Christopher Nolan’s biographical film “Oppenheimer,” which leads in nominations for this weekend’s Academy Awards, inspired me to learn more about the mind of J. Robert Oppenheimer, and also the mindset of our country during that time.
The Library of Congress holds a vast collection of the J. Robert Oppenheimer Papers, including correspondence, speeches, lectures, scientific notebooks and photographs primarily from Oppenheimer’s personal papers while he was Director of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton. Topics include theoretical physics, development of the atomic bomb, the relationship between government and science, nuclear energy, security, and national loyalty.
Library of Congress historian Joshua Levy shares more in this brief video about the Library’s Oppenheimer Collection and other rare pieces that take us into the mind of this fascinating man.
To date, Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” (2023) may be the longest and most comprehensive film ever made about the “father of the atomic bomb,” but the Library of Congress National Film Registry has inducted two short films that were produced in the 1950s that set a narrative on how the American people should think and act with this new atomic technology.
The most famous may be “Duck and Cover,” filmed in 1951. It was made about six years after the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, and a few years after the Soviets launched their first nuclear bomb in 1949. Produced and funded by the Federal Civil Defense Administration (FCDA), this 9-minute animated film stars Bert the Turtle, who reinforces that to survive an atomic attack you must learn to “duck and cover.” The film was seen in schools by millions of children in the 1950s.
In an essay written for the Library of Congress, Cold War film historian Jake Hughes notes that it didn’t take long for the government to realize that the practice of hiding under furniture or pulling a coat over your head wouldn’t save you from the impending explosion. He writes:
“Despite all of the fanfare surrounding the creation of “Duck and Cover,” the film appears to have been pulled from circulation just three and half years after its release and declared obsolete by mid-1957. It is important to note, however, that while the American government may have washed its hands of the advice offered in “Duck and Cover,” this announcement was made in newsletters and statistical reports with circulations limited to high-ranking civil defense officials. The vast majority of Americans no doubt remained unaware that the practice of crouching beneath a desk was no longer considered a reliable safety measure in the event of an enemy atomic attack.”
“Duck and Cover” was added to the National Film Registry in 2004 for being “culturally, historically and/or aesthetically significant.”
Another film by the FCDA was the 1953 film “The House in the Middle.” Sponsored by the National Clean Up – Paint Up – Fix Up Bureau, a division of the National Paint, Varnish and Lacquer Association, the film emphasizes that good housekeeping and a clutter-free yard can reduce the damage to your home in the event of a nuclear explosion.
In the first two minutes of this 12-minute film, the narrator gets right to the point: “a house that’s neglected is a house that may be doomed in the atomic age.” Spoiler alert, the film ends with a firm call to action: “The dingy house on the left. The dirty and littered house on the right. Or the clean, white house in the middle. It is your choice. The reward may be survival.”
“The House in the Middle” was added to the National Film Registry in 2002.
By now you may have concluded that both “Duck and Cover” and “The House in the Middle” seem a bit absurd, but it was the mindset of fear that drove the public’s interest in the atomic age, and in some cases maybe even more than Oppenheimer’s scientific breakthrough or intent.
Enter the 1982 film, “The Atomic Café,” which may be the most comprehensive film showcasing the mindset of the American public during that time.
“The Atomic Café” is a compilation by filmmakers Kevin Rafferty, Jayne Loader and Pierce Rafferty that documents the threat of nuclear war as depicted in an assortment of archival footage from newsreels, advertisements, statements from politicians, and military training and civil defense films.
“The Atomic Café” was added to the National Film Registry in 2016, and the description on the National Film Registry website sums it up:
“This vast, yet entertaining collage of clips serves as a unique document of the 1940s-1960s era and illustrates how these films—some of which today seem propagandistic like “The House in the Middle” —were used to inform the public on how to cope in the nuclear age.”
Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention the 1964 film “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.”
Directed, co-written, and produced by Stanley Kubrick, this outrageously funny film stars Peter Sellers in three roles (including Dr. Strangelove), and George C. Scott as the manic general who has ordered a pre-emptive nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. Using satire and exaggerated fears of the Cold War, the plot follows the President (also played by Sellers) and his advisors as they attempt to prevent the bombing of the Soviet Union and the start of a nuclear war. Other standout performances include Sterling Hayden, Peter Bull, Slim Pickens, and James Earl Jones in his film debut.
“Dr. Strangelove” was one of the first 25 films chosen to the National Film Registry in 1989, the year of the Registry’s inception. The film is now 60 years and still seems relevant and unsettling whenever we consider the threat of possible nuclear war.
Although, is it wrong that I now yearn for the notion that by simply painting my house or hiding under my covers, it could all be averted?
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Library of Congress.
To learn more about the J. Robert Oppenheimer Collection at the Library of Congress, please Ask a Librarian, and if you plan to come in to view or listen to any collection items, please reach out to our reference staff in the Moving Image Research Center and the Recorded Sound Research Center.
To read more about the films mentioned, and the National Film Registry, visit www.loc.gov/film
Comments (2)
I have to admit clicking on the post to make sure you included Dr. Strangelove.
They were still showing Duck and Cover in the 1960s, at least in Boston. We had drills.
Any reference in a blog post to Stanley Kubrick is welcome, but I can’t let this pass: In “Dr. Strangelove,” the general who ordered the attack on Russia was played by Sterling Hayden, not George C. Scott. The character played by Scott was arguably just as crazy as the one played by Hayden, but he was not the one who initiated the attack.