I'm watching this segment as I write this. What do you guys think fake or real? I live in a neighboring city only 75 miles away. I was only 5 or 6 when this happened back in 1987.

I will tell you this, Gulf Breeze is a short boat ride across the bay from Pensacola Naval Air Station. It also lies about 15 miles west of Hurlburt Field in Ft. Walton Beach. Also in the Ft. Walton area is Eglin Air Force Base. There are an awful lot of military planes that fly over these areas often. I don't discredit these people necessarily but the abundance of the bases nearby does bring it to question. I am not aware of any military testing that goes on there.

Now that I'm more into the segment to the part where the guy found the model, it's most likely a hoax from what I can tell.

Without a doubt, FAKE! What a loser that Ed Walters is. The paper plate model, testimony of his former accomplice, and abundance of sightings at various times in a short period of time is all the evidence I need to know it's fake.

I certainly lean towards hoax. Ed Walters is a bit of a nut and if you watch the segment you'll see how he gradually unravels as the segment progresses.

Yep I agree...he's a nut! :crazy:

The humorist Dave Barry wrote a semi-serious piece about this for Miami Herald Tropic magazine. It was reprinted in his book "Dave Barry Is Not Making This Up." It was an interesting read - he describes Ed Walters as acting a bit crazy when Barry interviewed him.

Charli-Ann

Well there certainly have been a lot of sightings there and many of them captured on film, but yes I think he made it up, he followed up his first best seller with another book which was a lot of rehashing the first one but this time recalls his being abducted by aliens:crazy:

As someone with an open mind as to the existence of ET life, i say without hesitation that Walters is a fake- to say his photo evidence is too good to be true is an understatement of considerable proportions- a bit careless aswell not to ditch the paper model on which his pictures were based....

i think the Hudson River Valley Case (also profiled on UM) is alot more interesting- in particular, the evidence of the police officer and of Dennis Sant who featured in the segment...any thoughts?

Okay, yes, it was obvious to me too that Ed Walters was a fake. I came to this opinion, after pausing the DVD and comparing the photographs, it was obvious that they were the same.

What gets me is how many people Walters got to buy into his crap. I mean, I think at least for the most part these people actually believed what Walters was telling them and that he just spread this story around like wild fire so many times that people began to believe they were seeing UFO's and all that.

It tells how careless and arrogant Walters was to not make sure to have his model with him when he moved to a different house. Walters came off to me as a whacko, a guy who while he was a fake, he almost came off as deranged like he honestly believed he was seeing a UFO or something.

I agree with what another poster said that the people who appeared in the segment probably genuinely believed they had seen a UFO, but that the objects they saw were probably from nearby Eglin Air Force Base which is one of the largest if not the largest air force base in the country, it takes up parts of three counties I believe.

Okay, I was looking into this a little more, Ed Walters was paid a 200 thousand dollar advance for writing a book at one time. Walters also claims he was visited by Air Force officials and all that. He is just nuts.

I was also looking into some of the other people shown in the segment, Mayor Ed Gray III is now a member of the school board in Gulf Breeze. http://www.santarosa.k12.fl.us/schlbrd/gray.htm

Also Tommy Smith, his full name is G. Thomas Smith Jr and he is actually the son of a prominent Pensacola Attorney.

This segment is so AWFUL. It just drags on with a bunch of quick cuts from about 25 different people's inane opinions, headlined by Ed Walters pathologically lying about his stupid paper plates and the redneck kid saying he's lying. Back and forth and back and forth and UGH. Ready to fall asleep. They play the same two stupid songs the entire 20 minute segment and the show desperately tries to make a story out of a complete non-story. This segment should of been great like the other UFO segments they did. It's garbage. More infuriating than the Magic Rock segment.

IMO, it's awful because Ed Walters is awful. I actually think this is a great one to go to sleep by, because for whatever reason, that particular music lulls me to Snooze Town.

For whatever reason, I kind of chuckle at the way one of the residents says, "little lighted dome on the top", too.

This segment is so AWFUL. It just drags on with a bunch of quick cuts from about 25 different people's inane opinions, headlined by Ed Walters pathologically lying about his stupid paper plates and the redneck kid saying he's lying. Back and forth and back and forth and UGH. Ready to fall asleep. They play the same two stupid songs the entire 20 minute segment and the show desperately tries to make a story out of a complete non-story. This segment should of been great like the other UFO segments they did. It's garbage. More infuriating than the Magic Rock segment.

I agree. I think between the initial segment and the LONG update, it must take up nearly a whole episode. The weird thing is, I could SWEAR i have 2 copies of this segment, one with Ed's face shown normally and the other where his identity is hidden. I have no idea what to make of that.

I almost hate to say this, but the people of Gulf Breeze come of as wholly ignorant in that segment, especially after the paper plate model was found, many of them were still testifying stuff like "I saw a UFO, I don't care what anybody thinks." The kid was actually one of the most likeable people on that clip.

The weird thing is, I could SWEAR i have 2 copies of this segment, one with Ed's face shown normally and the other where his identity is hidden. I have no idea what to make of that.

I thought the one where Ed's identity is revealed was an update to the original segment (which was featured on like the first or second episode once the series began its regular run, IIRC). It seemed like UM revamped the entire segment after Ed Walters went public with his claims and some of the hoax allegations came out, about two years after the first segment aired.

The kid was actually one of the most likeable people on that clip.

I agree; I liked Tommy!

I thought the one where Ed's identity is revealed was an update to the original segment (which was featured on like the first or second episode once the series began its regular run, IIRC). It seemed like UM revamped the entire segment after Ed Walters went public with his claims and some of the hoax allegations came out, about two years after the first segment aired.

That could be.

One thing about this segment I *did* like was Stack standing amongst that group of people. I don't know why, but it was just so randomly awesome.

One thing about this segment I *did* like was Stack standing amongst that group of people. I don't know why, but it was just so randomly awesome.

Agreed.

For a good time, do a video search for 'Ed Walters V Philip Klass: a rare tv appearance'. The video features Ed Walters on an episode of a very popular talk show along with renowned UFO skeptic Philip Klass. At the 5:04 mark, a woman in the audience calls Ed out on the paper plate model, which devolves into a rather bizarre discussion in which we find out Walters actually was convicted of two felonies several years before--one for forgery, the other for auto theft, according to Klass. Walters also goes on to suggest "the government" may have planted the model in the attic in an attempt to discredit him.

Interestingly, the audience actually seems super sympathetic toward him.

I haven't seen the Gulf Breeze segment for decades now but IIRC a large group of Gulf Breeze residents were standing behind Robert Stack at the start? Claiming to have seen the UFO's. Question is if the entire thing was a hoax why would so many people lie? Attention seeking town? :eek:

For a good time, do a video search for 'Ed Walters V Philip Klass: a rare tv appearance'. The video features Ed Walters on an episode of a very popular talk show along with renowned UFO skeptic Philip Klass. At the 5:04 mark, a woman in the audience calls Ed out on the paper plate model, which devolves into a rather bizarre discussion in which we find out Walters actually was convicted of two felonies several years before--one for forgery, the other for auto theft, according to Klass. Walters also goes on to suggest "the government" may have planted the model in the attic in an attempt to discredit him.

Interestingly, the audience actually seems super sympathetic toward him.

Yeah, I am sure the government have got nothing better to do than create model Flying Saucers & then go around breaking into people's properties to frame them. :D

Not surprising, the media is generally pro supernatural as it sells copies & does ratings & the public tend to lap it up. Look at the sympathy for Jenny McCarthy because she was famous, charismatic, buxom & had a kid with issues, it didn't matter that her unscientific behaviour was condemning children to illness & death, the scientists with the actual evidence didn't stand a chance against her. They likely believed in Aliens & saw Ed as the little guy getting stomped on by the evil skeptics & those in authority.

I haven't seen the Gulf Breeze segment for decades now but IIRC a large group of Gulf Breeze residents were standing behind Robert Stack at the start? Claiming to have seen the UFO's. Question is if the entire thing was a hoax why would so many people lie? Attention seeking town? :eek:

1. Many people like attention, we have seen it more this century with so many desperate to become celebrities & doing anything to get their five minutes of fame.

2. As we have seen with Roswell there can be huge commercial benefits to playing up something like this-themed restaurants, merchandise etc, I remember there were even plans for a Roswell theme park-no idea if that is still planned or if it got canned. A lot of business owners there likely saw the possible commercial benefits of putting Gulf Breeze on the map with the tourist trade it would bring from UFO hunters etc.

3. People getting caught up, as we have seen when something happens many others jump on the bandwagon, if you look up at the sky at night you will see any number of things that can be misconstrued as alien craft such as stars, planets, Chinese Lanterns, blimps, planes etc & no doubt when Walters started seeing all this stuff then others joined in honestly thinking they were seeing something otherworldly when they were just seeing the mundane.

I haven't seen the Gulf Breeze segment for decades now but IIRC a large group of Gulf Breeze residents were standing behind Robert Stack at the start? Claiming to have seen the UFO's. Question is if the entire thing was a hoax why would so many people lie? Attention seeking town? :eek:

I remember a light bulb going off over my head when Robert Stack mentioned during the segment that an air force base bordered Gulf Breeze. I'm sure that once Walters got the paranoia started, residents would see aircraft from the base flying through the sky and mistakenly believe it was UFOs.

I remember a light bulb going off over my head when Robert Stack mentioned during the segment that an air force base bordered Gulf Breeze. I'm sure that once Walters got the paranoia started, residents would see aircraft from the base flying through the sky and mistakenly believe it was UFOs.

This is exactly what I believe happened.

Mysteries at the Museum just featured this and absolutely dismissed it as a hoax--nothing about Ed Walters's assertion that he was framed by someone stealing his drafting paper and planting the model in his attic. It doesn't explain a roomful of people claiming they all saw something but he of course could have started the hoax after they witnessed something else.

Where can I find this segment?

Wonder what Ed is up to these days? 25 years since his second book I believe & it pretty much seemed to all go quiet on him after that.