Alert Today - Alive Tomorrow (1956)

This RKO-Pathe short film promotes the need for cooperation and neighborliness in the event of a nuclear disaster and associated civil defense procedures. After preaching the power of modern (for 1956) atomic weapons, civil defense is what saves everyday citizens. The scene shifts to Reading, PA where 8,000 volunteers contribute to the civil defense effort. They may take first aid classes or firearms training for auxiliary police. The national alert system and local communications systems are all in place. All that is needed, the film suggests, is for everyone to be alert.