When The A-Bomb Falls

These vintage government films try to convince the average citizen that nuclear war is no big deal. After you get over that pesky radiation sickness, you'll be back to work in no time, at least until the next major nuclear exchange.

LET'S FACE IT (1953): "Let's face it. The danger of hydrogen bomb warfare is the greatest our nation has ever known." Narrator Reed Hadley presents Americans with the awful truth that the Russians now have the bomb, and could wipe out the United States in a matter of moments if we don't stock our basements with plenty of bottled water and canned food.

UNITED STATES CIVIL DEFENSE IN ACTION (1953): "In the event of a mass atomic attack, the civilian population of this country will be divided into three groups: Those beyond help, those who need help, and those who can help." This civil defense film insists that with some preparedness and a little of that American can-do spirit, "two-fisted men" and "thoughtful women" will prosper even after the A-bomb is dropped.

A NEW LOOK AT THE H-BOMB (1955): "Now I'm not here to frighten you" says a clearly uncomfortable Valdemar "Val" Peterson, governor of Nebraska. Unfortunately, he proceeds to do just that, as he tells us that anyone caught at Ground Zero will be vaporized immediately, while a stray wind could cause everyone to die painfully from radiation sickness. But, Val assures us, "with enough warning and practice in peacetime exercises", we'll be just fine. (Sadly, those in what he calls "fringe areas" are done for.)

OPERATION CUE (1955): "Operation Cue" was the government's code name for the APPLE-2 nuclear test in the Nevada desert. Reporters were invited to observe the blast's effects on an eerie fabricated town populated by dummies. Here an actress plays one of the journalists. Since she's "a mother and housewife", she's of course mainly interested in how the radiation affects food and clothing. She's impressed that some roast beef has been "done to perfection" by the heat from the explosion. In real life, many of the reporters present were not so lucky, eventually dying of cancer from the "harmless" radiation.

PROTECTION IN THE NUCLEAR AGE (1978): "Nuclear attack would mean the end of our world. So why not just give up, lie down, and die?" In ensuing decades, the outlook on nuclear war became much more pessimistic. Produced by Shamus Culhane Studios, Protection in the Nuclear Age was sent to television stations all over America, to be aired only if tension between the US and Russia reached a tipping point. With disturbing minimalist animation and a spooky vibraphone soundtrack, it instructs viewers on just what to do if a nuclear exchange were to occur. This was one of the last projects for Culhane, an animation legend who worked at every major studio at one point or another in his over 50-year career.

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