Red Nightmare
Encyclopedia
Red Nightmare is the best known title of Armed Forces Information Film (AFIF) 120, Freedom and You. It was meant to educate the U.S. armed forces about the nature of 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
and Jeanne Cooper
. Red Nightmare was directed by George Waggner
(The Wolf Man) and narrated by Jack Webb
. Though made for the Department of Defense
it was shown on American television on Jack Webb's GE True
in 1962.
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.
Webb introduces us to a typical American family of father Jerry (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
) has been invited to dinner but while Jerry lectures Bill on football plays, Bill only has eyes for Helen. All is not well, as Jerry's missing his PTA
meeting to go bowling
, and his intention to miss his 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.
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 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 farm
collective
escorted by Bill, who is now in Russian 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 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 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 gives a speech about the Soviet people waking up one day to overthrow communism, before he gets a bullet in the head from the Commissar.
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 US Army.
though it predated that popular television series. It was made by Warner Bros.
under the auspices of the 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.
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 takeover of that region following World War II
.
The cast of the film is a "Who's Who" of Warner Brothers Television of the time. The "everyman
" hero is Jack Kelly
, then the co-lead of Maverick
, and other cast members starred or guest starred in Warner Brothers Television shows that proliferated on the ABC
network.
... Jerry Donavan
Jeanne Cooper
... Helen Donavan
Peter Brown
... Bill Martin
Pat Woodell ... Linda Donavan (as Patricia Woodell)
Andrew Duggan
... Judge
Peter Breck
... Russian Officer
Robert Conrad
... Pete
Mike Road
... Prosecutor
Jack Webb
... On-Camera Narrator
as intrinsically bad and a threat to the USA was alarmist.
Educational film
An educational film is a film or movie whose primary purpose is to educate. Educational films have been used in classrooms as an alternative to other teaching methods.-Cultural significance:...
to American schools under the Red Nightmare title.
The film is a Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
-era drama short subject
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
starring Jack Kelly
Jack Kelly (actor)
Jack Kelly was an American film and television actor most noted for the role of "Bart Maverick" in the TV series Maverick, which ran on ABC from 1957 to 1962...
and Jeanne Cooper
Jeanne Cooper
Wilma Jeanne Cooper , best known as Jeanne Cooper, is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Katherine Chancellor on the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless...
. Red Nightmare was directed by George Waggner
George Waggner
George Waggner was an American film director, producer and actor.Born in New York City, he made his film debut as Yousayef in The Sheik . He later went on to appearances in Western films. The first film he directed was Western Trails and his most well-known directorial effort arguably remains The...
(The Wolf Man) and narrated by Jack Webb
Jack Webb
John Randolph "Jack" Webb , also known by the pseudonym John Randolph, was an American actor, television producer, director and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet...
. Though made for the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
it was shown on American television on Jack Webb's GE True
GE True
GE True is an American anthology series sponsored by General Electric. Telecast on CBS, the series presented stories previously published in True magazine. Articles from the magazine were adapted to TV by Gene Roddenberry and other screenwriters.Jack Webb produced and hosted the 33 episodes during...
in 1962.
Plot
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 film begins in what looks like a typical American town. The camera moves back to reveal barbed wire
Barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...
, barricades, and soldiers in Soviet Army uniforms. Narrator
Narrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
Jack Webb
Jack Webb
John Randolph "Jack" Webb , also known by the pseudonym John Randolph, was an American actor, television producer, director and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet...
informs us that there are several places behind the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
used for training Soviet espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
and sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
forces prior to infiltrating America.
Webb introduces us to a typical American family of father Jerry (Jack Kelly
Jack Kelly (actor)
Jack Kelly was an American film and television actor most noted for the role of "Bart Maverick" in the TV series Maverick, which ran on ABC from 1957 to 1962...
), wife Helen (Jeanne Cooper
Jeanne Cooper
Wilma Jeanne Cooper , best known as Jeanne Cooper, is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Katherine Chancellor on the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless...
), and daughter Linda (Patricia Woodell, the original Bobbie Jo on Petticoat Junction
Petticoat Junction
Petticoat Junction is an American situation comedy produced by Filmways which originally aired on CBS from 1963 to 1970. The series is one of three interrelated shows about rural characters created by Paul Henning; the others are The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres.The setting for the series...
) Donovan. Her boyfriend Bill Martin (Peter Brown
Peter Brown (actor)
Peter Brown is an American television actor known for his role as Deputy Johnny McKay opposite John Russell in the 1958 Warner Bros. western series Lawman.-Early life:...
) has been invited to dinner but while Jerry lectures Bill on football plays, Bill only has eyes for Helen. All is not well, as Jerry's missing his PTA
Parent-Teacher Association
In the U.S. a parent-teacher association or Parent-Teacher-Student Association is a formal organization composed of parents, teachers and staff that is intended to facilitate parental participation in a public or private school. Most public and private K-8 schools in the U.S. have a PTA, a...
meeting to go bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
, and his intention to miss his Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
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.
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 awakes to find meetings in the public square about infiltrating America to bring down Capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
. He returns home to find his daughter going to a farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
collective
Collective
A collective is a group of entities that share or are motivated by at least one common issue or interest, or work together on a specific project to achieve a common objective...
escorted by Bill, who is now in Russian Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
uniform. Helen informs Jerry that he will have to address the PTA
PTA
-Organizations:* Andalusia Technology Park , a science park in Málaga, Spain* Parent-Teacher Association* Pakistan Telecommunication Authority* Passenger transport authority, a United Kingdom local government authority...
on the glories of communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, which Jerry refuses to do, but his wife says he has no choice. At work, Jerry's foreman (Robert Conrad
Robert Conrad
Robert Conrad is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the 1965 CBS television series The Wild Wild West, in which he played the sophisticated Secret Service agent James T. West, and his portrayal of World War II ace Pappy Boyington in the television series Baa Baa Black Sheep...
) 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
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
, and takes them to their church that has been turned into a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
glorifying the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, 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
Commissar
Commissar is the English transliteration of an official title used in Russia from the time of Peter the Great.The title was used during the Provisional Government for regional heads of administration, but it is mostly associated with a number of Cheka and military functions in Bolshevik and Soviet...
(Peter Breck
Peter Breck
Joseph Peter Breck is an American prolific character actor of stage, who has played roles on television and in film...
).
Jerry is brought to trial at a Soviet tribunal (Judge, Andrew Duggan
Andrew Duggan
-Career:During World War II, Duggan was in the 40th Special Services Company, led by actor Melvyn Douglas in the China Burma India Theater of World War II. His contact with Douglas later led to his performing with Lucille Ball in the play Dreamgirl. He developed a friendship with Broadway...
; prosecutor, Mike Road
Mike Road
Mike Road is a voice actor and a Warner Bros. television series contract player whose career dates back to the 1950s....
), where there is no jury
Jury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
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 gives a speech about the Soviet people waking up one day to overthrow communism, before he gets a bullet in the head from the Commissar.
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 US Army.
Production
The production of the film is quite similar to episodes of The Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
though it predated that popular television series. It was made by Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
under the auspices of the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
"Directorate of Armed Forces Information and Education" (commonly referred to as training film
Training film
A training film is a form of educational film – a short subject documentary movie, that provides an introduction to a topic. Both narrative documentary and dramatisation styles may be used, sometimes both in the same production...
s) under the direct supervision of Jack L. Warner.
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 takeover of that region following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The cast of the film is a "Who's Who" of Warner Brothers Television of the time. The "everyman
Everyman
In literature and drama, the term everyman has come to mean an ordinary individual, with whom the audience or reader is supposed to be able to identify easily, and who is often placed in extraordinary circumstances...
" hero is Jack Kelly
Jack Kelly (actor)
Jack Kelly was an American film and television actor most noted for the role of "Bart Maverick" in the TV series Maverick, which ran on ABC from 1957 to 1962...
, then the co-lead of Maverick
Maverick (TV series)
Maverick is a western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, a cagey, articulate cardsharp. Eight episodes into the first season, he was joined by Jack Kelly as his brother...
, and other cast members starred or guest starred in Warner Brothers Television shows that proliferated on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
network.
Remarks
- The film was among those films released at the height of the Cold War, including On the BeachOn the Beach (1959 film)On the Beach is a post-apocalyptic drama film based on Nevil Shute's 1957 novel of the same name. The film features Gregory Peck , Ava Gardner , Fred Astaire and Anthony Perkins...
(1959), Atomic War BrideAtomic War BrideAtomic War Bride , is a 1960 Yugoslav science fiction drama film directed by Veljko Bulajić.The film won three Golden Arena awards at the 1960 Pula Film Festival, including for Best Director , Best Actor and Best Scenography , and was nominated for the Golden Lion award at the 1960 Venice Film...
(1960), and Panic in Year Zero (1962).
- Peter BrownPeter Brown (actor)Peter Brown is an American television actor known for his role as Deputy Johnny McKay opposite John Russell in the 1958 Warner Bros. western series Lawman.-Early life:...
remarked that he most remembered his role as he received his Screen Actors GuildScreen Actors GuildThe Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
card for doing it.
- Many film studios made films for the Department of DefenseUnited States Department of DefenseThe United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
as they did during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Warner Bros.Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
was no exception. Prior to the war they had made Confessions of a Nazi SpyConfessions of a Nazi SpyConfessions of a Nazi Spy is a 1939 American spy thriller film and the first blatantly anti-Nazi film produced by a major Hollywood studio prior to World War II. The film stars Edward G. Robinson, Francis Lederer, George Sanders, and a large cast of German actors, including some who had emigrated...
(1940) that aroused great controversy. During the 1950s the studio made I Was a Communist for the FBII Was a Communist for the FBII Was a Communist for the FBI is the name of a series of stories written by Matt Cvetic that appeared in the Saturday Evening Post. The stories were later turned into a best-selling book, an American espionage thriller radio series and motion picture in the early 1950s.The story follows Cvetic, who...
one of the film genre of anti-communist films Hollywood studios made from the late 40's 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 filmEducational filmAn educational film is a film or movie whose primary purpose is to educate. Educational films have been used in classrooms as an alternative to other teaching methods.-Cultural significance:...
in American high schools.
Cast
Jack KellyJack Kelly (actor)
Jack Kelly was an American film and television actor most noted for the role of "Bart Maverick" in the TV series Maverick, which ran on ABC from 1957 to 1962...
... Jerry Donavan
Jeanne Cooper
Jeanne Cooper
Wilma Jeanne Cooper , best known as Jeanne Cooper, is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Katherine Chancellor on the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless...
... Helen Donavan
Peter Brown
Peter Brown (actor)
Peter Brown is an American television actor known for his role as Deputy Johnny McKay opposite John Russell in the 1958 Warner Bros. western series Lawman.-Early life:...
... Bill Martin
Pat Woodell ... Linda Donavan (as Patricia Woodell)
Andrew Duggan
Andrew Duggan
-Career:During World War II, Duggan was in the 40th Special Services Company, led by actor Melvyn Douglas in the China Burma India Theater of World War II. His contact with Douglas later led to his performing with Lucille Ball in the play Dreamgirl. He developed a friendship with Broadway...
... Judge
Peter Breck
Peter Breck
Joseph Peter Breck is an American prolific character actor of stage, who has played roles on television and in film...
... Russian Officer
Robert Conrad
Robert Conrad
Robert Conrad is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the 1965 CBS television series The Wild Wild West, in which he played the sophisticated Secret Service agent James T. West, and his portrayal of World War II ace Pappy Boyington in the television series Baa Baa Black Sheep...
... Pete
Mike Road
Mike Road
Mike Road is a voice actor and a Warner Bros. television series contract player whose career dates back to the 1950s....
... Prosecutor
Jack Webb
Jack Webb
John Randolph "Jack" Webb , also known by the pseudonym John Randolph, was an American actor, television producer, director and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet...
... On-Camera Narrator
Video releases
Rhino Video released this film on video in 1985 under the title The Commies are Coming, the Commies are Coming. Rhino's re-naming reflected the view of the company that presenting CommunismCommunism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
as intrinsically bad and a threat to the USA was alarmist.