THE DAY CALLED 'X' NUCLEAR ATTACK ON PORTLAND OREGON COLD WAR FILM 71622

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A Day Called X is a dramatized Civil Defense documentary set in Portland, Oregon ("roughly the size of Hiroshima"), in which the entire city is evacuated in anticipation of a nuclear air raid, after Soviet bombers had been detected by radar stations to the north. The film opens with an overhead shot of then-mayor Terry Schrunk striding purposefully into the old underground Kelly Butte Civil Defense Center-a bunker-like structure built into a hillside. The film details the activation of the city's civil defense protocols and leads up to the moment before the attack (the ending is left intentionally unknown). The operations were run from the Kelly Butte Bunker, which was the EOC during the time. It was filmed in September 1957 and shown in December of that year. Apart from presenter/narrator Glenn Ford, none of the people shown are actors. They are locals of Portland shown in their real jobs, including Schrunk.
The film was produced by CBS Public Affairs in conjunction with the Federal Civil Defense Administration.
On September 27, 1955, Portland actually conducted an exercise evacuation of downtown called "Operation Greenlight", and the film is often misattributed to that year. Ford's narration, however, does make direct reference to the 1955 exercise.
This print of the film came out of the estate of filmmaker Harry Rasky, and is one of the best we've seen. Rasky was born in Toronto into a Jewish family, where he completed studies at University College. He participated in CBC Television's first four years writing and producing CBC Newsmagazine (1952-1955). He also produced a documentary for the 1961 debut evening of CTV Television Network. He earned more than 200 awards during his career in which his films numbered more than 400.
Motion picture films don't last forever; many have already been lost or destroyed. We collect, scan and preserve 35mm, 16mm and 8mm movies -- including home movies, industrial films, and other non-fiction. If you have films you'd like to have scanned or donate to Periscope Film, we'd love to hear from you. Contact us via the link below.
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit www.PeriscopeFilm.com

[@jarrodschrunk3157]

It's cool seeing this. Terry Schrunk was my grandpa. Never got to meet him. He passed before I was born.

[@PeriscopeFilm]

Excellent!

[@TheRadconranger]

Portland native...so cool to see this...I have a hazy memory of a show much like this on a black and white tv...and remember duck and cover...except when we moved into the city there was no duck and cover....they just lined us up and made sure we were in alphabetical order....[later,when I worked for the .gov I found out...this was to id the bodies] That opened my eyes a bit....[ my Grandmothe ran a cleaning shop at 18th and burnside,the Derby Cleaners.I remember Old Portland,ran those streets when it was safe for a 10yr old to do so...knew the girs at the fulton fish market,delivered clothes to the[shipyard] Zidells,ate burgers at the hot lips @powell and railroad tracks...did school trips to the old omzi [at the zoo]Rember the contest to name "packy'.....

[@jeffjohnson6402]

Cool !

[@BuddyLee23]

So you are likely somewhat related to the former Multnomah County (Portland) District Attorney?

[@anonymike8280]

I just read the wikipedia article. Portland was more fun back then.

[@catsandfriends5918]

8:12: "And there are those who can't go...These men are expendable." That was very chilling, as well as seeing the police dispatchers that hadn't left their stations. There were people who would be left behind, and they knew it.

[@kbanghart]

Like The Day After, the guys manning the missile silos after the missiles are launched. Ugh I can't even imagine.

[@zachjones6944]

Screw that. Power operators are needed to repopulate the world once the dust settles.

[@lilblackduc7312]

"Martyrs in Training".

[@malcolmt7883]

Back to the Iron Age, there's no need for electrical workers with no grid,

[@Zoomer30]

17:17 Wow, that guy can't catch a break. He bought a Ford Edsel and now there's a nuclear war starting.

[@shiroi_usagi]

Zoomer30 lol

[@cl844]

LOL nice

[@jeffreycoulter4095]

Point well taken

[@sswcustomsewing4276]

Haha

[@emsleywyatt3400]

Hey, that car will last him the rest of his life.

[@jpatrick1967]

@15:30....ah, those were the days when 5 children could be in a car and stand up without being belted in while a mother drives a car during a nuclear attack.

[@RipsNordic7]

Lmao I remember those days too. I'm 35 🤣

[@joeyj6808]

While she drank an elegant martini with one hand, smoking a Camel with the other.

[@whereswaldo5740]

It was great.

[@joeprimal2044]

My how the people of portland have changed.

[@michaelshields7777]

Exactly. Portland is now full of evil satanists, lol

[@hdanielnoble6572]

The Communist wouldn't bomb Portland today. They would loose all their agents.

[@joeprimal2044]

@@hdanielnoble6572 LO freakin L.

[@wendybliven2652]

What kind of plans have they got now? Civil unrest is exactly what we have now. Your plan is call it protest and do NOTHING!

[@ThePryzmean]

"Forward thinking," he called the people of Portland... Look how that has worked out.

[@chrisackerley1842]

In this film, Portland had three hours notice that Soviet bombers were coming. Today, in the age of nuclear submarines armed with missiles, coastal cities would be lucky to get three minutes warning.

[@bigimskiweisenheimer8325]

Yup. We're all dead at that point. The quicker the better.

[@andrewheffel3565]

Yup, a blinding flash, searing heat, and it's all over for the lucky ones. I feel more sorry for those who are left to slowly die of radiation poisoning and hunger. Pray it never happens.

[@UchronianKing]

When they were talking about how long they had to prepare and evacuate, the very same thing came into my head. Radar would certainly pick up bombers armed with atomic bombs. But with the advent of missile technology, in the apocalypse movie 'The Day After', John Lithgow's character uttered the minuteman missiles would reach targets in Russia within 30 minutes - but this is based on land-based silos. I don't think that movie took into account nuclear-armed submarines which existed at the time, thus shortening the evacuation window to: WASF.

[@noecarrier5035]

Very much depends upon the submarine firing points -- there may not be any warning given that actually has time to reach people. It may not be desired that they have any warning in certain places. What could they do? Most of their missiles are still silo, TEL and aircraft launched, though. Those will be spotted as soon as the IR flashes are seen -- when the missiles are high enough to be seen by OTH radar their targets can be guessed at reliably. Strategic command has from the time the flashes are spotted.

[@chuckster3629]

If this happened today, the broadcast on both radio and TV would likely say, "OK folks, you have three minutes to say your prayers to God then bend over and kiss your asses goodbye."

[@allisonk.222]

Only on KZbin could I find these awesome, rare gems! Please keep posting more! May this never happen in reality EVER again.

[@patrickbeane4826]

Poor old guy who let Mr Mayor in, had to close the blast door from the outside...

[@manitoba-op4jx]

if a bomb hit he could get in before the shockwave hits if he's far enough from the detonation

[@manitoba-op4jx]

@palerider957 that's a bit much bud

[@Kevinfordsynthesizers]

Years ago I worked with maintenance engineers at an emergency control centre. They wouldn’t have been allowed in the building in the event of nuclear attack, even though the air con and air filtration systems failed frequently..

[@edl617]

After the Cuban missile crisis asked my grandfather why he always got his gun out during those drills He said it was for the looters

[@thegloriousmoodman2152]

@palerider957 I wonder who they consider expendable now?

[@46619TAB]

I'm a 'Duck and Cover' Baby Boomer and as a kid I knew where the Air Raid Shelters were in the area I played and I was to go to the nearest one if the sirens went off. There's an air raid siren near my house that's used during severe weather and the sound of it still turns my blood cold.

[@montanabulldog9687]

+46619TAB Don't be "Surprised", if it goes off, for the reason it was actually "Installed" . . . With what currently "Going On", it really SHOULDN'T be a "Surprise". . .

[@PanzerFalcon2232]

+46619TAB I live in the UK, we don't have many sirens for weather or civil defence but the sound of one still makes me quite scared.

[@46619TAB]

Randy Williams Indeed! There's a siren near enough to my house that I can hear it, it's used to warn of severe storms. And yes my blood still turns to ice when I hear it.

[@46619TAB]

Mr allertor 125 - This film is quite archaic but now days is still timely all things considered. However, with Nukes being delivered via missiles we have , I believe, 10 minutes to run. And there's no going back. Thanks I guess for the model 2T info.

[@rdfox76]

Eh, it's more that they deliberately design them to have the most jarring, unnerving sound possible so that people can't ignore them...

[@lasvegasbill4711]

This was made in ‘57 and the grade school shown early on is Harvey Scott which both my parents had attended but were in high school in ‘57. It’s nice to see Portland closer to how I remember it instead of what it is now. I moved away over 25 years ago.

[@whereswaldo5740]

Smart. Lucky you.

[@AnonymousFreakYT]

Yep, I recognized it instantly, as it's where I went, too. Looked exactly the same in this filmed in '57 as it did when I went there in the '80s, as it does today. :-D (And the school was recently renamed to just "Scott Elementary", officially removing Harvey from the name - as it turns out Harvey was a terrible person. He was against public schools - why would you name a public school after someone who was against the idea of public schools!)

[@AnthonyChinaski]

Ok, Boomer who drank all the Red Scare koolaid lol

[@gehlen52]

It was a scary time but the quality of life far outweighed the fear, it was a fantastic era in which to be growing up. I was 4 years old then, the drama continued throughout grade school.

[@kbanghart]

Quality of life.. good for the privileged, not so great for others, people of color in the south

[@timengineman2nd714]

We lived near enough to New York City that a near miss with a missile (the early ones could literally miss by miles which is why their warheads were in the Megatons range! Also there were limited Antimissile missiles which could knock one off course) could hit us with a big shock wave, if not hit us! Duck and cover drills were very common!!!

[@johnallen2771]

Boy, does this bring back memories. I lived in a small town of about 5,000 people in northern Ohio, and I remember our Civil Defense drills. We had it down and were rated very highly by officials. In the bigger cities, there were air raid shelter directions on the corners of the streets. In school, we were supposed to get under our desks and hold our hands over our heads. That was supposed to protect us from a nuclear attack. Some of the kids I knew had a shelter right in their own house. They remodeled their basements. One spring, the National Guard in our area wanted to practice taking our town over, as if they were in Germany or something. Anyhow, the Mayor said yes and sure enough, that following weekend we were at war and a hostile army was trying to take us over. Us kids had a blast because we knew all the woods and the areas they'd probably be hiding in. We would surprise them and shoot them with our water pistols. They were pissed. At one point we were hiding from them and it was all very exciting. Well, downtown, the Mayor and all the city council were in the city jail. The tanks were blocking all the main streets. All the stores were closed. Soldiers were everywhere, bristling with guns. It was quite a bleak day. They all stayed until the following night when they disappeared. I was 10 years old and little did I know what the future would hold.

[@MovieMakingMan]

John Allen That's an interesting story. Thanks for sharing it. People today wouldn't understand what we faced back then. I used to have nightmares of me and my family being killed in our sleep by a nuclear holocaust. I wonder who the 'brainchild' of the duck and cover drills were. I guess they knew since nothing could save you in a nuclear blast they tried to give students a false sense of security. I remember seeing bomb shelters being built by houses. One I saw was built under a front lawn. It had pipes sticking out of the ground. I guessed they were for outside air. Even much later when malls started popping up I saw bomb shelters being sold in the center isles. They had several sizes. It looked like a small one not much bigger than a phone booth was just for 2 people for a very short period of time. Others were big, maybe 10 feet by 10 feet. They all were expensive. I wonder how many are buried around the US. I imagine most deteriorated into the ground but some might still be functional.

[@lindaterrell5535]

MovieMakingMan I spent much of the Cuban Missile Crisis in a panic and terror. I was 15.

[@lindaterrell5535]

MovieMakingMan I imagine some are being used as cellars, and tornado shelters. No,such thing in Florida

[@bbeen40]

@@MovieMakingMan Duck and cover actually had a very important role to play. If you were in the blast zone, you were toast but do you know what caused 70% of all injuries outside the blast zone? Glass. Seeing a sudden flash then taking cover automatically was the difference between relative safety and a face full of glass at the speed of sound. Not nearly as silly as people think.

[@anonymike8280]

@@bbeen40 How many nuclear war have you lived through? It could be the margin for people in a certain radius of distance. Outside of that radius, it's just the fires. Then there's the fallout. It all depend on which way the wind is blowing.

[@guycalgary7800]

I remember the last time they tested the air raid sirens in Calgary , that sound goes right to your soul.

[@CanadaMatt]

Technically it's not meant as an air raid siren. Its primary use is for tornadoes. Medicine Hat has one too. They had a small twister when I was visiting on my first wedding anniversary in 2007.. about the only significant thing damaged was the mast with the damned siren on it! 🤣

[@claudermiller]

I love how even facing nuclear annihilation women still had the good taste to wear a hat and gloves. That's what separates us from the Godless communists.

[@lucyr8711]

Haha

[@michaelshields7777]

Hehehe!!!

[@rickc2102]

🤣👍

[@johnjames8644]

Godless who dropped the atomic bombs

[@nikkis8827]

Christians don’t even follow the teachings of Jesus. “Lay down your life for your brothers and sisters.” “If you see your brother or sister without and you don’t show pity, the love of god is not in you.” “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than to enter the kingdom of heaven.” Worshipping “billionaire” narcissistic dictators doesn’t sound like something a Christian should be doing. I guess Christians forgot about the cleansing of the temple?

[@ffotograffyddgohebwyr8308]

So the men at the power station are expendable,while the office workers go to the bunkers.Nice.

[@jamesmueller1921]

ffoto+,,, Have to keep the office workers. Who is going to send out the bills, to the survivors... LOL

[@JohnJackson-mn4ts]

That’s okay. I’m Sure the office workers can rewire the whole network after an EMP burns out every switch and substation.

[@claudermiller]

OF COURSE YOU DOLT! We were protecting capitalism!

[@claudermiller]

Lolololol. No wonder why some of these old people are so nutty. They grew up watching this shit.

[@boydsinclair7606]

Narrator should have said "The power workers were essential and had to stay at their posts, expendable civilians told they could leave."

[@K-OnTheCase]

I miss Glen Ford… his calm voice of reason could steady even the most frazzled nerves. I was from the NW, but completely unaware Portland had this level of Civil Defense planning! This was well before my time, but as a child of the 80’s, I well remember the fear of nuclear war. Thanks so much for the upload! It is much appreciated!

[@icecreamforcrowhurst]

Loved Glen Ford in the Big Heat. He was Canadian.

[@TralfazConstruction]

I'm old enough to remember when the term, "H-Bomb" 0:55 , was on many people's lips. We'd practice duck and cover back then in school. I believe our teachers, the Good Sisters of the IHM, were convinced some of us would make it through a nuclear holocaust. Those were the days.

[@robertchittenden7126]

The Russians never abandoned their Civil defence program. They currently have fully functional fallout bunkers. In most of their major city's.

[@ne1124]

Алексей Котятин True, very sad, but true. I pray this never happens.

[@Keplerb-od1lr]

Watch Threads and then laugh at the optimism in this film.

[@rickc2102]

It's on my watch list, will probably watch it now.

[@Keplerb-od1lr]

Rick C I’d be interested to hear what you think of it. Let me know once you’ve watched it! 🍻

[@yuanyuanzeng6442]

The world survived the last 75 years. What did pessimism do for those that were? And if it did happen who is more likely to survive? The pessimist or the optimist. In either case you find supporting circumstances to make your expected outcome come true.

[@george217]

Read "Surviving Doomsday" by Dr. Bruce Clayton. Still relevant after all these years...

[@Keplerb-od1lr]

yuanyuan zeng it’s not about hope or lack of it. A full scale counter value nuclear war is not survivable. Anyone who survives the initial blasts and firestorm will either succumb to famine, disease or cannibal raiders.

[@rwbyrose7269]

You should see Portland now!

[@HockeyVictory66]

The Hydrogen bombs that would have hit Portland would not be survivable and the devastation and radiation would make it pointless to return to the city. These bombs are so powerful that they make the Hiroshima bomb look like a hand grenade.

[@andyokus5735]

Yes. Read about DARPA and the real Hydrogen bomb test in the Bikini Islands . It was much worse than even their worst anticipation.

[@noecarrier5035]

Those big 50s city busters were of particularly high yield, certainly, but their other properties would have compensated. The people who made this video were certainly very optimistic, though.

[@JetDom767]

A true representation of the devastation of a nuclear strike would be UK docudrama Threads (1984)

[@noecarrier5035]

@@JetDom767 Absolute best movie about the aftermath of a nuclear exchange. It's uniquely horrific and beautiful. The figures given in terms of yield are much higher than actual, and the winter lengths/intensity are now known to be bogus, but it's otherwise very good. I love it.

[@TedSeeber]

You forget the unique geography of Portland. Sure, the center would be destroyed- but there are many places close by to hide behind bluffs and cliffs.

[@user-qc3ol3mk3f]

It cracked me up when I heard the narrator say GOVERNMENT MUST SURVIVE . What would be left to govern ?

[@sabrekai727]

In 1955? A fair bit. A lot less bombs, and aircraft to deliver them. Less missiles. Better Air to air defences. Smaller bombs too for the most part.

[@incrediblemichael]

at 1:15 its a bell victory air raid siren driven by a hemi engin this is the loudest siren ever build giggles

[@tomservo56954]

The father of a FB friend of mine operated the one at New York's Rockefeller Center during World War II...his last day on the job became an article in THE NEW YORKER. Sadly, he was also one of the first victims of HIV in 1981, contracted from a blood transfusion.

[@Rick1959]

Thanks for keeping history alive and I'll support as I can :-)

[@lisamcginley5251]

If this happened today ,there's no way Mayor Ted Wheeler could be of any help . You'd be on your own .

[@AltimaNEO]

The planes would be his instead. And they'd be dropping tear gas instead of H-Bombs.

[@gordonwiessner6327]

2019. Emergency supplies on west coast consist of prozac and white flags.

[@obelic71]

How time changes: then the most of the US hoped that Portland NEVER got nuked. now the most of the US is hoping it WILL be nuked asap 😈

[@mr.pavone9719]

@@obelic71 Where did you get those numbers? Whatever your source they're really uninformed. A nuclear attack against a west coast city would leave the Midwest and Canada covered in radioactive dust.

[@obelic71]

@@mr.pavone9719 depends on the yield, the altitude and type of warhead that detonates. A high thermonuclear airburst will give a wide range of contamination and electromagnetic pulse frying electronics. An optimal hight airburst for a target is used to destroy as most as possible of the structures of a city / area. The contamination radius is less but the area is more densly contaminated A groundburst will only destroy a part of a city and the huge contamination will make the erea of limits for friend and foe. The 4th gen Nukes who are in development work only as pure fussion weapons. The Fission part gives the contamination not the fussion part of the 3th gen thermonuke.

[@spankthemonkey3437]

Mr. Pavone what about all the bombs in the desert if New Mexico Arizona and Nevada we are all still here

[@vannessasevilla9981]

I live in oregon and u forgot the wine and the dankest weed you will ever smoke

[@TheCorrectViews]

I love the doggie running for cover lmfao.

[@thegasmaskguy2302]

This film is chilling to me. Just because of how realistic it feels. The implications of it and what’s going on.

[@Hillers62]

When the mayor enters the bunker, the security guard stays outside...oh well...

[@peterroberts2737]

In reality, the guard with the gun would be on the inside and the mayor outside banging on the door

[@spankthemonkey3437]

Peter Roberts as the way it should be today 🤣

[@irvan36mm]

I heard that the bunker no longer exists today.

[@mikekirwan461]

Planes being slower than missiles gives them hours to evacuate. But there would always be a vehicle breaking down, someone knowing a shortcut, which would mess things up.

[@BuyLuxuryFootRestsFromTh-bw8ub]

I made these while watching this channel thru a full faced respirator in a very dusty environment. Thank you so much. ❤For what you do and for sharing❤ This channel has been life changing in many ways, very inspirational.

[@joshuagong6826]

Even the dog knows how to evacuate...

[@alexp3752]

Dogs know how to do that by instinct...

[@williambabyak1094]

So does the terrified populace, no doubt!!

[@saleendriver]

Big differences between that Portland OR and today. Sad really.....very very tragic.

[@fromthesidelines]

Originally telecast on CBS on December 8, 1957. Because this was televised, a disclaimer had to be shown at a key moment at 25:30.

[@tomservo56954]

Noon on a Sunday...

[@modernaudioplays7325]

3 hours? Today, we'd probably be Lucky to get 15 minutes for inland cities and areas and probably even less for places on the coast

[@rocistone6570]

Thank you, Periscope! You are indespensible!!

[@falcon664]

17:14 Poor guy is about to be bombed in his brand new 58 Edsel Pacer! This was made in September 1957, the Edsel came out on September 4.

[@PdxMotor]

March 11th, 1957 the sunrise in Portland Oregon was at 0631 AM - per Google.

[@GrnArrow092]

It was also on a Monday.

[@richardsledgecock2110]

I bet the Soviets studied these films thoroughly

[@cdvitunac]

What happened after that point? Well, we'll leave you to contemplate because we have no special effects budget at all.

[@mdr1396]

God damn, going through nuclear war if it was just slow lumbering bombers instead ICBM's seems nice and laid back. They portray it as a picnic or something, like theyve got all the time in the world. Need to finish the laundry? Wash the car? Mow the yard? Hell you've got time those pesky Reds wont be here foooorrr ohhhh another 2 1/2 hours. Might just take a nap. Gotta love CD videos.

[@rnnrrnnr2510]

LMAO!!!!

[@chandlerwhite8302]

I think this was before ICBM’s became reliable enough to be the main strategic deterrent for either side.

[@bohemoth1]

This movie is way different than the movie THE DAY AFTER. In THE DAY AFTER when the air Raid sirens were activated you can see the people in mass hysteria and panic running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Right now there are no plans for the American people to survive a Nuclear Attack. You are responsible for your own survival plans. How many cities have disabled their air Raid sirens? How many States have shut down their fallout shelters? Martha Reeves and The Vandella had a song called NO WHERE TO RUN, NO WHERE TO HIDE. So should a Nuclear Attack happen IT'S EVERY PERSON FOR THEMSELVES AND GOD FOR US ALL. Now with MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION AND PRECISE TARGETING MISSILES I can make this suggestion. """ IF BY CHANCE YOU JUST SHOULD HAPPEN TO GET WORD OF AN IMMINENT NUCLEAR ATTACK. PLEASE JUST SIMPLY GO TO A SECLUDED PLACE AND GET NAKED AND SPREAD YOUR LEGS AND BEND OVER AND KISS YOUR ASS GOODBYE!

[@JohnDoe-xd2ld]

I just stumbled upon this Channel and how fitting it still is today. We have become so lazy and unconcerned with this still very real possibility. Lord have mercy on us.

[@deadandburied7626]

Amen 🙏

[@AnthonyChinaski]

I can smell the stench of Boomeritis in these comments…of course it’s followed by an “amen”…your generation obviously got too much lead in their diet

[@Citizen_Se7en]

Wow, what a different time; they had time to evacuate (hours) because bomber aircraft were approaching. Of course, now we all have ICBMs and a maximum of 28 minutes to react.

[@richardcommins4926]

A submarine launched ICBM (SLBM) would arrive in Portland in about 5 minutes. You wouldn't even have time to finish that bowl of cornflakes you were eating.

[@jamesricker3997]

In reality the evacuation would not have gone tgat Smoothly.

[@IvanDmitriev1]

With the SLBM more like between 3 and 15 minutes, actually.

[@somedude5422]

@@richardcommins4926 You underestimate my ability to consume cornflakes

[@richardcommins4926]

@@somedude5422 Take your time and don't wolf down those cornflakes and get indigestion. LOL It would be your last meal in Portland if you were in the city when a hydrogen bomb went off.

[@kyleshiflet9952]

Imagine had they gotten Rod Serling to do narration

[@luisreyes1963]

And Ray Bradbury wrote the screenplay. 😰

[@kyleshiflet9952]

@@luisreyes1963 a terrifying combination in the Twilight Zone

[@TheBandit7613]

When growing up, they tested the air raid siren every month. The first Tuesday at 11:00am.

[@jimmyfortrue3741]

When I was a kid the tests were every Saturday at noon.... Used to creep me out.... What if the attack came at noon on a Saturday? Was my simple childlike logic.

[@lindaterrell5535]

jimmy fortrue Every day at noon in my town in Massachusetts. We used to joke that the Russians should attack us at noon. We’d not be alert.

[@michaelshields7777]

They test the sirens here in Columbus Ohio every Wednesday at noon.

[@ne1124]

Michael Shields777 yes, startles me every time they begin sounding! Lol!

[@ObamaTookMyCat]

and then the ICBM was born, and the response and preparation time for a nuclear attack shrunk from 3 hours, to 30 minutes. CIvil Defense in the 70s and 80s never was able to fully come up with a plan to prepare for such a short notice of attack.

[@neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819]

! ObamaTookMyCat ! America was lucky to get 30 minutes in the missile age, here in the UK we got a measly 4 minutes.

[@bradmiller2329]

We lived with fear. All the time, in the back of our minds, the siren was waiting ...

[@permiek]

and why bother evacuating, Sagan showed a Nuclear winter would result

[@carwashadamcooper1538]

Interesting that this comes up in my feed today. Portland. Gets nuked. Huh.

[@r.williamcomm7693]

Yes. And now we know it wasn’t a nuke, but rather was something put in their drinking water that made everyone go nuts.

[@mileschase9866]

This is so cool. I have been living in Portland for the last 50 years!

[@johnrflinn]

A day called X survivor! How did you do it?

[@tomservo56954]

@@johnrflinnHe arrived after they rebuilt...

[@pg396]

100’s of people shown. All are razor thin by today’s standards. Say what you will about Cigarettes, Alcohol and Sleeping Pill 1950’s Culture - the population looks fit. Also haven’t fattened up the population yet with Corn Syrup and GMO’s and 64oz Soft Drinks in Cup Holders.

[@spankthemonkey3437]

P G I like my one gallon big gulps

[@TroyOi]

Very interesting and very well made. Despite having lived through the duck-and-cover, Cuban Missile Crisis days, I never thought much about civil defense, and what it meant. Looks like it was well thought out, with strong cooperation and participation by all levels of government. Of course, one can really never know how effective a CD operation is until AFTER the dreaded moment -- we've been lucky not to have had to find out.

[@davidhollenshead4892]

Civil Defense primarily was to keep people from freaking out over the threat of WWIII. If WWIII had occurred, then the Hydrogen Bomb would have killed everyone in the CD Shelters, as they were designed for the Atom Bomb.

[@goodmorningsoldier858]

This is awesome!

[@edl617]

Wonder if that city bunker still exists

[@lasvegasbill4711]

I looked it up, it was buried in ‘06 due to being so vandalized and destroyed over the years.

[@robw3027]

I enjoyed that, many thanks to those responsible. Graet to see and hear Glenn Ford. I view the entire Atomic age CD effort a display of national will. Will too prepare and survive.

[@lostcause2137]

OH seems like yesterday. I was there on the Day Called X when Portland was nuked. Leveled the whole city I was so lucky to get out alive.

[@invisiblepinkunicorn7626]

🤣

[@danc.2457]

You were lucky , I didn't make it out ...

[@UchronianKing]

Perhaps, in a parallel timeline...

[@EuroUser1]

The aftermath of the bombing is not displayed, because it would show that many of the evacuation efforts had been futile. How are the hospital patients going to keep with their treatments? How are people going to purchase their food, if they don't have a city in which to work? Are the farmers going to give it for free indefinitely? Will they be able to do so, without the services that the city used to provide? Are people going to live in their cars until the city has been rebuilt from scratch?... I don't even believe that the evacuation would be as smooth as the video presents. How many ambulances would you need to evacuate a hospital in one go? Do they have that many? Are the roads prepared to evacuate the whole city in 2 hours? In a half-a-million city, most accesses get collapsed on a daily basis, with just a fraction of the population trying to get in for work and school. A single car crash will create kilometric queues; if it takes place in the evacuation.

[@Hillers62]

The city is under attack...and yet everyone walks at an ordinary pace....

[@michaellively8132]

Well, in The Day After, they went to the movies AND a college football game!

[@mr.pavone9719]

This kind of film is what gives people today the impression that the 50's were a kinder, gentler, more civilized time. Notice how very few black people appeared in the film? Notice how they're all white, middle class families and older laborers? nice, obedient and well behaved children? Nobody is freaking out, everyone is doing what they're told This movie is a best case depiction of human behavior. No matter the time, when the news announces a surprise nuclear attack is on the way there's going to be chaos.

[@peterroberts2737]

What sort of person would say " well kids I'm off to my allotted space in the shelter, I won't bother to to say see you later as you are all going to be turned to ashes"

[@IvanDmitriev1]

A government official? ROFL XD

[@ZakWolf]

That is not the actual sound of a Chrysler Victory air raid siren. They are much louder and deeper-sounding; obviously the sound effects editor just dubbed in a different siren sound he had on file. My dad's elementary school had the same fire alarm horn seen at 8:08. That climax is real nightmare fuel!

[@West_Coast_Gang]

The portland removal device has worked perfectly

[@walkerplaza2547]

Provision checklist for the fallout shelter: Lucky Strike ☑️ Winston ☑️ Viceroy ☑️ Pall Mall ☑️ Chesterfield ☑️ Tareyton ☑️ Camel ☑️Marlboro ☑️ L&M ☑️ Kent ☑️ Salem ☑️ Kool ☑️ Paper matches ☑️ We're good.

[@josephkyle1557]

1957: Horror film 2020: **Longed-for Fantasy**

[@SugarloafMountainFilms]

Back when the gov cared about its people. Today, we're screwed.

[@Elfnetdesigns]

Today with hypersonic missiles, we will have little or no warning to do much of anything, How far could you evacuate before an EMP takes out your vehicle..

[@DeaconG1959]

With SRBM's off the coast your warning time is

[@jeiku5314]

Pfft. Healthcare? Nah, remove it all.

[@Furzkampfbomber]

You really think they actually cared? Pffft, they knew _very_ well that the absolute majority would not survive a nuclear clash, not the ones that would have been caught in the open, not the ones in their makeshift shelters and most likely not even the biggest part of people in the shelters provided by the government. There is a reason why this doctrine of both enemies being able to utterly destroy each other was called (ironically) "M.A.D. / Mutual Assured Destruction" and the governments knew that. This was just a smoke grenade, a means to keep people from panicking and to give them the warm and fuzzy feeling that the government would care and that they could actually survive this.

[@Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co]

Furzkampfbomber You are ignorant and arrogant. Naive children often assume that everything that happened before they were born occurred at the same time, but it’s neither factually accurate or intelligent to apply a concept like MAD which developed in the 1970s to a film shot in 1957. At this point nobody but a small handful of defense scientists knew EMP existed, and not even they knew how damaging it could be to electronic devices. They didn’t irradiate the desert for shits and giggles; they honestly didn’t know how carcinogenic ionizing radiation was. They knew half the population of the US would die; this film was meant to help the other half. (Do I need to point out that the film was shot before Sputnik?) Oddly enough, most people in the government back then did care about their constituents. Most still do. Your pseudo-cynical naive child edgelord beliefs don’t negate that.

[@victorsteerup4582]

Ahh, at 1:00 our old friend, the Chrysler Hemi powered air raid siren.

[@johnrflinn]

Wouldn't want to lose a classic Edsel to enemy fire.

[@Calisota]

I saw the frontgrill and I immediately screamed - An Edsel! - :D It's crazy, You wont see any of those in any movie from today that is playing in that era, but people actually bought them back then

[@jamesmueller8701]

@@Calisota ,,, we had a 1958 edsel ... big 4 barrel carb and corome out the ying yang...i got to drive it as i had my "learners permit" age 15...to this day, i love the sound of a 4 barrel opening up...

[@tomservo56954]

@@Calisota This was filmed in September 1957...several of what must have been the first Edsels to arrive in Portland are seen.

[@jthadcast]

boooooo, where's the kaboom, there was supposed to be an earth-shattering kaboom.

[@ciwsphalanx]

jthadcast Nice one Marvin!

[@chandlerwhite8302]

Maybe we shot it down???

[@Ggordonhorseballs]

Flash forward to 2020 and the one thing Portland does not have is road capacity remotely capable of handling a mass exodus. Make sure you have welding goggles with you and enjoy the show.

[@brutusofnn]

Glenn Ford was one of my favorite tough guy actors.

[@tohellwithgoogle4261]

There's one from the 50s called Alert Today Alive Tomorrow from the local city of Reading, PA for me.

[@tom7601]

That siren was powered by a Chrysler Hemi V8. I think they were 331 cubic inches.

[@christophercarey3232]

The Chrysler Victory Air Raid Siren.

[@tomservo56954]

@@christophercarey3232 Those sirens got them before the cars did...

[@calibillygirl]

I would like one those mounted on the roof of my house, lol.

[@tjlovesrachel]

That’s what my girl n daughter need as a friggen alarm clock 😂😂😂

[@bellvnv2000]

Is it just me or did that bomb shelter seem unnecessarily big or did they just film it in an aircraft hangar ? On a side note you got to love that old timey way of acting . yeah I know these weren't actors but still it's cool to see how real people from other errors conducted themselves . Another side note, the bank in Portland from 1957 was far as more cleaner, organized and customer-friendly than my credit union is today ! 😂

[@patrickilmoni9380]

John Carpenter and the Escape from Portland ! A truly apocalyptic sorta situation ! I had no idea that he used to be a sportsbroadcaster in the 50s, I am a huge fan of his films. and hes The Director.

[@YouScroob]

The guy in this film was Johnny Carpenter, a well known sports reporter on KOIN 6 for many years. The officials in this film are the actual people in Portland at that time. Schrunk was the last respectable mayor Portland had. It really started going down when Neil, the pedophile, Goldschmit became mayor. Portland used to be a real nice city, many, many moons ago.

[@TheDexterFishbourne]

Would we miss Portland today?

[@gat2asp919]

I was hoping this was a real news cast.

[@jeffdurden398]

If it happened in Portland today, nothing of value would be lost.

[@shannonrhoads7099]

Hey, I'd rather it not burn, I keep all my stuff here. 🤣

[@beezertwelvewashingbeard8703]

5:33 *"Okay Kyle. I know that's you doing that behind the desk. I'm not falling for it this time. Quit goofing off and get back to work."*

[@winstonslone2797]

People would be looting and stealing cars if they tried a drill like that today.

[@stephenarling1667]

What ever would the people do without their bureaucrats and politicians? They would be lost, unable to survive without the vital services of those worthy folk.

[@thomass863]

Your coffee! 173.5 degree Fahrenheit. Brewed to perfection!

[@Nocturnal_Rites]

Heh, thanks, Codsworth!

[@redacted_____]

Soviet Storm boi

[@Raceb8420]

As a native Portland resident, it's hard to think that if something like this attack actually occurred, we'd have a lot fewer bums, junkies, and other miscreants.

[@Harbalz]

Imagine going through that today during the Corona virus 😷

[@MrScottie68]

The one thing I don't get is that if there was a 2+ hour advance warning why couldn't the US military intercept the enemy planes before arrival?

[@TroyOi]

That's a question for another movie. This one did a good job of focusing in on its subject matter -- having a well-prepared civil defense infrastructure -- and not digressing from that. Glenn Ford's epilogue aptly summarizes the purpose of the film.

[@eddievhfan1984]

However, if you want a more definite answer, interception of hostile aircraft wasn't that straightforward in the 1950s. RADARs had a higher area of grass (the low-altitude area when ground reflections clutter the RADAR picture), permitting Soviet bombers to perform penetrations at higher altitudes and remain hidden. Airborne RADAR didn't have look-down/shoot-down capability provided by modern systems. The Falcon and Sidewinder air-to-air missiles were relatively new and you often needed multiple missiles to drop a single bomber, let alone a whole squadron. SAM capability was also in relative infancy, putting a lot of the anti-air capability on modernized flak guns, and there was no SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment) computerized integrated air defense system to employ all these assets efficiently. TL,DR: Even with a 3 hour lead time, the Soviets could've penetrated our air defense network at least enough to nuke a few cities back then. We'd try our hardest, but we couldn't guarantee total protection.

[@TroyOi]

Interesting explanation. Is grass an acronym -- ground reflection something-something-something ?

[@eddievhfan1984]

No, just a slang term. It's IMO a combination of the idea of hiding in tall grass and how ground clutter looks on certain RADAR scope presentations.

[@rdfox76]

The short version is that no defense system is 100% reliable; there will always be a few "leakers" that get through each layer of it, so a large enough attack will always have a few weapons reach their target.

[@thomasdaily4363]

24:55 Ok, who did those two motorcycle cops piss off?

[@AusDenBergen]

Who's watching this in 2020 with their fingers still crossed?

[@ne1124]

AusDenBergen yes! No more bad crap! 2020 has been a heck of a year! Knock on wood, carry a four leaf clover, whatever..just please, need 2020 to chill out already!

[@notreallydavid]

The guy at the end withholds his essence.

[@robertlavallee591]

Even for that time that is going on the presumption that everything is going to run perfectly,that every citizen knows what or where they are suppose to do or go,that cars won't break down,that some won't panic,that parents won't automatically run to schools to get children,the strangers in the town visiting or have business will also be aware of the plans,that traffic will move smoothly an any number of the unexpected events,some who go on in disbelief,people who are disabled or elderly,that weather is good,time of the year its summer or early fall,if winter everything will most likely fall apart and last human nature.

[@WG-tt6hk]

Considering what has happened to Portland in 2020, maybe this is not such a bad idea ( would solve the problem ).

[@OddlyBoBo7]

Everyone leaves the city and the protesters go bye-bye. Think of the job creation rebuilding around autonomous zone. With a wall.

[@jerryhanson3903]

Most people in Portland think these protesters are stupid. I've lived in Portland my whole life and I can tell you 90% of these protesters aren't even real oregonians and they can get the hell out of my state and never come back.

[@ChrisSmith-lo2kp]

dig the school superintendent's sun glasses

[@johnned4848]

Like Dr. Strangelove

[@kaseykees4621]

Who's here getting stoked for the Fallout TV show?

[@sifridbassoon]

I like how the poor fire departments are supposed to move their equipment out so they will be ready to reenter the radioactive hot zone and fight the firestorm. Smoke that cigar! you're about to be turned into a cinder.

[@foabmoab]

Minnie sure has a look of betrayal at 8:54 :P

[@altfactor]

I was stunned that actor Glenn Ford would be hired as narrator. As a CBS Ness production in 1958, one would have thought that Walter Cronkite, Edward R. Murrow, or Douglas Edwards would have been narrator.

[@markmcgraw1070]

I think if the people of 1950's Portland could see Portland now, they would have welcomed those nukes.

[@samueltaylor4989]

We all know it would not happen like this; we had a similar incident called Pearl Harbor where in hindsight we can see the comedy of errors and opportunities for early warning not taken. This is the absolute best case scenario having 4 hours notice and a calm evacuation, bomb falls on an empty city! Yeah right.

[@monroetoolman]

Exactly right.

[@rarefilmsandmore6863]

Portland, OR is an excellent choice!

[@icecreamforcrowhurst]

Narrated by Glenn Ford 😎 Loved him in the Big Heat, a great film. He’s Canadian btw

[@jvillalaz44]

wow, interesting.

[@VisionElectricAus]

Thoughts and prayers to the survivors of day x

[@matismf]

Where was the tribe to distribute bricks and ball bats to deploy around the police stations???

[@lucyr8711]

All that organisation and NOT ONE COMPUTER! How the hell did they do it? Kudos

[@jpatrick1967]

It doesn’t say much about our ability to shoot down these enemy bombers back in the day.