Civil Defense: Technological Failures (1973)

[@fxm5715]

I've never seen Peter Thomas's face, although I grew up with his great voice on Nova and many other wonderful productions. The relevance of this film's message has done nothing but grow over the fifty years since it was made, as technological changes to society and culture come at us faster and faster. This film was made only three years after Alvin Toffler's famous book, "Future Shock."

[@ermyvids]

I don’t ever remember seeing Peter Thomas‘ face either this is really cool

[@JasonOlshefsky]

I remember the days of carburated cars ... wet, cold, or hot weather would make them more unreliable than they already were. And you had to watch out for vapor lock if you stopped for 4-10 minutes (or else you'd have to wait another 10 minutes for the car to start again.) I'm kind of amazed by today's gasoline cars which basically start all the time, every time, and are unaffected by extreme cold, extreme heat, and even heavy rain-until some dumdum drives through deep water and ruins the engine altogether. It's one of those unappreciated, unnoticed things in the modern world.

[@jC-kc4si]

Remember vinyl seats.? you'd have to air out the car for 10 minutes in the Summer to sit on those super hot vinyl seats.

[@scottthomas6202]

Early to mid '70s Chryslers were bad about vapor lock..the cure was to reroute the fuel line away from hot parts...

[@trainliker100]

@@scottthomas6202 I have some problems in my 1964 Studebaker, but it tends to be the gasoline boiling out of the carburetor itself. This seems to be a combination that it is pretty hot in the engine compartment of an Avanti and the "gasoline" today is so different than when the car was made, especially in California.

[@matthewhopson964]

Seeing that Capri! I think they must have been pretty common in the USA.

[@CT-vm4gf]

We’ve had 100 odd years to perfect the internal combustion car.

[@Legend813a]

4:02 those anti slip butterfly stickers. Brought back fuzzy memories.

[@ScottGrammer]

Hey, Fran. You keep posting all these cool videos, and I'll keep watching them. I don't know who the commentator was but I've heard his voice in many a TV commercial. Too bad you had to duck so much audio. I'm surprised someone hasn't copyrighted the sound of the car not starting!

[@seanbatiz6620]

I was surprised that YT’s insanely picky algorithms couldn’t decode that last song, intentionally played backwards! I’m assuming that was done intentionally by the film creator as another example of a minor inconvenience; I’ll wager more of an audio problem occurrence with those 16 &/or 35 mm films with audio tracks actually on the film? I have a couple of these 16mm projectors, never had much problems with them. Oldest “filmstrip” machine I have, was made by DuKane w/built-in tube amp from the mid 50’s with built-in record player for the audio of whatever slide film stock that luckily accepts up too those old-school MASSIVE 16” diameter “transcription” records, which I have around 10 of, aside from about 30 other filmstrip kits with record sizes of 10” to 12”…. All play at 33 1/3rd RPM; all of which either directly or indirectly pertain too my 1955 Buick, including original literature to go with each kit. Some where made to be directed at mechanics/techs, some for salesmen/dealers &, some intended for “prospects” or, potential buyers/customers. I’d really love to eventually digitize them all, before those acetate films gas-out (some already give off very potent vinegar odor) completely & be useless, with the added goal of uploading those to YT for others to enjoy ‘but’, after learning of the many uphill battles that Fran & other YT’ers have had to deal with, with all of these seemingly nonstop copy-write BS issues, not sure it’d be worth the headache

[@grantcivyt]

@@sideburn Nice

[@rapman5791]

The narrator is Peter Thomas, his voice has been heard on public service and docu-series for decades.

[@LMacNeill]

Peter Thomas. One of the best narrators of that era. Absolutely love his voice.

[@AlanCanon2222]

The presenter's trenchcoat and fedora in what looks to be late summer or early autumn. Love it. Gotta wear that if you're Defensing the Civil. And the anti-skid butterflies in the bathroom sink, so your hamster doesn't slip when it takes a bath.

[@anotheruser9876]

Or he's a former class mate trying to sell you insurance on a special day in February in Pennsylvania.

[@spacecase0]

I think it's funny that I now have a website I can check the level of that hydroelectric dam shown. And we know for sure they're about to shut it off. In the 1980s I would have never thought our civilization would lose the ability to keep the lights on. But apparently this guy knew

[@ChildovGhad]

I miss the weird synth sequences in absolutely everything back then. The PBS logo, the CBS In The News Segments on Saturday mornings, even Civil Defense films. They were ubiquitous.

[@puffapuffarice]

Great! Interesting that even in 1973 Toronto was being used as a stand in for NYC. (approx 7.35 Toronto City Hall at night & then cut to what I believe to be a Toronto Subway)

[@marmaly]

Wow, so cool to see the legend Peter on screen. He was really good. Very enjoyable film. And I learned to always turn off the record player during a brownout.

[@RonaldJS]

Nice hat inspector gadget.

[@stefan_brix]

At 2:25, a Ford Capri (made in Great Britain, Germany or Belgium)) in an American Civil Defense movie ... nice!

[@ieatspacemonkeys]

I find it very frustrating not knowing how to deal with objects failing. That is why I've spent a long time learning about them and subsequently studying engineering to make it part of my career. There are few things I wouldn't be able to deal with in everyday life, but that has its own curse, everyone knows who to call on when something goes wrong!

[@jonathankleinow2073]

This is a tiny thing, but my grandmother had those little butterfly stick-on things seen at 4:00 in her bathtub. They provided a textured surface to stand on to prevent slips and falls. Not sure why you'd put them in the bathroom sink, though.

[@MWGrossmann]

We had those '60s/'70s mod-look balloon-y daisies in our tub. The only reasons I can think of for putting them in a sink would be if it was also used for bathing an infant &/or just bad home design ideas in an era without 40 cable channels offering (sometimes) better decorating advice.

[@MrChief101]

Awww... I liked the little yellow sink stickers in Pere's bathroom! This is the subtlest sort of WW3 preparedness... it seems all that's needed is the right form of fire suppression!

[@ColinTimmins]

5:28 Kitty! You may have passed on but you still put a smile on my face, thank you. =]

[@KeritechElectronics]

You're a far better cat spotter than me - gotta step up my game, I see :D

[@-jeff-]

Safety first Fran. Don't slice yourself on the splice! 😆

[@MarvelX42]

lol, that end actually caught me by surprise, but I guess that was the point.

[@keithvernonlewis9403]

My wife and I raised our two boys to understand and be prepared for technological failure. The mantra around our house was "technology can and will fail". It's what you do before that failure, will make the difference between living and dying and suffering. Not necessarily in a survivalist mode, but good strong common sense preparations for a disaster.... Having three months of canned food in the home that you don't have to heat, various ways of purifying water, learning to use a compass and practicing that on fairly regular basis, having a well-stocked first aid kit and the training knowing how to use it... Making sure that you have at least a three month supply of medications that are necessary for your family... Just good old-fashioned common sense preparations whether it's an earthquake or a nuclear power plant decides to blow itself up or somebody accidentally launches a single missile with a single warhead into an area near you.... Don't have to go hog-wild, preparation is the best defense against having to use it....

[@whuzzzup]

The 1965 blackout went well, but the blackout just four years after this film was completely different with looters and even arson.

[@jimmooter]

Thanks Fran , I love all your videos I probably have seen them since I'm from that era. But that's okay I'm nostalgic. You can never forget where you came from.

[@alexpowers3697]

The ol plymouth gear reducer starter sound...o the memories.

[@vrzn]

Sad people are so nitpicky about copyright (music). But this way with not blocking the voices is a really nice way to solve this necessary evil. I like watching these ild videos

[@seandaugherty7504]

Wow, that was pretty great. Love the electronic tonality score at the start of the film! Thanks Fran!!

[@pibyte]

Thank you for uploading these Fran!

[@LanceHall]

Very cool seeing the voice over guy from my youth.

[@m3snusteve]

Thanks very much Fran, that was most interesting I really enjoyed watching the video. Just do me a favour keep your films coming and I’ll keep watching. Can’t wait to see your next video and You’ve got me hooked, you’re wonderful Fran keep up great work. Thanks very much bye bye. 😀

[@OldSkoolF]

As a kid of the 70's who was enamored with technology.. Peter Thomas was my Super Hero... He seemed to be everywhere something cool and interesting was going on...

[@goodun2974]

Fran, how do you determine *prior to posting these fims* what music needs to be removed due to potential copyright strikes?

[@FranLab]

When the video is uploaded it gets processed, and KZbin tells you where all the violations are. Sometimes it takes 3 or 4 re-edits and re-uploads to get all the violations removed.

[@goodun2974]

@@FranLab , yikes! I had a sinking feeling that this was what you go through each and every time you upload a film. You need to call your congress-critters and complain about ridiculous IP and copyright laws. I would think there would be somebody running for office in Pennsylvania who is willing to make a campaign issue out of this, although whether they would be willing to, or are able to follow through on it once in office is a whole 'nother discussion (big money forces want to protect their copyrights and the resulting revenue stream). Anyway, if you or someone else starts such a petition, I'll sign it. Or, tell us who to phone/email/ write. ( Unfortunately, many Congress- critters do not accept phone calls from, or their email contact form won't accept emails from people who are not direct constituents in that state or district, so I often find myself sending letters and postcards cards to representatives and senators from other States. The Mr Beat channel recently called all 100 senators and only heard back from 6 of them, all from the same party !!, and most of them merely sent him a copy-paste form letter)..

[@m3snusteve]

Thanks very much Fran. All the best ❤️. Stephen.

[@FranLab]

Hey! Thanks for the donation 😍

[@m3snusteve]

@@FranLab you’re very welcome Fran.

[@andyhill242]

No doubt some bright spark who knows everything will tell you it's not a different filmstock and the pink can be fixed by twiddling the toggle flinger and standing on your head and farting Mars Bars!

[@WDCallahan]

Wow… the past was the worst. I'm glad nothing breaks in today's world.

[@KeritechElectronics]

Irony taken! :) At least the right to repair was taken for granted.

[@21xenomorph]

Things break all the time,we just simply throw it away and buy a new one rather than repair item partly due to planned obsolescence.

[@KeritechElectronics]

@@21xenomorph true, though it doesn't really have to break down - becoming unattractive is enough, even though the thing is in full working order.

[@goodun2974]

At 6:00, those "early homesteads that failed due to a lack of technology" didn't actually fail due to a lack of technology; they failed due to a lack of understanding of what developing agricultural technology coupled with greed and financial speculation would do to the ecosystem. When drought and windstorms came to carry away millions of acres of exposed topsoil,, the fabled "plow that broke the plains" ended up breaking the farmers themselves. Today's modern agricultural practices use 80% of the West's water for agriculture, wasting much of it,, and are sucking the Oglala and other aquifers down faster than nature can replenish them. When California, Arizona and New Mexico run out of water of water for its residents, and those who are able flee to less arid climates, will we then claim that it was "a lack of modern technology" that forced them to move?

[@jC-kc4si]

Sounds like there should be a correction in that region's real estate to price in water running out.

[@goodun2974]

@@jC-kc4si , "market corrections" invariably hurt the poor and working class the hardest. The rich don't care because not only can they afford the cost increase in water and real estate, they'll invest in it and profit as the price goes up.

[@DMahalko]

The main cause of the dust bowl and much of the environmental destruction worldwide is the lack of understanding that trees help to regulate and stabilize the environment around them. Tree roots pull up water from deep underground, while the leaves slowly release moisture into the air, providing ground humidity, shade, and temperature stability for other plants during dry spells. Trees reduce ground wind speed to prevent soil erosion, and their roots hold loose soil in place around them. Clear cutting trees on slopes for fuel or lumber causes the soil to wash away, leaving behind bare rock on which nothing will grow. It is likely that the Sahara was a grassy savannah for thousands of years, but humans cut down every tree and their animals ate every blade of grass, and it completely collapsed and has never recovered.

[@goodun2974]

@@DMahalko the Plains of the Midwest had relatively few trees but instead a variety of hardy, drought resistant grasses that formed a thick, tangled web of roots which held moisture and prevented erosion. Tilling the soil deeply and leaving fields bare in winter, without planting cover crops or rotating crops to replenish the soil, left fields vulnerable to wind erosion.

[@LowtechLLC]

This is a good one. It reminds me of connections with james Burke

[@brucewachta4102]

We are so dependent on technology and the supply chain. A chain ⛓️ is only as strong as it's weakest link.

[@jC-kc4si]

The executives have been rewarded for the lean supply chain. Now what happens to them when there is catastrophic failures of availability and of course no 'rainy day' inventory to get us through a hiccup in the system?

[@KeritechElectronics]

@@jC-kc4si seeing it all over with the chip shortages.

[@jsl151850b]

7:23 The North East Blackout of 1965! I remember that!

[@RandomDudeOne]

I remember Carl Sagan talking about "technology traps".

[@batterymakermarkii2654]

That’s Peter Thomas! One of my favorite announcers.

[@8BitNaptime]

Whoah, this is like Connections episode 1, The Trigger Effect.

[@djeffarndt]

What a weird movie. I bet it created more anxiety than calmness as applied to advanced technology as the film makes it seem it is out of control or not in the hands of a few very capable people.

[@matthewhopson964]

I was terrified by the first minute!

[@luckysevens.AltRock8]

Fran you did it again

[@rarefilmsandmore6863]

The music during the closing credits sounds like it was played backwards.

[@christopherrasmussen8718]

Most folks don’t know Civil Defense is alive and well today. It’s FEMA. I’ve volunteered for them most of my life. Retired in Florida years ago. Now I work radio communications during hurricanes etc. We had a few doozies over the years where the police were so saturated, I became the main line between the shelter and the rest of the world.

[@trainliker100]

You are absolutely right. And one EXCELLENT initiative they have is CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) which was something created by the LA fire department (I think) and adopted nationally. Regular citizens get a smattering of a range of emergency training. The purpose is to better take care of yourself and family and neighbors during a large emergency. And to hopefully avoid becoming more workload for first responders. And, if requested, assist first responders. It's something everybody should take. Typically, just one evening a week for four weeks and a half Saturday for some practice exercises.

[@adamrichards3174]

There's a channel on youtube called Mysterious WV, the man who runs it (Sean McCracken), has a voice, style, and demeanor VERY similar to this announcer.

[@jimrubin3335]

A mere four years after this film was made, the blackout of 1977, which was in New York City, resulted in bedlam in many neighborhoods: looting, rioting, arson, etc. The attitudes had changed by then from 1965, I guess.

[@mikebarushok5361]

Individual responsibility seems to have gone out of fashion during my 64 years on this Earth. It's so inconvenient to think about the actual results of one's own choices and how they cumulatively and collectively lead to bad outcomes.

[@galfisk]

Efficient division of labor seems to have come with an equally efficient dilution of responsibility.

[@PicaDelphon]

I'll stay Safe in my Hole in the Ground.....

[@KeritechElectronics]

...until a water chip breaks down :D

[@KeritechElectronics]

If they said that most of us knew next to nothing about how technology worked almost 49 years ago, then what can we say about now? "Life was much simpler then" the luddites would say with nostalgia, "but that was a long time ago" which is true, and I definitely don't miss these times. Lots of human potential went to waste for menial work that has become the thing of the machines. On the other hand, consider the apocalypse (which is already happening); will people addicted to technology they don't understand be able to survive? Oh, and my flatmate once tried to extinguish a frying pan with water. Who would even think that a science nerd as her, someone who was interested in quantum physics and advanced mathematics, didn't know that you just don't put out grease with water? Still got the smoke trace on the kitchen wall.

[@FranLab]

If young people today were to be transported back to 1973 they would absolutely not think that life was simpler.

[@KeritechElectronics]

​@@FranLab depending how young... I consider myself young at 36, though this mid-life (or half-life?) crisis thing seems to start getting to me :D I don't think I would find anything relatable other than electronic and scientific stuff, household appliances, some vehicles and lots of books, music, movies etc. back then. Well, maybe I could make a career in high tech with my knowledge of electronics, if not for my abysmal social skills! All this while building my own stock of dirt cheap tubes, transformers and whatever superior parts from the now bygone age only to go down the way of EveAnna Manley in my later years, but sitting in the lab with a soldering iron rather than doing the management thing, haha. Using time travel to your advantage! :D Only thing is that transitioning now is incomparably better than it used to be. I probably wouldn't do it if I lived back then...

[@ChrisdeHaan]

1965 blackout in NYC lmao how about 2003 blackout of just about the whole northeast

[@ferdonandebull]

If you think life was simpler before technology you are insane.. Everything was on the edge..

[@Danny_Boel]

2:26 European Ford Capri in the US?

[@MountainMan7.62x39]

Civil Defense had a dud with this one.

[@fredblonder7850]

That was just rambling and weird.

[@sassulusmagnus]

Hilarious.