The House in the Middle (1954)

Atomic tests at the Nevada Proving Grounds (later the Nevada Test Site) show effects on well-kept homes, homes filled with trash and combustibles, and homes painted with reflective white ... See full summary »

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Storyline

Atomic tests at the Nevada Proving Grounds (later the Nevada Test Site) show effects on well-kept homes, homes filled with trash and combustibles, and homes painted with reflective white paint. Asserts that cleanliness is an essential part of civil defense preparedness and that it increased survivability. Selected for the 2002 National Film Registry of "artistically, culturally, and socially significant" films.

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Plot Keywords:

civil defense | waste disposal | atomic bomb | propaganda | cold war | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Short

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Details

Country:

USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

National Clean Up-Paint Up-Fix Up Bureau, Federal Civil Defense Administration

Technical Specs

Runtime:

13 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in These Amazing Shadows (2011)

User Reviews

So they drop the bomb in my neighborhood and my house is OK

OMFG. Like one of the other reviewers I too recorded this from TCM (9/4/2010) and expected to see mushroom clouds and damage to different types of objects, but never expected it to be saying the a clean house and yard will be protected from an atomic blast.

It seems like the US govt. would have been a little more realistic in their messages to the public by telling them to kiss their asses goodbye if an atomic bomb was detonated in their town, rather than wasting money on a film telling them their property would be spared if it was clean and well maintained. Of course this from a government who would later develop the neutron bomb which preserves property but kills everyone more quickly.

Good for a few chuckles with horrible production values and (as mentioned by another reviewer) the same narrator (seemingly) as some other classic government propaganda films. Enjoy!