During an arguably paranoid time for the United States of America, extra precautions were needed. This time period would be the early 1950s where America was in the middle of the Korean War and the Soviet Union was in the midst of testing nuclear weapons. The United States Federal Civil Defense Administration, in response to this looming nuclear threat, funded a film in order to educate young people what to do if an atomic bomb/nuclear explosion were to occur. The short film, Duck and Cover, was released in 1952 and was viewed by "millions of school children" as discussed by the United States Library of Congress. The film was later deemed to be historically significant by the National Film Registry in the early 2000s and has been prioritized to be preserved ever since.
As for the film itself, it runs just over nine minutes and includes animation and live action shots. The film begins with the main animated character, Bert the Turtle, strolling down a path surrounded by trees as he wears a protective helmet. As he walks down the path, an unseen chorus sings the following:
There was a turtle by the name of Bert
and Bert the Turtle was very alert
When danger threatened him he never got hurt
He knew just what to do (BANG)
He'd duck! And cover!
Duck! And cover!
He did what we all must learn to do
You! And you! And you! And you! (BANG)
Duck! And cover!
The song, significant itself, was later released individually and over three million copies were purchased.
Bert the Turtle just before the explosion
Bert the Turtle then encounters a monkey hanging from one the trees who is dangling a stick of dynamite. Just before the dynamite explodes, Bert the Turtle ducks and covers by crawling into his shell in order to successfully remain safe from the explosion which has burned down all the trees on the path. At this point, the film switches to live action shots of real children in school, at home, and walking about town. The narrator discusses how one should react to a nuclear flash of light in all of these situations. The majority of these actions regard stopping whatever you are doing and dropping to the ground as you cover your face and neck preferably by hugging against a wall. In other words, one must "duck and cover." In addition to this, the narrator discusses how children must now be more self-reliant than ever due to this new threat that is supposedly comparable to other dangers like fires and car crashes. Adults, as discussed by the narrator, will not always be around when an impending nuclear explosion occurs, so children must be educated on the proper tactics on how to protect themselves from a nuclear explosion. At the end of the film, it returns back to animation where Bert the Turtle asks those who are watching what to do in the event of a nuclear explosion. Voices of multiple children respond eagerly with, "Duck and cover!"
This film is an example of how the American public was reacting, somewhat panically, to this new threat of atomic bombs and nuclear explosions. The threat came as a surprise, for American scientists believed the Soviet Union couldn't build such weapons because of setbacks from the World War. However, what they didn't know what that the Soviet Union was able to build such weapons due to design plans being sent to them from aids. A lengthy nuclear arms race would result and historical proposals like President Eisenhower's "Open Skies" proposed public surveillance of America and the Soviet Union's military bases.
It is interesting and eerie to watch this film and imagine millions of American children learning about the possibility of being severely burned and killed due to a nuclear explosion. By viewing this film, one can understand what was on many people's minds during this historical time in American history.
Link to the short film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKqXu-5jw60
Sources:
http://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2014/3/28/duck-and-cover-the-infamous-cold-war-civil-defense-film#.Wt1JS5PwYdY=
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKqXu-5jw60
USHAP Notes - "Sputnik"
I really enjoyed this post and learned a lot about Bert the turtle and the message he was spreading. It goes to show just how fearful Americans were of a nuclear war and the means they went to ensure their safety. What many people don't realize is that this was a mindset that influenced an entire generation that was growing up. The concept of ducking and covering in cases of danger is so deeply ingrained into them that in similar situations, they follow the same instructions. However, the simple fact is that ducking and covering won't help you from a nuclear attack or many other disasters. This precaution goes to show how extensive American fear was and how it effected the everyday person.
ReplyDeleteSOURCE : https://www.ncronline.org/news/justice/duck-and-cover-bert-turtle-21st-century
Braden, I really like your post as you provided very insightful and interesting information about Bert the Turtle. I also like the image that you picked out. I think that propaganda and films such as Bert the Turtle had a major influence on Americans' fears of communism and a nuclear war. However, I think that it is also important to understand that some propaganda helped to suppress some of the fears Americans had or target those trying to increase fears. An example of this would be the cartoons made by Herb Block to suppress fears started by Senator McCarthy during the 1950's. McCarthy was trying to gain political power through spreading the fear of communism to Americans, and this was very successful at first. However, Herb Block made huge accusations towards McCarthy, and this ultimately led towards the downfall of the senator.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.loc.gov/exhibits/herblocks-history/fire.html