Duck and Cover (1952)

Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

This review is in response to the faulty information that swirls around this short civil defense/propaganda film, particularly the notion of "its stupid we would all die and the government was just trying to fool people". While I wont try to argue the clear propaganda goals of the film, the question of survivability is a different matter.A simple timeline should do the trick: 1949- The Soviet Union detonates its first atomic bomb.1952- The film "Duck and Cover" was first shown early in the year, but was produced in 1951.1952- November 1st, almost a year after the film was released, the first H-Bomb was detonated by the USA at a test grounds in the Pacific. If you do not know the difference between an A-Bomb and an H-bomb there are many sources on the internet, lets just say its a big difference.1953- The USSR detonated its own H-bomb.1955- The USA had a total of about 350 H-Bombs (small H-bombs, if you can call an H-bomb small), that would be delivered by airplane. The USSR was behind but catching up fast.1957- The first ICBM's were developed by the USSR and the USA.1959- ICBM's began to populate the arsenals of the Cold War powers."Duck and Cover" was aimed at a possible war using a relatively small number of A-Bombs that would have been delivered by airplane. In such an attack the information given was correct and could have saved lives. There were many instances of people surviving the attacks on Nagasaki and Hiroshima at basically ground zero. Again its the difference between an A-bomb and an H-bomb, in 1952 atomic war did not mean instant or even prolonged death. When H-Bombs and ICBM's started to amass in the arsenals of the superpowers these films started to disappear.

As an American and World History teacher, I find that cartoons like DUCK AND COVER are wonderful windows into the 1950s. Nowadays, kids have no idea of the fear about nuclear war that gripped the world as well as the insane belief that perhaps such a war would be survivable and perhaps even fun! Fun?! Well, that's what many kids might just take from this film. With a cute turtle, a very catchy song and its direct appeal to children, this public service film distributed to schools must have made the prospect of such an awful war a bit exciting! Today, when you watch it, you can't help but laugh at the ridiculous methods by which kids will supposedly survive an atomic blast. By covering your face with a newspaper or lying crouched under a desk, you'll apparently survive and thrive such an attack according to this film!! Such naive notions perhaps were intended to give people a false sense of control so they wouldn't panic when Armageddon arrives--but newspapers are actually not the best blast-resistant devices, believe me (though it is true, I am no expert--maybe there's something in the ink that will block all the radiation and 10,000,000,000 degree wall of heat).Overall, a stupid film that manages to entertain even if it is giving you rather shabby advice.

I recently found the entire nine-minute "Duck and Cover" film online. Unfortunately, I have no distinct memory of having seen the movie while in elementary school (the "Civil Defense" craze of the 1950's was petering out by the time I started first grade in 1962.) Nevertheless, I do recall one or two "air raid" drills that involved hustling all the kids down to the school's basement. I also remember at least one "duck and cover drill" where, on a signal from the teacher (Sister something-or-other) we all "ducked" under our desks and "covered" our heads with our hands. Afterwards, the nun led us in a solemn prayer asking god to help our president defend us against the communists.As others have already observed, the development of thermonuclear weapons had, by the beginning of the Sixties, more-or-less invalidated the concept of effective civil defense, at least in urban and suburban areas. CD-related drills were no longer conducted in my school after the 1963-64 term. If memory serves correctly, though, monthly testing of municipal air-raid sirens continued for a couple more years; and U.S. Army anti-aircraft missile batteries protecting major American cities and suburbs remained operational until the early-1970's."Duck and Cover," with its 1940's-inspired music and authoritative narration ("We must OBEY the Civil Defense worker"), is a laughable throwback to an era when there were only 48 states in the Union; and when citizens were expected to (and largely did) trust "their" government to look after the common good.

In the 21st century, when we know that a nuclear blast would wipe out everything, "Duck and Cover" seems laughable at best. And believe you me, it IS laughable. Made at the height of the Cold War/Red Scare/Nuclear Scare, it reminds wholesome American schoolchildren what to do if a nuclear bomb falls: cover your head. To try and attract peoples' attention, they have a turtle remind us this.As a side note, around the time of the 40th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, I asked my Russian teacher what they were taught in the Soviet Union about nuclear blasts. She said that they were taught how to help someone after a nuclear blast. In other words, they were also lied to. But that's no surprise; both the USA and USSR were both responsible.But either way, you'll get a real kick out of "Duck and Cover", just for how stupid it is.