Reefer Madness

148414 Reefer Madness:The Musical

Reel DVD

R4 Australian Release

The 1930’s were a time of social change in the United States and during any transition there is a fear of what people do not understand. A plethora of so-called documentaries were produced warning of the dangers to the American way of life. These perceived threats covered the gambit from drugs and other races to women’s rights, sex education, abortion and homosexuality.

A wide range of rather bizarre documentaries were produced proving the gravity of the danger and these ranged from offensively racist to simply benign quaint views on manners and sexuality morality. In many ways the social history of this period shows that all these subjects were intertwined, coming from a fear of the different and the other. One of the more fascinating obsessions of the period, fed by the mass market newspapers owned by William Randolph Heart, was with the dangers of Marijuana and its racial implications. Many believe it was Hearst’s way to push a racist agenda without “being too obvious” i.e. masking it as a supposedly national health issue. The fear generated on this subject alone can be noted by the vast number of novels, films, documentaries and reports produced supposedly proving that it caused everything from promiscuity to violence, madness to homosexuality in prison. It was believed that even a single puff was enough to get a person addicted and on the path to ruin.

One of the best known propaganda films of the period is Reefer Madness made in 1936 and financed by a religious organization. Its ludicrous tale shows high school students lured with a single hit of marihuana to become addicts and the consequences of this addiction which includes car accidents, suicide, rape, murder and madness !

The story was so over the top that it never really achieved much success and was primarily distributed as an exploitation film, after being edited to emphasize its more lurid aspects. The film gained major popularity as a cult classic from the 1970’s onwards and is now considered an unintentionally humorous comedy.

The musical of Reefer Madness was a rave success and was adapted for the screen by Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney and directed by Andy Fickman. It stars many figures from the stage show including John Kassir, Christian Campbell, Kristen Bell, Harry S. Murphy, Michael Goorjian and Robert Torti, joined by new cast members Alan Cumming, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Spanger, Steven Weber and Neve Campbell.

The DVD is a joy to watch, it uses the original story line from Reefer Madness bringing in a range of songs to enliven the experience. Alan Cummings works as the stern narrator who outlines the events, in this role he reminds me very much of the narrator from the Rocky Horror Picture Show, which certainly had some influence on the look and feel of the film. This is an incredibly high camp production with a superbly politically incorrect view of the world ! We have everything from a sort of Monty Python recreation of Heaven with a Tom Jones look-a-like playing Jesus and singing say no to drugs to some quite over the violence including cannibalism and murder.

I enjoyed every minute of this show, it was fast paced, witty and at times a little pointed – it was more than willing to remind us that intolerance is still with us and it may dope smokers at first, but foreigners, queers and other folk could just as easily be next.

This is a must have adult musical, which has some great toe tapping music, a perverse and lurid storyline, lots of over the top acting, some mad acts of violence and maybe even a message of tolerance !