 | DVD: www.amazon.com thefilmarchived.blogspot.com Duck and Cover is a civil defense film (sometimes also characterized as a social guidance film or propaganda) produced in 1951 (but first shown publicly in January 1952) by the United States federal government's civil defense branch shortly after the Soviet Union began nuclear testing. Written by Raymond J. Mauer and directed by Anthony Rizzo of Archer Productions and made with the help of schoolchildren from New York City and Astoria, New York, it was shown in schools as the cornerstone of the government's "duck and cover" public awareness campaign. The movie states that nuclear war could happen at any time without warning, and US citizens should keep this constantly in mind and be ever ready. The US government contracted with Archer to produce Duck and Cover. The film starts with an animated sequence, showing an anthropomorphic turtle walking down a road, while picking up a flower and smelling it. A chorus sings the Duck and Cover theme: 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... He'd duck! [gasp] And cover! Duck! [gasp] And cover! (male) He did what we all must learn to do (male) You (female) And you (male) And you (deeper male) And you!' [bang, gasp] Duck, and cover!' While this goes on, Bert is attacked by a monkey holding a string from which hangs a lit stick of dynamite. Bert ducks into his shell in the nick of ... |