WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Ploydsge just watch it!

TeenzTen An action-packed slog

calvinnme ... and this film is a big example of that. Small examples are when people ask "How are you?" and the only acceptable reply is "Fine, How are you?". It doesn't matter if your marriage is on the ropes or your parents are dying of cancer. The actual truth disrupts people's day. As for this film, I'm pretty much going to tell you all about it, but I don't think spoiler warnings are necessary on so-called public service information shorts.The narrator shows three very small houses lined up in a row on the Nevada atomic proving grounds. One is in disrepair on the outside - not painted for a long time, no external maintenance at all. Another one looks fine on the outside, but has untidy housekeeping inside which amounts to lots of extra papers and things in disarray that can act as kindling. The "house in the middle" has none of these problems. It is well kept inside and out. Then a nuclear blast 15 miles away occurs. The narrator notes how the unpainted house burns first. The house with the untidy inside looks like it will escape burning, but then begins to blaze from the inside out. The "house in the middle" escapes burning to the ground, the narrator says, because of its well kept condition inside and out.The narrator then encourages people to organize and go from neighborhood to neighborhood to clean up trash and encourages better housekeeping on the inside. He even instructs that people plant flowers around their house? Hey, won't plants act as kindling too? But I digress from what I think that the Federal Civil Defense Administration already knew - that good housekeeping and neighborhood clean-up efforts and gardening, just like duck and cover, are distractions to make people feel like they can actually do something to escape the certain death they would face if a nuclear blast ever hit anywhere near them. The lucky ones would die first, the unlucky ones would die a slow death of radiation poisoning or an even slower death from cancer years later, like almost the entire cast of 1956's "The Conqueror" which was filmed not long after the Atomic Bomb test in the Yucca Flats area. Merry Maids is not going to save you from the carnage of a nuclear attack. Recommended as a lesson in human nature.

nyurbiz OMFG. Like one of the other reviewers I too recorded this from TCM (9/4/2010) and expected to see mushroom clouds and damage to different types of objects, but never expected it to be saying the a clean house and yard will be protected from an atomic blast.It seems like the US govt. would have been a little more realistic in their messages to the public by telling them to kiss their asses goodbye if an atomic bomb was detonated in their town, rather than wasting money on a film telling them their property would be spared if it was clean and well maintained. Of course this from a government who would later develop the neutron bomb which preserves property but kills everyone more quickly.Good for a few chuckles with horrible production values and (as mentioned by another reviewer) the same narrator (seemingly) as some other classic government propaganda films. Enjoy!

airish1 I actually am affiliated with the successor to the organization that sponsored this, but no one in the organization even knew about this. So far over the top that people may have been embarrassed to admit to it. It seems to be a parody, but it isn't. Amazing how someone convinced the federal government to test the proposition of the film, but they apparently did. And the narrator seems to be the guy who narrated all of this genre of movies (which include the driver's ed and scary health education films I recall. I suspect this guy had cornered the market on the VD prevention movies they showed to poor GIs back then too. Anyway, worth the time to watch -- a real hoot.

verbusen No matter what your political leanings are, The House In The Middle should tickle your funny bone. I recorded this from Turner Classic Movies (which I'm sure will repeat it someday and it's also on the internet to watch), and I was expecting to see various atomic blast targets as they got blasted. Things like barns, telephone poles, trees, goats, pigs, mannequins in sofa's, etc etc. Nope if you were thinking like me you would realize immanently that this was presented by The NATIONAL Clean it Up, Fix It Up, Paint It Up Bureau (oh brother!). One wonders how many non national chapters there were, and I'm amazed that no one has used that name as a joke of some sort, I guess this film has remained buried a long time, and for good reason. The whole point of the film is to tell you to be clean so your house can survive a nuclear attack. They didn't care so much about your survival even though they said it's for that reason, but rather America needs it's houses standing after the Commies take us to the woodshed. They go so far as to say that even IN your house to not be a slob as your house is going to burn from all those old newspapers lying around when the A bomb hits the city next to yours and your house gets the heat blast. I can see the very patriotic America of the 50's laughing out loud about this film, it's way over the top. I can see neighbors gripping about how their spotless clean WHITE (yes they do mention it has to be WHITE, lol) home is going to burn up because the next door neighbors house was not as clean and got torched and the fire spread. Thankfully its only 15 minutes long, this is definitely a so bad it's good film and worth a 10 of 10. Now, go clean your room Junior, for America's survival, lol.