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'The Day After:' 20 Years Later

Twenty years ago today, 100 million Americans gathered in front of their televisions to witness the end of the world. It wasn't real, of course. The event, The Day After, starring Jason Robards and John Lithgow, was a made-for-TV movie that depicted a nuclear attack on a small town in Kansas. With the support of the town, the production's staff gave Lawrence, Ks., an apocalyptic makeover. Locals were recruited to play victims, windows were smashed, cars turned over and ash was poured over everything to give the impression of a nuclear wasteland.

A year before, in 1982, President Ronald Regan had called the Soviet Union the "Evil Empire," and American fifth-grader Samantha Smith asked the Soviet prime minister why he wanted to destroy the world. That spring, 750,000 people marched in support of a nuclear freeze and disarmament. In this context, screenwriters could easily envision the events leading to global annihilation.

NPR's Neda Ulaby grew up in Lawrence and remembers the filming. For All Things Considered, she recalls the movie's impact on the town, and the country.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Neda Ulaby reports on arts, entertainment, and cultural trends for NPR's Arts Desk.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.