Archer Productions, Inc.Our Cities Must Fight (1951)

Civil defense film admonishing U.S. city dwellers to stay and fight in case of enemy invasion, rather than evacuate. Filmed in New York and other cities.

This item is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Producer: Archer Productions, Inc.
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Keywords: Atomic-nuclear: Civil defense; Cold War; Infrastructure

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

Write a review Reviews

Downloaded 7,031 times Average Rating:

Reviewer: marianne333 - - April 7, 2007
Subject: ah no wonder

I was born in 1951, and movies like this help me realize why everyone I know from back then is in intensive psychotherapy. Nonetheless, this is why Eisenhower had the expressways built, for fast escape from cities in case of NUKES. One and a half minutes before radiation is gone, indeed! Or, as we said as kids, Duck and Cover and then kiss your arse goodbye.

Reviewer: GE_Pretzel - - April 19, 2006
Subject: Have you got the guts?

In this American Civil Defense film, a serious conversation between a newspaper editor and his colleague is used to emphasize the problems that could occur should civilians in urban centres decide to evacuate in order to avoid a major military onslaught. According to the film, mass exodus would hamper emergency efforts, decrease productivity, and lead to a significant loss of morale. Able-bodied individuals who decide to flee the danger are regarded as treasonous. Unfortunately, the editor seems to believe that the radiation resulting from an atomic blast will subside after roughly ninety seconds. While the film is convincing, it seems rather generic when compared to some of the other Civil Defense films produced during the early 1950's.

Reviewer: Tankgyrl Dionne - - April 18, 2004
Subject: Wow

It is amazing that there are such selfish people out in our communities with little regard for responsibility.

It is also AMAZING to think that people actually needed to be reminded of their duties to their community.

Anyone know what percentage of the population they were targeting?

Reviewer: Bill T. - - December 29, 2003
Subject: No no, stay for the bomb, it won't hurt you!

Simply ludicrouus film which tries to convince people to stick around when the bomb hits, instead of clogging up the highway, you know, to get OUT OF THERE. Why, you could be useful in putting our fires, cleaning debris away and so on! Besides, the radiation just lasts for a day or so, what's to worry about? Interesting that they never mention the fact that if you stay around, you know, you might get sort of Vaporized? Highly reccomended!

Reviewer: Asparagirl - - November 24, 2002
Subject: Stay and fight!

This short film alternately tries to persuade, intimidate, and shame those people who might try to flee their homes in American cities after attacks on the cities. To do so, our serious square-jawed narrators assure us, would be un-American and unlikely to succeed at any rate. And hey, according to these same folks, why flee when "the danger of lingering radiation is not really very serious. After an atomic airburst, the danger of radiation and falling debris is over within a minutes and a half." Riiiight.

Footage of London and Berlin from WWII is used extensively throughout the film.

Shotlist

A plea for American cities to be prepared to deal with enemy attack. Many images of mass evacuation. Some footage of devestated war torn European cities. Entrance shot of Holland Tunnel and Penn Station.


Safety Danger Lurks