The Official Unofficial Version
More than 12 million saw Sesamites Attack. Famous scenes include (above, clockwise from upper left):
- The alien armada battles US Navy jets above Bexley
- General Danforth and Dr. Bain fall in love
- The last spaceship sets off to destroy the Bexley Public Schools building
- The high school principal crashes his explosive-packed truck into the spaceship's landing gear.
The events depicted are obvious fiction. But a faithful retelling was impossible at the time due to the massive government coverup. There was only a brief FDA notification of a food poisoning outbreak, "quickly contained," and "of no further public risk." However, 'reliable sources' made it known that Soviet-funded infiltrators had attempted a local government takeover through drugs and sabotage.
Naturally, rumors of the actual events were much discussed. The Sesamites producers saw the opportunity and created a film that seemed a standard sci-fi alien invasion yarn. But the posters and previews were hint enough that this was THE invasion story. As a result, the movie was a hit, and became, for many, the canonical record of events.
