Chariots of the Gods [50th Anniversary]

The German documentary Chariots of the Gods attempts to lend credence to the speculative best-seller by Eric Von Daniken. Using the most tenuous of evidence -- pyramids, curiously plowed farm fields, obscured-origin artifacts -- Von Daniken strived to prove that mankind's ancient civilizations had been visited by extraterrestrials. American documentary producer Alan Landsburg bought the US rights for Chariots of the Gods, transforming it into a more compact TV special, In Search of the Ancient Astronauts. Landsburg also replaced the German film's narration with the cadences of Twilight Zone mentor Rod Serling.