Atomic Memories

2571. ATOMIC MEMORIES (C.1946-C.1963). A series of short military and Civilian Defense films dealing with a new reality: atomic bombs.
1. DUCK and COVER (1950). A Civil Defense film featuring the era’s most famous animated character of defense: “Burt The Turtle.” Burt ducks into his shell whenever danger threatens, and so should the school children and adults at whom this film was aimed.
2. THE EFFECTS OF ATOMIC BOMB EXPLOSIONS (1950). A matter-of-fact army film filled with graphs and mushroom shaped clouds. Fire, radiation and blast damages are assessed, bul little is said about the wear and tear on the psyche!
3. SURVIVAL UNDER ATOMIC ATTACK (1951). Narrated by EDWARD R. MURROW. “Let us prepare for survival by understanding the weapon that threatens us.”
4. THE ATOMIC DILEMMA: CHALLENGE OF OUR AGE (c. 1947). A brief visit to “Survival City,” a typical American town inhabited by mannequins…on which an atomic bomb is dropped!
5. ATOM BOMB TESTS: BIKINI (c. 1947). “A brief film review of the highlights of tests ‘Able’ and ‘Baker’ held al Bikini in the summer of 1946-” Admiral Blandy, head of “Operation Crossroads,” speaks on camera as the film shows the pride of the Nazi and Japanese navies being used as targets for the atomic bomb.
59 minutes total. Propaganda