Like all the Star Wars fans all across the globe, I’m deeply saddened by the death of James Earl Jones (1931-2024). His imposing presence and booming voice left an indelible mark in pop culture thanks to his iconic roles as Darth Vader, Mufasa or Thulsa Doom, to name a few.
But for those of us who are also interested in weirder stuff, Mr. Jones will also be remembered for his portrayal of Barney Hill, who in 1963 unwittingly jumped into fame along his wife Betty when their UFO close encounter and abduction by purportedly small, bald humanoid aliens was leaked by the press. Subsequently, their story—documented at their request by researcher John G. Fuller on the book The Interrupted Journey— was adapted for TV in the 1975 movie The UFO Incident.
Part of what makes The UFO Incident the best cinematic portrayal of the UFO abduction phenomenon to this day—sorry, Fire in the Sky— is that it faithfully recreated the harrowing intensity of emotions experienced by both Betty and Barney during their therapy sessions with post-traumatic expert Dr. Benjamin Simon, when he utilized hypnosis regression in order to help them ‘remember’ the events following their conscious sighting of an unidentified aerial object during their return trip from their (postponed) honeymoon to Montreal, in September of 1961 (as students of Ufology know, the use of hypnosis in abduction researcher is highly controversial, along with the accuracy of the ‘memories’ obtained through it; although in the case of the Hills no one can deny Simon’s therapy was successful in alleviating the stress symptoms the interracial couple had been experimenting since that fateful night).
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Jones’s interpretation of Barney while under hypnosis was some of his best performances as an actor and he deserved an Emmy for it, along with his co-star Estelle Parsons.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Jones.
