John Oliver is doing his best to break my heart. Forget Jaws, Psycho, or the Texas Chainsaw Massacre — Testament is my choice for the scariest movie ever. And I did watch The Day After when it first appeared, but I don’t remember the after-show:
… On its original broadcast (Sunday, November 20, 1983), ABC and local TV affiliates opened 1-800 hotlines with counselors standing by. There were no commercial breaks after the nuclear attack. ABC then aired a live debate, hosted by Nightline’s Ted Koppel, featuring the scientist Carl Sagan, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Elie Wiesel, former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, General Brent Scowcroft and conservative commentator William F. Buckley, Jr.. Sagan argued against nuclear proliferation, while Buckley promoted the concept of nuclear deterrence. Sagan described the arms race in the following terms: “Imagine a room awash in gasoline, and there are two implacable enemies in that room. One of them has nine thousand matches, the other seven thousand matches. Each of them is concerned about who’s ahead, who’s stronger.”…
I suppose an optimist would point out that, hey, it’s been thirty years and we’re all still here! (… including Henry Kissinger!)
Late Night Horrorshow Open Thread: Hey, Remember <em>“The Day After”</em>?…Post + Comments (76)