Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical

Last updated
Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical
Reefer Madness (2005 film) poster.jpg
DVD cover
Based on Reefer Madness
by Kevin Murphy
Dan Studney
Screenplay by
  • Kevin Murphy
  • Dan Studney
Directed by Andy Fickman
Starring
Narrated byAlan Cumming
Music by
Country of origin
  • United States
  • Canada
  • Germany
Original languageEnglish
Production
Producers
CinematographyJan Kiesser
EditorJeff Freeman
Running time108 minutes
Production companyDead Old Man Productions
Budget$25 million
Original release
Network Showtime
ReleaseApril 16, 2005 (2005-04-16)

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. [1] [2] The film also received a limited theatrical release overseas, and grossed $8,972 in its short run.

Contents

The film stars Kristen Bell, Christian Campbell, and John Kassir reprising their stage roles, with the notable addition of Alan Cumming and Ana Gasteyer in other lead roles. Robert Torti, who played the characters of both Jack and Jesus onstage, portrays only the latter in this version. [3]

Plot

In a small middle-America town in 1936, a group of parents have been gathered by a mysterious Lecturer for an assembly. The ominous Lecturer informs the parents that he has come to warn them about the evils of marijuana on their youth ("Reefer Madness") through the tragic tale of one boy's struggles with the demon weed in a film titled "Tell Your Children". Throughout the film, the Lecturer stops to detail a political point or to condescend any audience member questioning his credibility.

Jimmy Harper and Mary Lane, a joyful teen couple, blissfully enjoy each other's company ("Romeo & Juliet"), unaware of the seedy goings-on in The Reefer Den across town. This is the residence of Mae, who is abused by her boyfriend, Jack, a street tough who supplies her and others with dope ("The Stuff"). Mary, Jimmy and their school friends head to Miss Poppy's Five and Dime, ("Down at the Ol' Five and Dime"). Jack appears at the hangout, offering Jimmy swing lessons to impress Mary.

Jimmy is taken to the Reefer Den, where Jack, Mae, college dropout Ralph and neighborhood prostitute Sally pressure him into smoking his first joint, leading him to a hallucination of an insidious bacchanal. ("Jimmy Takes a Hit/ The Orgy"). Jimmy turns into a crazed addict and neglects Mary, leading her to pray for him ("Lonely Pew"). While breaking into a church to steal collection money, Jimmy has a vision of Jesus Christ in a Vegas-esque Heaven, telling him to change his ways or be sent to eternal damnation ("Listen to Jesus, Jimmy"). Jimmy refuses to heed the word of God and continues to spiral into sin.

One night, Jimmy and Sally take a joy ride in Mary's stolen car while buzzed, running over an old man. Jimmy runs to Mary, debating whether to continue being under the influence or repent his ways ("Mary Jane/ Mary Lane"). Jimmy returns to Mary romantically, but he realizes that he is putting her in danger and tells her that he must leave town without her. Jack brings him back to the Reefer Den with a pot-brownie, putting him in a cartoonized trip ("The Brownie Song"). Mary follows Jimmy to the Den where Ralph seduces her by convincing her that Jimmy has joined his "frat ern ity". He suggests that they celebrate with a smoke, which turns out to be a toke. This intro to reefer immediately turns Mary into a sadistic dominatrix who terrorizes Ralph for pleasure ("Little Mary Sunshine). Jimmy enters and a fight ensues. Jack stops the fight, knocks out Jimmy and accidentally shoots Mary. He frames an unconscious Jimmy for the crime. Jimmy gives Mary his class ring, and comforts her as she dies in his arms ("Mary's Death").

Jimmy is taken away by police. Racked with guilt, Ralph has pot-induced hallucinations of Jimmy as a ghost, Mary as Satan's sodomy pal and the children who got hooked on the Reefer Gang's dope as the living dead. Ralph gets an extreme case of the munchies and ends up killing and cannibalizing Sally. Jack shoots Ralph to stop him ("Murder!"). Seeing similar visions, Mae realizes the error of her ways and tells Jack to do the same. He rejects her pleas and she bludgeons him to death with a garden hoe, gaining her much-needed empowerment ("The Stuff (Reprise)").

Mae pleads to the visiting President about Jimmy's case, earning the boy a presidential pardon. Jimmy, Mae, the President and Jimmy's fellow prisoners, Ralph, Jack, and Sally (reincarnated as Uncle Sam, George Washington, and Lady Liberty respectively) raise the American justice system and patriotism ("Tell 'Em the Truth"). Jimmy burns down the Reefer Den's weed garden, freeing Mary from both Hell and Satan before everyone's eyes. The Lecturer's film ends with Mary entering Heaven, greeted by Jesus and other Holy souls.

The entire audience joins the suddenly real film cast to hold a huge anti-reefer book burning pledging to join the fight against marijuana, sex, racial and ethnic minorities and other things harmful to their dear country ("Finale"). The Lecturer drives off, pleased that he has succeeded in exploiting everyone's biases.

Cast

Principal cast

Supporting cast

Lecture assembly

  • Kevin McNulty as Mayor Harris Macdonald
  • Stephen Sisk as Blumsack, the Lecturer's projectionist assistant
  • Robert Clarke as Principal Poindexter Short
  • Lynda Boyd as Mrs. Deidre Greevey
  • Ruth Nichol as Mrs. Roxanne MacDonald
  • Michael Goorjian as Mickey Druther

Musical numbers

Production

In 1998, writing partners Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney, who had met while studying at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, were driving from Oakland to Los Angeles and listening to Frank Zappa's Joe's Garage , when they began discussing how one might stage the piece. "So I started picturing it in my head," Studney recalls. "Frank Zappa's concept of a musical and then it just hit me. I turned to Kevin and said 'What about doing Reefer Madness as a musical?'" By the time duo reached L.A., they had already written the first song.

The high school is named after Harry J. Anslinger, the first Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Narcotics, known as the Father of the Drug War.

Release

Reefer Madness premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. It also screened in competition at the 2005 Deauville Film Festival and won the Premiere Audience Award. On April 20, four days following the film's television premiere, Showtime aired the musical back-to-back with the 1936 exploitation film that inspired it.

A limited theatrical release occurred internationally in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The film made $8,972 in its short run. [4]

Home media

Showtime released the DVD on November 9, 2005. The DVD includes the original film and an audio commentary by director Fickman with several cast members. The DVD case itself also smelled of brownies. [5]

It was released on Blu-ray on June 30, 2009, including a German-language dub. [6]

It some territories, it can be downloaded or streamed in HD via Vudu, Redbox, Amazon, Google Play, Microsoft, and YouTube. [7]

Accolades

The film won the 2005 Emmy Award for Music and Lyrics (for "Mary Jane/Mary Lane", which was written specially for the film). It also received Emmy nominations for Choreography and Make-Up Effects.

Soundtrack

A soundtrack CD was first released by Showtime in their "stash box" press package. Mixed from the 5.1 audio masters, this version has several anomalies including a few sound effects.

On October 28, 2008, Ghostlight Records released a double CD of the soundtrack from the film and original Los Angeles cast recording. The night before, The Public Theater's Joe's Pub hosted a release party concert featuring a four-person ensemble and leads Alan Cumming, Ana Gasteyer, Christian Campbell, John Kassir, Robert Torti, Amy Spanger, and Jenna Leigh Green doing an abbreviated concert version with introductions to each song by Kevin Murphy.

The two versions of the soundtrack differ in quite a few places, both from each other and from the film, but it is most noticeable during the song Murder. The Showtime CD features a longer version of the song, sans all spoken dialogue. The Ghostlight CD features a truncated version of the track littered with dialogue from the film.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Campbell</span> Canadian actor

Christian Campbell is a Canadian actor. He is known for his roles as Gabriel in the film Trick, Greg Ivey in the television series Big Love and on stage as Jimmy Harper in the musical Reefer Madness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ana Gasteyer</span> American actress and comedian (born 1967)

Ana Gasteyer is an American actress, comedian and singer. She is most notable for her tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2002. She has since starred in such sitcoms as ABC's Suburgatory, TBS's People of Earth, NBC's American Auto, and the film Mean Girls.

<i>The King of Kings</i> (1927 film) 1927 silent film

The King of Kings is a 1927 American synchronized sound epic film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille. It depicts the last weeks of Jesus before his crucifixion and stars H. B. Warner in the lead role. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using the RCA Photophone sound-on-film process.

<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>The Miracle Maker</i> (1999 film) 1999 British film

The Miracle Maker sometimes subtitled The Story of Jesus, is a 1999 Welsh-Russian stop motion-animated film directed by Derek Hayes and Stanislav Sokolov.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine Lakin</span> American actress (born 1979)

Christine Lakin is an American actress and director. She is best known for her role as Alicia "Al" Lambert on the 1990s ABC/CBS sitcom Step by Step. She also played Joan of Arc on Showtime's Reefer Madness, was the sidekick on Craig Kilborn's 2010 Fox talk show The Kilborn File, and provides the voice of Joyce Kinney in Family Guy.

<i>Reefer Madness</i> 1936 anti-cannabis film by Louis J. Gasnier

Reefer 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 commit suicide. The film was directed by Louis J. Gasnier and featured a cast of mainly little-known actors.

<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>Top Banana</i> (musical) 1951 Broadway musical by Johnny Mercer

Top Banana is a musical with music and lyrics by Johnny Mercer and book by Hy Kraft which premiered on Broadway in 1951. The show was written as a star vehicle for comedian Phil Silvers, who played the host of a television variety show program. Silvers won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical in 1952.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Torti</span> American actor (born 1961)

Robert Felix Torti is an American actor of stage and screen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Mulhall</span> American actor (1887–1979)

John Joseph Francis Mulhall was an American film actor beginning in the silent film era who successfully transitioned to sound films, appearing in over 430 films in a career spanning 50 years.

Amy Spanger is an American actress, singer and dancer.

<i>Sally, Irene and Mary</i> (1925 film) 1925 film

Sally, Irene, and Mary is a 1925 American silent comedy drama film starring Constance Bennett, Sally O'Neil, and Joan Crawford. It is based on the 1922 play of the same name by Eddie Dowling and Cyrus Woods and takes a behind-the-scenes look at the romantic lives of three chorus girls and the way their preferences in men affect their lives. The play was adapted again in 1938, again titled Sally, Irene, and Mary and directed by William A. Seiter. That version stars Alice Faye, Joan Davis, and Marjorie Weaver in the title roles, and co-starred Tony Martin, Fred Allen, and Jimmy Durante.

Kevin Wagner Murphy is an American screenwriter, television producer, lyricist and composer. He wrote the book and lyrics of the musical Reefer Madness, as well as its television adaptation. For television, he has worked as a writer and producer for many series, most notably Desperate Housewives. He also wrote the stage musical Heathers: The Musical.

Poppy is a musical comedy in three acts with music by Stephen Jones and Arthur Samuels, and lyrics and book by Dorothy Donnelly, with contributions also from Howard Dietz, W. C. Fields and Irving Caesar. The musical introduced songs such as "Two Make a Home", "On Our Honeymoon", "What Do You Do Sunday, Mary?" and "Alibi Baby". The story, set in 1874 Connecticut, concerns a circus barker and con man, Prof. Eustace McGargle, who tries to pass off his foster daughter, Poppy, as a long-lost heiress. It turns out that Poppy really is an heiress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Kassir</span> American actor and comedian (b. 1957)

John Kassir is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his work as the voice of the Cryptkeeper in HBO's Tales from the Crypt franchise. He also appeared in the role of Ralph in the off-Broadway show Reefer Madness and its 2005 film adaptation. He is also the first voice actor to take over Disney comics character Scrooge McDuck following the death of Alan Young.

They Learned About Women is a 1930 American Pre-Code sports drama musical film directed by Jack Conway and Sam Wood, and starring Van and Schenck in their final film appearance together.

<i>Fascinating Youth</i> 1926 film by Sam Wood

Fascinating Youth is a 1926 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Sam Wood. It starred Charles "Buddy" Rogers, along with Thelma Todd and Josephine Dunn in supporting roles. Many well-known personalities made guest appearances in the film, judging a beauty contest in one scene, and Clara Bow makes a cameo appearance in her second film for Paramount Pictures.

<i>Take It Big</i> 1944 film by Frank McDonald

Take It Big is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Frank McDonald and written by Howard J. Green and Joe Bigelow. The film stars Jack Haley, Harriet Hilliard, Mary Beth Hughes, Richard Lane, Arline Judge and Fritz Feld. Also featured is Hilliard's husband in real life, bandleader Ozzie Nelson.

<i>Dance Girl Dance</i> 1933 film directed by Frank Strayer

Dance Girl Dance is a 1933 American pre-Code musical film directed by Frank Strayer from an original screenplay by Robert Ellis. The picture stars Alan Dinehart, Evalyn Knapp, and Edward Nugent, and premiered on September 1, 1933.

References

  1. Gates, Anita (April 15, 2005). "Zombies Get the Munchies, Too". The New York Times.
  2. Harvey, Dennis (January 30, 2005). "Reefer Madness".
  3. Gioia, Michael (April 14, 2015). "10 Years Later, Alan Cumming, Neve Campbell and Reefer Madness Cast Share Memories From Set". Playbill.
  4. "Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical".
  5. "Why Does the Reefer Madness DVD Smell Like Chocolate? (Message Board)". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  6. Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical (2005) , retrieved 2023-03-21
  7. "Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical streaming". JustWatch. Retrieved 2023-03-21.