Apparently there were more than a handful of these propaganda film shorts in the early Fifties dealing with the atom bomb and how to prepare for a nuclear disaster. In recent days I've watched titles like "The House in the Middle", "Our Cities Must Fight" and "Operation Cue", all taking an instructive look at how we should prepare to safeguard ourselves from the affects of an atomic explosion. This one was very short, only about nine minutes, and basically laid out the principal dangers associated with an A-Bomb - the blast itself, heat, and radioactivity. You couldn't get much more simplistic with the ways in which to prepare - remove combustible waste from your home, stock canned goods and a first aid kit, and keep a radio handy - all pretty much what you hear today regarding the next big hurricane to hit your area. I'm real curious as to how folks back in the day reacted to this type of stuff and if these warning films were readily available to a mass audience. Watching today, they're almost comical in their simplicity and naiveté, but they're also an instructive window into the thought and mindset prevalent during the Cold War paranoia of the early Fifties. If you dig this stuff, you'll have to get your hands on a two disc set from Docurama Films featuring the hour and a half documentary "The Atomic Cafe". The bonus disc has this and the other titles I mentioned earlier, they're all a blast.
Review of Survival Under Atomic Attack
