Episode #57: The Day After

Super Critical Podcast

In this episode, we looked at our calendars and realized it was finally the day to watch The Day After (1983). What would happen to a “middle of nowhere” city in Kansas in the event of a nuclear war? How did this TV movie impact the public dialogue about nuclear weapons? What about the movie scared Ronald Reagan so much he had to write about it in his diary (this is not a joke)? Tim Westmyer (@NuclearPodcast) and special guest David Craig (@Producing2Power), Clinical Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Southern California and author of an upcoming book - Before The Day After - answer these questions and more. Full movie online here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iyy9n8r16hs&t=3840s Thanks to everyone who pointed out that some of the movie's stock footage came from the documentary First Strike: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlPEBROvR9w&t=74s Before we start power up our ham radios with the rare car battery, we recommend: -David Craig’s book (Before The Day After)when it is available! -Dawn Strover, Facing Nuclear Reality: 35 Years After the Day After, December 2018 -Physicians for Social Responsibility, The Last Epidemic -Testament (1983) -Threads (1984) -Viewpoint episode that aired right after The Day After -Richard Rhodes, The Making of the Atomic Bomb, 1986 -Jonathan Fetter-Vorm, Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb, May 2013 -That Certain Summer (1972) -Beth A. Fisher, The Reagan Reversal: Foreign Policy and the End of the Cold War, 2000 Check out our website, SuperCriticalPodcast.com, for more resources and related items. We aim to have at least one new episode every month. Let us know what you think about the podcast and any ideas you may have about future episodes and guests by reaching out at on Twitter @NuclearPodcast, GooglePlay, Spotify, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Stitcher Radio, Facebook, [e-mail], and YouTube. Enjoy!