I've written stuff about this and other such titles from those Air Raid Shelter Days and Nights of years gone by.
I know of people who are loathe to let anyone see their senior yearbook from way back, because, at the time, they thought they were so cool with their frizzed out hair, Nehru jacket and "love' beads. <Shudder!> and such things are only laughable now. And embarrassing.
As you put it, TDF, movies like this are artifacts from that Atomic Age. They may be laughable now because we're past it, nothing happened, but you know that they brought nervous sweat to many a brow back then, mine included.
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The_Dying_Flutchman
13 years ago
Perhaps, yer parents talked about it alot. Mine never said anathing. Only time I can remember being some nervous was Cuba blockade. Otherwise, zilch indeed.
Believe those who are seeking the truth; doubt those who find it.
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escalera-2
13 years ago
My folks never said a word about it, however -- as I have mentioned in other places -- it was always around. Air Raid Siren Tests every Friday at 10:00 never failed to bring nervous little lame jokes on the school yard; canned food drives at school so we wouldn't have to pick glass and other foreign substances out of our meals while we awaited THE GOVERNMENT to come and make things better; NIKE missiles and launchers ("Collect 'em all!" ) in each box of Jets Sugar Coated Cereal; Herald-Examiner headlines in thick black letters telling us how we are behind in the arms race and the celebrated Mr. K, Nikita Khrushchev, announcing that the U.S.S.R. can crank out missiles like sausages.
On TV guys would hawk "DO-IT-YOURSELF" Fall-out shelters; those little yellow and black signs with that ominous "eye" staring down balefully at us with little arrows pointing the way to the nearest shelter (the closest one to us was in Downtown Los Angeles in the City Hall. I hoped the buses would still be running). "Drop" drills every week at school. And then there were the movies.
Eee-ha. My parents would have to say nary a word.
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The_Dying_Flutchman
13 years ago
It sounds like u were more concerned about it than me. I do remember the backyard bombshelters and in fact a next door neighbor to my dad had one. But I was more curious than anything else about it. Yeah, I remember getting under desks and all that idiocy, but nobody ever told us why this would save us. Just dumb crap we had to do in school.
Believe those who are seeking the truth; doubt those who find it.
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escalera-2
13 years ago
I don't guess anybody knew what it might be like. We'd seen the pictures of the aftermath of the Japan bombings and then there was Godzilla (1954) and everybody knew that it was about the A-Bomb.
I used to look at those stacks of canned peas and yams and wonder how my Mom and Dad would survive, what they would eat. I wasn't so frightened about me -- I always thought I'd be OK for some reason, maybe I could get to that can of tuna before anyone else -- but I didn't want to see my Mom in ragged clothes or my Pop running around looking for water or my siblings unable to find a can opener.
I think every child in there knew we'd be fried if the missiles got past our defenses. Well, maybe there were a few who really believed that closing the Venetian blinds would save their necks.
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ck1-5
13 years ago
Didn't you know that elementary school desks were made from a material that was impervious to nuclear fallout?
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escalera-2
13 years ago
American made. Tough as nails. Funny it wasn't mentioned in the sales literature. Shock wave? Feh. Nary a hair out of place, young man! Fallout? Not to worry! So long as we stayed under them for a least three months, we'd have a chance to live and face the brave new atomic age!
Everybody now!
We'll meet again
Don't know where
Don't know when
But I know we'll meet again some sunny day
Keep smilin' through
Just like you always do
Till the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away
So will you please say hello
To the folks that I know
Tell them I won't be long
They'll be happy to know
That as you saw me go
I was singing this song
We'll meet again
Don't know where
Don't know when
But I know we'll meet again some sunny day
(Words & Music by: Ross Parker & Hughie Charles)
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