Red Nightmare (1962)

A man who has taken his freedom for granted wakes up one morning to find out that the Communists have taken over America.

Director:

George Waggner (as george waGGner)

Writer:

Vincent Fotre (screenplay)

Stars:

Jack Kelly, Jeanne Cooper, Peter Brown

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jack Kelly	...	Jerry Donavan
Jeanne Cooper	...	Helen Donavan
Peter Brown	...	Bill Martin
Pat Woodell	...	Linda Donavan (as Patricia Woodell)
Andrew Duggan	...	Judge
Peter Breck	...	Russian Officer
Robert Conrad	...	Pete
Mike Road	...	Prosecutor
Jack Webb	...	Narrator

Storyline

A man who has taken his freedom for granted wakes up one morning to find out that the Communists have taken over America.

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Plot Keywords:

sponsored film | communism | communist threat | nightmare | family relationships | 

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Genres:

Drama | Short

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Inherent Vice (2014)

User Reviews

The reds are coming! Hide your daughters!

Red Nightmare (1962) was a government promo film produced by narrator Jack Webb. It was made to scare the populous and to encourage young men to join the fight against terrorism. Today this movie is nothing more than a reminder about how scared the government actually was of the "reds" and their ideology. The short plays out like a badly written and acted version of a Twilight Zone episode. The acting ranges from hammy to wooden at times. It pretty silly at times and if you're in the mood a great watch.

What's even scarier is if you ever get a chance to watch this propaganda piece, just place the word terrorists instead of communists. In some ways this movie can still be used and made today (with some obvious tweaking of course). A sad reminder of what times we lived in during the red scare days of the early 50's to late 60's (but the "threat" never faded away until the late 80's). Oh well, it's a fun watch for those who like to "relive the days of yesteryear!"

Recommend for historical purposes.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 December 2009 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

The Commies Are Coming, the Commies Are Coming

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., U.S. Department of Defense, Information and Education Division

Technical Specs

Runtime:

29 min 60 min (video compilation)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1