Reefer Madness may not be dead But an actress repsonsible for one of its most ridiculous portrayals is.
It sounds like Thelma White had quite a career, but she'll always be remembered by me as the leering stoner who goes more than one toke over the line in the film "Reefer Madness."
The Chicago Tribune obituary for White actually has lots of interesting details about the film, which was discovered by Keith Stroup and went to become the foundation of a major movie distribution company.
"Reefer Madness" was a low-budget propaganda film written by a religious group to broadcast the dangers of marijuana. It was relegated to the cinema waste heap for almost 40 years until 1972, when Keith Stroup, founder of the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws discovered it in the Library of Congress archives and paid $297 for a print. He then screened it in New York as a benefit for the advocacy group, unwittingly launching it on the road to cult-film history.
The movie was seen by Robert Shaye, who recognized its appeal as a hilarious, if unintentional, parody. He re-released it through his then-fledgling company, New Line Cinema, holding midnight showings until the film became a high-camp hit, especially popular on college campuses. (Based on early successes such as "Reefer Madness," New Line grew into a force in the entertainment industry, responsible for "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and other hits.)
8:01:42 AM | permalink |
|
