A Day Called X
| A Day Called X | |
|---|---|
| Narrated by | Glenn Ford |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Release date | December 8, 1957 |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
A Day Called X is a dramatized CBS documentary film set in Portland, Oregon, in which the entire city is evacuated in anticipation of a nuclear air raid, after Soviet bombers had been detected by radar stations to the north; it details the activation of the city's civil defense protocols and leads up to the moment before the attack (the ending is left intentionally unknown). It was filmed in September 1957[1] and aired December 8 of that year.[2][3] It was presented by Glenn Ford.
Its local rebroadcast in 2004[4] and appearance in the on-line Prelinger Archives attracted interest among local history buffs due to its extensive outside shots of the city, and the use of non-actor participants (local officials and broadcasters).[5][6] Whenever one of these individuals is heard uttering warnings or statements regarding attack, the words "An attack is not actually taking place" are superimposed over the picture.[2]
On September 27, 1955, Portland actually conducted an exercise evacuation of downtown called "Operation Greenlight,"[7][8] and the film is often misattributed to that year. Ford's narration, however, does make direct reference to the 1955 exercise.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "IATSE Bulletin". IATSE District One History. December 1957. http://www.districtone.com/oldhistory/end1958.htm#December%201957.
- ^ a b "Television: Review". TIME Magazine. December 16, 1957. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,893810,00.html.
- ^ "Review". Chicago Daily Tribune: p. NW16. December 8, 1957.
- ^ pdxradio Message Board
- ^ "Stumptown Confidential". February 13, 2005. http://stumptownconfidential.com/index.php?itemid=8.
- ^ "Stumptown Confidential". May 13, 2005. http://stumptownconfidential.com/index.php?itemid=30.
- ^ "Portland Historical Timeline: 1952 to 2001". Portland Auditor's Office. http://www.portlandonline.com/auditor/?c=cheai&a=bbafj. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
- ^ "1955 Operation Greenlight civil defense evacuation". Portland Auditor's Office. http://www.portlandonline.com/auditor/index.cfm?print=1&c=27928&a=24784. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
