Threads A still of Sheffield England with the text “Sheffield Saturday March 5th”

Happy Threads Day to all who celebrate!

Poster of Amazing Grace and Chuck A tire wheel swing with a kid in it is suspended from a rainbow. Below it are shadows of reporters and the text “AMAZING GRACE AND CHUCK A boy raised a question, a man answered and the whole world paid attention. Maybe one day this story will be true.”

I’ve been thinking about how ambitious Amazing Grace and Chuck was. It was clearly meant to inspire an IRL youth movement for global nuclear disarmament. It also felt like a modernization of Lysistrata. I think I’ll rewatch it in a bit. Haven’t seen it in decades, maybe even this century.

A parody of a standard Protect and Survive poster A child draws a mushroom cloud on a window with the text “Protect & Survive & Be Merry Scarfolk Council Civil Defence In the event of a nuclear strike this Christmas: 1. Do not have snowball fights with fallout ash. Do not make a fallout snowman. alyou run out of food, eat the Christmas tree but first remove tinsel, baubles and 2. other ornaments. Rub mulled wine into Irradiated gums. Package deceased family members in discarded wrapping paper. Do not use 3. ribbons. Use spare gift tags as corpse identification toe tags.”

The poster for the movie On the Beach Drawings of the 4 stars and the words “GREGORY PECK FRED Astaire ANTHONY PERKINS ON THE BEACH The Biggest Story Of our Time!”

Today in 1959 On the Beach was released in theaters. Have you seen this classic nuclear war film? How do you feel about it?

The helicopter crashes into the tar pit as another bomb goes off. As they slowly sink into the tar they talk about being found and put in a museum. They get to spend eternity together.

And that’s Miracle Mile, the nuclear war movie that kind of has a happy ending… sort of…

The elevator makes it to the helipad. A man has eaten all of the drugs and there is a glow from the bomb. The helicopter is gone, the helicopter returns. Harry and Julie run to the helicopter. Missiles fly through the sky and the nukes knock the helicopter out of the sky because of the EMP…

Harry flees to the sewer in order to be able to navigate because there is too much chaos on the street. He and Julie manage to get into the elevator on the way back to the helipad. There is a bright light in the elevator and then the power goes out. The elevator starts moving again somehow…

Julie tells Harry she loves him. The sun rises Harry sends Julie to the heliport with the gun he has to get the pilot back. Harry sees the news, briefly it doesn’t confirm the war, more chaos. Surprising number of guns in this movie for California…

The cops have the building surrounded but when Harry and Julie come out the cops all leave. Harry and Julie believe the war won’t happen anymore it’s 5:05 am and they’re back at the diner. It becomes clear that the war is happening and people know about it. Sudden chaos in all directions…

on the street trying to find a helicopter pilot.

He finds a helicopter pilot in a gym and brings him back. Julie has left. She’s on the street and then inside a business after a cop car drives through it. It’s Wilson the man Harry carjacked earlier with his sister. They’re both dying…

They make it to the building with the heliport. Julie is talking about her parents cause she still doesn’t know. There is a helicopter and they don’t have a pilot. Harry tells Julie he loves her and then leaves. 2 women show up with guns and tell Julie what’s happening. Harry runs around down…

Julie’s parents get back together. Harry puts Julie in a shopping cart. Julie barely wakes up. He doesn’t tell her what’s happening so she assumes it’s a date.

one of whom fires their pistol causing the gas station to explode. Now they’re in the cop car. Harry tells the man he carjacked that it’s a meltdown at the nuclear power plant.

Julie’s building is enormous. Harry finds her unit and breaks in. Julie is completely knocked out, Harry carries her…

Harry jumps out of the moving vehicle to try to get to Julie’s place. His glasses break. He has a gun.

He carjacks a stereo thief. They talk a bit. They stop at a gas station. Harry tries to call Julie, gets the answering machine. Cops show up and try to arrest everyone. Gas is dumped on the cops…

The folks at the diner want to try to go to Antartica. There will be a helicopter ride to the airport for some folks. They pile into a vehicle. While they’re on their way to the airport they try to decide who they want to save in terms of like famous people. They call Carl Sagan from the vehicle…

The woman with the computer also has a cellphone (this was 1988, basically no one had one) she calls someone, presumably to folks in the government. She tries to call a senator who is unavailable. The government woman believes the story. She provides some supporting evidence…

4:06 am.

Harry goes into the diner is about to eat but gets a nosebleed. There are a handful of people in the diner. He starts asking customers is they have a son named chip in a missile silo in North Dakota. He then tells everyone about the phone call…

The pay phone starts ringing and Harry answers it hoping it’s her. A man is on the line, speaking super fast in a panic, he says a nuclear war will start in 50 minutes. He continues ranting and then there is gun fire and someone else picks up the phone and tells Harry to go back to sleep. It’s…

Outside a pay phone is ringing. A woman at the diner has a ruggedized computer with her and is speed reading gravities rainbow. Harry goes outside and calls Julie from the pay phone she doesn’t answer…

They make a date for 12:15 a.m. Harry tries to take a nap but his alarm clock doesn’t go off due to a power outage. Julie waits for an hour then goes home and takes sleeping pills. Harry wakes up after power is restored at 3:45 am.

Harry goes to the diner they were supposed to meet at…

Here’s a summary:

Boy, (Harry) meets girl (Julie) at a natural history museum by the Labrea tar pits. He’s a musician and she’s a teacher. They go to a a sea food restaurant and free the lobsters.

Her parents haven’t spoken in 15 years…

Miracle Mile poster. Palm trees on fire with a mushroom cloud in the distance and the text “ VILLAGE VOICE MIRACLE MILE The ultimate thriller from the company that brought you PLATOON, SALVADOR and TERMINATOR.”

Miracle Mile (1988)

Miracle Mile is a boy meets girl, boy looses girl, boy attempts to find girl during a nuclear war movie. I highly recommend this one and it’s currently streaming free on Tubi and Pluto TV. This movie takes place in a day. Of course since I’m posting about it, you know what day…

“Many Americans worried US heading for nuclear war in next decade: Poll”

Thank you so much!

nuclear war in 1983.

They showed the film in Hiroshima and survivors said it was an accurate depiction.

I highly recommend this documentary if you can find it! Make it a day and watch TDA, Viewpoint, and this!

Reagan watched the movie at camp David prior to it airing. The white house sent edit notes, the network refused them.

They show some of the ABC Viewpoint episode that followed the film, as an aside I suggest watching this also as it will give you a good idea of what most folks thought about…

ABC fired the director and hired a new editor after the whole movie was already in the can.

ABC rehired the director.

There was massive backlash before it even aired, including death threats. This meant it was difficult to sell advertising…

There was tons of network drama about the IUD scenes.

They showed the film Hiroshima Mon Amour to the crew.

Steve Gutenberg had “nukemares” (something we have in common)…