The House in the Middle

This short subject starts off with a picture of a mushroom cloud arising from a nuclear explosion. It is produced by "The National Clean Up - Paint Up - Fix Up Bureau" -- with of course, the cooperation of the Federal Civil Defense Administration. This was an era when they exposed soldiers to atom bombs to study effects. Indeed, it was a couple of years before Howard Hughes imported sand from atomic testing sites for studio retakes of THE CONQUEROR. This eventually resulted in the death by cancer of Dick Powell and the removal of one of co-star John Wayne's lungs. So, at the time, this seemed a sensible question.

In retrospect this industrial film looks like a parody of itself -- will a semi-gloss or a latex best resist the end of the world and should I use a white undercoating? Or would wallpaper do a better job? Maybe one of the Morris prints which uses lots of green arsenic for the nursery. In the meantime, you'd better throw out those old newspapers because when they drop the Bomb next door, they will burst into flames and lower real estate values.

Yet, in many ways, B movies and industrial films provide us with the best view of contemporary thought from an era. For a major picture, you have many bright people laboring intensively to make every choice. For something like this, it's a matter of getting it today, not right, and so the casual, easy choice that reveals the habits of the era is the one taken.

So while you're busy laughing your head off at the stupidity of people more than half a century ago -- and trying hard not to think of what people will think about us in another half century -- consider this from a sociological viewpoint, if you would.

I actually am affiliated with the successor to the organization that sponsored this, but no one in the organization even knew about this. So far over the top that people may have been embarrassed to admit to it. It seems to be a parody, but it isn't. Amazing how someone convinced the federal government to test the proposition of the film, but they apparently did. And the narrator seems to be the guy who narrated all of this genre of movies (which include the driver's ed and scary health education films I recall. I suspect this guy had cornered the market on the VD prevention movies they showed to poor GIs back then too. Anyway, worth the time to watch -- a real hoot.

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!

The National Paint, Varnish and Lacquer Association using the name "national clean up paint up fix up bureau with the cooperation of the federal CD administration tried to convince people to paint their house to Protect them from a nuclear storm. Somehow that would protect their home and I guess them... nowhere do they mention the nuclear radiation that would kill them pretty quickly and painfully. But at least they will have a nicely painted house.

The film is spooky to watch, knowing what we know today about dangers of radiation.

"The House in the Middle" is a very strange short film. It's a production of the oddly named ' National Clean Up-Paint Up-Fix Up Bureau' as well as the Federal Civil Defense Administration.

This public service film is all about how to survive a nuclear disaster. According to the film, homes that are well painted, have uncluttered yards and look nice are far more likely to survive attacks. Of course, the likelihood of ANY homes surviving a nuclear attack is something the film never discusses!

Overall, this is a dull little film that is mostly of interest to historians and folks who enjoy the various weird nuclear preparedness films of the era.