Reefer Madness

Last updated

Reefer Madness
Reefer Madness (1936).jpg
1972 theatrical release poster
Directed by Louis J. Gasnier
Screenplay by Arthur Hoerl
Story byLawrence Meade
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJack Greenhalgh
Edited by Carl Pierson
Music by Abe Meyer
Production
company
G&H Productions
Distributed byMotion Picture Ventures
Release date
  • 1936 (1936)
Running time
68 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$100,000
(about $2,175,000 in 2024)
Box office$1,443,000 (1970 reissue) [1]

Reefer Madness (originally made as Tell Your Children and sometimes titled The Burning Question, Dope Addict, Doped Youth, and Love Madness) is a 1936 American exploitation film about drugs, revolving around the melodramatic events that ensue when high school students are lured by pushers to try marijuana  –upon trying it, they become addicted, eventually leading them to become involved in various crimes such as a hit and run accident, manslaughter, murder, conspiracy to murder and attempted rape. While all this is happening, they suffer hallucinations, descend into insanity, associate with organized crime and (in one character's case) commit suicide. The film was directed by Louis J. Gasnier and featured a cast of mainly little-known actors.

Contents

Originally financed by a church group under the title Tell Your Children, the film was intended to be shown to parents as a morality tale attempting to teach them about the dangers of cannabis use. [2] Soon after the film was shot, it was purchased by producer Dwain Esper, who re-cut the film for distribution on the exploitation film circuit, exploiting vulgar interest while escaping censorship under the guise of moral guidance, beginning in 1938–1939 through the 1940s and 1950s. [2]

The film was "rediscovered" in the early 1970s and gained new life as an unintentional satire among advocates of cannabis policy reform. [2] [3] Critics have called it one of the worst films ever made, and it has gained a cult following within cannabis culture. [4] [5] It is in the public domain in the United States, due to the film carrying an improper copyright notice. [6]

Plot

Mae Coleman and Jack Perry are an unmarried couple who live together (in the jargon of the times, they live in sin) who sell marijuana. The unscrupulous Jack sells the drug to teenagers over Mae's objections; she would rather stick to an adult clientele. Ralph Wiley, a sociopathic college dropout turned dealer, and siren Blanche help Jack recruit new customers. Ralph and Jack lure high school student Bill Harper and college student Jimmy Lane to Mae and Jack's apartment. Jimmy takes Bill to a party where Jack runs out of reefer, and Jimmy, who has a car, drives him to pick up more. When they get to Jack's boss' "headquarters", Jimmy asks for a cigarette as Jack gets out and he gives him a joint. By the time Jack returns, Jimmy is unknowingly high; he drives away recklessly and hits a pedestrian. A few days later, Jack tells Jimmy that the man died of his injuries and agrees to keep Jimmy's name out of the case –if Jimmy will agree to "forget he was ever in Mae's apartment." As the police did not have enough specific details to track Jimmy down, he indeed escapes punishment.

Ralph is arrested for Jack's murder. ReeferMadness 14.jpg
Ralph is arrested for Jack's murder.

Bill, whose once-pristine record at school has rapidly declined, has a fling with Blanche while high. Mary, Jimmy's sister and Bill's girlfriend, goes to Mae's apartment looking for Jimmy and accepts a joint from Ralph, thinking it's a regular cigarette. When she refuses Ralph's advances, he tries to rape her. Bill comes out of the bedroom and, still high, hallucinates that Mary is willingly offering herself to Ralph and attacks the latter. As the two are fighting, Jack knocks Bill unconscious with the butt of his gun, which inadvertently fires, killing Mary. Jack puts the gun in Bill's hand, framing him for Mary's death by claiming he blacked out. The dealers lie low for a while in Blanche's apartment while Bill's trial takes place. Over the objections of a skeptical juror, Bill is found guilty.

By now Ralph is paranoid from both marijuana and his guilty conscience. Blanche is also high; she plays the piano at an increasingly rapid tempo as Ralph eggs her on. The boss tells Jack to shoot Ralph to prevent him from confessing, but when Jack arrives, Ralph immediately recognizes the threat and beats him to death with a stick as Blanche laughs uncontrollably in terror. The police arrest Ralph, Mae, and Blanche. Mae's confession leads to the boss and other gang members also being arrested. Blanche explains that Bill was innocent and agrees to serve as a material witness for the case against Ralph, but instead, she jumps out of a window and falls to her death, traumatized by her own adultery and its role in Mary's death. Bill's conviction is overturned, and Ralph, now nearly catatonic, is sent to an asylum for the criminally insane for the rest of his natural life.

The film's story is told in bracketing sequences, at a lecture given at a PTA meeting by high school principal Dr. Alfred Carroll. At the film's end, he tells the parents he has been told that events similar to those he has described are likely to happen again, then points to random parents in the audience and warns that "the next tragedy may be that of your daughter... or your son... or yours or yours..." before pointing straight at the camera and saying emphatically, "... or yours!" as the words "TELL YOUR CHILDREN" appear on the screen.

Cast

Reefer Madness
Reefer Madness, 1938 release

Production and history

"If you want a good smoke, try one of these." ReeferMadness 13.jpg
"If you want a good smoke, try one of these."

In 1936 or 1938, [7] Tell Your Children was financed and made by a church group and intended to be shown to parents as a morality tale attempting to teach them about the dangers of cannabis use. [2] [3] It was originally produced by George Hirliman; [8] however, some time after the film was made, it was purchased by exploitation filmmaker Dwain Esper, who inserted salacious shots. [2] In 1938 [9] [10] or 1939, [11] [12] Esper began distributing it on the exploitation circuit [2] where it was originally released in at least four territories, each with its own title for the film: [13] the first territory to screen it was the South, where it went by Tell Your Children (1938 or 1939). [14] West of Denver, Colorado, the film was generally known as Doped Youth (1940). [14] In New England, it was known as Reefer Madness (1940 [14] or 1947), [7] while in the Pennsylvania/West Virginia territory it was called The Burning Question (1940). [13] [14] The film was then screened all over the country during the 1940s under these various titles and Albert Dezel of Detroit eventually bought all rights in 1951 for use in roadshow screenings throughout the 1950s. [14]

Such education-exploitation films were common in the years following adoption of the stricter version of the Production Code in 1934. Other films included Esper's own earlier Marihuana (1936) and Elmer Clifton's Assassin of Youth (1937) [15] and the subject of cannabis was particularly popular in the hysteria surrounding Anslinger's 1937 Marihuana Tax Act, a year after Reefer Madness. [16]

The concept of aftermarket films in film distribution had not yet been developed, especially for films that existed outside the confines of the studio system, and were therefore considered "forbidden fruit." For this reason, neither Esper nor original producer George Hirliman bothered to protect the film's copyright; it thus had an improper copyright notice invalidating the copyright. [6] Over 30 years later, in the spring of 1972, the founder of NORML, Keith Stroup, found a copy of the film in the Library of Congress archives and bought a print for $297. [17] [18] As part of a fundraising campaign, NORML showed Reefer Madness on college campuses up and down California, asking a $1 donation for admission and raising $16,000 (equivalent to $117,000in 2023) toward support for the California Marijuana Initiative, a political group that sought to legalize marijuana in the 1972 fall elections. [18] Robert Shaye of New Line Cinema eventually heard about the underground hit and went to see it at the Bleecker Street Cinema. [6] He noticed the film carried an improper copyright notice and realized it was in the public domain. [6] Seeking material for New Line's college circuit, he was able to obtain an original copy from a collector and began distributing the film nationally, "making a small fortune for New Line." [6]

In 2004, Legend Films restored and colorized a print of the film, [19] featuring intentionally unrealistic color schemes that add to the film's campy humor. The smoke from the "marihuana" was made to appear green, blue, orange and purple, each person's colored smoke representing their mood and the different "levels of 'addiction'". Film Freak Central criticized the colorization, writing that the color choices would better suit a film about LSD than a film about cannabis. [20]

Reception and legacy

Reefer Madness is considered to be a cult classic and one of the most popular examples of a midnight movie. Its fans enjoy the film for the same unintentionally campy production values that made it a hit in the 1970s. [3]

The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 39% approval rating with an average rating of 4.4/10 based on 26 reviews. [21] Metacritic, on the other hand, assigned a score of 70 out of 100, based on 4 critics, which suggests "generally favorable reviews". [22]

The Los Angeles Times has claimed that Reefer Madness was the first film that a generation embraced as "the worst." [5] Leonard Maltin has called it "the granddaddy of all 'Worst' movies." [23] Las Vegas CityLife named it the "worst ever" runner-up to Plan 9 from Outer Space . [24]

Adaptations and parodies

The song "Reefer Madness" by space rock band Hawkwind is featured on their 1976 album Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music .

A 1992 stage adaptation by Sean Abley first opened in Chicago. [25]

Clips from the film appear in the video for "Smoke the Sky", a song by American rock band Mötley Crüe from their self-titled 1994 album, with lyrics concerning marijuana use.

The film was satirized in an eponymous 1998 stage musical, later adapted as a 2005 television movie musical featuring Alan Cumming, Kristen Bell, Christian Campbell, and Ana Gasteyer.

The colorized DVD release featured a comedic audio commentary by writer, comedian and actor Michael J. Nelson of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and RiffTrax (later Mike would be joined by Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett in live and studio versions). [26]

The video game L.A. Noire includes a case, available as DLC, titled "Reefer Madness", centered around LAPD Detective Lieutenant Cole Phelps investigating a conspiracy by Mexican pushers and a crooked factory owner to sell marijuana by hiding it in soup cans, before raiding the headquarters of the pushers' "boss" and busting the operation.

The interlude of the song "It Could Be Better" by singer Left at London features a sample of the movie.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marihuana Tax Act of 1937</span> American law placing a tax on cannabis

The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, Pub. L. 75–238, 50 Stat. 551, enacted August 2, 1937, was a United States Act that placed a tax on the sale of cannabis. The H.R. 6385 act was drafted by Harry Anslinger and introduced by Rep. Robert L. Doughton of North Carolina, on April 14, 1937. The Seventy-fifth United States Congress held hearings on April 27, 28, 29th, 30th, and May 4, 1937. Upon the congressional hearings confirmation, the H.R. 6385 act was redrafted as H.R. 6906 and introduced with House Report 792. The Act is referred to, using the modern spelling, as the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act. It was overturned in 1969 in Leary v. United States, and was repealed by Congress the next year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoner film</span> Subgenre of comedy films

Stoner film is a subgenre of comedy film based on marijuana themes, where recreational use often drives the plot, sometimes representing cannabis culture more broadly or intended for that audience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thelma White</span> American actress (1910–2005)

Thelma White was an American radio and film actress. White is best known for her role in the 1936 exploitation film Reefer Madness.

<i>Hemp for Victory</i> 1942 American short film

Hemp for Victory is a black-and-white United States government film made during World War II and released in 1942, explaining the uses of hemp, encouraging farmers to grow as much as possible. During World War II, the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 was lifted briefly to allow for hemp fiber production to create ropes for the U.S. Navy but after the war hemp reverted to its de facto illegal status.

<i>Reefer Madness</i> (musical) 1998 musical satire of the 1936 film of the same name

Reefer Madness is a musical satire of the 1936 propaganda film and cult classic Reefer Madness that opened in Los Angeles in 1998. The book and lyrics were written by Kevin Murphy and the book and music by Dan Studney.

<i>Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical</i> 2005 American musical comedy film

Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical, also known as Reefer Madness, is a 2005 American made-for-television musical comedy film directed by Andy Fickman, written by Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney, and produced by the three. It is a film adaptation of the trio's 1998 musical of the same name, itself based on the 1936 exploitation film also of the same title. It premiered on Showtime on April 16, 2005. The film also received a limited theatrical release overseas, and grossed $8,972 in its short run.

Dwain Atkins Esper was an American director and producer of exploitation films.

<i>Maniac</i> (1934 film) 1934 film by Dwain Esper

Maniac is a 1934 American independent black-and-white exploitation horror film directed by Dwain Esper and written by Hildagarde Stadie, Esper's wife, as a loose adaptation of the 1843 Edgar Allan Poe story "The Black Cat", with references to his "Murders in the Rue Morgue". Esper and Stadie also made the 1936 exploitation film Marihuana.

<i>Marihuana</i> (1936 film) 1936 exploitation film directed by Dwain Esper

Marihuana is a 1936 exploitation film directed by Dwain Esper, and written by Esper's wife, Hildagarde Stadie.

<i>She Shoulda Said No!</i> 1949 film by Sam Newfield

She Shoulda Said 'No'! is a 1949 exploitation film that follows in the spirit of morality tales such as the 1936 films Reefer Madness and Marihuana. Directed by Sam Newfield and starring Lila Leeds, it was originally produced to capitalize on the arrest of Leeds and Robert Mitchum on a charge of marijuana conspiracy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis J. Gasnier</span> Film director

Louis Joseph Gasnier was a French-American film director, producer, screenwriter and stage actor. A cinema pioneer, Gasnier shepherded the early career of comedian Max Linder, co-directed the enormously successful film serial The Perils of Pauline (1914). Gasnier capped his output with the notorious low-budget exploitation film Reefer Madness (1936) which though both a critical and box office failure, became a cult classic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legal history of cannabis in the United States</span>

In the United States, increased restrictions and labeling of cannabis as a poison began in many states from 1906 onward, and outright prohibitions began in the 1920s. By the mid-1930s cannabis was regulated as a drug in every state, including 35 states that adopted the Uniform State Narcotic Drug Act. The first national regulation was the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victor Licata</span> American mass murderer (c. 1912–1950)

Victor Licata, also known as the Dream Slayer, was an American mass murderer who used an axe to kill his family in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida, on October 16, 1933. The killings, which were reported by the media as the work of an "axe-murdering marijuana addict", were adduced as prima facie evidence that there was a link between recreational drugs, such as cannabis, and crime. This led to the killings being used in 1930s anti-drug campaigns against marijuana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis in Florida</span>

Cannabis in Florida is illegal for recreational use. Possession of up to 20 grams is a misdemeanor offense, punishable by up to a year in jail, a fine of up to $1000, and the suspension of one's driver's license. Several cities and counties have enacted reforms to apply lesser penalties, however.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glossary of cannabis terms</span>

Terms related to cannabis include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of cannabis</span> Overview of and topical guide to cannabis

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the plant Cannabis sativa and its relatives Cannabis indica and Cannabis ruderalis, the drug cannabis (drug) and the industrial product hemp.

<i>Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness and Violence</i> 2019 book by Alex Berenson

Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness and Violence is a 2019 book by Alex Berenson. In it, Berenson makes claims that cannabis use directly causes psychosis and violence, claims denounced as alarmist and inaccurate by many in the scientific and medical communities. The scientists state that Berenson is drawing inappropriate conclusions from the research he cites, primarily by inferring causation from correlation, as well as cherry picking data that fits his narrative, and falling victim to selection bias via his use of anecdotes to back up his assertions.

References

  1. ↑ Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987). American film distribution : the changing marketplace. UMI Research Press. p. 296. ISBN   9780835717762. Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Murphy, Kevin; Studney, Dan. "The history of Reefer Madness". Archived from the original on March 28, 2006. Retrieved November 7, 2006.
  3. 1 2 3 Peary, Danny (1981). "Refer Madness". Cult Movies. New York: Delacorte Press. pp. 291–293. ISBN   0440016266.
  4. ↑ "Reefer Madness (1936)". AMC (TV channel) . Archived from the original on December 4, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  5. 1 2 Stemme, Joe (September 4, 2005). "What's the Worst Movie Ever?". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Shaye, Robert (May 22, 2003). "Some Tools I've Taken Away: Columbia Law School Commencement Address". Archived from the original on August 7, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  7. 1 2 Peter Howell (April 15, 2004). "Nip Reefer In The Bud". The Toronto Star. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Tell Your Children (full credits)". Turner Classic Movies (via American Film Institute catalog). Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Reefer Madness (1938)". Public Domain Review . Archived from the original on December 21, 2013. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Tell Your Children (Original Print Information)". Turner Classic Movies (via American Film Institute catalog). Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  11. ↑ Ernest Mathijs (2007). The Cult Film Reader. McGraw-Hill International. p. 127. ISBN   9780335219230 . Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  12. ↑ Bryan Senn (1996). Golden horrors: an illustrated critical filmography of terror cinema, 1931–1939. McFarland. p. 408. ISBN   9780786401758 . Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  13. 1 2 "1930-1945". Peter's Movie Posters. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 "Reefer Madness Questions". Poverty Row Horrors. April 3, 2011. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  15. ↑ Hall, Wayne; Yeates, Sarah (2021). "Reefer Madness: An undeserved classic movie". Addiction. 116 (4): 963–969. doi:10.1111/add.15258.
  16. ↑ Magazine, Smithsonian; Catlin, Roger. "Before Reefer Madness, High Times and 4/20, There Was the Marijuana Revenue Stamp". Smithsonian Magazine.
  17. ↑ Schaefer, Eric (1999). "Bold! Daring! Shocking! True!": A History of Exploitation Films, 1919–1959. Duke University Press. pp. 1–2. ISBN   0822323745.
  18. 1 2 Patrick Anderson (1981). "Chapter 5". High in America: The True Story Behind NORML and the Politics of Marijuana. Viking Press.
  19. ↑ "DVD Talk". www.dvdtalk.com.
  20. ↑ Hoover, Travis Mackenzie, Reefer Madness (DVD review), Film Freak Central, retrieved December 23, 2006.
  21. ↑ "Reefer Madness (Tell Your Children) (Doped Youth)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  22. ↑ "Reefer Madness". Metacritic . Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  23. ↑ Maltin, Leonard (2003). Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide 2004 . Signet. ISBN   0451209400.
  24. ↑ Stemme, Joe (September 24, 2009). "What's the Worst Movie Ever?". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on September 3, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  25. ↑ "Reefer Madness by Sean Abley | Playscripts Inc". www.playscripts.com.
  26. ↑ "Reefer Madness - Three Riffer Edition!". September 19, 2014 – via www.rifftrax.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.