Francis Joseph Xavier Scully; (April 28, 1892 – June 23, 1964) was an American

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

, author, humorist, and a regular

columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (periodical), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the ...

for the entertainment

trade magazine A trade magazine, also called a trade journal or trade paper (colloquially or disparagingly a trade rag), is a magazine or newspaper whose target audience is people who work in a particular tradesman, trade or industry. The collective term ...

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

''.

Career

Scully studied journalism at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, was on the reporting staff at ''

The New York Sun ''The New York Sun'' is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative Online newspaper, news website and former newspaper based in Manhattan, Manhattan, New York. From 2009 to 2021, it operated as an (occasional and erratic) onlin ...

'' and was a contributor to ''Variety''. His books include ''Rogues' Gallery'' and ''Fun In Bed: The Convalescent's Handbook''. Scully received screenwriting credit for the American version of the film ''Une fée... pas comme les autres'' (''The Secret of Magic Island''). Shortly after Scully moved to

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...

with his family in 1934, fellow journalist and author

Upton Sinclair Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. (September 20, 1878 – November 25, 1968) was an American author, muckraker journalist, and political activist, and the 1934 California gubernatorial election, 1934 Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

won the Democratic

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...

for the upcoming gubernatorial election. A supporter of Sinclair's

End Poverty in California End Poverty in California (EPIC) was a political campaign started in 1934 by socialist writer Upton Sinclair (best known as author of ''The Jungle''). The movement formed the basis for Sinclair's 1934 California gubernatorial election, campaign f ...

plan, Scully founded the Author's League for Sinclair, which attracted the likes of

Gene Fowler Gene Fowler (born Eugene Devlan) (March 8, 1890 – July 2, 1960) was an American journalist, author, and dramatist. Biography Fowler was born in Denver, Colorado. When his mother remarried during his youth, he took his stepfather's name to be ...

and

Dorothy Thompson Dorothy Celene Thompson (July 9, 1893 – January 30, 1961) was an American journalist and radio broadcaster. She was the first American journalist to be expelled from Nazi Germany, in 1934, and was one of the few women news commentators broadc ...

. In January 1939, Scully was appointed administrative assistant and secretary of the California Department of Institutions by director Aaron Rosanoff. Just nine months later, Scully was fired and replaced with Rosanoff's daughter Marjorie. A year later, Scully testified against Rosanoff and detailed abusive conditions at the Whittier State School for Boys. He further alleged that his lack of involvement in the abuse was the reason why he was targeted in an indictment for misappropriating funds. He was later

acquitted In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal means that the criminal prosecution has failed to prove that the accused is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the charge presented. It certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an o ...

of all charges. During the

1940 Democratic Party presidential primaries From March 12 to June 27, 1940, voters of the Democratic Party elected delegates to the 1940 Democratic National Convention through a series of primaries, caucuses, and conventions. Incumbent President Franklin D. Roosevelt was selected as the ...

, Scully joined a left-wing slate pledged to lieutenant governor Ellis E. Patterson for president. They opposed incumbent

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

on the grounds he was focusing too much on

foreign affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit organization, nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership or ...

and not enough on domestic unemployment. The Patterson slate lost to Roosevelt's by a margin of fifteen to one.

Aztec UFO hoax

Scully publicized the Aztec, New Mexico UFO hoax when, in 1949, he wrote two columns in ''Variety'' claiming that dead

extraterrestrial Extraterrestrial may refer to: Science * Extraterrestrial life, life that occurs outside of Earth and that probably did not originate from Earth Media * ''Extraterrestrial'' (TV program), a program on the National Geographic Channel * '' Extrate ...

beings were recovered from a

flying saucer A flying saucer, or flying disc, is a purported type of disc-shaped unidentified flying object (UFO). The term was coined in 1947 by the United States (US) news media for the objects pilot Kenneth Arnold UFO sighting, Kenneth Arnold claimed fl ...

crash. Scully's 1950 book ''Behind the Flying Saucers'' expanded on the themes of flying saucer crashes and dead extraterrestrials, with Scully describing one of his sources as having "more degrees than a thermometer". In that book, he promoted the pseudohistorical claims of

Paxson Hayes Charles Paxson Hayes (July 27, 1892 – September 7, 1952) was a minor media figure in the early 20th century, described as an "explorer" in American press. A noted reptile enthusiast, Hayes spread pseudohistorical tales of giant human skeletons ...

that prehistoric giants inhabited the Americas. In 1952 and 1956, ''

True True most commonly refers to truth, the state of being in congruence with fact or reality. True may also refer to: Places * True, West Virginia, an unincorporated community in the United States * True, Wisconsin, a town in the United States * ...

'' magazine published articles by the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

'' reporter John Philip Cahn that purported to expose Scully's sources as

confidence trick A scam, or a confidence trick, is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using a combination of the victim's credulity, naivety, compassion, vanity, confidence, irrespons ...

sters who had

hoax A hoax (plural: hoaxes) is a widely publicised falsehood created to deceive its audience with false and often astonishing information, with the either malicious or humorous intent of causing shock and interest in as many people as possible. S ...

ed Scully. Scully's 1963 book, ''In Armour Bright'', also included material about alleged flying saucer crashes and dead extraterrestrials.

Publications

Books

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Contributions, introductions, forewords

* * * * * * *

Feature films

References

External links

*
"Flying Saucers and Frank Scully"
a detailed account of ''Behind the Flying Saucers'' and subsequent exposé {{DEFAULTSORT:Scully, Frank 1892 births 1964 deaths Burials at Desert Memorial Park American humorists American male journalists Journalists from California 20th-century American journalists Culbert Olson administration personnel Culbert Olson political appointees