Can you believe that back in the 1930s this film WASN’T funny?
Like a whole slew of “those sinners are gonna pay” movies which came before and after, this tale was meant to enlighten and educate us. It was a plea to keep your kids away from this scourge.
This movie, originally titled TELL YOUR CHILDREN, is so well-known that I almost didn’t include it on this blog, but the colorization – and the wonderful commentary by comedian Mike Nelson (MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 and RIFFTRAX) – gave me pause to reconsider. The color and commentary took what was, for many years, a mildly amusing (though misguided) morality tale and turned into something….. well….. great.
As recently as the late 70’s, when people contacted the government about what films they could show to our youth to warn them of the dangers of drug addiction, Uncle Sam was still naming this one. I guess they weren’t ready to admit then that perhaps this film had exaggerated the bit about murder and insanity all because of the use of marijuana “cee-garettes”.
If you’ve seen this film already, there are probably no surprises for you here. However, it’s even more of a hoot in color because of the green reefer smoke. Oh, and for the “play faster……..faster…….faster” guy, Dave O’Brien (or “Tex” O’Brien as he was known when he was shooting sub-standard Western features for slipshod studios) as well.
This version does include a restored black and white version for any purists out there, but I’ll stick with color from now on. Worth having, no matter the retail price.
Like a whole slew of “those sinners are gonna pay” movies which came before and after, this tale was meant to enlighten and educate us. It was a plea to keep your kids away from this scourge.
This movie, originally titled TELL YOUR CHILDREN, is so well-known that I almost didn’t include it on this blog, but the colorization – and the wonderful commentary by comedian Mike Nelson (MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 and RIFFTRAX) – gave me pause to reconsider. The color and commentary took what was, for many years, a mildly amusing (though misguided) morality tale and turned into something….. well….. great.
As recently as the late 70’s, when people contacted the government about what films they could show to our youth to warn them of the dangers of drug addiction, Uncle Sam was still naming this one. I guess they weren’t ready to admit then that perhaps this film had exaggerated the bit about murder and insanity all because of the use of marijuana “cee-garettes”.
If you’ve seen this film already, there are probably no surprises for you here. However, it’s even more of a hoot in color because of the green reefer smoke. Oh, and for the “play faster……..faster…….faster” guy, Dave O’Brien (or “Tex” O’Brien as he was known when he was shooting sub-standard Western features for slipshod studios) as well.
This version does include a restored black and white version for any purists out there, but I’ll stick with color from now on. Worth having, no matter the retail price.
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