“Viewed from a safe distance, the atomic bomb is one of the most beautiful sights ever seen by man." — U.S. Army training film
Welcome to the second week of the Retrofit Drive In! Had a great show of clicks for the premiere week last week featuring Commando Cody in Radar Men from the Moon (1952). In case you missed it Retrofit is Professor Mikey’s semi-regular mostly free newsletter that shows up in your email.
The Friday night Retrofit Drive In will present free favorite forgotten flicks in their entirety for an older generation hungry for the good old days and a younger generation hungry for the good old days. Relax, pop some corn, enjoy the show, and share it with friends!
Now let’s dim the lights, check the chargers, cuddle up, duck, and cover! It’s time to order off the menu at:
Every generation finds a new way to scare the crap out of its children! When World War II ended suddenly with the dropping of just two bombs (!!) five years of fear and war dread didn’t disappear just like that. The infant nuclear technology spread and with it the sobering realization that…oh…they could do that to US !!!
As quickly as the Second World War had ended a Third could begin and we quickly learned that it would be the shortest war ever. But there was hope! Should the day before “the day after” ever happen, and we had prepared properly, we might be able to tough it out for few nuclear winters inside super insulated cement bunkers underneath Mom’s sewing room.
But what if IT happened during school hours? What then?
“Hmmm…tiny writing desks with that under coating of Bazooka might provide some initial protection? Especially if they cover their heads with their interlaced fingers.”
That is where tonight’s feature begins. Featuring a survival kit full of Fifties and Sixties instructional footage, The Atomic Cafe was assembled in 1982, long after we learned how to stop worrying and love the bomb. It is a timeless document from a time when might equaled right, Rod Serling made more sense than Walter Cronkite, and rock was here to stay.
