This Is Not a Test
Directed by Fredric Gadette
Written by Peter Abenheim, Betty Laskey and Fredric Gadette
1962/USA
GPA Productions
First viewing/YouTube
[box] Cheryl Hudson: Wake up, Joe. I think our luck just ran out.[/box]
A truly annoying cop gets his in this apocalyptic tale. That’s by far the best thing about it.
A deputy sheriff gets instructions to set up a road block in the hills close to a major city. He is looking for a murderer that’s on the loose in the area. We meet him but he’s not the main attraction. Shortly thereafter, the radio announces “Condition Yellow” and the deputy’s job changes to maintaining law and order during evacuation of the city. The handful of people he stopped are already “evacuated” of course. The deputy comes up with a brilliant plan requiring these folks to empty a container truck where they will shelter for two weeks after the H-bomb hits. Most of his helpers aren’t buying it. We get some mini-romances along the way.
It’s not easy to make a dull movie about impending nuclear disaster but the filmmakers succeeded in sucking every vestige of suspense out of the story.
