Red Nightmare: Difference between revisions

Red Nightmare
Red Nightmare
	Jack Webb introducing Red Nightmare
Directed by	George Waggner
Written by	Vincent Fotre
Produced by	William L. Hendricks; Jack Webb
Starring	Jack Kelly; Jeanne Cooper; Peter Brown; Pat Woodell
Narrated by	Jack Webb
Cinematography	Robert Hoffman
Edited by	Folmar Blangsted
Music by	Howard Jackson; William Lava
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	1962;
Running time	29 minutes/60 minutes (1985 video release)
Country	United States
Language	English

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Red Nightmare is the best-known title of the 1962 Armed Forces Information Film (AFIF) 120, Freedom and You.^[1] Made for the Department of Defense, the short film was produced to mold public opinion against communism. The film was later released to American television and as an educational film to American schools under the Red Nightmare title.

The film is a Cold War-era drama short subject directed by George Waggner, narrated by Jack Webb and starring Jack Kelly and Jeanne Cooper.

Plot

In a typical American town, barbed wire, barricades and soldiers in Soviet uniforms are shown. Narrator Jack Webb explains that there are several places behind the Iron Curtain used for training Soviet espionage and sabotage forces prior to infiltrating America.

The Donovans are a typical American family consisting of father Jerry, mother Helen and daughter Linda, whose boyfriend Bill has been invited to dinner. Jerry is missing a PTA meeting to go bowling, and he intends to skip his Army Reserve training, which upsets Helen. Linda and Bill inform Jerry and Helen that they wish to marry, but Jerry replies they are too young and should wait five years.

Jerry awakens to find meetings in the public square about infiltrating America to bring down capitalism. He returns home to find his daughter going to a farm collective escorted by Bill, who is now in a Soviet Army uniform. Helen informs Jerry that he will have to address the PTA on the glories of communism, which Jerry refuses to do, but his wife says that he has no choice. At work, Jerry's foreman tells him that he has not met his quota and must work through the lunch break to meet it.

On Sunday morning, Jerry wakes to find his two youngest children being sent to a state-run communist school against his wishes. He insists that the children attend Sunday school and takes them to their church, which has been converted into a museum glorifying the Soviet Union, including many inventions made by Americans that the Soviets claim to have invented. Jerry knocks the exhibits over and is arrested by troops led by a commissar.

Jerry is brought to trial at a Soviet tribunal, where there is no jury nor defense attorney. Jerry demands to know the charge against him. After condemning testimony from several witnesses, including his own wife, Jerry is convicted and sentenced to death. When he is strapped into the execution chair, Jerry makes a speech about the Soviet people awakening one day to overthrow communism before he is shot in the head by the commissar (offscreen).

Jerry wakes to his freedoms and apologizes to Bill and Linda. Bill says that Jerry was right about waiting to get married and that he and Linda will do so after he finishes his enlistment in the United States Army.

Cast

Jack Kelly as Jerry Donavan
Jeanne Cooper as Helen Donavan
Peter Brown as Bill Martin
Pat Woodell as Linda Donavan (as Patricia Woodell)
Andrew Duggan as Judge
Peter Breck as Russian Officer
Robert Conrad as Pete
Mike Road as Prosecutor
Jack Webb as On-Camera Narrator

Production

Initial reports that Freedom and You (the original title) would be made first appeared in April 1962.^[2]

The film's production is similar to that of episodes of The Twilight Zone. It was made by Warner Bros. under the auspices of the Department of Defense Directorate of Armed Forces Information and Education under the direct supervision of Jack L. Warner. The film features stars of Warner Bros. Television shows of the time. Jack Kelly was the co-lead of Maverick, and other cast members appeared in Warner Bros. shows that aired on the ABC network. A stock shot of the union picnic scene from Warner Bros.' The Pajama Game is included in the closing sequence of the film as Webb speaks about "freedom to enjoy the simple things of life."

Webb described the nightmare part of the film as the dramatization of a variety of stories told by refugees from Eastern Europe who fled the Soviet expansion following World War II.^{[citation needed]}

Red Nightmare had similarities to a November 1962 episode of the Webb-hosted television series GE True, entitled "The Last Day",^[3] although episodes of the television series were presented as representing actual events. While some sources state that Red Nightmare itself was broadcast on GE True,^[4] no contemporary reporting or television listings indicated such a crossover.

Video releases

Rhino Video released the film on videocassette in 1985 under the title The Commies Are Coming, the Commies Are Coming.

References

^ "Alphabetical Listing" (PDF). detrick.army.mil. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-06-23. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
^ Parsons, Louella (April 12, 1962). "Snapshots of Hollywood". San Francisco Examiner. p. 41. Retrieved April 17, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
^ "The Last Day - Jack Webb host - frightening cold war drama that is like a Twilight Zone episode". Retrieved April 8, 2023 – via YouTube.
^ White, Armond (February 17, 2021). "When Television Was Anti-Communist and Jack Webb Was King". National Review. Retrieved April 17, 2023.

External links

Red Nightmare at IMDb
The short film RED NIGHTMARE (1962) is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.

[1] "Alphabetical Listing" (PDF). detrick.army.mil. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-06-23. Retrieved 2010-08-07.

[2] Parsons, Louella (April 12, 1962). "Snapshots of Hollywood". San Francisco Examiner. p. 41. Retrieved April 17, 2023 – via newspapers.com.

[3] "The Last Day - Jack Webb host - frightening cold war drama that is like a Twilight Zone episode". Retrieved April 8, 2023 – via YouTube.

[4] White, Armond (February 17, 2021). "When Television Was Anti-Communist and Jack Webb Was King". National Review. Retrieved April 17, 2023.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|1962 American propaganda short film}}
-{{Refimprove|date=July 2007}}
+{{More citations needed|date=July 2007}}
 {{Infobox film
 | name = Red Nightmare
 | image = rednightmare.jpg
-| image_size =
 | alt =
 | caption = Jack Webb introducing ''Red Nightmare''
 | director = [[George Waggner]]
-| producer = William L. Hendricks<br>Jack Webb
+| producer = [[William L. Hendricks]]<br />[[Jack Webb]]
 | writer = Vincent Fotre
-| starring = [[Jack Kelly (actor)|Jack Kelly]]<br>[[Jeanne Cooper]]
+| starring = [[Jack Kelly (actor)|Jack Kelly]]<br />[[Jeanne Cooper]]<br />[[Peter Brown (actor)|Peter Brown]]<br />[[Pat Woodell]]
+| narrator = Jack Webb
-| music = [[Howard Jackson (composer)|Howard Jackson]]<br>[[William Lava]]
+| music = [[Howard Jackson (composer)|Howard Jackson]]<br />[[William Lava]]
 | cinematography = Robert Hoffman
+| editing = [[Folmar Blangsted]]
 | distributor = [[Warner Bros.]]
 | country = United States
-| editing = Folmer Blangsted
 | released = {{Film date|1962}}
-| runtime = 29 min./60 min. (1985 video release)
+| runtime = 29 minutes/60 minutes (1985 video release)
 | language = English
 }}
-'''''Red Nightmare''''' is the best known title of Armed Forces Information Film (AFIF) 120, ''Freedom and You''.<ref>http://www.detrick.army.mil/dctee/training/videotapes.pdf</ref> It was an anti-communist short presented as an educational film about the nature of Communism. The film's chief use was to mold public opinion against communism. The film was later released to [[American television]] and as an [[educational film]] to American schools under the ''Red Nightmare'' title.
+'''''Red Nightmare''''' is the best-known title of the 1962 Armed Forces Information Film (AFIF) 120, '''''Freedom and You'''''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.detrick.army.mil/dctee/training/videotapes.pdf |title=Alphabetical Listing |website=detrick.army.mil |access-date=2010-08-07 |archive-date=2007-06-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070623024155/http://www.detrick.army.mil/dctee/training/videotapes.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Made for the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]], the short film was produced to mold public opinion against [[communism]]. The film was later released to American television and as an [[educational film]] to American schools under the ''Red Nightmare'' title.
-The film is a [[Cold War]]-era drama [[short subject]] starring [[Jack Kelly (actor)|Jack Kelly]] and [[Jeanne Cooper]]. ''Red Nightmare'' was directed by [[George Waggner]] (''[[The Wolf Man (1941 film)|The Wolf Man]]'') and narrated by [[Jack Webb]]. Though made for the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]], it was shown on [[American television]] on Jack Webb's ''[[GE True]]'' in 1962.
+The film is a [[Cold War]]-era drama [[short subject]] directed by [[George Waggner]], narrated by [[Jack Webb]] and starring [[Jack Kelly (actor)|Jack Kelly]] and [[Jeanne Cooper]].
 ==Plot==
+In a typical American town, [[barbed wire]], barricades and soldiers in Soviet uniforms are shown. [[Narrator]] [[Jack Webb]] explains that there are several places behind the [[Iron Curtain]] used for training Soviet [[espionage]] and [[sabotage]] forces prior to infiltrating America.
-A man takes his American freedoms for granted, until he wakes up one morning to find out that the [[United States Government]] has been replaced with a [[Communist]] system. The basis for this short film, narrated by Jack Webb, is the alleged Soviet re-creation of US communities for the purpose of training infiltrators, spies, and moles.
+The Donovans are a typical American family consisting of father Jerry, mother Helen and daughter Linda, whose boyfriend Bill has been invited to dinner. Jerry is missing a [[Parent-Teacher Association|PTA]] meeting to go [[bowling]], and he intends to skip his [[United States Army Reserve|Army Reserve]] training, which upsets Helen. Linda and Bill inform Jerry and Helen that they wish to marry, but Jerry replies they are too young and should wait five years.
-The film begins in what looks like a typical American town. The camera moves back to reveal [[barbed wire]], barricades, and soldiers in Soviet Army uniforms. [[Narrator]] [[Jack Webb]] informs us that there are several places behind the [[Iron Curtain]] used for training Soviet [[espionage]] and [[sabotage]] forces prior to infiltrating America.
+Jerry awakens to find meetings in the public square about infiltrating America to bring down [[capitalism]]. He returns home to find his daughter going to a [[Kolkhoz|farm collective]] escorted by Bill, who is now in a [[Soviet Army]] uniform. Helen informs Jerry that he will have to address the [[Parent-Teacher Association|PTA]] on the glories of [[communism]], which Jerry refuses to do, but his wife says that he has no choice. At work, Jerry's foreman tells him that he has not met his quota and must work through the lunch break to meet it.
-Webb introduces us to a typical American family of father Jerry ([[Jack Kelly (actor)|Jack Kelly]]), wife Helen ([[Jeanne Cooper]]), and daughter Linda (Patricia Woodell, the original Bobbie Jo on ''[[Petticoat Junction]]'') Donovan. Her boyfriend Bill Martin ([[Peter Brown (actor)|Peter Brown]]) has been invited to dinner but while Jerry lectures Bill on football plays, Bill only has eyes for Linda. All is not well, as Jerry's missing his [[Parent-Teacher Association|PTA]] meeting to go [[bowling]], and his intention to miss his [[United States Army Reserve|Army Reserve]] training does not go over well with Helen. Linda and Bill inform Jerry and Helen they wish to get married but Jerry is angered and says they are too young, but he would have no objection if they waited five years after university.
+On Sunday morning, Jerry wakes to find his two youngest children being sent to a state-run communist school against his wishes. He insists that the children attend [[Sunday school]] and takes them to their church, which has been converted into a [[museum]] glorifying the [[Soviet Union]], including many inventions made by Americans that the Soviets claim to have invented. Jerry knocks the exhibits over and is arrested by troops led by a [[commissar]].
-Jack Webb explains how safe Jerry is in his world, but when Jerry goes to sleep, Webb looks grim and tells the audience Jerry is going to have a Red Nightmare.
+Jerry is brought to trial at a Soviet tribunal, where there is no [[jury]] nor defense attorney. Jerry demands to know the charge against him. After condemning testimony from several witnesses, including his own wife, Jerry is convicted and sentenced to death. When he is strapped into the execution chair, Jerry makes a speech about the Soviet people awakening one day to overthrow communism before he is shot in the head by the commissar (offscreen).
-Jerry awakes to find meetings in the public square about infiltrating America to bring down [[Capitalism]]. He returns home to find his daughter going to a [[Kolkhoz|farm collective]] escorted by Bill, who is now in [[Red Army|Russian Army]] uniform. Helen informs Jerry that he will have to address the [[Parent-Teacher Association|PTA]] on the glories of [[communism]], which Jerry refuses to do, but his wife says he has no choice. At work, Jerry's foreman ([[Robert Conrad]]) tells him that he has not met his quota and must work through the lunch break to meet it.
-On Sunday morning, Jerry wakes to find his two youngest children being sent to a State Communist school against his wishes. Jerry insists on the children going to [[Sunday School]], and takes them to their church that has been turned into a [[museum]] glorifying the [[Soviet Union]], including many inventions made by Americans which the Soviets claim to have invented. Jerry knocks the exhibits over, and is arrested by troops led by a [[Commissar]] ([[Peter Breck]]).
+Jerry wakes to his freedoms and apologizes to Bill and Linda. Bill says that Jerry was right about waiting to get married and that he and Linda will do so after he finishes his enlistment in the [[United States Army]].
-Jerry is brought to trial at a Soviet tribunal (Judge, [[Andrew Duggan]]; prosecutor, [[Mike Road]]), where there is no [[jury]] nor a defense attorney. Jerry demands to know what he is charged with, but the rights Americans take for granted are long gone. After condemning testimony from several witnesses, including his own wife, Jerry is convicted and sentenced to death. When he is strapped into the execution chair, Jerry makes a speech about the Soviet people awakening one day to overthrow communism, before he gets a bullet in the head from the Commissar (the killing is offscreen).
+==Cast==
-Jerry wakes up to his freedoms and apologizes to Bill and Linda. Bill says that Jerry had a point about waiting to get married and he and Linda will do so after he finishes his enlistment in the [[United States Army]].
+* [[Jack Kelly (actor)|Jack Kelly]] as Jerry Donavan
+* [[Jeanne Cooper]] as Helen Donavan
+* [[Peter Brown (actor)|Peter Brown]] as Bill Martin
+* [[Pat Woodell]] as Linda Donavan (as Patricia Woodell)
+* [[Andrew Duggan]] as Judge
+* [[Peter Breck]] as Russian Officer
+* [[Robert Conrad]] as Pete
+* [[Mike Road]] as Prosecutor
+* [[Jack Webb]] as On-Camera Narrator
 ==Production==
+Initial reports that ''Freedom and You'' (the original title) would be made first appeared in April 1962.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123016020/snapshots-of-hollywood/ |title=Snapshots of Hollywood |first=Louella |last=Parsons |authorlink=Louella Parsons |newspaper=[[San Francisco Examiner]] |page=41 |date=April 12, 1962 |accessdate=April 17, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref>
-The production of the film is quite similar to episodes of ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]''. It was made by [[Warner Bros.]] under the auspices of the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] "Directorate of Armed Forces Information and Education" (commonly referred to as [[training film]]s) under the direct supervision of [[Jack L. Warner]].
+The film's production is similar to that of episodes of ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]''. It was made by [[Warner Bros.]] under the auspices of the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] Directorate of Armed Forces Information and Education under the direct supervision of [[Jack L. Warner]]. The film features stars of [[Warner Bros. Television]] shows of the time. [[Jack Kelly (actor)|Jack Kelly]] was the co-lead of ''[[Maverick (TV series)|Maverick]]'', and other cast members appeared in Warner Bros. shows that aired on the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] network. A stock shot of the union picnic scene from Warner Bros.' ''[[The Pajama Game (film)|The Pajama Game]]'' is included in the closing sequence of the film as Webb speaks about "freedom to enjoy the simple things of life."
-Webb described the 'nightmare' part of the film as the dramatization of a variety of stories told by refugees from Eastern Europe who fled the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] takeover of that region following [[World War II]].
+Webb described the nightmare part of the film as the dramatization of a variety of stories told by refugees from Eastern Europe who fled the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] expansion following [[World War II]].{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}
-The cast of the film is a "Who's Who" of [[Warner Bros. Television]] of the time.  The "[[everyman]]" hero is [[Jack Kelly (actor)|Jack Kelly]], then the co-lead of ''[[Maverick (TV series)|Maverick]]'', and other cast members starred or guest starred in WBTV shows that proliferated on the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] network.
+''Red Nightmare'' had similarities to a November 1962 episode of the Webb-hosted television series ''[[GE True]]'', entitled "The Last Day",<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KnvTJ_mghE |title=The Last Day - Jack Webb host - frightening cold war drama that is like a Twilight Zone episode |via=[[YouTube]] |accessdate=April 8, 2023}}</ref> although episodes of the television series were presented as representing actual events. While some sources state that ''Red Nightmare'' itself was broadcast on ''GE True'',<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/02/when-television-was-anti-communist-and-jack-webb-was-king/ |title=When Television Was Anti-Communist and Jack Webb Was King |first=Armond |last=White |website=[[National Review]] |date=February 17, 2021 |accessdate=April 17, 2023}}</ref> no contemporary reporting or television listings indicated such a crossover.
-==Remarks==
-*The film was among those films released at the height of the Cold War, including ''[[On the Beach (1959 film)|On the Beach]]'' (1959), ''[[Atomic War Bride]]'' (1960), and ''[[Panic in Year Zero]]'' (1962).
-*Many film studios made films for the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] as they did during [[World War II]]. [[Warner Bros.]] was no exception. Prior to the war they had made ''[[Confessions of a Nazi Spy]]'' (1940) that aroused great controversy. During the 1950s the studio made ''[[I Was a Communist for the FBI]]'' one of the [[film genre]] of [[anti-communist]] films [[Hollywood]] studios made from the late 1940s to the early 1950s.
-*Though originally meant for [[United States Government]] use, the film was shown on [[American television]] in 1962.  The film was also shown as an [[educational film]] in American high schools.
-==Cast==
-[[Jack Kelly (actor)|Jack Kelly]]	 ... 	Jerry Donavan<br>
-	[[Jeanne Cooper]]	... 	Helen Donavan<br>
-	[[Peter Brown (actor)|Peter Brown]]	... 	Bill Martin<br>
-	[[Pat Woodell]]	... 	Linda Donavan (as Patricia Woodell)<br>
-	[[Andrew Duggan]]	... 	Judge<br>
-	[[Peter Breck]]	... 	Russian Officer<br>
-	[[Robert Conrad]]	... 	Pete<br>
-	[[Mike Road]]	... 	Prosecutor<br>
-	[[Jack Webb]]	... 	On-Camera Narrator
 ==Video releases==
+[[Rhino Video]] released the film on videocassette in 1985 under the title ''The Commies Are Coming, the Commies Are Coming''.
-[[Rhino Video]] released this film on video in 1985 under the title ''The Commies are Coming, the Commies are Coming''.
-==See also==
-* [[List of American films of 1962]]
-* [[List of American films of 1957]]
 ==References==
@@ Line 78: / Line 68: @@
 {{Jack Webb/Mark VII Limited}}
+{{George Waggner}}
-[[Category:1957 films]]
+[[Category:1962 films]]
-[[Category:1950s drama films]]
+[[Category:1962 drama films]]
-[[Category:Short documentary films]]
+[[Category:1962 short documentary films]]
-[[Category:Cold War films]]
-[[Category:English-language films]]
 [[Category:American anti-communist propaganda shorts]]
-[[Category:American films]]
+[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
+[[Category:Cold War films]]
 [[Category:Films directed by George Waggner]]
 [[Category:Mark VII Limited films]]
+[[Category:Warner Bros. short films]]
+[[Category:1960s English-language films]]
+[[Category:1960s American films]]
+[[Category:English-language short documentary films]]
+[[Category:Films scored by Howard Jackson (composer)]]

v t e Jack Webb and Mark VII Limited
Television series	Dragnet Noah's Ark Pete Kelly's Blues GE True 77 Sunset Strip Adam-12 The D.A. O'Hara, U.S. Treasury Emergency! Emergency +4 Hec Ramsey Escape Chase Sierra Mobile One Project U.F.O. Sam
Radio series	Dragnet Pete Kelly's Blues
Films	Dragnet Pete Kelly's Blues Red Nightmare The D.I. -30- The Last Time I Saw Archie
Miscellaneous	Dragnet theme music Joe Friday "St. George and the Dragonet" "San Franciscan Nights"