Hitchcock movies include The 39 Steps (1935) with Robert Donat, Saboteur (1942) with Robert Cummings, and of course North by Northwest (1959) with Cary Grant. The large numbers of UFO reports in the post-World War II era was the subject of paranoia and conspiracy, as scientists and authorities (the Condon Committee and the Robertson Panel), and debunkers (Committee for Skeptical Inquiry), dismissed or downplayed the reports; and dedicated "ufologists" made sometimes-outlandish claims of alien presence on Earth and of earthly conspiracies to suppress evidence of it. Interest in the subject of UFOs became fringe, and "a punchline" in popular culture. Cold War allegory For many viewers, the theme of paranoia infusing The Invaders often appeared to reflect Cold War realities of communist infiltration that had lingered from the McCarthy period a decade earlier. Series creator Larry Cohen has acknowledged that this was intended, along with a political theme for the series. In audio commentary for the episode "The Innocent", included in the first-season DVD collection, Cohen said his knowledge of the blacklisting of Hollywood screenwriters for their communist connections inspired him to make "a documentary" of the fear of the infiltration of society, by substituting space aliens for communists. Cohen also acknowledged he was not the first to turn Cold War fears into science-fiction drama; such fears had influenced such films as Invasion of the Body Snatchers and especially I Married a Monster from Outer Space. Cohen also stated in his commentary that the political intent inherent in some of his creations, including The Invaders, was not always appreciated or shared by left-wing producers and actors. In an interview shown in the special-features segment included on the DVD release of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, star Kevin McCarthy strongly denied any desire by director Don Siegel or the film's writer to connect the invaders to communists. Cast Roy Thinnes appears as David Vincent in all 43 episodes. For the first 30 episodes, he is the only recurring character. Kent Smith appears as Edgar Scoville for 13 episodes, beginning with episode 31, "The Believers". Scoville heads a small group called The Believers, who accept David Vincent's claims of alien invasion. None of the other Believers are series regulars, and are typically only seen briefly on-screen as extras or in bit roles. Lin McCarthy appears as Col. Archie Harmon, a skeptical friend of Scoville's, in two episodes. Alfred Ryder appears as an