Four or five years ago, not long after I first really started using broadband on a regular basis, one of my favorite websites was the Moving Image collection at the Internet Archive. Over the years, I’ve downloaded and watched dozens upon dozens of videos - from old television commercials to Cold War preparedness films, from how to behave videos to newsreels, and just about everything between.

With that in mind, I’ve decided to start a new, weekly feature on News. Views. Common Sense. Each Friday, I will post a collection of two or three ‘ephemeral‘ videos with a common theme that I have found of particular interest.

This week’s selection is the two part docudrama, A Day Called ‘X’. This 27 minute film was produced and aired by CBS Television in the late 1950s (approximately 1958) and illustrated what might happen if a nuclear bomb was headed for a major US city. The film was made during an evacuation drill in which the entire city of Portland, Oregon actually rehearsed it’s emergency plans. If nothing else, the video provides an interesting look at what cities did to be prepared during the heart of the Cold War.

Part One:

Part Two: