Duck and Cover

by United States Office of Civil Defense

Chorus
♫ There was a turtle by the name of Bert
And Bert the turtle was very alert.
When danger threatened him he never got hurt,
He knew just what to do:
 He'd duck and cover!
 Duck and cover!
He did what we all must learn to do,
You, and you, and you, and you:
 Duck and cover! ♫

Narrator
Be sure and remember what Bert the turtle just did friends, because every one of us must remember to do the same thing. That's what this film is all about: Duck and cover!

"Duck
and
Cover"

This is an official civil defense film
produced in co-operation with the
Federal Civil Defense Administration
and in consultation with the Safety
Commission of the National Education
Association.

This is an official civil defense film produced in cooperation with the Federal Civil Defense Administration and in consultation with the Safety Commission of the National Education Association.

produced by
Archer Productions
incorporated.

Produced by Archer Productions, Incorporated.

Hey, Bert, come on out and meet all these nice people! Please? Oh, alright, we really can't blame you. You see, Bert is a very, very careful fellow. When there's danger, this is the way he keeps from being hurt. Sometimes, it even saves his life.

That's why these children are practicing to duck and cover, just as you do in your school. We all know the atomic bomb is very dangerous. Since it may be used against us, we must get ready for it, just as we are ready for many other dangers that are around us all the time.

Fire is a danger. It can burn whole buildings if someone is careless. But we are ready for fires. We have a fine fire department to put out the fire and you have fire drills in your school so you know what to do.

Automobiles can be dangerous too; they sometimes cause bad accidents. But we are ready. We have safety rules that car drivers and people who are walking must obey.

Now, we must be ready for a new danger: the atomic bomb.

First, you have to know what happens when an atomic bomb explodes. You'll know when it comes—we hope it never comes, but we must get ready. It looks something like this: there's a bright flash, brighter than the Sun, brighter than anything you've ever seen!

If you're not ready and did not know what to do, it could hurt you in different ways.

It could knock you down hard or throw you against a tree or a wall. It is such a big explosion, it can smash in buildings and knock signboards over and break windows all over town! But, if you duck and cover—like Bert—you'll be much safer.

You know how bad sunburn can feel. The atomic bomb flash could burn you worse than a terrible sunburn, especially where you're not covered.

Now, you and I don't have shells to crawl into like Bert the turtle, so, we have to cover up in our own way. First, you duck, and then, you cover. And very tightly, you cover the back of your neck and your face. Duck and cover underneath a table or desk or anything else close by.

In Betty's school, they are talking about the atomic bomb too. Betty is asking her teacher: "How can we tell when the atomic bomb may explode?"

And her teacher is explaining that there are two kinds of attack: with warning and without any warning.

With warning
⁠No warning

We think that most of the time we will be warned before the bomb explodes. So there will be time for us to get into our homes, schools, or some other safe place.

Our Civil Defense workers and our men in uniform will do everything they can to warn us before enemy planes can bring a bomb near us.

You may be in your schoolyard playing when the signal comes.

That signal means to stop whatever you are doing and get to the nearest safe place fast. Always remember: the flash of an atomic bomb can come at any time, no matter where you may be!

You might be out playing at home when the warning comes. Then be sure to get into the house fast, where your parents have fixed a safe place for you to go.

If you are not close to home when you hear the warning, go to the nearest safe cover. Know where you are to go or ask an older person to help you.

You know the places marked with the "S" sign? They're safe places to go when you hear the alarm.

S	Public → Shelter

If there is a warning, you will hear it before the bomb explodes. But sometimes—and this is very, very important—sometimes the bomb might explode without any warning! Then the first thing we would know about it would be the flash and that means duck and cover fast, wherever you are! There's no time to look around or wait.

Be like Bert! When there is a flash, duck and cover, and do it fast!

Here are some older boys showing what to do if the flash comes when you are not in the classroom. This is what to do if you should be in a corridor: you duck and cover tight against the wall this way. Remember to keep your face and the back of your neck covered tightly.

Exit

Try to fall away from windows or doors with glass in them. Then, if the glass breaks and flies through the air, it won't cut you.

You might be eating your lunch when the flash comes. Duck and cover under the table! Then, if the explosion makes anything in the room fall down, it can't fall on you.

Getting ready means we will all have to be able to take care of ourselves. The bomb might explode when there are no grown-ups near. Paul and Patty know this. And they are always ready to take care of themselves.

Here they are on their way to school on a beautiful spring day, but no matter where they go or what they do, they always try to remember what to do if the atom bomb explodes right then.

It's a bomb! Duck and cover!

Paul and Patty know what to do. Paul covered the back of his head, so that he wouldn't be burned. And Patty covered herself with the coat she was carrying. They knew how to duck and cover. They acted right away when the flash came.

If they had been at this doorway when the bomb flashed, Paul and Patty would have ducked and covered this way, like this girl. Heavy doorways are a good place to duck and cover. She will be safer too.

Here's Tony going to his Cub Scout meeting. Tony knows the bomb can explode any time of the year, day or night. He is ready for it.

Duck and cover!

Attaboy, Tony, that flash means: "Act fast!" Tony knows that it helps to get to any kind of cover. This wall was close by, so that's where he ducked and covered. Tony knew what to do. Notice how he keeps from moving, or from getting up and running? He stays down until he is sure the danger is over.

The man helping Tony is a Civil Defense worker. His job is to help protect us when there is danger of the atomic bomb. We must obey the Civil Defense worker!

School Bus

We must know how to duck and cover in the school bus, or in any other bus or street car.

Duck and cover! Don't wait, duck away from the windows fast! The glass may break and fly through the air and cut you.

Sundays, holidays, vacation time—we must be ready every day, all the time, to do the right thing if the atomic bomb explodes.

Duck and cover!

This family knows what to do, just as your own family should. They know that even a thin cloth helps protect them. Even a newspaper can save you from a bad burn. But the most important thing of all is to duck and cover yourself, especially where your clothes do not cover you.

No matter where we live, in the city or the country, we must be ready all the time for the atomic bomb.

Duck and cover!

That's the first thing to do, duck and cover. The next important thing to do after that, is to stay covered until the danger is over.

Yes, we must all get ready now, so we know how to save ourselves if the atomic bomb ever explodes near us. If you do not know just what to do, ask your teacher when this film is over. Discuss what you could do in different places if a bomb explodes.

Older people will help us as they always do, but there might not be any grown-ups around when the bomb explodes. Then, you're on your own.

Bert the turtle
Remember what to do, friends! Now tell me right out loud, what are you supposed to do when you see the flash?

Children
Duck and cover!

This film was produced
in co-operation with the
Public Schools of:
Astoria
and
New York, New York

Chorus
♫ Duck and cover!
Duck and cover!
Duck and cover! ♫

THE END
CD
Television Rights Reserved