How a movie shot 40 years ago in Kansas changed the trajectory of the nuclear arms race

"The Day After" made use of 2,000 local extras alongside well-known actors of the time. The film's emotional impact made it into the pages of a presidential journal, and is widely credited for putting the brakes on the nuclear arms race.
More than 100 million people gathered around their television sets 40 years ago to watch a mushroom cloud rise over a Midwestern town.

The ABC broadcast of "The Day After" was one of the most watched television movies of all time. The film won two Emmy Awards, was nominated for 10 others and is widely credited with changing public opinion about the arms race during the Cold War.

The grim portrayal of the aftermath of a full-scale nuclear war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union shook up audiences at the time. The message even reached then-President Ronald Reagan.

"It has Lawrence Kansas wiped out in a nuclear war with Russia," the former actor later wrote in his diary. "It is powerfully done — all $7 mil. worth. It’s very effective & left me greatly depressed."

A new documentary directed by Jeff Daniels details the making of the film. Liberty Hall in Lawrence will host a screening and discussion of the documentary, “Television Event," on Monday evening.