Former Prez Ronald Reagan Blown Away By 'The Day After' TV Movie

The 40th anniversary of this anti-nuke movie had garnered a great deal of interest given that we're probably closer to somebody dropping "the big one" now than we were back then. 

Accordingly . . .

Here's a recent quote from a not-so-long-ago celeb Prez . . .

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."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

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.