Title:THE EFFECTS OF ATOMIC BOMB EXPLOSIONS [Main Title]
Film Number:USA 126
Other titles:
Summary:
Description: An off duty officer in a town apparently taken over by atomic allusions (the Atomic Cab Co, an Atomic Cocktail in the bar) encounters some daft theories about the effects of atom bombs (gases which deform people etc). Back on duty, a fellow officer tries to enlighten him, explaining the effects of blast, heat and nuclear radiation. Heat and blast effects are illustrated with footage from Hiroshima and Nagasaki (film of scorch marks, burned victims etc). The relatively minor gamma radiation hazard from airbursts (accounting apparently for only 15% of the casualties in Hiroshima) is illustrated with film of some of the livestock from the first Bikini Atoll test (one of the pigs is still living happily in a zoo). The film admits that a submarine explosion (as in the second Bikini test) causes far more radiation contamination, but shows footage of troops swimming quite cheerfully in the sea at Bikini only a month after the test.
Alternative Title:
Colour:B&W
Digitised:
Object_Number:USA 126
Sound:Sound
Access Conditions:IWM
Featured Period:1946-1975
Production Date:1951
Production Country: United States of America
Production Details: Armed Forces Special Weapons Project (Production sponsor)
United States Army (Production sponsor)
Cascade Pictures of California (Production company)
Personalities, Units and Organisations:
Keywords:
Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W
Sound format: Sound
Soundtrack language: English
Title language: English
Technical Details: Format: 16mm
Number of items/reels/tapes: 1
Footage: 746 ft; Running time: 21 mins
