AV Geeks 16mm Lunch 5-8-2025

Hi, I'm Skip. Sometimes I get caught up in writing emails and I get caught up in the fury of it and I forget what I'm doing and I apologize for that. Um, especially today because today I'm getting ready to get on a train to go to Charlotte to see my mom and my stepmom for Mother's Day this weekend. And so I'm already discombobulated, so I apologize for that. Uh, thank you Kevin for sending me a a message via Facebook. Um, anyways, we watch all 16 mm films and that was some footage. Uh, so here's what's interesting. Um, so I work with uh Rick Prellinger. He's kind of my mentor. He's been doing this 10 years longer than I have. So a lot of times I um he helps me or I help him. Uh and one of the things uh that has happened is he uh got two scanners and has been scanning uh stuff and putting it online and I've been helping them put it different places. Uh, and he got all of the outs from Atomic Cafe, which was that documentary that came out in the 80s. Uh, so there's a lot of raw material that they got, the the filmmakers got from the National Archives and other sources that Rick has been scanning, uh, and his team have been scanning. Um, and so there's a lot of really fascinating stuff that has shown up in there. So, this film is interesting because this so Duck and Cover was a film that was made uh as a way to educate kids on what to do in case of atomic attack. Um, we laugh at it, but it it does have some uh merit because it does help uh figure out what to do. I mean, certainly if you're in the blast area, you're that's it. You're done. But if you're further away from the blast area, which a lot of people would be, then it's like here, hey, there's a warning like there's a flash, go down because there's going to be a heat wave coming next and then there's going to be maybe a concussion blast, you know? So, it's trying to be smart. So, Encyclopedia Bratannica uh released this one. Um, and I don't know if they produced it, but it's got a great logo at the beginning. Uh, which would be great for a fullback tattoo. So, um, you know, get out your phones and take pictures. Here's, uh, Atomic Alert. Enjoy. [Music] Clicking sounds, sounds that reveal the presence of radioactive rays. The instrument, a Geiger counter, is converting radioactivity into sounds we can hear. This radioactivity is coming from a small piece of radioactive material inside this plastic cylinder. The small amount of radioactivity coming from the cylinder is harmless. The luminous dial on this watch also gives off radioactive rays which we hear on the Geiger counter. Even when there's no radioactive material near, the Geiger counter continues to click. This is caused by cosmic radiation that continually bombards us from outer space. But we don't get enough cosmic radiation to harm us. Today, atomic scientists produce radioactivity in large amounts. Radioactivity and radioactive materials have many peacetime uses. But we know too that they can be used harmfully as in atomic bombs. The chance of your being hurt by an atomic bomb is slight. But since there is a chance, you must know how to protect yourself. To protect yourself, you have to know what the bomb does. Besides blast, there's radioactivity and heat. Can we protect ourselves from these? These children are protected. Concrete walls help stop radioactivity. Any wall stops the heat. The heat scorches the house but does not harm the children. Any solid gives some protection. The thicker it is, the better. We have the national defenses to intercept an enemy. And we all form a team to help each other through emergencies. You are on that team. So is your family, each member of it. And in your community, every doctor, fireman, every policeman and nurse, every lineman and operator, every civil defense worker, in fact, every community employee is ready to help you if you need him. So your community is prepared for emergencies and ready to help other communities. We have state and national headquarters for civil defense. And your city has a civil defense corps. We have a warning system and a system of defense. Yes, we have the equipment and the people for an effective team. But like any team, it can win only when everyone knows his job and does it well? What is your job? What if a warning siren sounds? What should you do? Look for cover. The nearest cover. Don't try to make it home unless home is the nearest place to go. Don't hesitate. Find [Music] cover. Everyone is in on this. Strangers will [Music] understand. Finding shelter quickly may save your life. If you can't get into a house, get behind a wall or a steep embankment on the side away from the city. Civil defense teams will go into action immediately. If you're home, you've work to do. Hi, Susie. Everything's fine upstairs. How you doing here? Okay, I guess that's good. We repeat, cover windows to protect against the possibility of broken glass, heat, and radio activity. Turn off fires. If you are home and are not assigned to civil defense duties, go to your prepared shelter. Those who are in shopping centers go to prepared fire in the kitchen out. Now we'll go down the basement. In this practice alert, we are assuming that the attack will come on the waterfront area. See, it's just practice. All this rushing around for nothing. Now there's just where you're wrong. We need this practice. No. Come on. Let's do our job. That's good thinking. We all need practice. Here's a clean, well-prepared shelter in the basement. Ted and Sue have a battery radio, and they have soda ash and stirup pump fire extinguishers. They have other emergency supplies, too. A flashlight, a welle equipped first aid kit with plenty of bandages, tape, and scissors. a Red Cross first aid book, a few cans of food, a good supply of water, blankets, and an electric lantern in reserve. You know, Susie, this stuff would come in handy on a camping trip. I'd a lot rather be on a camping trip. Say, what would we do if we didn't have a basement? At school, they told us we should be away from windows and behind double walls. You know, like an inside hall. Ted's right. If you live in an apartment house, you can't all go to the basement. Head for a shelter area. If none is marked for you, find cover away from windows and in a hallway if possible. Wait for the all clear. Be calm. If you're on the playground, run for shelter. If you're in the schoolyard, get into the building. Move quickly, but in good [Music] order. Inside, go to the shelter area you've been assigned. Take your place on the floor. Here's one good way to protect your eyes and neck in case of a bombing. Wait for the all clear. So far, you've been watching a practice drill. But what if there is a bombing? A bombing that comes without warning. What is your job then? Find cover immediately. Don't look at the flash. Stretch out. In about one minute, the immediate danger is passed. Then head for safer cover. Another bomb may fall. Get indoors if you can. Shed your outer garments. They may have radioactive particles on them. If you're home, take shelter and stay down for about 1 minute. By then, the danger from radioactivity, heat, and blast have passed. Protect your eyes and neck. Let's get things shut up. Sue found shelter under her bed. Dan, let's get the battery set. When the house current is off, that battery radio is essential. Keep tuned in. The air burst of 3:01 p.m. was zeroed on Union Station. Heavy damage extends from about 14th Street North to as far south as the waterfront. You know, we're lucky. That blast was mild. Stay undercover unless you have civil defense to I've just been handed a bulletin. There's been an underwater burst at the waterfront. Water thrown up by the bomb is falling as mist and rain, and it is radioactive. Avoid this radioactive mist and rain. What does he mean by radio? According to what dad said, the radioactivity gets into the mist and rain. And if the mister rain gets on you, it's have to make you very sick. What would you do about it? I'd scrub thoroughly with a detergent and water. What's a detergent? It's something like mom uses when she washes dishes and clothes. Don't drink tap water. It may be contaminated. Ted and Sue are waiting for the all clear. I'll see who it is. Hello. Who's there? It's your black warden, Mr. Carlson. Come on in, Mr. Carlson. Hello, Ted. Hello, Ted. This is Mr. Franklin, our radiological monitor. He's here to check for any radio activity. I saw your mother down the shopping center. She's fine. Well, there's no damage here. No, it's been very good here. Hello, Sue. Say, have you seen my dad lately? He's down at headquarters, and boy, he's really busy. Yeah. Well, there's no radioactivity here. Say, Mr. Franklin, is that a pen on your coat there? Oh, no. That's a doimeter. A doimeter? What's a doimeter? Well, it measures the amount of uh radioactivity that I've been exposed to. But this is the meter that I used to check with. Hey, Mr. Carlson, is there anything I can do outside to help? No, Ted. Everything is under control. You just stay here till the old clear signal is given. You've done a good job. Thank you, Mr. Carlson. Bye, Sue. Bye. A good job. That's what everyone must do to be safe. Doing a good job means simply following the rules in an alert or an attack. and waiting until all is clear again. In this early and troubled stage of the atomic age, our very lives may depend on always being alert. [Music] See, it's easy to keep track of uh when a film ends when there's a soundtrack, especially if it's uh Encyclopedia Bratannica. Uh that was my toaster oven. Um not an atomic attack. Uh because uh with Encyclopedia Bratannica or C or Cornet or Centron, they wrap up. So you get that recap at the end. Um, and so uh that's I was like, "Oh, so I was washing dishes over in the kitchen and uh making toast and uh I heard them wrapping it up." So it was easy for me to come over and do that. But when there's no soundtrack, I have to be better about it. And unfortunately, um, I'm just going to keep making excuses for what happened at the beginning of the show, which is me just not realizing the film ended. So, I can periodically look over on YouTube to see where we're at. And, uh, it doesn't always keep up. So, and I'm sure you've dealt with this where you're like, "Wait a minute, it's not live streaming. It's kind of buffered a little bit." And so, that's what it was going on is it was buffered. It's not my fault. All right. Um, so this film, I believe, was made by the Department of Civil Defense, but it was distributed and sold by Castle Films. And Castle Films, uh, was pretty much in the 50s and 40s, they were making films that were distributed specifically to home markets. Uh, and so they would make some original content, but mostly they would license stuff from um news reels and uh like uh cartoons and things like that. So, this was something that they were able to market and you see ads that basically uh in some of the trade journals that say, you know, basically like can you protect your family during an atomic attack? And that's what this film is all about. So this is survival under atomic attack. And we're going to repeat some of this stuff, but it's interesting what's different with this. [Music] Enjoy. Let us face without panic the reality of our times. The fact that atom bombs may someday be dropped on our cities. And let us prepare for survival by understanding the weapon that threatens us. An atom bomb destroys or injures in three ways. By blast, heat, and radioactivity. The blast of an atom bomb is its most important destructive agent. In Japan, whole buildings were flattened by its force. However, many buildings of sturdy construction, even though close to the explosion, remain standing. The principal dangers of blast are flying glass and debris, the fires it may start, and the danger of being crushed in collapsing buildings. The atom bomb destroys by heat. People caught in the open as far as 2 mi away suffered flash burns. Yet protection could have been easily achieved here. A bridge post and rail shielded the surface behind it. Any solid material afforded similar protection. The third weapon of the bomb is radioactivity thrown off at the instant of explosion. However, the majority of people exposed to radiation recovered completely, including a large percentage of those who suffered serious radiation sickness. Today they lead normal lives. They bear children. Their children are normal. These then are the weapons of the atom bomb that we must protect against. Blast, heat, and radioactivity. Our cities are prime targets for atomic attack. But mass evacuation would be disastrous. An enemy would like nothing better than to have us leave our cities empty and unproductive. If an emergency should come, our factories will be battle stations. Production must go on if we are to win. Our offices and homes will also be posts of duty, not to be deserted. With the knowledge of the first atomic explosions to guide us, our chances for survival will be far better than those of the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki if we act on our knowledge and are prepared. The first job is to look over your own home for shelter possibilities. If you live in a private home that is wellb built, the cellar is the safest place to be. The lower you get, the more barriers there are likely to be against blast, heat, and radioactivity. Select the basement wall nearest the probable target area of your city. If the house is blown over, it will most likely fall away from this wall. If you have a workbench or strong table big enough to get under, move it into your shelter area near a wall or strong supporting column. If the time comes when you actually have to take shelter, lie under the table. If you live in a home that has no basement, choose a shelter area without windows on the ground floor. An interior hallway is probably best. In time of emergency, the shelter area should be cleared of mirrors and other objects that might cause [Music] injury. If you live in an apartment house, rules for taking shelter will be posted in your building. Learn them. Also, learn the location of public shelters in areas where you work or frequently visit. There are many things you can begin doing right now. Fireproof housekeeping is one. So, clean up that attic. Keep waste in covered containers. Don't let trash pile up in the yard. Set aside a small supply of canned goods. They're safe from radioactivity. Have a good flashlight on hand. Electric lights may go out. Keep a first aid kit and learn how to stop bleeding. Make a habit of keeping a bottle of fresh water handy. A radio will be important for receiving vital instructions. Finally, prepare the shelter area and collect all necessary shelter equipment. In case of an actual raid or test drill, the alert will be a warbling siren blast. [Applause] Once you hear this, act [Music] fast. Pull down the shades or blinds and close the drapes against flying glass. Turn off the burners of your gas or electric stove. Disconnect any heating elements such as electric irons, hot plates, or bathroom [Music] heaters. Close all outside doors, but leave them unlocked. Turn off the gas or oil burners. Taking shelter may be a race against time. Even when you have some advanced warning, but possibly there may be no time. An attack could come without warning. The sky would suddenly light up. If a doorway is right at hand, use it. If the nearest shelter is more than a couple of steps away, fall to the ground immediately. Flying glass and debris are immediate dangers, so stay where you are until you're sure it's safe to [Music] move. If you are at home when a surprise attack occurs, crawl beneath a table if it is very near or drop to the floor with your back to the [Music] window. The immediate danger is over in about a minute unless the explosion occurred near the ground or water. In this case, radioactive materials are trapped in the particles of dirt or water thrown up by the explosion. When these particles fall back to Earth, they may be dangerous. So, get indoors immediately after a ground level explosion. Cover broken windows against radioactive dust with blankets or [Music] cardboard. Civil Defense radiological teams equipped with radiation survey meters will check on contamination in any bombed area. Stay under cover until you hear officially that it is safe outside. If you have been exposed to radioactive dust, wash the exposed areas. Pay particular attention to your hair. Get all the dirt from under your fingernails. If the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had known what we know about civil defense, thousands of lives would have been saved. Yes, the knowledge is ours and preparation can mean survival for you. So act now. Someday your life may depend on it. Dang it. I'm sorry. Obviously, I'm I'm all caught up in something else. Uh, and also I'm going to have to cut today's show short. So many disappointments today. Um but uh this is um so Bill Gearhart is a guy who runs a website called uh Connor and Connor of course is named after the uh um civil defense uh alert system that was set up and is on the AM band. So whenever there's natural disasters, Conrad is there. Anyway, so he ran across this uh uh real uh public service announcement, and I've shown these in the past, but these are so good. This is rural civil defense rural rural civil defense PSAs. [Music] Enjoy. In any disaster, your livestock need protection, too. In case of nuclear attack, radiation is as dangerous to animals as it is to people. A good animal shelter is a two-story basement type barn with a hay-filled loft. You can get better protection by piling hay along the sides of the building. This gives more shielding and shielding cuts the radiation danger. There are many more farm facilities that can be adapted to serve as some kind of shelter. For detailed information, get your free copy of Your Livestock Can Survive Fallout. In an emergency, shelter your livestock, then take shelter yourself. Right now, as you're watching this program, suppose you suddenly heard the whale of the alert. Would you know what to do? First, keep calm. Panic simply wastes valuable time. Gather all canned goods, blankets, and extra clothing. Don't forget a flashlight, a can opener, portable radio, and extra batteries. Fill all available bottles with water. Take everything to the shelter. If no shelter is available, go to a basement corner without windows. Stay inside your shelter until you're told it's safe to leave. You could have made things easier for yourself by preparing all these things before the emergency occurred. Suppose you don't have a fallout shelter and you have several hours warning after the attack but before the radioactive fallout reaches your area. What can you do? You head for a corner of your basement away from doors and windows. Sandbags or concrete blocks, even bales of hay or fertilizer will give you some protection. Remember, the important point about radioactive fallout is shielding. More shielding between you and the radiation, more protection. There are many things you can improvise if you have the time. But how much better to be safe? Develop a shelter project in advance. In the early periods of American history, every family had a survival plan. When a fire, flood, or Indian attack came, everyone was prepared. It had to be that way because early Americans lived in dangerous times. We too live in dangerous times. To survive, we must be just as alert, just as prepared as our forefathers. Do you have a family survival plan? If not, start one now. There's a civil defense booklet filled with facts and tips to help you make preparations for any disaster, natural or nuclear. Plan now and no matter what happens, you will be ready. Get your free copy of your family survival plan from your county agent or civil defense director. Almost every home has a potential shelter. Take a good look around your home. Find the safest area, then decide what needs to be done to add to the protection. But don't let that enthusiasm carry you away. Have an organized plan. Getting that home shelter built is mighty important to you and your family. A little money, a few extra hours can turn your home into the safest place for you and your family. Have an organized plan. See your county agent or local civil defense director. Accidents can happen everywhere to everyone. During a nuclear attack or even a natural disaster, medically trained personnel might not be able to reach you. That's why it's important that you take a first aid course. Even in your daily living, first aid will prove helpful. and during a national emergency, it will be invaluable. Be prepared. Have a good first aid kit available and learn how to use it. Enroll in your local first aid and medical self-help courses. No one can predict the future. The most we can do is to be prepared for whatever might happen. That's why we carry auto, fire, and life insurance. But what about another kind of insurance? Insurance that will protect your farm from possible nuclear war. An insurance called preparedness. Do you know which animals need the most protection from fallout or how you will feed your livestock during fallout? Your farm preparedness plan prepared by the Department of Agriculture is geared to help you check out your disaster preparations to enable you to prepare for emergencies quickly and efficiently. Ask for your free copy of your farm preparedness plan. When radioactive fallout drifts to the ground, it may look like very fine dust particles. These particles are only dangerous to living things. This fruit would be perfectly safe to eat if you just peel it. In disposing of the peelings, remember that they may still contain radioactive material. Canned goods, bottles, or jars should be washed carefully before using. Scrubbing vegetables and peeling fruit makes the food perfectly safe to eat. Most inanimate things contaminated by fallout can be washed and used. Cut the danger of radioactive fallout. Learn what to do. During any disaster, natural or nuclear, you may be forced to survive for a few weeks with the supplies you have on hand. Will you be prepared? We suggest you store a 14-day supply of food. Choose foods your family likes that require little or no water, can be eaten without heating, are put up in one meal size, and can be rotated in your home food supply. Remember, a strong defense begins with a prepared family and ends with a protected nation. Be prepared. Store your emergency food supply today. Water, a necessity, a vital part of our lives, so readily available that we take it for granted. But any disaster could cut off our water supply. Remember, there are many reserves in your home water system. The water heater, pipes, or tanks contain safe water. The ice cubes in the freezer can be easily melted. If you are given advanced warning, fill all available jars and bottles. Sinks and bathtubs will hold large amounts of water. For protection from dust or dirt, simply cover with plastic. Remember, any emergency can be met if you know what to do in advance. We're just going to chalk up this day to skip being late. That's just what it is. and leaving early. This is day late, dollar short day for Skip. Um, anyways, uh, we're going to wrap up because I have to pack. I have to take out garbage, uh, recycling. I have to, um, get ready to get on a train. So, um, we will see you tomorrow. Whether it's live or not depends on a couple of things, couple of factors, but uh including how good is the internet, where I'm staying, and what is the timing uh for me having brunch with my mother, uh etc. All that stuff. So anyways, um thanks for watching today. Thank you Jeremy for uh contributing. That's one way to support us is to send us cash uh via the superthanks button or via uh going to kofi.com/abgeeks or patreon.com/abgeeks, but even hitting the thumbs up, the like. Uh the other thing is uh we have a little store so you can buy things um uh that have the AV geeks logo on them that was designed by Jason Polland who was an amazing illustrator. Um you can also uh watch other films that we have online and we have a bunch online. So those are great ways to support us and we love your support but at the very least just watching tuning in we appreciate that. So, thank you so much. Uh, ending early, but we'll make up for it, believe me, when we do that epic 2hour uh, outtakes from Wondercat. Um, it'll be exciting everybody. Have a great rest of your day. We love you and we will see you soon. Take care. Bye.