Atomic Target Lancashire

'The Warden and the Householder' Part 2: Cold War Film Analysis Welcome to part two of my look at one of the strangest and silliest Civil Defence films produced during the Cold War: 1961’s  The Warden and the Householder . To make sure you’re up to speed with the nuclear lunacy we’ve seen so far, go back and have a read of part one .  If you’re watching the film along with me, our next section begins at approximately 11 minutes in. The Warden and the Householder: Part 1 Scene 7:  A group of happy little kiddiwinks are in the school playground, merrily skipping and playing football, oblivious to the looming threat of nuclear destruction. All of the children are dressed in white school shirts, flitting about like doves. Suddenly, into their peaceful midst strides the ominous figure of Civil Defence Warden Mr. White, who is dressed head to toe in black. He pounds across the playground like the Grim Reaper on the warpath; one almost expects him to have a whetted scythe tucked...

'The Warden and the Householder' (1961): A Very Silly Cold War Public Information Film As Cold War curiosities go, you can't get much more frighteningly odd than British Civil Defence films. These miniature movies - many of which were made to be played on television in a constant, nerve-shredding loop in the run up to nuclear war - instructed the public on how to 'protect' their homes against atomic attack. Most people are all to familiar with the horrifying Protect and Survive  series, but few people have had the pleasure of seeing  The Warden and the Householder . This fascinating 1961 film combines the tensions of an imminent nuclear war with the stresses of daily life in an average British home, and could very well could have justified an alternative title of  Nuclear War on Coronation Street . The film was made by the Civil Defence Corps, primarily to be shown to volunteers during their training, although an abridged version was also produced to be shown to th...