Sadly Over-hyped

Just what I expected

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Bill and Mary were just two typical, all-american, 25 year old high school students, playing tennis, drinking hot cocoa, and reciting Shakespeare. Then, Bill got mixed up w/ the "wrong crowd", ending up at their house of eeevil, where he took a "hit" from a marijuana cigarette and "freaked out". Bill joined in w/ "satan's children" as they danced uncontrollably, played piano jazz, and had wanton abandon sessions! Meanwhile, Mary's brother borrowed her car, took a drag from a "hemp joint", and drove uncontrollably, running over a pedestrian, while laughing mercilessly! Ultimately, Mary wound up at the "drug den" herself, being introduced to the "killer weed" by Ralph, a crazed "pot fiend", given to uncontrollable fits of of hysterical laughter. Ralph took advantage of Mary, causing Bill -who was busy having a wanton abandon session w/ a female "pot head" in another room- to lose control and attack Ralph! Suddenly, the swinging "dope pad" was turned into a murder house, as the co-owner of the hangout drew a gun! During the melee, Mary was inadvertently shot dead! Bill was framed for Mary's murder, and Ralph was committed to an insane asylum! Annnd, remember the wicked girl that Bill had wanton abandon with? Well, when called upon to do her civic duty by testifying in court, she simply dove out of a high window! Let us learn the lessons here! Remember, smoke only good, wholesome tobacco, and / or drink harmless, invigorating alcohol. Leave the "reefer" to the ne'er do wells and hep cats of the world...

Cautionary tale features a fictionalized and highly exaggerated take on the use of marijuana. A trio of drug dealers lead innocent teenagers to become addicted to "reefer" cigarettes by holding wild parties with jazz music.This is one of those films that has gone on to become a cult classic, though probably not for the reason the director would have expected. While allegedly an anti-marijuana film, there is nothing in here that makes you think marijuana is bad. A man on drugs plays the piano wildly and his hair poofs up. People dance. Nothing too shocking.At one point a woman has some driving issues, but that only really says that people under the influence should not drive. The same is true for any substance. So it is not particularly convincing and comes across as rather humorous, which does not seem to be the intent.

I didn't expect much, but I got what I wanted; this movie is rubbish. Obviously, you know this. It's 2017, so to even think that a anti-pot propaganda film would be anything other than rubbish, is just dumb.I don't even know what to say, other than, why was this movie made? What is the plot really? People get baked and do bad things, this is hardly a revolutionary plot. The whole "story" is horribly executed, the acting is terrible, and the music is lame. Just don't watch it.

First let me say that we've come a long way in our thinking on marijuana. Now many advocate its use for medicinal purposes to alleviate pain. It will probably be legalized within the next 20 years in all states.I grew up in the Sixties when the effects of marijuana were being questioned and the view that Reefer Madness espouses was being ridiculed. From my own observation those who used it in the Sixties certainly had a different experience than what you see here. Those that I saw use it became laid back and mellow. What they lost with too much use was a drive to get up and accomplish something. Reverend Jim Ignatowski on Taxi was a perfect example of that. I also remember a public service commercial from the Seventies and Eighties showing these two thirty somethings puffing on the weed and yelling down to one of the smoker's mother that he'll do it tomorrow. That's far more the effect of overindulging in the devil's weed as Reefer Madness shows. Then overindulging in any pleasure is never good.Joseph Forte small town high school principal after a brief prologue tells the tale of a pair of high school kids, Dorothy Short and Kenneth Craig who fall into the evil clutches of dope peddlers Carleton Young and Thelma White. It results in death for one and near death for the other. There's also a friend of Young and White played by Dave O'Brien who had a substantial career in B westerns playing second string leads and sidekicks. He's presented as the model for the crazed dope fiend and he also has an unpleasant fate. O'Brien's performance also presents an exact opposite picture of the marijuana users I knew back in the day.Carleton Young had a most substantial career becoming a member of the John Ford stock company and he got into some classic films for Ford and others. Everyone else in this cast toiled in obscurity.What can you say about a film that is so horribly wrong and dated, with performances and a story that are laughable and looks like it was shot with an old Bell&Howell camera? Give it the bad rating it so richly deserves.