Duck And Cover
Duck And Cover
A classic scare-'em to death film from the Cold War. American propaganda dispensing some very dangerous advice in the event of a nuclear attack. An official Civil Defense film produced in cooperation with the Federal Civil Defense Administration and in consultation with the safety commission of the National Education Association.
Duck And Cover
Opening animation shows how we can learn from Bert the Turtle; cloying jingle commanding us to "Duck and Cover". MSs of schoolchildren in racially integrated classroom running through highly ineffective duck and cover drill; kids duck under the desks, the hands pressed behind their necks; male teacher talking to integrated classroom. Shots of Fire, firefighters sliding down pole at fire station, getting into firetruck, racing to call. Shots of automobile traffic, policeman directing traffic; kids and people cross street under watchful eye of white cop. More shots of integrated classroom. Animation of atomic blast creating nuclear winter-- and yet Bert the Turtle is AOK b/c he ducked and covered. Shot of white woman putting sunscreen or lotion on sunburned boy. Shots of elementary school kids in classroom, white teacher conducting class-- until they run through a duck and cover drill. Shot of white girl standing up, asking teacher a question.
Duck And Cover
TLSs American soldiers operating a radar / early warning system. Shots of high school kids playing baseball and skipping rope in schoolyard until they hear an air raid warning; kids file languidly, calmly into school. Shots of four white kids playing in backyard on urban house until they hear air raid siren, at which time they enter their house. MSs of white female teenager walking on street, asking man where to go after hearing an air raid siren; shot of Public Shelter sign. Shots of well-dressed kids in hallway of school demonstrating the proper Duck and Cover method in the event of a "sudden" nuclear flash; same with lunchroom. MSs of two white kids kissing their mom goodbye, leaving house, then walking to school, only to ... duck and cover after an atomic flash; another girl ducks and covers in doorway of building.
Duck And Cover
MS white boy on bike riding through park-- until an atomic flash shuttles him to the ground to duck and cover; he stays crouched by a brick half-wall until a Civil Defense worker comes by to tell him eveything is AOK, send him off. TLS school bus on suburban road; MSs kids running through duck and cover drill on board school bus. Shots of family at picnic in park; after an atomic flash they throw the blanket into the air, casting everything off, then duck under thin linen while dad protects himself with a newspaper. MSs farmer riding tractor through field until atomic flash at which point he leaps from tractor and to the ground, coincidentally enough under the wheel path (good thing he killed the engine before jumping). Shots of young kids in various classrooms, in lunchroom, normal activities. MS high school kids coming out of class, leaping into duck and cover positions during atomic blast drill. Bert the Turtle closes program.