Robert Middleton

The most famous civil defense film ever made: an animated turtle named Bert teaches American schoolchildren to "duck and cover" when they see the flash of an atomic bomb. Produced by Archer Productions for the Federal Civil Defense Administration and shown in classrooms across the country, it is equal parts genuine safety instruction and Cold War theater — critics have long debated whether a school desk was ever going to help. It entered the Library of Congress's National Film Registry in 2004. The film is in the public domain.

Documentary · Short