Claude Atkins said, “President Nixon showed Jackie Gleason an Alien”

My wife was on vacation with girl friends near Miami, Florida at Environ on property owned by Jackie Gleason about 1979. She does not remember the details, but had phoned me and was excited about telling me her story about meeting and talking with the actor Claude Atkins who was very friendly.



Claude was playing golf with Jackie Gleason at his golf course outside Miami, and my wife was watching them playing. Later Claude and my wife were talking and he told her that Gleason had just revealed President Nixon took Gleason to Homestead Air Force Base and showed him an alien body. Apparently Gleason often played golf with President Nixon and they were close friends during Nixon’s presidency from January 20, 1969 – August 9, 1974.
The Jackie Gleason Show was popular from 1952 to 1970), and which centered on his most beloved character, bus driver Ralph Kramden. He later was featured in Smokey and the Bandit in 1977, and its sequels in 1980, and 1983. Gleason’s home was built in the shape of a UFO.
Claude Atkins was a close friend of Jackie Gleason and was the star of the TV series “Movin On” a show about independent truckers fighting corruption and moving loads around the nation in their big rigs between 1974 and 76.  As a film actor, Akins first appeared in 1953's From Here to Eternity. In 1954's The Caine Mutiny as a seaman and shipmate of Lee Marvin. He portrayed prisoner Joe Burdette in Rio Bravo. Lt. Commander Farber in Don't Give Up The Ship. Sgt Kolowicz in Merrill's Marauders, Rockwell W. "Rocky" Rockman in The Devil's Brigade, the Reverend Jeremiah Brown in the 1960 movie Inherit the Wind, outlaw Ben Lane in Comanche Station that same year, Seely Jones in A Distant Trumpet (1964), and the gorilla leader Aldo in Battle for the Planet of the Apes movie in 1973.