Flying into Film: The True Story of the Gremlins
It was a normal flight-well, as normal a bombing flight over Nazi Germany could ever be. Then the B-17 began to shake wildly, as the instruments began rattling off in alarm. There was nothing on the radar-how could this be happening, the pilot thought, looking around for the source of his’ crafts distress. Then he saw it through the cockpit’s window.
Gleefully tearing away at machinery, a small grey creature with huge red eyes was perched upon the nose, smiling as it shredded through metal. In response, the aviator began every maneuver he could think of, trying to shake it off, before it reached something vital and caused a crash.
In the end, he succeeded in driving the creature away, returning to his base with his story. The flyers had had one of countless encounters with a creature known as the gremlin.
The first pilots to encounter the creatures had no name for the monsters harassing them in the skies. Then one emerged, those it’s origins are less than clear. Some historians believed it comes from the old English greme, (to vex), combined with goblin. Others think it comes from mashing the popular brand of Fremlin’s beer with the Brothers Grimm. Regardless of the origin, the creatures had been named.
As aviation grew more complex, the stories of gremlins became both more widespread, and increasingly layered. Now, it was claimed that gas shortages were due to gremlins guzzling it down. Lady gremlins were called Fifinellas, baby girls Flippertygibbets and baby boys Widgets. Gremlins even appeared in wartime propaganda, with posters reminding aircraft crews and ground mechanics to closely inspect their planes for signs of the creatures’ tampering, as well as more ordinary faults.
At the same time that pilots reported harassment by the creatures, others claimed that they been helped. One famous encounter was that of a crew suffering from low visibility, who had a gremlin tell them how to find their way home. In another far more famous flight, Charles Lindbergh claimed that during the 9th hour of his solo voyage across the Atlantic, phantom presences appeared in the plane. They reassured him that he would make it across the ocean safely, and assisted him in interpreting his instruments as he grew increasingly exhausted.
And these stories inspired a soon to be famous author: Roald Dahl. In 1943, based on the tales told by other Royal Air Force pilots, Dahl published The Gremlins, in which the creatures initially prove hazardous. Then the RAF command is able to bribe then with postage stamps and the promise of replanting their forest home to use their skills on behalf of Britain instead.
Although the Disney short based on this book never came to pass, the gremlins’ star was on the rise. They first made the jump to live action when one was featured in the Twilight Zone episode Nightmare at 20,000 Feet facing off with William Shatner’s character. In the series, the gremlin is once again attacking an aircraft, this time a passenger plane, before Shatner succeeds in forcing the aircraft to land, saving everyone on board.
And then in 1984, their place among monsters was permanently cemented, when they debuted on the silver screen in The Gremlins. Although this cult classic has very little in common with the original stories, its’ gremlins do still show a talent for mechanical mayhem, to continued lethal effect.
As for their real-life inspiration, gremlins haven’t been seen in numbers since World War II ended, though their impact on the English language endures for every sort of mechanical issue. Perhaps one day they’ll reemerge, and start tearing up our phone screens instead. Or maybe, if we’re really lucky, they’ll lend a helping hand.
https://www.historynet.com/gremlins/
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-are-gremlins
https://aviationoiloutlet.com/blog/gremlins-aviation-yes-read-right/