Consistent throughout footage

Technical Considerations

Film analysis factors:

• Distance makes detail difficult
• Light conditions affect appearance
• Motion blur possible
• Resolution limits interpretation
• Authentic film stock confirmed

The Frame Removal Question

Central controversy:

• Air Force denied removing frames
• Mariana insisted they did
• Initial frames allegedly clearer
• No way to verify either claim
• Mystery remains

Legacy

UFO Film History

This film’s importance:

• Among earliest UFO films
• Pre-dates most famous footage
• Extensively analyzed
• Part of official record
• Referenced for decades

Pattern of Controversy

What it established:

• Evidence submission to military
• Claims of tampering
• Dispute over explanation
• Witness vs. official accounts
• Ongoing debate

The Question

August 15, 1950. Great Falls, Montana.

Nicholas Mariana looked up and saw something strange.

Two bright objects. Silvery. Circular. Moving across the sky in perfect formation.

He had a camera. A 16mm movie camera. He used it.

For sixteen seconds, he captured what he saw. Two UFOs, flying over Montana in broad daylight.

Then he made a decision that would haunt him forever.

He gave the film to the Air Force.

When he got it back, something was different. The first 35 frames were gone. The frames where, according to Mariana, the objects were closest. Where they looked most clearly like what they were - disc-shaped craft.

The Air Force said they were jet reflections. Two F-94s in the area. Sunlight bouncing off metal.

But Mariana knew what he’d filmed. He knew what those missing frames showed.

He spent the rest of his life insisting those frames had been removed. The Air Force spent the rest of theirs denying it.

Who was right?

The Robertson Panel looked at the film in 1953. They couldn’t explain it definitively either.

The Great Falls film.

One of the first UFO films ever taken.

And perhaps the first to disappear - at least partially - into government hands.

We have what remains. Two bright objects, moving across the sky.

We’ll never have what was lost.

Those 35 frames.

Gone forever.

Along with whatever truth they contained.