The Pace That Kills (1935 film)

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The Pace That Kills
Pacethatkills-lb.jpg
Theatrical poster (1935)
Directed by
  • Norton S. Parker
  • William A. O'Connor (credited as Wm. A. O'Connor)
Produced by Willis Kent
Starring Lois January
Narrated byWillis Kent (credited as presenter)
CinematographyJack Greenhalgh
Edited by Holbrook N. Todd
Production
company
Willis Kent Productions
Distributed by"State Rights"
Release date
  • December 1935 (1935-12)
Running time
68 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Pace That Kills (also known as Cocaine Madness and The Cocaine Fiends) is a 1935 American exploitation film directed by William O'Connor. The film, starring Lois January, tells the story of Jane Bradford, who gets involved with a drug dealer and becomes addicted to cocaine.

Contents

Plot

Small-town girl Jane Bradford (Lois January) falls for Nick (Noel Madison), a big-city guy who offers her a chance to escape her small-town life. He introduces her to "headache powder," which she later discovers is cocaine, and it turns out Nick is a drug dealer. By the time they reach the city, Jane is already hooked on the drug.

When Jane’s family hears nothing from her for a year, her brother Eddie (Dean Benton) comes to the city to search for her. Eddie finds work at a drive-in carhop and befriends Fanny (Sheila Bromley), a waitress who is one of Nick’s customers. Fanny becomes addicted to the "headache powder" and soon leads Eddie astray. Their downward spiral begins: both are fired and struggle to find new jobs. On the periphery of both Eddie and Jane's lives is Dorothy Farley (Lois Lindsay), a wealthy drive-in customer dating Dan (Charles Delaney), an undercover cop, watches from afar as Eddie and Jane’s lives unravel. Dorothy, who throws money around and offers financial help to those in need, becomes entangled in their chaotic world.

Fanny tells Eddie that she is pregnant. He tells her he really never loved her. Heartbroken, Fanny turns on the gas in her tenement, ending her life. The song "All I Want Is You" is sung at the nightclub. Dorothy’s father is exposed as a drug mobster. Jane, now going by 'Lil,' shoots and kills Nick as police arrive. Dan, revealed as an undercover cop, plans to marry Dorothy.

Cast

Preservation status

Production

Typical of the other films that Willis Kent produced during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s was a string of low-budget westerns and exploitation films, thinly disguised as cautionary tales. The plot also dealt with amorality and prostitution. [2] Production began November 9, 1935. [3]

Soundtrack

Nona Lee singing "All I Want Is You" The Cocaine Fiends (1935) - Nona Lee.jpg
Nona Lee singing "All I Want Is You"

Reception

The Pace That Kills was released without a Code seal from the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) and distributed via "State Rights" where local sales agents would then sell rights to individual theaters. The theater operators would then play the film as often as they desired in an attempt to make as much profit as possible. [5] The Pace That Kills was re-issued in 1937 as The Cocaine Fiends. [3]

Re-use of footage

Footage from the film, including the song "All I Want Is You," was re-used in Confessions of a Vice Baron (1943).

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at The Library of Congress, (<-book title) p.135 c.1978 by The American Film Institute
  2. ↑ Cripps 1996, p. 77.
  3. 1 2 "Detail: 'The Pace That Kills'." AFI. Retrieved: May 18, 2016.
  4. ↑ ""Towsee Mongalay." Charles Templeton Sheet Music Collection, Mississippi State University Libraries. Retrieved: May 18, 2016.
  5. ↑ Hall and Neale 2010, p. 24.

Bibliography

  • Cripps, Thomas. Hollywood's High Noon: Moviemaking and Society Before Television. Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996. ISBN   978-0-8018-5315-9.
  • Hall, Sheldon and Stephen Neale, Epics, Spectacles, and Blockbusters: A Hollywood History. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press, 2010. ISBN   978-0-8143-3008-1.
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