Duck and Cover
Possibly the most famous Civil Defense film made for children, in which
Bert the Turtle shows what to do in case of atomic attack. This film, a
combination of animated cartoon and live action.
The film opens with "Bert the Turtle" wobbling down the
street and singing a song, "Duck and Cover." When there is a bright flash,
Bert immediately ducks into his shell covering. The narrator explains that
when there is a bright flash -- brighter than the sun -- children should
follow Bert's example. The film shifts to a classroom of first or second
grade youngsters who are practicing what to do in the case of an atomic
attack.
The Civil Defense worker is shown as a helper who will
answer their questions, tell them when the danger is over, and give them
help. The film ends by suggesting that, whether they are in the city or the
country and whether they are at home or away, they must always be ready to
duck and cover when there is an atomic explosion. "Bert the Turtle" once
again sings his song and shows how he, too, ducks and covers when there is
a bright flash.
If A Is For Atom was produced to reassure us of the atom's
essential goodness, Duck and Cover was made to frighten us. Produced
for showing to schoolchildren, it presents the atomic bomb as a mysterious,
and frightening force.
Just five brief soundbites say it all:
"You know how bad sunburn can be. The atomic bomb flash
could burn you worse than a terrible sunburn, especially where you're not
covered."
"Always remember, the flash of an atomic bomb can come
at any time, no matter where you may be."
"Sometimes the bomb may explode without any warning."
"Getting ready means we will all have to be able to take
care of ourselves. A bomb might explode when there are no grownups near.
Paul and Patty know this, and they're always ready to take care of
themselves."
"Sundays, holidays, vacation time...we must be ready every
day, all the time, to do the right thing if the atomic bomb explodes."
This is the original cut of Duck and Cover as it was released
to schools.
U.S. Federal Civil Defense Administration Producer: Archer
Productions, Inc. Sound, B&W. Run Time: 9:15 |
About Fallout (1955) ca. 1955
Producer: Wilding Picture Productions, Inc. U.S. Department of
Defense
Attempt to dispel many common myths and fallacies about
radioactive fallout. Ken Smith says: "Radiation is something we
live with every day." This film takes the "a nuclear-war-isn't-so-bad "approach.
(Compare it to the 1963 version below). As long as we "know the facts" and
"act intelligently," the narrator assures us, we'll be able to weather any
nuclear firestorm that blows our way. "The key to survival is adequate shelter,"
we are told. "The fallout shelter is the best defense. Without shelter, millions
would face death."
Chock-full of the usual really bad advice ("Fallout swallowed
accidentally with food or drinking water would do you no immediate harm").
This film very clearly shows how mid-fifties Washington, having worked America
into a nuclear frenzy, was trying to put a reassuring spin on a messy
situation.
Run time: 8:20 Color/B&W: C Silent/Sound: Sd |
About Fallout (1963) 1963
Producer: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Civil Defense
Optimistic vision of fallout and civil defense
countermeasures. Discusses the physics, effects and defense against
nuclear fallout. Describes the phenomena of natural radiation and the dangers
of fallout. Explains the value of time, distance and mass in weakening the
effect of residual radiation. Examines the effects of radiation on the body,
food and water. Underscores adequate shelter and prescribed decontamination
measures.
Film purports to explain to the viewer how to safely handle
one of the after effects of an atomic bomb blast: fallout. Contains many
statments we now reconize a "not quite the truth".
Run time: 22:25 Color/B&W: C Silent/Sound: Sd |
Atomic Alert (Elementary version) 1951
Producer: Encyclopaedia Britannica Films
Frightening civil defense procedure film aimed at Cold
War-era elementary school students. Explains steps to take in
case of an atomic bomb alert or a bombing without warning at school, in the
open or at home. Gives simple explanation of nuclear fusion.
Run time: 10:13 Color/B&W: B&W Silent/Sound: Sd |
The House in the Middle, 1954
Producer: National Paint, Varnish and Lacquer Association
Sponsor: National Clean Up-Paint Up-Fix Up Bureau. Produced
with the cooperation of the Federal Civil Defense Administration.
Atomic tests at the Nevada Proving Grounds (later the Nevada
Test Site) show effects on well-kept homes, homes filled with trash and
combustibles, and homes painted with reflective white paint. Asserts that
cleanliness is an essential part of civil defense preparedness and that it
increased survivability. Selected for the 2002 National Film Registry of
"artistically, culturally, and socially significant" films. Run time: 12:09
Color |
News Magazine of the Screen, The (Vol. 5, Issue 10; Summer
Review 1955
Newsreel stories reformatted for classroom use.
Producer: Warner Pathé News
Sponsor: N/A
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Run Time 22:38 |
| Civil Planes Grounded in Defense Alert, 1961/10/16
(1961)
Civil Defense test closed airports for 12 hours, Operation Sky Shield
(partial newsreel). |
| Atomic Attack (1950)
In this sobering film, a family living 50 miles outside of New York
must escape the fallout from a nuclear bomb dropped upon the Big Apple. Features
Walter Matthau.
Producer: National Archives and Records Administration
Audio/Visual: sound, color |
| Why Family Action?
A filmstrip presentation produced in 1960 by the U.S. Office of Civil
and Defense Mobilization for use in the "Home Preparedness Workshops" held
in local communities. Target audience was the average American housewife
and homemaker of the period. This is number 1 in a series of 5 filmstrips
made by the OCDM for use in the Home Preparedness Workshop.
Audio soundtrack was provided on a 12" vinyl LP.
Running time: 17:21 |
| Family Fallout Shelters
A filmstrip presentation produced in 1960 by the U.S. Office of Civil
and Defense Mobilization for use in the "Home Preparedness Workshops" held
in local communities. Target audience was the average American housewife
and homemaker of the period. This is number 2 in a series of 5 filmstrips
made by the OCDM for use in the Home Preparedness Workshop.
Audio soundtrack was provided on a 12" vinyl LP.
Running time: 17:43. |
| Family Fire Safety
A filmstrip presentation produced in 1960 by the U.S. Office of Civil
and Defense Mobilization for use in the "Home Preparedness Workshops" held
in local communities. Target audience was the average American housewife
and homemaker of the period. This is number 3 in a series of 5 filmstrips
made by the OCDM for use in the Home Preparedness Workshop.
Audio soundtrack was provided on a 12" vinyl LP.
Running time: 17:32. |
| Family Health
A filmstrip presentation produced in 1960 by the U.S. Office of Civil
and Defense Mobilization for use in the "Home Preparedness Workshops" held
in local communities. Target audience was the average American housewife
and homemaker of the period. This is number 4 in a series of 5 filmstrips
made by the OCDM for use in the Home Preparedness Workshop.
Audio soundtrack was provided on a 12" vinyl LP.
Running time: 14:36. |
| Family Action
A filmstrip presentation produced in 1960 by the U.S. Office of Civil
and Defense Mobilization for use in the "Home Preparedness Workshops" held
in local communities. Target audience was the average American housewife
and homemaker of the period. This is number 5 in a series of 5 filmstrips
made by the OCDM for use in the Home Preparedness Workshop.
Audio soundtrack was provided on a 12" vinyl LP.
Running time: 16:09. |
| What You Should Know About Biological Warfare
(1952)
How can we protect ourselves against the threats of germs and toxins?
Cold War America gears up to fend off threats from unconventional
bioweapons.
Producer: Ray (Reid H.) Film Industries
Sponsor: U.S. Federal Civil Defense Administration
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Run Time 7;18 |
| Survival Under Atomic Attack (1951)
"Explains" the dangers of the atomic bomb, the effects of radiation
and how to protect oneself if caught in the open or in the home.
Producer: U.S. Office of Civil Defense
Sponsor: U.S. Office of Civil Defense
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Run Time 8:46 |
| Public Shelter Living: The Story of Shelter 104
(1964)
Public Shelter Living: The Story of Shelter 104 is a gem of a civil
defense film from 1964. It begins with shelter manager Bob and his assistant,
a chirpy blonde, counting people coming into a public Fallout Shelter to
avoid the off-camera atomic attack. The thirty-minute black and white movie
concerns the challenges of living in a shelter “for as long as we have
to.” At one point Shelter Manager Bob tells everyone “That it
won’t be any picnic in here. There’s going to be a certain amount
of discomfort for all of us.” He then urges his captive audience to
“sit down, remain calm and continue filling out those forms that were
handed to you.”
"The primary lesson of the film seems to be targeted at potential shelter
managers: Don’t let stoned beatniks wander into your shelter after the
big one drops. You might live to regret it."
Audio/Visual: sound, b&w
Run Time 29:30 |
| Radiological Defense (1961)
Nuclear fallout menaces Americans.
Producer: U.S. Office of Civil Defense
Sponsor: U.S. Office of Civil Defense and Mobilization
Audio/Visual: Sd, C
Run time 27:31 |
| Day Called X, A (Part 2) (ca. 1958)
Dramatized atomic evacuation of Portland, Oregon. |
| Day Called X, A (Part 1) (ca. 1958)
Dramatized atomic evacuation of Portland, Oregon. |
| Fallout: When And How To Protect Yourself
(1959)
Illustrates the cause and effects of radioactive fallout. Describes
preparations which should be made to safeguard lives and protect food and
water supplies. An animated film.
Audio/Visual: sound, color
Run Time 14:11 |
| What to do in a gas attack (1943)
The Clorox Corporation. On civil defense precautions against gas attacks
and first aid measures to be used after exposure to gas. Illustrates how
a house can be sealed against gas and cautions occupants to go upstairs to
escape fumes. First aid measures include blotting exposed skin areas with
a household bleach solution, gargling and rinsing the eyes with a 2 percent
baking soda solution, and showering thoroughly. |
| Rural Civil Defense TV Spots 1965
Public service announcements by the U.S. Civil Defense office inform
farmers what to do in case of nuclear attack using marionettes.
Producer: Dept of Civil Defense
Audio/Visual: sound, color
Run Time |
| Red Nightmare 1962
"Host Jack Webb tells of what America would be like under communism.
Produced in the early sixties,this is a frightening tale of a typical American
family, and what that same family would look like under the "Red
Nightmare". |
| Let's Face It
A cold war gem from the Civil Defence Department
Run time 13:30 |
| Medical Aspects of Nuclear Radiation
(1950)
Attempt to argue away the dangers of nuclear radiation, with some excellent
animation.
Producer: Cascade Pictures of California
Sponsor: U.S. Air Force, Special Weapons Project
Audio/Visual: Sd, C
Run time 20:13 |
| News Magazine of the Screen: Atomic Energy
(1950s)
Compilation of 1950s newsreel stories on atomic weapons testing, civil
defense and nuclear energy.
Producer: Warner Pathé News
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Run time 22:50 |
| On Guard! The Story of SAGE (ca. 1956)
Innovations in computer technology as weapons in the Cold War.
Producer: IBM Corporation, Military Products Division
Sponsor: IBM Corporation, Military Products Division
Audio/Visual: Sd, C
Run Time 12:15 |
| Operation Cue (1964 revision)
Study of a nuclear test in 1955 at Nevada Test Site.
Producer: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Civil Defense
Sponsor: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Civil Defense
Audio/Visual: Sd, C
Run Time 14:09 |
| Our Cities Must Fight (1951)
Civil defense film admonishing U.S. city dwellers to stay and fight
in case of enemy invasion, rather than evacuate. Filmed in New York and other
cities.
Producer: Archer Productions, Inc.
Sponsor: U.S. Federal Civil Defense Administration
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&Tun Time 8:56 |
| Self Preservation In An Atomic Attack
(1950)
Soldiers prepare themselves, just in case the big one hits.
Sponsor: Armed Forces Special Weapons Project
Audio/Visual: sound, b/w
Run Time 17:41 |
| Radioactive Fallout and Shelter (1965)
Teaches the individual how to take care of his medical and health needs
in time of disaster when medical assistance might not be readily available.
Presents instructions on radioactive fallout and shelter. Discusses the effects
of radiation on people and emphasizes protective procedures against
radiation.
Producer: U S Office Of Civil Defense
Audio/Visual: sound, color
Run Time 27:27 |
