Operation Cue (1955)

★★★★★ · A · shanaphile · 2003-10-09

From the vantage point of 50 years beyond, "Operation Cue" comes across as sheer camp: a Cold War Katie Couric marches through strategically placed manequins; workers build homes and bury food; bystanders watch the explosion through run-of-the-mill sunglasses; and all share in a buffet excavated from the test's remains. But if my experience is indicative of others, a hush overtook the laughter when the bomb was detonated, a reminder that this living nightmare spawned a palpable insecurity that defined more than one generation of Americans. If "Operation Cue" is of interest, read Tom…

★★★★★ · operation cue · beagle1983 · 2004-03-20

Nothing coy cute or comic here. Nor are there any childish remarks in this review as I'm not a boomer, I grew up.This test was a valuable research tool. It got the ball rolling for civil defense and got the thinking processes going for the populus who if better informed are more likely to plan and less likely to panic and it provided quantifiable data for critical research. Yes it is dated and yes it is flawed, but the thing to remember is that like Freud's hypotheses a starting place is not going to be as perfected as the knowlege and creative and critical thinking it spawns. Yes light…

★★★★★ · Apocalypse Management · Dr. Bangbox · 2006-01-10

Atomic war is no big deal once all your houses are concrete bunkers! The whole thing is a 3 Little Pigs homily. Most bizarre. Notice how the "reporter" has a brand-new (For 1955!) Thunderbird! After the blast, everybody has a radioactive picnic! Mind control of the crudest sort. And thank God for the American Gas Institute. Private enterprise will be a big help after the attack, especially if they are allowed to advertise a little. No one should not watch this arcane classic.

★★★★★ · Consider the Physics and Facts and Leave Behind Emotion, Fear and Misconception · JohnnyTopQuark · 2010-02-09

Neutron radiation in the first few milliseconds of the explosion can induce radiation--and it does--BUT it's "power" decreases exponentially with distance. With this relatively low-yield weapon anything further than a km or so would be completely safe from neutrons and gamma radiation. Therefore, it is not impossible that there would be hardly any radiation in the area, especially if most of the fallout cloud had been blown away quickly. Let me mention this again: it seems VERY apparent that this was a VERY low-yield weapon. Possibly around 10 kt. Do you think they didn't send in people to…

★★★★★ · Audience? · IPayer · 2015-04-01

I wonder if anyone would be able to tell me or venture a guess as to who the film was originally intended for/in what capacity it might have been screened for contemporary audiences. Would it have aired on public television, or at the theater?

★★★★ · Fact or Fiction · scem305 · 2006-02-04

One has to remember that when this film was created, the Trinity tests were only 10 years earlier and information was still being developed on how radiation works. While there are some areas that appear to be amusing by 21st century views, the film displays good tests that have also been applied to reinforcing against hurricanes and tornadoes (i.e. wind effects). Our knowledge of radiation today is much more informed than 1955, but without those tests, we would still be wondering how time, shielding and distance plays a role with radiation. This film is still informative to emergency…