I'm trying to recreate a nuclear apocalypse

November 19, 2008 11:22 AM

I need an audio clip of a nuclear attack warning. Double points go to 50s-style announcer versus EAS computer voice. Triple points go to clips that are free and easy to get. I've got the explosion part, I just need that foreboding warning before it happens. Thanks!
posted by ictow to grab bag (10 comments total)

I saw the Twilight Zone episode "The Shelter" about a month ago and am about 90% sure it has this announcement. It's in the CBS full-length archives... this link may work, but of course YMMV with that session id BS. The synopsis shown there is wrong... it's not UFOs but a nuclear attack.
posted by crapmatic at 11:41 AM on November 19, 2008

Can you be a little more specific with what you're looking for? Vocal? Siren? Etc.?

Also, I'm not sure that nuclear attacks are preceded by things like vocal warnings -- my dad tells stories of old air raid sirens/klaxons during the height of the Cold War for drills in school, but I've never heard of an announcer. (Not saying it doesn't exist, though.)
posted by Damn That Television at 11:42 AM on November 19, 2008

Here's an announcer describing a warning siren (mp3). More clips here.

Here's a warning siren from 5 miles away. Via.

Not really what you were looking for but it might help.
posted by yeti at 11:51 AM on November 19, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I thought I've heard some backgrounds like this in Ministry (Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste) and Coil (Love's Secret Domain) - they were British rather than US though.
posted by jkaczor at 11:52 AM on November 19, 2008

Good call, Damn That Television. I know that vocal warnings of a nuclear attack don't actually exist; it seems like that would be a dumb thing for the government to do. But I'm hoping to find a fictionalized clip of an announcement that the US is undergoing nuclear attack.
posted by ictow at 11:53 AM on November 19, 2008

Have you tried searching on archive.org? Will something like "Survival Under Atomic Attack" work for you? You'd have to extract the audio portion.
posted by hooray at 11:55 AM on November 19, 2008

Oh! Or maybe you can extract something from Atomic Alert?
posted by hooray at 12:14 PM on November 19, 2008

Fake nuclear attack alert for New York (computerized announcer)

You can extract the audio here.
posted by Rhaomi at 12:27 PM on November 19, 2008

More also at CONELRAD.
posted by mykescipark at 12:54 PM on November 19, 2008

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Atomic_Cafe
posted by neuron at 3:00 PM on November 19, 2008