The Day After's Legacy: 5 Shocking Revelations From The 'Television Event' Documentary Featuring Ellen Anthony
The "television event" surrounding Ellen Anthony is not a new show, but a powerful, award-winning documentary that continues to generate buzz in late 2025. The film, titled Television Event, pulls back the curtain on the making and controversial release of the 1983 made-for-TV movie, The Day After, which depicted a devastating nuclear attack on the United States. Anthony, who played the child character Joleen Dahlberg in the original film, is a central figure in the documentary, offering a deeply personal and emotional account of the psychological toll the project took on its cast and the nation.
Released in 2020 and continuing to screen at festivals and on platforms like American Public Television (APT), the documentary provides an essential, updated perspective on the Cold War tensions of the 1980s and how a single ABC broadcast terrified an entire generation. Ellen Anthony's candid interviews reveal the lasting impact of filming nuclear apocalypse scenes in her hometown, positioning her as a crucial voice in understanding the movie's historic and cultural significance.
Ellen Anthony: From Child Star to Figurative Artist
Ellen Anthony’s life story is a fascinating blend of early Hollywood experience and a profound commitment to the arts. She is best known for her role as Joleen Dahlberg in the landmark 1983 television film, The Day After.
- Full Name: Ellen Anthony Moore (often cited as Ellen Anthony).
- Hometown: Lawrence, Kansas (where much of The Day After was filmed).
- Key Role: Joleen Dahlberg, the youngest daughter in the Dahlberg family, in The Day After.
- Current Profession: Artist, Performer, and Figure Theatre Maker.
- Artistic Mediums: She creates figure theatre pieces, often using found objects like driftwood, wire, and wax. She also discovered a passion for painting after a 2018 injury.
- Artistic Philosophy: Her work is focused on restoring a connection to joy and creativity, often telling compelling stories of "joy and grief, life and loss."
- Other Credits: She has appeared as herself in documentaries like Television Event and The '80s: The Decade That Made Us.
Anthony’s transition from a child actress in a high-stakes drama to a dedicated visual and performance artist is a testament to her resilience. Her involvement in the Television Event documentary serves as a bridge between these two worlds, allowing her to process and share the unique experience of being part of a television production that changed the Cold War conversation.
The Documentary: 'Television Event' and the Making of a Cultural Bomb
The 2020 documentary Television Event, directed by Jeff Daniels (not the actor), is the definitive exploration of the immense cultural, political, and psychological fallout surrounding the 1983 broadcast of The Day After.
The film uses extensive archival footage and fresh interviews to detail the incredible post-production drama at ABC Television. The network faced immense pressure from the Reagan Administration, advertisers, and the military, all of whom were deeply concerned about the movie's potential to ignite an anti-nuclear movement or cause mass panic.
The Cold War Tensions and ABC’s Battle
The Day After was an unprecedented project. The made-for-TV movie was a massive undertaking, budgeted at $7 million, and featured a recognizable cast including Jason Robards and JoBeth Williams. The documentary highlights how network executives, including Brandon Stoddard, fought tirelessly to ensure the film aired uncensored, despite fears it was too bleak and politically charged for a primetime audience.
Director Nicholas Meyer and writer Edward Hume are also featured, detailing the creative struggles to depict the nuclear apocalypse realistically while adhering to network standards. The film's eventual broadcast drew an estimated 100 million viewers, making it the most-watched made-for-TV movie in history and a true "television event" in every sense of the word.
Ellen Anthony's Emotional Testimony and Lasting Impact
One of the most compelling and often-cited segments of the Television Event documentary is Ellen Anthony's candid interview. As a child actress from Lawrence, Kansas, she had a unique perspective on the film's production, which turned her quiet Midwestern community into ground zero for a fictional nuclear strike.
The Psychological Toll on a Child Actress
Anthony’s role as Joleen Dahlberg required her to portray a child experiencing the unimaginable horrors of nuclear fallout. In the documentary, she discusses the difficulty of performing such traumatic scenes at a young age, particularly in a period of heightened Cold War tensions.
A specific, widely-discussed moment in the documentary shows Anthony watching a scene from the original movie—a post-apocalypse moment of quiet despair—and becoming visibly emotional, even sobbing. This powerful reaction serves as a microcosm of the film's broader psychological impact on its creators and audience. It underscores the reality that for the children involved, the line between fiction and terrifying possibility was frighteningly thin.
The Film That Changed World Politics
The documentary argues convincingly that The Day After was more than just entertainment; it was a catalyst for change. The intensity of the public reaction—including the famous live debate hosted by Ted Koppel that followed the broadcast—forced a national conversation about nuclear deterrence.
Crucially, the film reportedly "greatly depressed" President Ronald Reagan, who later cited the movie as a factor influencing his shift toward seeking dialogue with the Soviet Union to reduce nuclear arms. The documentary, featuring Anthony’s personal story alongside the accounts of producers, directors, and network executives, solidifies the movie's place in history as a piece of media that genuinely helped to avert nuclear war.
For modern audiences, the Television Event documentary, available on various streaming platforms (including Vimeo on Demand and through American Public Television), serves as a critical historical document. It not only honors the work of figures like Ellen Anthony but also provides a stark, timely reminder of the fragility of peace and the power of media to shape political will. The film’s continued availability ensures that the lessons of The Day After, and the personal sacrifices of those involved like Anthony, remain fresh and relevant today.
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