See Missouri’s “The Day After” Filming Locations Then vs. Now

There are few movies that have had such a large cultural impact quite like "The Day After" which caused the world to start talking about the terrifying reality of nuclear war. Many of the most iconic scenes in the movie were filmed in western Missouri and there are pictures showing what they looked like then and now.

"The Day After" was a made-for-TV movie that aired on ABC stations on November 20, 1983. It was viewed by 100 million people and caused a serious public discourse about what the after effects of nuclear war would be like. Yes, many scenes were filmed in Lawrence, Kansas, but western Missouri was featured, too. Many places in Harrisonville and Kansas City, Missouri were in the movie. Here are the movie scenes and their real-life counterparts.

I was a junior in high school when "The Day After" aired. I remember that one of my teachers shelved her planned lessons for the day and we talked about the movie. It was a life-changing event in 1983. Fortunately, the Soviet Union eventually collapsed 6 years later and there's been a somewhat peaceful existence between the United States and Russia since the 1980's. However, recent nuclear threats from Putin have reminded many of us of how the world was back in 1983 and the movie we all hoped would never become reality.