UFO Abductions / Making of 'The Godfather'

About the show

In the first half, independent UFO abduction investigator Kathleen Marden joined George Knapp to discuss abductions, the perplexing nature of UFOs, and the non-human entities associated with them. According to her research, the entities have warned experiencers that humans' nuclear weapons "tear holes in the fabric between the dimensions," which can cause damage in their realm. Repeatedly abducted individuals are often traumatized by these experiences, and she offered suggestions such as asking for a reprieve or breaking a so-called contract that the aliens claim a person agreed upon before they were born.

As far as genetic experiments and hybrids, the entities have stated they are trying to "upgrade" humans, she reported, and enhancements include increased empathy and psychic abilities. Currently, fewer people are being abducted physically, she detailed, and more are having encounters at home, where they receive "downloads" of information from the aliens. She also spoke about some of the intriguing results of a 2018 survey she conducted with MUFON about abductees' experiences. Many people in the survey described having paranormal experiences, she revealed, such as observing lighted orbs in their homes that seemed to have intelligence. Marden, the niece of famed abductees Betty & Barney Hill, announced a new edition with updated material, of "Captured," the book she co-wrote with the late Stanton Friedman about the Hill case.

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Many versions of The Godfather's creation on film have been told. In the latter half, veteran journalist Mark Seal shared extensive new information about the movie gleaned from director Francis Ford Coppola, actors like James Caan, and the son of Mario Puzo (the book's author). The classic movie managed to revolutionize filmmaking, mint a generation of new acting stars, and help save financially troubled Paramount Pictures, he noted. Puzo (who, in addition to writing the novel, co-wrote the screenplay for The Godfather) was able to create a tale about gangsters that were a family, which added heart to the tale, and made the audience care about the characters, Seal commented. Coppola, just 31 years old when the film was made, was a surprising choice to helm the project, but a lot of more established directors weren't interested in it, he noted.

Some of Coppola's casting choices didn't please the studio. For instance, Marlon Brando was considered very difficult to work with and the studio requested a screen test. Only 47 at the time the test was shot at his home, Brando pulled back his ponytail, dotted shoe polish under his nose to effect a mustache, and stuck Kleenex in his cheeks to create the jowls of the old Mafia Don, Seal recounted. "In this magical moment, with the camera rolling, he becomes Don Corleone," and no one could deny him the part after that, he added. Al Pacino was a stage actor, not well known to movie execs at the time, and Coppola insisted he was right for the role of Michael, though the studio pushed for bigger names like Robert Redford, Warren Beatty, and Ryan O'Neal.